Securities clearing and settlement provider Euroclear has announced a strategic investment in Marketnode, a blockchain-based infrastructure provider based in Singapore. This marks Euroclear’s inaugural investment in Asia, aimed at bolstering its position within the region’s evolving financial landscape.
Marketnode operates two key platforms: the Gateway tokenization service and Fundnode, which serves as a comprehensive infrastructure for investment fund management. Fundnode is particularly significant for Euroclear, enhancing its FundsPlace “one-stop-shop” fund offering by streamlining transaction management, funds processing, and recordkeeping.
Philippe Laurensy, Euroclear’s CEO for APAC, highlighted the importance of this investment, stating, “This first strategic investment in Asia reinforces the region’s significance to Euroclear’s positioning and business growth.” Although the exact size of the investment has not been disclosed, it aligns Euroclear with prominent stakeholders such as the SGX Group’s Singapore Exchange, Singapore’s state-owned Temasek fund, and HSBC, all of whom are co-owners of Marketnode.
HSBC joined Marketnode’s shareholder base following its participation in the company’s Series A funding round in May. Temasek, a co-founder of Marketnode in 2021, praised Euroclear’s involvement, noting it acknowledges “Marketnode’s efforts and potential in further developing the global digital infrastructure space.”
Marketnode has been actively involved in Singapore’s burgeoning blockchain ecosystem and was one of the original participants in the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Project Guardian tokenization trial. Singapore is emerging as a central hub for blockchain innovation, having ranked first in the Henley Crypto Adoption Index 2024 for cryptocurrency adoption.
Euroclear’s interest in blockchain technology is not new. The firm invested in the blockchain-based payment solution Fnality in March 2022 and again in November 2023, aiming to secure a foothold in the digital assets market. In the previous year, Euroclear processed nearly $1 quadrillion in securities transactions, underlining its critical role in traditional financial infrastructure.
The company has a history of engaging with innovative technologies, participating in Deutsche Boerse’s blockchain securities lending platform experiment in 2019 and taking part in a French central bank digital currency pilot in 2021. Euroclear has also collaborated with SWIFT and various global financial service providers to explore interoperability solutions. Recently, it launched a digital securities issuance service, settling a 100-million euro ($106 million) digital bond for the World Bank in October 2023 and working on securities tokenization with Digital Asset in October 2024.
This investment in Marketnode reflects Euroclear’s strategic focus on expanding its capabilities in the rapidly evolving blockchain space, particularly within the APAC region, where digital innovation is gaining momentum. As Euroclear continues to adapt and integrate new technologies, its partnership with Marketnode positions the firm for sustained growth and influence in the digital financial ecosystem.
