The European Central Bank (ECB) has initiated preparatory work to invest a small portion of its own funds in tokenized securities, according to a statement published on 21 September 2026.
The objective is to enable the ECB to gain practical experience as an investor and to develop institutional expertise in the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in financial markets.
These investments will initially focus on euro-denominated securities issued by central and regional governments within the euro area, as well as by European agencies and supranational institutions.
Transactions will be settled in central bank money via Pontes, the euro system’s settlement solution for tokenized assets, launched on the same day.
This initiative is part of the European System of Central Banks’ strategy to adapt central bank money to the digital age, notably through the Pontes and Appia initiatives, which aim to create a tokenized financial ecosystem in Europe.
Once the preparatory work is completed, the ECB’s Executive Board will decide on the operational modalities and timing of the investments, taking into account the development of tokenized issuances and the associated financial ecosystem.
