How EquiLend's $40 Trillion Securities Network Is Bridging TradFi and Tokenized Markets

The securities lending infrastructure industry is experiencing a pivotal shift. EquiLend, the market utility managing $40 trillion in lendable assets, recently invested in Digital Prime Technologies to position itself at the intersection of traditional finance and emerging digital asset markets. This move reflects a broader industry trend: the need for unified infrastructure that can seamlessly connect traditional instruments with tokenized assets.

Strategic Investment Taps Growing Demand for Governance in Digital Finance

EquiLend took a minority stake in Digital Prime Technologies, a regulated cryptocurrency financing provider, to address rising institutional demand for transparent and governed workflows across both traditional and digital markets. The partnership aims to bridge the gap between decades-old securities lending practices and the rapidly evolving tokenized asset ecosystem.

The timing matters. As regulatory frameworks clarify—particularly with the U.S. government’s increasingly pro-crypto stance—institutions are beginning to explore expansion beyond traditional asset classes. EquiLend’s CEO Rich Grossi noted that while the company remains rooted in traditional finance, it sees clients increasingly considering a diversified approach to asset classes. “The key point is continuity,” Grossi explained, describing EquiLend’s strategic focus on providing seamless infrastructure that spans multiple asset categories.

Tokenet Links Traditional and Digital Asset Lifecycle Management

The partnership centers on Tokenet, Digital Prime’s institutional lending network. This platform manages the complete lifecycle of multi-custodian and multi-collateral arrangements, including exposure monitoring and institutional reporting—capabilities that EquiLend has spent years refining in the traditional securities lending space.

Future iterations will introduce regulated stablecoin collateral and additional tokenized instruments, extending the platform’s reach. The shift represents not a departure from EquiLend’s core mission but an evolution of it. The company’s Chief Product Officer, Nick Delikaris, drew a parallel between today’s digital asset financing challenges and the fragmented landscape of traditional securities lending two decades ago. Both fields grapple with issues like fragmented workflows, limited collateral mobility, and inconsistent post-trade processes. By investing in Digital Prime, EquiLend is essentially applying time-tested solutions to an emerging market segment.

Regulatory Clarity Creates Opportunities for Infrastructure Convergence

The convergence of traditional market infrastructure and digital asset regulation is no longer hypothetical—it’s becoming reality. EquiLend is witnessing increased engagement from regulators, exchanges, and market utilities around real-world asset tokenization. This regulatory alignment, combined with growing institutional appetite for governance and transparency, has created a compelling investment thesis.

For an organization that manages $40 trillion in traditional securities flows, the opportunity to extend that expertise into tokenized markets during this pivotal regulatory window represents a strategic positioning play. As digital asset markets mature, institutional requirements for transparent workflows, clear governance structures, and scalable infrastructure—the exact foundation EquiLend built over decades—become increasingly critical.