FTSE Goes On-Chain: Chainlink to Power Real-Time Blockchain-Published Indices & Benchmark Data

Traditional finance meets Web3 in a seismic shift—FTSE Group ditches legacy systems, streaming its flagship indices directly onto blockchains via Chainlink oracles.

Why it matters: Institutions now get tamper-proof, real-time benchmarks without intermediaries. No more stale data, no more settlement delays—just cryptographically verified numbers.

The cynical take: Wall Street finally found a use case for blockchain that doesn’t involve JPEGs or memecoins. Progress?

Bottom line: When legacy index providers go on-chain, the old guard either adapts or gets left behind. Tick tock.

Nazarov says the integration is a ‘landmark moment’ for the DeFi industry

Fiona Bassett, CEO at FTSE, revealed that the collaboration enables innovation around tokenized assets, ETFs, and emerging financial products. She added that DataLink allows FTSE Russell to securely distribute the underlying data of some of the most trusted benchmarks on-chain. Bassett believes that the collaboration enables institutions and developers to access the same high-quality data that powers traditional finance (TradFi).

We’re excited to announce that @FTSERussell, a leading global index provider with $18T+ in AUM benchmarked, is collaborating with Chainlink to publish its world-leading global indices onchain for the first time via DataLink.https://t.co/hCSHCvweNy

With this integration, the… pic.twitter.com/MIIhP6kTrl

— Chainlink (@chainlink) November 3, 2025

Chainlink Co-Founder Sergey Nazarov called the integration “a landmark moment for the industry.” Nazarov said that DataLink allows globally recognized providers to deliver institutional-grade data directly into blockchain-native environments. Nazarov acknowledged the collaboration with FTSE Russell, noting that it was a step toward enabling the next generation of data-driven financial products and tokenized assets. 

According to Chainlink’s PR release, bringing the indices on-chain means developers can build DeFi products with real-time, tamper-proof data verified by a global, trusted index provider. Chainlink added that the collaboration will fast-track the adoption of digital asset-backed instruments, tokenized ETFs, and derivatives. 

According to Gerald Toledano, head of Russell’s expansion program into digital assets, the lack of trust in financial benchmarks marks as the biggest challenge for institutional adoption of DeFi in decentralized ecosystems. Toledano believes the latest development reduces the barrier and coils fundamentally change how compliant on-chain financial instruments are structured, priced, and executed.

DataLink, launched earlier this year on Chailink as a turnkey platform that enables providers to publish data securely without requiring proprietary blockchain infrastructure. DataLink uses Chainlink’s decentralized oracle network, which hosts over $100 billion in DeFi total value locked (TVL) and more than $25 trillion in on-chain transaction value to date. 

FTSE Russell uses Chainlink’s DataLink for on-chain integration

By integrating with DataLink, FTSE Russell can maintain complete control over how its data is distributed and commercialized, while tapping into over 2,000 on-chain applications across more than 60 blockchains. Based on on-chain data, real-world assets are showing promising growth areas in the blockchain ecosystem, currently at $35 billion, representing a 7% growth over the past 30 days. 

Covering anything from U.S. Treasuries to fine art, nearly $7 trillion in asset classes are projected to be tokenized by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs. The most preferred products are index-backed products, which developers and investors seek to build new platforms capable of operating in both regulated and unregulated decentralized ecosystems.

So far, FTSE Russell data is available to blockchain-native users 24/7, opening up new opportunities beyond trading to risk modeling, market analytics, and regulatory compliance tied to tokenized instruments.

The Russell 1000 and 2000 represent the most referenced indices for large and small-cap stocks in the U.S. The FTSE 100, on the other hand, is the defining benchmark for U.K. equities. The collaboration has now expanded into decentralized ecosystems that may reshape the future of cross-border investment vehicles and real-time risk hedging. 

Nazarov reiterated that the future of finance will be hybrid, meaning it will combine the integrity of decentralized networks with the performance of traditional finance benchmarks, and he believes this is just the beginning.

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