London Stock Exchange and Payward Target 100 UK Stocks for 24/7 On‑Chain Trading

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Payward have announced a partnership to tokenize the 100 largest U.K.-listed companies as “xStocks.” The tokens will be backed 1:1 by the underlying shares and will be made available through Kraken and other platforms that are part of the xStocks Alliance.

Tokenized Shares and Global Access

Investors in more than 110 countries will be able to trade the tokenized shares, although the tokens are not currently offered to UK‑based investors. Each xStock can move between centralized exchanges, self‑custody wallets and on‑chain applications, enabling 24/7 trading and settlement.

Potential Integration with LSE 24

Subject to regulatory approval, the LSE plans to list xStocks on its newly announced 24‑hour venue, LSE 24. This would give LSE member firms access to tokenized equities through regulated market infrastructure while extending trading beyond traditional exchange hours.

Industry Reactions

Payward’s co‑CEO Arjun Sethi highlighted the collaboration as a step toward integrating crypto and traditional finance on shared infrastructure. LSE plc CEO Julia Hoggett emphasized the need for tokenization to preserve the trust and rights of regulated markets.

Market Activity

Payward reports that xStocks have already generated over $40 billion in total trading volume, with more than $20 billion settled on‑chain and a holder base exceeding 200,000 accounts.

Future Outlook

Beyond tokenizing existing shares, the partners intend to explore native equity tokens issued directly on‑chain, offering the same rights and fungibility as traditional shares.