Nasdaq-100 comes onchain as Janus Henderson and Centrifuge launch first licensed fund
Asset management firm Janus Henderson and blockchain infrastructure platform Centrifuge have jointly launched what they describe as the first licensed fund to bring the Nasdaq-100 index onchain. The product marks a significant step in tokenizing traditional financial benchmarks, allowing exposure to one of the world's most closely watched equity indexes through blockchain-based infrastructure.
The move follows a broader trend of established financial institutions exploring tokenization as a means of expanding access to conventional investment products. Centrifuge, which specializes in bringing real-world assets onto decentralized networks, has previously facilitated the tokenization of credit and fixed-income instruments. Janus Henderson, managing approximately $360 billion in assets, represents one of the larger traditional asset managers to commit to a live, regulated onchain fund product of this nature.
The launch carries notable implications for the intersection of decentralized finance and traditional capital markets. A licensed fund structure built around the Nasdaq-100 could serve as a template for tokenizing other major indexes, potentially lowering barriers to entry for a wider range of investors and enabling programmable, around-the-clock trading of equity-linked products that have traditionally operated within exchange hours.
Market participants will be watching closely for regulatory responses to the product, as well as adoption metrics in the coming months. The degree to which institutional and retail investors engage with the fund could help determine whether similar collaborations between legacy asset managers and blockchain platforms accelerate across the industry.
Source: CoinDesk
