S&P Dow Jones Indices, a division of S&P Global, announced plans to debut a new hybrid index combining traditional equities with digital assets, providing investors a novel way to gain exposure to the evolving crypto sector.

The S&P Digital Markets 50 Index will track 35 publicly traded companies involved in crypto infrastructure, blockchain applications, and financial services, alongside 15 cryptocurrencies sourced from S&P’s existing Broad Digital Market Index. The index is designed as a cross-asset benchmark, capturing both the performance of firms building the digital asset ecosystem and the tokens driving it.

Dinari, a platform specializing in tokenizing U.S. equities, helped design the index and will issue a blockchain-based token called a “dShare”, allowing investors to track the index directly on-chain. The token aims to be transparent and accessible across blockchain platforms.

The move highlights a broader trend of institutional investors increasingly treating digital assets as part of core portfolios, rather than 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, Chief Product & Operations Officer at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The index offers a way for investors to gain crypto exposure without fully committing to highly volatile tokens.

This year, crypto-related stocks have surged as digital asset companies go public and U.S. regulators clarify industry rules. Coinbase (COIN) has risen 50% year-to-date, while Robinhood (HOOD), which expanded its crypto offerings and acquired a crypto exchange, has climbed over 250% since January.

Dinari emphasized that its tokenization effort represents a modern approach to index investing. “We’re not just tokenizing an index, we’re demonstrating how blockchain infrastructure can modernize trusted benchmarks,” said Anna Wroblewska, Dinari’s Chief Business Officer.

The Digital Markets 50 adds to S&P’s growing suite of crypto-related indices and signals an ongoing convergence of traditional and digital finance. The official launch date for the index has not been announced.