London-based asset manager Janus Henderson and tokenisation platform Centrifuge have announced the launch of JQQQ, a blockchain-native fund that provides exposure to the Nasdaq-100 Index through an issuer-sponsored strategy. The fund is designed for issuance and operation on public blockchain infrastructure, combining traditional investment management standards with digital financial applications.
The fund is launching on the Stellar network, a platform where real-world assets reached a total value of over $4 billion this year. The network hosts an institutional asset market that includes tokenised US Treasuries, sovereign debt, money-market funds, credit, and other financial instruments.Nick Cherney, Head of Innovation at Janus Henderson, says “We’re pleased to partner with Nasdaq Global Indexes and Centrifuge to launch JQQQ, combining Janus Henderson’s investment expertise with innovative digital infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of our clients. As a top five global provider of tokenised funds, Janus Henderson is committed to becoming the world’s most technologically sophisticated asset manager. This launch expands Janus Henderson’s on-chain platform, which now includes more than $1 billion in institutional strategies across US Treasuries, structured credit and public equities, to encompass one of the world’s most recognised equity benchmarks.”
Sean Wasserman, Head of Index Product Management at Nasdaq, notes the market demand for established benchmarks: “As investors explore new ways to access markets through digital infrastructure, demand continues to grow for exposure to established, transparent benchmarks. The Nasdaq-100 Index has long served as a foundation for a broad range of investment products, and we’re excited to support Janus Henderson in the continued evolution of index-based investing as it extends across a growing range of investment structures.”
Anil Sood, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Centrifuge, points to the role of assets within the broader on-chain ecosystem: “Tokenisation becomes much more powerful when the assets investors want to own can also become building blocks for an on-chain financial system. With Janus Henderson and Nasdaq Global Indexes, we are bringing the Nasdaq-100 Index on chain as a licensed, issuer-sponsored institutional investment product.”
Denelle Dixon, CEO & Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation, highlights the significance of the benchmark launch for the network: “Bringing the Nasdaq-100 on chain with Janus Henderson and Centrifuge shows how far tokenisation has come, from cash-equivalent assets to the benchmarks that define global equity markets. Stellar was purpose-built for regulated finance, and we expect many more products like this to follow.”
The strategy allows fund shares to be used as collateral across on-chain markets and integrated into digital financial applications. Janus Henderson manages the fund, while Centrifuge provides the underlying infrastructure for the on-chain operations.
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