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European Central Bank launches Pontes for wholesale DLT settlement
The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched Pontes, a new wholesale platform designed to settle tokenized asset transactions using central bank money. The system, which went live on September 21, 2026, connects distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms with the Eurosystem’s existing TARGET payment infrastructure. This allows financial institutions to settle the cash leg of blockchain-based transactions using risk-free central bank euros rather than commercial bank money or stablecoins.
Initial participants include thirteen banks, such as Deutsche Bank and Santander, and four DLT operators, including Clearstream and Axiology. Axiology utilizes infrastructure derived from XRP Ledger technology for its asset leg. The platform currently operates on TARGET business days from 08:00 to 16:00 CET, with plans to extend hours and move toward 24/7 multi-currency settlement by mid-2028.
In a strategic move to support the ecosystem, the ECB announced it will invest a small portion of its €23 billion own funds portfolio—less than €100 million—into highly rated euro-denominated tokenized public sector and supranational securities via the Pontes platform.
Separately, the Eurosystem has opened a call for e-commerce and mobile commerce merchants to participate in a digital euro pilot. This pilot, expected to begin in the second half of 2027, will use a beta version of the digital euro to test technical functionality and user experience in real-world commercial environments.
Entities
Christine Lagarde · Deutsche Bank · European Central Bank · Isabel Schnabel · Piero Cipollone · Pontes · Santander
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The ECB will invest part of its own financial resources into digital securities to test the technology. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.wz.de
- [● 6 SOURCES] The Pontes platform allows financial institutions to settle digital securities directly using central bank money. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · www.faz.net · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.wz.de · +1 more
- [● 14 SOURCES] The platform utilizes Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to automate and bundle securities trading processes. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de · www.wz.de · www.cnbce.com · +9 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Pontes platform is designed for wholesale (B2B) transactions rather than retail (B2C) use. www.faz.net
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The digital euro pilot is expected to take place in the second half of 2027. journalducoin.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The ECB has opened a call for applications to e-commerce merchants to test the digital euro. journalducoin.com · nieuwrechts.nl · www.cointrust.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The ECB will invest a portion of its own funds, less than 100 million euros, into tokenized assets via Pontes. www.agefi.fr · www.cnbce.com · crypto.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Axiology, one of the four operators, utilizes infrastructure derived from XRP Ledger technology. coingape.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Thirteen banks and four DLT operators are participating in the initial launch. cryptobriefing.com · crypto.news
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pontes connects market DLT platforms to the Eurosystem’s existing TARGET payment rails. coingape.com · cryptobriefing.com · crypto.news
- [● 14 SOURCES] The European Central Bank launched the Pontes platform on September 21, 2026. coingape.com · cryptobriefing.com · www.agefi.fr · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.cnbce.com · +9 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] The platform allows for the settlement of tokenized assets using wholesale digital euro central bank money. cryptobriefing.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · crypto.news