FTSE Russell & Chainlink Bring Index Data Onchain

The partnership between FTSE Russell, one of the world’s leading global index providers, and Chainlink, the dominant blockchain oracle network, represents a significant institutional validation of blockchain technology’s role in financial data distribution. Through Chainlink’s DataLink service, an institutional-grade publishing platform, key financial benchmarks including the Russell 1000, Russell 2000, Russell 3000 small-cap indexes, and the FTSE 100 Index will be made available across multiple blockchain networks. This move fundamentally changes how institutional-grade market data can be accessed and utilized in decentralized applications.

The significance of this collaboration extends beyond mere technical integration. By placing FTSE Russell’s benchmark equity indexes onchain, the partnership addresses one of the fundamental challenges in decentralized finance: access to reliable, institutional-quality data. The Russell indexes, particularly the Russell 2000 which serves as the primary benchmark for US small-cap stocks, are tracked by more than $18 trillion in assets globally, making their availability on blockchain networks a monumental step toward mainstream financial infrastructure convergence.

The Russell 1000, Russell 2000, and Russell 3000 indexes represent critical components of the US equity market landscape, with each serving distinct but complementary roles in portfolio management and performance measurement. The Russell 1000 covers the largest 1000 US companies by market capitalization, while the Russell 2000 focuses specifically on small-cap companies, and the Russell 3000 provides broad market exposure. The inclusion of the FTSE 100, representing the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, adds international diversification to the onchain offering.

Beyond traditional equity indexes, the partnership will also publish several digital asset benchmarks, creating a comprehensive suite of financial data spanning both traditional and crypto markets. This dual approach demonstrates how blockchain technology is becoming the unifying layer for diverse financial ecosystems. The availability of these benchmarks across multiple blockchains ensures that developers and financial institutions can build applications that leverage this data regardless of their preferred blockchain infrastructure.

The scale of assets tracking these indexes—over $18 trillion globally for the Russell family alone—underscores the potential impact of this initiative. Fund managers, institutional investors, and decentralized applications will now have direct, transparent access to the same benchmark data that drives trillions in investment decisions, potentially reducing information asymmetry and improving market efficiency across both traditional and decentralized financial systems.

Chainlink’s DataLink service represents the institutional-grade infrastructure needed to bridge traditional financial data with blockchain networks. As an oracle network, Chainlink specializes in securely delivering external data to smart contracts and decentralized applications, making it the natural choice for distributing FTSE Russell’s benchmark data. The partnership highlights how blockchain technology is evolving beyond cryptocurrency applications to become fundamental infrastructure for global finance.

The move to publish index data onchain addresses several longstanding challenges in financial data distribution, including transparency, accessibility, and reliability. Blockchain’s immutable nature ensures that historical index data cannot be altered, while its decentralized architecture reduces single points of failure. This combination creates a more robust foundation for financial applications that depend on accurate, timely market data.

For the broader financial ecosystem, this partnership signals a maturation of blockchain infrastructure capable of supporting institutional requirements. The availability of FTSE Russell’s indexes onchain opens new possibilities for decentralized financial products, including index-tracking tokens, structured products, and derivatives that can automatically settle based on verified index data. It also enables traditional financial institutions to explore blockchain-based solutions while maintaining access to the trusted benchmarks they’ve relied on for decades.