DUBAI, UAE and ST. HELIER, Jersey, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GTN, a fintech infrastructure provider, and Payward, the developer of the xStocks tokenised equities framework and parent company of Kraken, have partnered to accelerate the global expansion of the xStocks offering. The partnership marks the next phase of xStocks, extending its tokenised equities framework beyond U.S. stocks and ETFs to include equities from international markets and, over time, additional asset classes.

Under the agreement, xStocks will significantly scale the range of equities it tokenises, beginning with Hong Kong-listed equities before expanding to UK-listed assets, European assets, South Korean assets, and other markets. The collaboration also creates the opportunity to broaden xStocks beyond tokenised equities into new asset classes for the first time.

For individual holders, the expansion means tokenised assets from global markets and multiple asset classes can be held side-by-side in a single onchain portfolio, tradeable 24/7 and portable across the 100+ exchanges, wallets, and DeFi applications where xStocks already trade. The model depends on the operational link between blockchain tokens and the conventional securities, custody, and records that support them, making execution, custody, ledgering, and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction approvals central to any expansion.

GTN provides global execution and custody for the traditional assets underlying xStocks' expansion. Spanning a broad range of asset classes across 90+ markets through a single integration, GTN will enable xStocks to scale beyond U.S. equities to internationally listed equities and, over time, new asset classes — each subject to regulatory approvals.

Under the agreement, GTN also provides infrastructure to support ledgering and record-keeping of tokenised products, helping token issuers account for underlying assets. Subject to GTN obtaining the required licences in each market, the company would make a range of xStocks available to its institutional clients alongside its existing offering.

The partnership is already live, with tokenised distribution to GTN's institutional clients to follow once the required licences are in place. GTN and Payward will share details on enhanced offerings in the coming weeks, with the timing and availability of products dependent on the regulatory status of each market.

Executive Commentary

"For decades, we've accepted that capital markets should be fragmented by country, currency, and market hours," said Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Payward Services. "That's a legacy financial infrastructure problem. The biggest asset class that hasn't been tokenized yet is the rest of the world, and our partnership with GTN is about changing that. One asset at a time, we're bringing truly global capital markets onchain until geography becomes irrelevant to investing."

"Financial institutions want to move into new asset classes and markets without rebuilding their technology," said Ankit Shah, Global Head of FinTech at GTN. "Our infrastructure lets partners like Payward launch quickly across 90+ markets and a full range of instruments, and it includes the sub-accounting technology Kraken needs to offer tokenised products. We are delighted that Payward has selected GTN as a global product expansion partner."

xStocks Background

xStocks launched approximately one year ago with tokenised U.S. stocks and ETFs backed 1:1 by the underlying assets. Since then, the framework has expanded to more than 500 tokenised assets spanning equities, ETFs, and IPOs — the widest range offered by any tokenised equities framework, according to the company. xStocks now power over $35 billion in transaction volume across multiple blockchain ecosystems and have amassed nearly 200,000 holders worldwide. The GTN partnership marks the start of the next phase, extending the framework beyond U.S. capital markets for investors globally.

About Payward

Payward, Inc. is a unified financial infrastructure platform that powers a family of products advancing an open, global financial system. Built on a single shared architecture, Payward enables customers to hold, trade, earn, pay, and invest across asset classes without friction or fragmentation. Payward provides the infrastructure layer behind Kraken and a growing set of purpose-built products, including NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, and CF Benchmarks. Its shared architecture comprises one global liquidity pool, one unified risk and margin engine, one collateral and settlement system, and one compliance and licensing framework. More information is available at www.payward.com.

About xStocks

xStocks is a tokenized equities framework bringing publicly listed U.S. stocks and ETFs onchain through fully collateralized, 1:1-backed tokens. Powered by Payward's digital asset infrastructure, xStocks provides exposure to traditional equities on blockchain infrastructure. Since launching in June 2025, xStocks has powered billions of dollars in transaction volume across multiple blockchain ecosystems. More information is available at

About GTN

GTN is a global fintech infrastructure provider offering a unified API-first architecture. GTN provides brokers, banks, asset managers, and fintechs with brokerage infrastructure spanning 90+ markets and 8 asset classes through a single API. The company has over 600 professionals across 14 countries and serves 500+ clients globally. GTN is regulated across six jurisdictions (FCA, DFSA, MAS, FINRA, FSCA, SFC) and is backed by strategic investors including IFC (World Bank Group) and SBI Ventures Singapore. More information is available at www.gtngroup.com.

Important Information

This announcement is for informational purposes only. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice, and is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security, token, or other financial instrument. xStocks are issued by Backed Assets (JE) Limited (a Jersey private limited company) and offered to eligible Kraken customers via Payward Digital Solutions Ltd. ("PDSL"), a company licensed to conduct digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and to eligible EU customers via Payward Europe Digital Solutions Ltd., a company authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. xStocks are not offered or available in the United States or to U.S. persons, and other geographic restrictions apply. xStocks are not, nor will they be, registered with any local securities regulators.

The availability of products and services varies by jurisdiction and is subject to local regulatory requirements and approvals. GTN's provision of any services described is subject to GTN obtaining the relevant regulatory licences in each market. Tokenised and cryptoasset products carry significant risk, including the risk of total loss, may be unregulated, and may not be covered by statutory compensation schemes; the value of investments can go down as well as up. Kraken's xStocks Risk Disclosure is available at kraken.com/legal/xstocks, and the Base Prospectus and related Final Terms for xStocks are available at

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that reflect current expectations and are subject to change, including as a result of regulatory, market, and technological developments. GTN and Payward undertake no obligation to update them.

Source: GTN / Chainwire