macroeconomics

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

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Published

The ECB launched preparatory work to invest part of its own funds in tokenised securities and settle those transactions in central bank money through Pontes. The plan is framed as a way to gain practical experience with DLT, with initial investments focused on euro-denominated public-sector securities and a broader rollout of Pontes set out over time.

Key claims & sources

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The ECB launched preparatory work on 21 September 2026 to use part of its own funds for investments in tokenised securities.
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Those transactions are intended to settle in central bank money through Pontes, the Eurosystem’s DLT settlement solution.
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Pontes is expected to expand its services and operating hours gradually, with full implementation expected by 2028.
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The ECB aims to buy tokenised public-sector securities as part of its effort to gain firsthand DLT market experience.

What it means

Today this affects the ECB, the Eurosystem, and the market for tokenised public-sector securities. The launch of preparatory work means the ECB is putting its own funds into a setup where those trades settle in central bank money through Pontes, so participants watching DLT settlement can see a live central-bank use case develop.

In practice, the arrangement changes where and how these tokenised trades can settle, because Pontes is the settlement route named for DLT transactions. The scope is still narrow, since the initial investments are aimed at euro-denominated public-sector securities, and Pontes itself is only planned to expand gradually before full implementation expected by 2028.

Market reaction i

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Coverage timeline

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first
Sep 21 10:00
+1 h 27 m
Sep 21 11:27
Cointelegraph context
Its angle: implementation, participants, stablecoins
+5 h 1 m
Sep 21 15:00
CoinDesk echo
No new facts: bonds, plans, buy
+1 d 1 h
Sep 22 11:29
Cointelegraph adds
Brings into the story: DLT