JPMorgan Chase & Co. trial its private blockchain for collateral settlement. The bank plans to allow investors to use several assets as collateral
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JPMorgan Chase & Co. is reportedly trialing the use of private blockchain for collateral settlement. The multinational investment bank performed a pilot transaction where two of its entities transferred the tokenised representation of BlackRock Inc. (the world's largest asset manager) money market fund shares as collateral on its private blockchain on Friday, May 20. The initiative will allow investors to pledge and use a broader range of assets as collateral outside of market hours.
Ben Challice, the global head of trading services for JP Morgan, noted that the transaction mentioned above achieved “the friction-less transfer of collateral assets on an instantaneous basis.â€
A money market fund is a mutual fund that invests in liquid and short-term assets such as cash, cash equivalents, and high-quality debt securities. It is regarded as a low-risk investment.
This news comes just days after it was revealed that the French bank BNP Paribas had joined the blockchain-powered network overseen by JPMorgan to use digital tokens for short-term trading in fixed income markets, thereby entering a $12 trillion market.
As a counterparty, Blackrock was not directly involved in the transaction. According to Ben Challice, JPMorgan's global head of trading services, Blackrock has been "heavily involved since day one and is exploring the use of this technology.†The bank added that it plans to expand its efforts to include equities, fixed income, and other asset types over the next few months.