S&P Dow Jones Indices, a division of S&P Global, plans to launch a new hybrid index that blends traditional stock markets with digital assets, providing a new option for investors looking to navigate the rapidly evolving crypto industry, the company announced Tuesday.
The S&P Digital Markets 50 Index will track 35 publicly traded companies involved in crypto infrastructure, blockchain applications and financial services, as well as 15 cryptocurrencies drawn from S&P’s existing Digital Markets Index. The result is a cross-reference that captures the performance of the two companies building the digital asset ecosystem and the tokens driving it.
Dinari, a platform that tokenizes U.S. public stocks, collaborated on the design of the index and will release a token, called “dshare,” to allow investors to track the index directly on-chain. The token is designed to be transparent and accessible across all blockchain platforms.
The move reflects a broader trend: institutional investors are increasingly treating digital assets as part of their core portfolios, not just speculative bets. “From North America to Europe to Asia, market participants are beginning to treat digital assets as part of their investment toolkit,” said Cameron Drinkwater, director of products and operations at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
In practical terms, the index could appeal to investors who want exposure to crypto without going all-in on volatile tokens.
Crypto stocks have increased in popularity this year as a wave of digital asset companies go public and U.S. regulators begin to provide clearer rules for the industry. Investors appear to be responding to both the improved regulatory outlook and the integration of crypto-related business models. Coinbase (COIN) is up 50% year to date. Meanwhile, Robinhood (Hood), which expanded its crypto offerings and acquired a crypto exchange earlier this year, has seen its shares rise more than 250% since January.
Dinari’s tokenization effort also represents a push to modernize how index investing works.
“We are not just judging an index, we are showing how blockchain infrastructures can modernize trust benchmarks,” said Anna Wroblewska, Dinari’s chief business officer.
The Digital Markets 50 joins S&P’s growing list of crypto-related indexes and may signal a larger shift in how digital and traditional finance continue to merge.
The launch date has not been announced.
