Payward expands tokenized stocks to Hong Kong and UK

The parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is expanding its tokenized stock platform to include international markets, beginning with Hong Kong-listed shares. Payward, the developer of the xStocks framework, announced a partnership with investment infrastructure provider GTN on July 22, 2026, to facilitate the move, which is contingent on regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction.

The initial expansion will focus on adding tokenized shares from Hong Kong, with plans to subsequently include equities from the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and South Korea. The partnership also establishes a foundation for xStocks to eventually expand beyond traditional equities into other tokenized asset classes. Mark Greenberg, global head of Payward Services, described international markets as the largest untokenized asset class, stating the goal is to bring global capital markets on-chain.

GTN will provide the traditional market infrastructure for the expansion, including execution, custody, and record-keeping for the underlying securities. The company provides access to more than 90 global markets through a single integration. Once licensed, GTN also plans to offer xStocks...