The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association released several reports outlining the results and conclusions from the Regulated Settlement Network Proof-of-Concept (RSN PoC), which set out to explore the capability of shared ledger technology to address how the above risks and inefficiencies could be reduced through the tokenization of regulated financial instruments, enabling 24/7 settlement capabilities on a common, regulated venue established under existing legal frameworks.
The study analyzed the business applicability, technical feasibility, and legal viability of leveraging shared ledger technology to settle multi-asset and cross-network transactions. The experiment was conducted in a test environment and used simulated data to conduct transactions denominated in US dollars.
Key findings
Members of the regulated US financial sector launched the Regulated Settlement Network Proof-of-Concept (RSN PoC) to explore possibilities for ledger-based digital settlement using US Treasury securities and tokenized cash. The RSN PoC demonstrated the potential of shared ledger technology to upgrade multi-asset and cross-network transaction settlement for domestic users of US dollars and regulated securities.
- Business conclusion: multi-asset and cross-network settlement could be enhanced through a shared-ledger FMI that contains tokenized securities, tokenized central bank deposits, and tokenized commercial bank deposits where each institution operates its own partition. The network enabled a common settlement infrastructure that is 24/7, programmable, and offered precise settlement capabilities to allow financial institutions to optimize their collateral and liquidity positions. At the same time, the network alleviated challenges such as market fragmentation and uncertainty throughout the settlement process.
- Technical conclusions: the RSN infrastructure was able to support precise settlement capabilities across various asset classes within a shared-ledger FMI, demonstrating the scalability and versatility for modern financial transactions. The RSN successfully connected with other third-party networks through interoperability solutions enabling synchronized settlement.
- Legal conclusions: It is likely that RSN could operate under existing legal frameworks. The legal workstream did not identify any issues that would prevent the creation of RSN as contemplated within the PoC, although further analysis and engagement with regulators would be required before any final conclusions can be reached.
Based on the findings of the PoC, RSN participants will continue to drive discussions with the public sector on industry advocacy around specific regulatory gaps within the US SIFMA intends to continue the dialogue around the concept of a shared-ledger FMI through its industry forums to identify opportunities to operationalize the RSN concept.