TL;DR
- Janus Henderson and Centrifuge launched JQQQ, a blockchain-native fund designed to track the performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index.
- The fund will be managed by Janus Henderson and will use Centrifuge’s infrastructure for issuance and operations. JQQQ will be available exclusively on the Stellar network.
- Fund shares will be able to integrate with onchain financial applications and could potentially be used as collateral in lending protocols.
Janus Henderson and Centrifuge announced the launch of JQQQ, an investment fund built directly on blockchain infrastructure that aims to track the performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index.
The new product uses an investment strategy licensed by Nasdaq and will be managed by Janus Henderson, an asset manager overseeing approximately $500 billion in assets. Centrifuge will provide the technology infrastructure needed to issue and operate the fund.
According to the companies, JQQQ is the first blockchain-native fund offering exposure to the Nasdaq-100 through an issuer-sponsored investment strategy. Its structure will allow fund shares to be distributed through digital financial platforms without relying exclusively on traditional channels.
Centrifuge Brings the Nasdaq-100 to the Stellar Blockchain
The fund will launch exclusively on Stellar, whose network surpassed $4 billion in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) during 2026, according to the announcement.
Centrifuge’s infrastructure will allow fund shares to be managed directly on the blockchain. These shares could be integrated into wallets and investment applications, and potentially used as collateral in lending markets and structured financial products.
The ability to use fund shares as collateral remains a potential application, rather than a service available at launch.
Anil Sood, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Centrifuge, explained that the goal is to bring traditional financial instruments into systems where they can also be used to develop additional investment products.
Janus Henderson Expands Its Tokenized Fund Offering
Janus Henderson already manages more than $1 billion in institutional onchain strategies, spanning U.S. Treasuries, structured credit, and public equities.
With JQQQ, the asset manager adds a stock market index comprising 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq.
Nick Cherney, Head of Innovation at Janus Henderson, said the company aims to expand its tokenized investment platform through products that combine traditional asset management with digital infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Sean Wasserman, Head of Index Product Management at Nasdaq, highlighted demand for investment products that provide access to established stock market indexes through new investment structures.
JQQQ will launch under a Nasdaq license. Stellar will be the only blockchain used for its issuance, at least initially.
