# Eurosystem launches central-bank settlement service for tokenized assets

_Published Monday, September 21, 2026 at 7:07 AM EDT · Policy, Infrastructure, Products · Latest · Tier 1 — Major_

![Eurosystem launches central-bank settlement service for tokenized assets — Primary](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/shared/img/socialmedia/social-default.jpg?0ef1632c35edede913681bb76af694a4)

The Eurosystem has launched Pontes, allowing wholesale transactions in tokenized assets to settle in central bank money. An initial group of banks, public lenders and distributed-ledger operators has completed onboarding and can begin using the service immediately, with additional participants expected in coming months.

Pontes initially provides a core set of settlement services and will add features and longer operating hours gradually, with full implementation expected by 2028. It follows the Eurosystem's 2024 tests of distributed-ledger settlement and forms the first operational step in its tokenized-finance strategy.

## Sources

- [ECB - European Central Bank](https://www.ecb.europa.eu//press/pr/date/2026/html/ecb.pr260921~e754847a7b.en.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/huI_8REBQp1YwtMX66BllU
Published: 2026-09-21T11:07:28.829Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-21T10:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T13:28:13.956Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)