Clearstream extends tokenization beyond issuance to settlement, custody and collateral

Clearstream, a subsidiary of Deutsche Börse Group, is expanding its digital securities infrastructure to support the full lifecycle of tokenized assets, including settlement, custody, and collateral management. While the firm has been active in the digital space since 2018, this new initiative consolidates its disparate distributed ledger technology (DLT) activities into a unified, coherent offering. Unlike the DTCC, which is prioritizing the tokenization of equities, Clearstream is focusing its initial efforts on fixed income, money market funds, and retail structured products. The firm intends to leverage the Hyperledger Besu blockchain, a permissioned DLT, to ensure strict compliance with European Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) requirements. By maintaining a B2B2C model, Clearstream ensures that tokenized securities retain full ownership and voting rights for institutional clients. This strategic move aims to eventually tap into the €22 trillion of assets currently held in the firm's custody. The decision to avoid equities initially stems from the complexity of managing diverse corporate actions through smart contracts, favoring more programmable asset classes for the current rollout.