JPMorgan (JPM) is preparing to launch a tokenized money market fund, the latest sign that major financial institutions and Wall Street asset managers are speeding up efforts to move traditional assets onto blockchain rails.
A Tuesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission SEC) outlined plans for a blockchain-based money-market fund investing exclusively in short-term U.S. Treasuries, cash and overnight repo agreements backed by government securities.
The fund, dubbed JPMorgan OnChain Liquidity-Token Money Market Fund (JLTXX), will maintain blockchain-based token balances tied to investors' ownership records, allowing approved users to submit purchase, redemption and transfer requests through Ethereum, the filing said. The underlying blockchain infrastructure will be operated by Kinexys Digital Assets, JPMorgan’s blockchain unit formerly known as Onyx.
The fund is structured to satisfy reserve asset requirements under the GENIUS Act, legislation aimed at regulating stablecoin issuers in the U.S. That could position the product as a yield-bearing reserve vehicle for stablecoin firms seeking compliant Treasury exposure.
The move comes only days after BlackRock (BLK), the world's largest asset manager, filed paperwork for a new tokenized Treasury reserve vehicle and blockchain-based shares of an existing $7 billion money-market fund.
Tokenization — the process of creating blockchain-based representations of traditional financial assets — has become one of the hottest trends across finance and crypto markets. Supporters argue the technology can reduce settlement times, improve transparency and enable around-the-clock trading and collateral use.
The tokenized real-world asset market has grown more than 200% over the past year and now exceeds $32 billion, according to rwa.xyz data. Treasury products have emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments as institutions seek ways to earn yield on onchain cash.
JPMorgan has been among the most active traditional banks embedding blockchain infrastructure in traditional finances. In December, the bank launched a tokenized money-market fund called MONY on Ethereum, giving institutional investors blockchain-based access to short-term cash products. Through Kinexys, the bank has also processed tokenized collateral and settlement transactions for institutional clients.