Story perspectives

ECB launches Pontes tokenized-asset settlement platform with banks

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 6:13 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The European Central Bank launched Pontes, a tokenized-asset settlement platform, on September 21, 2026.
Pontes links private distributed-ledger platforms to the Eurosystem’s TARGET Services payment backbone.
Thirteen eurozone banks and four DLT operators, including Clearstream and Axiology, went live.
The service runs 08:00-16:00 CET with continuous operation targeted for 2028.
The ECB will allocate its portfolio to tokenized securities settled on Pontes, focusing on euro-denominated public debt.

History

Historical Context

Founded on 3 July 1934 under the Bank of Canada Act, the Bank of Canada received a mandate to regulate credit and protect the national currency. Its oversight of the Canadian Payments Association established a stable payments infrastructure that later enabled fintech trials such as distributed-ledger pilots. By 30 December 2015 the bank held C$95 billion of government debt.

1 of 2

Story summary

The European Central Bank launched Pontes, a tokenized-asset settlement platform, on September 21, 2026.
Pontes links private distributed-ledger platforms to the Eurosystem’s TARGET Services payment backbone.
Thirteen eurozone banks and four DLT operators, including Clearstream and Axiology, went live.
The service runs 08:00-16:00 CET with continuous operation targeted for 2028.
The ECB will allocate its portfolio to tokenized securities settled on Pontes, focusing on euro-denominated public debt.

1 / 2