Doha Bank Issues $150M Digital Bond with Instant Settlement on Euroclear DLT
Doha Bank has successfully issued a $150 million digital bond that settled instantly on Euroclear’s distributed ledger infrastructure (DLT), highlighting a regional shift toward regulated, permissioned digital bond platforms over public blockchains.
The Qatari lender listed its digitally native notes on the London Stock Exchange’s International Securities Market, achieving same-day settlement through Euroclear’s Digital Financial Market Infrastructure, a permissioned DLT system operated by a central securities depository. Standard Chartered acted as the sole global coordinator and arranger, overseeing the structuring, execution, and distribution of the bond.
The transaction reflects a broader trend in the Middle East and Asia, where banks and regulators are increasingly adopting permissioned DLT platforms to maintain regulatory oversight while benefiting from the operational efficiencies of tokenization. Public blockchains, such as DBS’s Ethereum-based structured notes, are used selectively when programmability and investor access are key priorities.
“Doha Bank’s debut digital bond demonstrates the real-world efficiencies digital infrastructure can bring to capital markets, as well as the growing demand among clients for next-generation execution capabilities,” said Salman Ansari, the bank’s global head of capital markets.
Euroclear’s DLT platform provides controlled access, legal finality, and integration with existing custody and settlement systems, enabling T+0 settlement and automated record-keeping while remaining compatible with international standards.
“This transaction shows that same-day execution and settlement are achievable on a regulated DLT platform, reducing friction and saving time while maintaining the confidence expected by issuers and investors,” said Sebastien Danloy, Euroclear’s chief business officer.
The deal is part of a regional push to modernize capital markets infrastructure rather than build parallel crypto-native systems. Platforms like HSBC’s Orion and JPMorgan’s Onyx (now Kinexys) allow tokenized bonds to integrate with traditional post-trade systems, combining faster settlement and on-chain record-keeping with familiar custody, listing, and investor structures.
According to Standard Chartered, Doha Bank’s transaction reflects rising client demand for digital issuance, helping transition tokenized debt from pilot projects to live markets across the Middle East and Asia.
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