---
title: Tokenised Assets Can Now Settle in Central-Bank Money Across the Euro Area
description: The ECB has launched Pontes, linking private ledger platforms to its payment rails so tokenised assets settle in central-bank money. What it does and why it matters.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-24T12:16:52.711Z
updated: 2026-09-24T12:16:52.719Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/ecb-pontes-tokenised-assets-central-bank-money
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-3d-conceptual-render-of-the-euro-symbol-on-a-multi-tiered-po-12915480.jpg
categories: FinTech
content_type: News
region: Europe
publication: Sovereign Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

Wholesale transactions in tokenised assets can now settle in central-bank money across the euro area. On 21 September the European Central Bank switched on Pontes, a live service that connects the market's distributed-ledger platforms to TARGET, the Eurosystem's existing payment machinery, so that trades recorded on those ledgers are paid for with the safest money there is. Settlement in central-bank money means the final leg of a deal is booked directly at the central bank, carrying no counterparty credit risk, and until now that guarantee did not extend to assets issued and traded on distributed ledgers.

"Today marks an important step for European finance," Christine Lagarde said in a post on X. "With the launch of Pontes, we are providing the infrastructure for settling tokenised asset transactions in central bank money, supporting innovation and integration across Europe."

## Pontes Links Private Ledgers to the Eurosystem's Payment Rails

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