Deutsche Borse launches DLT-based post-trade platform
Deutsche Borse, has announced plans to launch its own digital post-trade platform D7 in November which will have a phased rollout that will continue till next year.
This new product has been made possible by the changes in German law that have helped to create electronic securities which do not require the use of traditional stock certificates. This helps in digitizing securities and removes the delays that are involved in issuing, transferring, and verify of stock certificates. By the middle of 2022, the exchange plans to be able to support the same-day issuance of digital securities with another phase that would integrate this functionality with blockchain which would enable delivery immediately upon receipt of payment.
“With D7, we’re providing the financial community with a next-generation digital securities post-trade platform to unlock the potential of truly digital and decentralized finance,” said Stephan Leithner, member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse. “It’s time not only to digitize single processes; it’s time to reinvent post-trading altogether for a stronger, more sustainable and digital future of securities markets.”
Several major banks like Citi, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, and others were involved in the development of the platform and this product makes sense as the legacy systems move towards digitization in stages. The regulators have also been cooperative in this aspect as the laws also get changed to suit the digital world and it makes sense that the products follow suit as well.
The launch of the overall product is likely to happen in a phased manner with a new digital registry to be launched in November followed by digital issuance to be able to achieve straight-through processing. There are also plans to collaborate with other registries through Europe and for now, the platform will use the smart contract language of its technology partner Digital Asset and the language name in DAML. This solution is also expected to expand and include other digital assets and cryptocurrencies in the long term and not restrict itself to digital securities.
The exchange has been improving its product range over the last few months with it acquiring a minority stake in WeMatch recently to enhance its front office support for the derivatives marketplace. It has quickly realized the need to ramp up its overall operations to stay relevant in this fast fintech world and it has been going about this with precision.
