Singapore advances asset tokenization with new MAS frameworks

As a seasoned financial analyst with over two decades of experience under my belt, I find myself increasingly intrigued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) ambitious plans for asset tokenization. Having witnessed the evolution of blockchain technology and its potential since its early days, I can confidently say that this is a significant stride towards realizing its full potential.


The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has unveiled a multi-faceted strategy aimed at boosting the market adoption of asset tokenization. To reach their objectives, they’ve taken inspiration from several existing initiatives and developed fresh guidelines for direction.

Scaling up successful tokenization tests

At the inaugural MAS Layer One Summit, Leong Sing Chiong, the deputy managing director, highlighted the achievements of financial giants involved in Project Guardian, showcasing tokenization’s promise in foreign exchange and fund management. Over 40 institutions have conducted over 15 trials across seven different regions using six distinct currencies as part of these experiments.

The central banker also identified the limitations of those trials:

“No one has really succeeded in achieving scale.  Many promising use cases have not yet gained industry wide traction.  Further, there is a need for supporting infrastructure to enable good use cases to scale beyond individual networks.”

To deploy tokenized assets at scale, liquidity, infrastructure, standardized frameworks and common settlement assets are needed, he said. The MAS is addressing each of those issues.

Singapore advances asset tokenization with new MAS frameworks

A masterplan for commercialization

2022 saw the introduction of Project Guardian, which currently helps enhance liquidity by providing services such as capital acquisition, secondary market trades, and asset management including settlements, according to a statement from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In the forthcoming year, the Global Layer One initiative by MAS, launched in 2023 and spearheaded by BNY, Citi, JPMorgan, MUFG, and Societe Generale-FORGE, plans to broaden its reach. Euroclear and HSBC are set to join this project as it establishes principles for usage and builds its community of partners.

On November 4, the industry consortium known as Project Guardian unveiled two blueprints for tokenization’s execution. One of these frameworks, called the Project Guardian Fixed Income Framework, aims to adapt international standards and principles into a manual for implementing tokenization within debt capital markets.

According to the Guardian Funds Framework, it advocates optimal methods for tokenizing funds. This encompasses the Guardian’s Composable Token Classification System as well.

Ultimately, the SGD Testnet is set to be launched, providing a platform for shared usage of token-based money for transactions involving payments and securities settlements. Members involved in both Project Guardian and Project Orchid will engage with the Singapore dollar wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC).

In simpler terms, the Project Orchid has outlined scenarios for retail central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and presented the idea of “purpose-specific money,” which is a type of customizability. This feature is planned to be tested on the network.

Once a project successfully meets its objectives, commercialization represents the subsequent logical stage. In October 2023, mBridge introduced its launch as a market-viable product.

 

Read More

2024-11-04 21:25