#ProjectAgora

10 articles tagged #ProjectAgora — curated RWA tokenization coverage.

#BIS #TokenizedDeposits #CrossBorderPayments #Tokenization #AtomicSettlement #AultBlockchain #BankOfKorea #Canada #CBDC #DTCC

Infrastructure

Tokenized Deposits in Canada: How Banks Can Build Now

Canadian financial institutions are rapidly advancing the development of tokenized money rails to modernize treasury and payment systems. On September 22, Canada's six largest banks—BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD—announced a joint initiative to explore Canadian dollar tokenized deposits. This effort follows a September 10 ruling by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) clarifying that tokenized deposits maintain the same legal status as traditional deposits. Major banks are also participating in international projects like the BIS's Project Agorá and are collaborating on a USD stablecoin issuer targeted for 2027. Domestically, the Bank of Canada is supporting these efforts, building on the success of Project Samara, which saw the country's first tokenized bond settlement. These developments aim to provide 24/7 programmable money, reducing settlement times and intraday credit exposure. By focusing on a unified digital asset infrastructure, Canadian banks intend to maintain control over keys, policy, and data while ensuring interoperability across various blockchain networks.

#TokenizedDeposits #Fireblocks #BIS

fireblocks.com·Oct 13, 20268.0

Infrastructure

Tokenization Has Arrived. What It Means for the Financial System

Tokenization is evolving from a simple digitization of assets into a fundamental redesign of financial infrastructure aimed at reducing operational coordination costs. While traditional finance has long been digital, it remains fragmented across siloed systems for payments, custody, and compliance, leading to inefficiencies like the $1.4 trillion in daily foreign exchange settlement risk identified by the Bank for International Settlements. By moving assets onto programmable infrastructure, institutions can embed financial logic directly into transactions, allowing for simultaneous settlement and compliance. Projects like the BIS-led Project Agorá demonstrate this shift by integrating tokenized commercial and central bank money on shared platforms. The market for tokenized U.S. Treasuries reflects this institutional adoption, growing from $4 billion in early 2025 to nearly $13 billion by Q1 2026. This transition signifies that the primary value of tokenization lies in improving capital efficiency and liquidity management rather than merely creating new asset classes. Ultimately, this shift enables assets to act as active participants in a unified financial environment, paving the way for deeper integration with technologies like artificial intelligence.

#Tokenization #U.S.Treasuries #BIS

ceoworld.biz·Oct 10, 20268.0

Infrastructure

After joining Agorá, Wells Fargo CFO calls for atomic settlement of tokenized deposits

Wells Fargo has officially joined Project Agorá, a Bank for International Settlements (BIS) initiative focused on enhancing cross-border payment efficiency through tokenized deposits and central bank reserves. During the Sibos conference, Wells Fargo CFO Mike Santomassimo emphasized that the future of financial settlement relies on interoperability rather than isolated, single-bank solutions. By participating in this project, the bank aims to move beyond merely digitizing existing payment plumbing to achieve true atomic settlement. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between siloed tokenized deposit models, allowing for seamless interaction across different DLT platforms. This development is significant for the RWA market as it signals a major institutional shift toward standardized, interoperable infrastructure for tokenized cash. Santomassimo’s comments underscore the industry's growing consensus that closed-loop systems are insufficient for global scale. Ultimately, this collaboration highlights the critical role of central bank-backed tokenization in modernizing international financial transactions.

#TokenizedDeposits #AtomicSettlement #BIS

ledgerinsights.com·Sep 30, 20268.0

Infrastructure

Everyone Wants to Tokenize Assets, No One Is Building the Market

The tokenization industry is shifting focus from merely issuing assets onchain to building the complex infrastructure required for functional financial markets. While early projects proved that assets like Treasuries and stocks could be represented digitally, the current challenge lies in creating liquidity, collateral verification, and automated settlement workflows. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) recently demonstrated this by processing real production trades involving over 30 institutions, while Ondo Finance integrated with the Fund/SERV network to bridge traditional mutual-fund infrastructure. Simultaneously, the BIS-led Project Agorá is exploring how tokenized deposits and reserves can improve wholesale cross-border settlement. Ault Blockchain, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 launched in March 2026, exemplifies this trend by attempting to integrate issuance, trading, and settlement within a single, compliance-oriented ecosystem. By utilizing a licensed node structure and DAO governance, Ault aims to provide the underlying machinery for financial activity rather than just a ledger for asset storage. Ultimately, the market is moving toward integrated environments where compliance, identity, and reporting are programmable, signaling that the novelty of simple tokenization is being replaced by a demand for robust, interconnected financial infrastructure.

#Ondo Finance #DTCC #ProjectAgora

dailycoin.com·Sep 22, 20268.0

Infrastructure

Bank of Korea launches 24

The Bank of Korea has launched a pilot program for a 24-hour won settlement network designed to facilitate international transactions outside of South Korea's standard banking hours. By partnering with four major domestic lenders—KB Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank, Hana Bank, and Shinhan Bank—the central bank aims to streamline access for foreign investors through Registered Foreign Institutions for KRW Business. This infrastructure allows investors to settle won transactions during their local business hours without requiring direct accounts at South Korean financial institutions. Full operational status is targeted for January 2027, with plans to expand participation to additional domestic and foreign banks. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance the international standing of the South Korean won. Furthermore, the Bank of Korea is actively exploring tokenized settlement through the Bank for International Settlements' Project Agorá and its own Project Hangang. These efforts utilize wholesale central bank digital currency and tokenized commercial bank deposits to modernize cross-border payment systems. The development represents a significant shift toward blockchain-integrated financial infrastructure for sovereign currency settlement.

#Tokenization #CrossBorderPayments #ProjectAgora

Cointelegraph — Tokenization·Sep 21, 20268.0

Infrastructure

Citi launches trade digitisation solution, Lloyds tests tokenised cross-border payments through Project Agorá

Lloyds Banking Group has successfully completed three live tokenised-deposit transactions as part of Project Agorá, a collaborative initiative convened by the Bank for International Settlements and the Institute of International Finance. This project involves seven central banks and over 40 major financial institutions, including Citi, HSBC, and JPMorgan, aiming to integrate tokenised commercial-bank deposits with central-bank reserves. During recent testing, 28 institutions executed 17 scenarios totaling approximately $1 million, achieving an average settlement time of 80 seconds. This development is significant for the RWA market as it demonstrates the potential for tokenised assets to streamline wholesale cross-border payments by enabling simultaneous settlement of different currency legs. By reducing settlement risk and timing inefficiencies, Project Agorá provides a scalable framework for institutional adoption of blockchain-based financial infrastructure. The successful execution of these transactions highlights the growing momentum among global banks to transition from traditional payment rails to tokenised, programmable settlement systems. This shift is critical for the future of RWA tokenization, as it establishes the necessary plumbing for high-value, multi-currency asset transfers on distributed ledgers.

#InstitutionalDeFi #CrossBorderPayments #ProjectAgora

theasianbanker.com·Aug 4, 20268.5

Infrastructure

JPMorgan, Citi, UBS and Central Banks Wrap Up Real-Value Trials of Tokenized Cross-Border Payments in Project Agorá

Project Agorá, an initiative led by the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, has successfully concluded real-value testing of tokenized cross-border payments. The trials involved 28 public and private entities, including major global institutions like JPMorgan, Citi, and UBS, alongside five central banks. Participants executed approximately 30 transactions totaling CHF 800,000 across six currencies, including the US dollar, euro, and Japanese yen. By utilizing a shared programmable ledger, the project demonstrated atomic settlement, which eliminates settlement risk by ensuring all asset transfers complete simultaneously. The average settlement time was reduced to 80 seconds, significantly faster than traditional cross-border payment methods. This milestone proves that tokenized commercial bank deposits and central bank reserves can function effectively within a unified, secure infrastructure. The successful execution of these trials highlights the potential for tokenization to modernize global wholesale finance by increasing transparency and reducing operational friction. This development marks a critical step toward institutional adoption of blockchain-based payment systems that maintain the safety of central bank-backed assets.

#CrossBorderPayments #TokenizedDeposits #BIS

crowdfundinsider.com·Aug 3, 20269.5

Infrastructure

JPMorgan, Citi, UBS Testing Tokenized Cross-Border Payments

JPMorgan, Citi, and UBS are among 28 global financial institutions that successfully completed a live pilot of Project Agorá, a blockchain-based platform for cross-border payments. The test processed approximately $1 million in real-value transactions across six major currencies, including the U.S. dollar, euro, and Japanese yen. By utilizing tokenized commercial bank deposits alongside tokenized central bank reserves, the participants achieved an average settlement time of just 80 seconds. This initiative demonstrates the potential for atomic, multi-currency settlement that operates on a 24/7 basis, significantly outperforming traditional payment rails. The platform integrates smart contracts to embed compliance and workflow logic directly into transactions, effectively reducing manual reconciliation and operational friction. By enabling simultaneous foreign exchange settlement, the project also mitigates counterparty risk inherent in current sequential payment systems. This milestone represents a critical step toward modernizing wholesale banking infrastructure through the integration of programmable, tokenized assets.

#JPMorgan #CrossBorderPayments #TokenizedDeposits

watcher.guru·Jul 31, 20269.5

Infrastructure

Project Agorá starts live trials. Lloyds participates in 3 tokenized deposit transactions

Lloyds Banking Group has successfully executed three live tokenized deposit transactions as part of the Bank for International Settlements' Project Agorá. This initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of wholesale cross-border payments by integrating tokenization into the regulated banking framework. By utilizing real money rather than simulations, the project has officially entered its Real-Value Testing phase. Lloyds participated in transactions involving the conversion of Swiss francs into British pounds and euros, demonstrating the ability to execute FX conversion, payment, and settlement simultaneously. This shift from prototype to live testing highlights the potential for tokenized deposits to significantly reduce settlement risk and operational friction. The project involves a broad coalition of eight central banks and over 40 private financial institutions coordinated by the BIS and the Institute of International Finance. These trials represent a critical milestone in proving that tokenized assets can function effectively within existing global financial infrastructures.

#TokenizedDeposits #BIS #WholesalePayments

ledgerinsights.com·Jul 30, 20268.5

Stablecoins

BIS identifies stablecoin gaps. Regulation and innovations are already closing them

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has shifted its stance on stablecoins, moving from a dismissive critique of their soundness to a more constructive, prescriptive approach. While the BIS continues to highlight persistent challenges such as financial integrity, governance on permissionless rails, and blockchain fragmentation, it now emphasizes a two-pronged strategy involving coordinated regulation and the development of interoperable platforms. This strategy centers on the BIS unified ledger concept and Project Agorá, which aim to integrate tokenized commercial and central bank money. Notably, the report overlooks rapid private sector advancements that are already addressing these identified gaps. For instance, the US Hazel Network has introduced programmable compliance controls and mechanisms for deposit-to-stablecoin transitions that mitigate fragmentation. Furthermore, the GENIUS Act contains language that may provide a pathway for stablecoin elasticity, contrasting with more restrictive frameworks in Europe and the UK. These developments indicate that the market is proactively solving the structural deficiencies previously identified by global regulators. This evolution signals a maturing RWA landscape where private innovation and regulatory frameworks are beginning to align to create more robust digital monetary systems.

#Stablecoins #GENIUSAct #BIS

Ledger Insights·Jun 23, 20267.0

#ProjectAgora

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