There is a general consensus that distributed ledger technology (DLT) has both disruptive and evolutionary potential for financial markets. This paper focuses on potential implications in connection with collateral management activities for financial transactions, the aim being to analyze the challenges and opportunities of DLT in the current regulatory environment for this specific use case.

How might payments in the financial industry be made in future? The latest edition of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report outlines various possible options in a world in which distributed ledger technology (DLT) is increasingly being used to settle transactions between banks. Central bank money must remain the number one choice for large-value payments, according to the Bank’s experts, though that does not necessarily mean that central bank digital currency needs to be provided directly in a DLT network setup. Nor does it entirely rule out the use of other forms of money.