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Vladimir Tarantaev, CFA, PMP
Vladimir Tarantaev, a CFA expert in fixed income, has a strong track record in credit analysis at CIS banks and a diverse background in math-physics and astronomy.
Vladimir Tarantaev
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17.09.2025
Asia’s Digital Bond Market Gains Momentum
Asia’s Digital Bond Market Gains Momentum
24

The Asian digital bond market has seen rapid development over the past two months, as blockchain-based issuance moves from experimental pilots to mainstream institutional products. August and September 2025 brought several landmark transactions across Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.

In Singapore, OCBC (Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation), Singapore's second-largest bank, launched a $1 billion digital U.S. commercial paper (CP) programme in August, marking a significant step in integrating blockchain technology into traditional finance. The first tokenized issuance under this new programme occurred on August 20, 2025, with J.P. Morgan's Digital Debt Service acting as the sole dealer. The programme complements OCBC's existing $25 billion conventional CP facility.

Hong Kong is preparing its third digital bond offering, continuing its push to integrate blockchain technology into public finance. Previous issuances in 2023 and 2024 raised HK$800 million and HK$6 billion, respectively. The first issuance used Goldman Sachs’ GS DAP blockchain platform, and the second one used HSBC’s Orion. HSBC’s platform was integrated with the central securities depository CMU, allowing investors to buy the bond via blockchain or in the conventional manner. The specific details regarding the third bond have not been disclosed yet.

In China, Shenzhen Futian Investment Holdings, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, issued the RWA-backed (Real World Assets) digital bond, raising approximately $70 million (RMB 500 million), with listings planned on Chinese exchanges such as Shenzhen and Macau. This bond is backed by tangible assets and uses the Ethereum’s public smart-contract chain.

It’s curious that while the issuer initially touted the issuance on its home page and dedicated another page to it, just days later, the press release and related announcements were quietly removed from the company’s website. We suppose that the deal was reclassified as a private placement rather than a public issuance, so public promotion would conflict with disclosure rules. Whatever the reason, this episode serves as a reminder for investors that China’s digital bond market remains promising, but not predictable.

Author
Vladimir Tarantaev, CFA, PMP
Vladimir Tarantaev, a CFA expert in fixed income, has a strong track record in credit analysis at CIS banks and a diverse background in math-physics and astronomy.
Vladimir Tarantaev
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