USDT issuer Tether’s tokenization arm, Hadron, is teaming up with ETF issuer KraneShares and Bitfinex Securities to develop and scale tokenized financial products, the companies said in a statement Thursday.
The initiative plans to create tokenized versions of exchange-traded products and build the systems needed for them to trade on regulated digital asset platforms.
The companies plan to test institutional appetite for such products and work on the legal and operational design needed to bring them to market.
Hadron by Tether will provide the tokenization tech, while Bitfinex Securities offers a licensed trading venue under El Salvador’s regulatory oversight. KraneShares, the asset manager best-known for its China-focused ETF, plans to shift fully to tokenized offerings in coming years.
“We believe our business in the next three to four years will be 100% tokenized, and this strategic agreement represents an important step toward that future,” said Jonathan Krane, CEO of KraneShares.
The deal comes as financial institutions explore how to bring real-world assets like stocks, bonds and ETFs on-chain. Tokenized markets are expected to grow from roughly $30 billion now to trillions through the decade, according to industry projections.
In practice, a tokenized ETF could allow investors to buy exposure to a fund using digital wallets, with near-instant settlement and fewer intermediaries. Tokenization could also be an attractive as a new distribution channel for asset managers, especially in emerging markets where average investors don’t necessary have brokerage accounts to access products like an ETF.
