ECB to invest part of own funds in tokenised securities, with settlement via Pontes

The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched preparatory work to invest a small portion of its own funds in tokenised securities. This will enable the ECB to gain practical experience as an investor and build institutional expertise in the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in financial markets. The own funds portfolio is a non-monetary policy portfolio that provides the ECB with income to help fund operating expenses, excluding those related to the delivery of its supervisory tasks. This step will also support the Eurosystem’s strategy to make central bank money fit for the digital age.