Payward, the financial infrastructure group behind Kraken, has expanded its xStocks tokenised equities framework into UK and European markets, bringing more than 200 heavily traded listed companies onchain and taking the platform beyond 1,500 tokenised assets.

The expansion marks xStocks’ largest move beyond US-listed securities to date, with further equities set to be added on a rolling basis. Each token is backed one-for-one by its corresponding share, with trading available immediately on Kraken and platforms within the xStocks Alliance.

The tokens are also available across decentralised finance networks already supporting xStocks, including Solana, Ethereum, TON, Ink and X Layer.

Every token issued triggers the purchase of a matching share, which is held with a regulated custodian for the token’s lifetime. This structure means demand from onchain investors is linked directly to the underlying securities markets.

For investors across the more than 110 markets where xStocks are available, the expansion provides another route to exposure to UK and European equities that may otherwise be difficult to access.

The launch is the first result of Payward Services’ tokenisation partnership with GTN, which executes trades and provides custody for the traditional securities backing each token. Payward said the arrangement enabled it to create and deploy hundreds of new tokens within weeks.

Several hundred Hong Kong-listed stocks are expected to follow shortly, with further international markets planned afterwards.

The move also builds on Payward’s recent partnership with the London Stock Exchange and advances its commitment to tokenise the 100 largest companies listed in London.

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