On 27 April 2021, the European Investment Bank (EIB) launched a digital bond issuance on a blockchain platform. The distributed ledger technology was used to register and settle a EUR 100m two-year bond. This is the market's first multi-dealer led, primary issuance of digitally native tokens using public blockchain technology. The transaction consists in the issuance by the EIB of a series of bond tokens on a blockchain, where investors purchase and pay for the security tokens using traditional fiat. The Joint Lead Managers will then settle the underwriting against the issuer using a representation of central money, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The principal is expected to be repaid in commercial fiat at maturity. The transaction will use Ethereum. The EIB believes that the digitalisation of capital markets may bring benefits to market participants in the coming years, including a reduction of intermediaries and fixed costs, better market transparency through an increased capacity to see trading flows and identity asset owners, as well as a much faster settlement speed. For more information, visit here.
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