HSBC Orion Awarded DIGIT Platform Mandate

WHY THIS MATTERS: This announcement signals a pivotal moment for global wholesale finance, validating the utility of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) beyond proof-of-concept stages. The decision by HM Treasury to select HSBC Orion for its Digital Gilt Instrument (DIGIT) pilot is not just a technology procurement—it is a landmark regulatory embrace of asset tokenisation at the sovereign level. For the industry, this is crucial because the primary bottleneck in debt capital markets remains settlement speed and operational friction. By moving sovereign bonds onto a blockchain, the UK is directly addressing these structural inefficiencies, aiming to drastically accelerate transaction settlement times and enhance market liquidity. This pilot elevates the UK’s position as a global financial hub and pressures other G7 nations to follow suit, turning the technological future of capital markets into a present-day reality.

HSBC welcomed HM Treasury’s decision to choose HSBC Orion as the platform provider for the Digital Gilt Instrument (DIGIT) pilot issuance. This places the UK in pole position among the G7 nations to issue the first-ever tokenised sovereign bonds on a blockchain.

Lucy Rigby KC MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said: “We want to attract investment and make the UK the best place to do business, which is why we are launching DIGIT to understand how the UK can capitalise on this technology, deliver efficiencies and reduce costs for firms.

“This is exactly the kind of financial innovation we need to keep the UK at the forefront of global capital markets and I’m looking forward to working with HSBC and other parties to deliver DIGIT.”

Patrick George, Global Head of Markets & Securities Services, HSBC, said: “The UK is a home market for us and the sixth largest economy in the world. HSBC is delighted to be supporting the continued development of the gilt market, market innovation, and the growth of the broader UK economy.

“After a competitive selection process, we are very pleased that HM Treasury has chosen our market-leading digital assets platform, HSBC Orion, which already has a proven track record of delivering successful and liquid market outcomes in other jurisdictions.”

Issuing digital gilts and digital corporate bonds on a blockchain has the potential to improve the debt capital markets structure in the UK, by significantly accelerating transaction settlement times with a more efficient means to issue and trade bonds. This can help drive liquidity in both the primary and secondary markets.

HSBC Orion has to-date enabled the issuance of over US$3.5billion in digitally native bonds globally across sovereign, supranational, central bank, financial institutional and corporate sectors, and has been used in first-of-their-kind transactions, including:

• The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) first digital sterling bond (2023).
• The world’s first digital multi-currency digital green bond, which was issued by the Hong Kong Government (2024).
• The first digital bond issued in Hong Kong under English law and by a private sector issuer – The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (2024).
• The launch of the EIB’s first bond under the Eurosystem’s exploratory work on new technologies for wholesale CBDC settlement (2024).
• The first digital treasury certificates issued by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (2025).
• The first Middle East and North Africa digital bond, issued by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (2025).
• Qatar’s first digital bond issued by QNB Group (2025).
• The world’s largest digital bond to-date, the multi-currency US$1.3bn-equivalent green bond issued by the Hong Kong Government (2025).

FF NEWS TAKE:

Absolutely, this move significantly shifts the landscape for institutional digital assets. While the pilot is limited in scope, the collaboration between a major global bank and a G7 treasury on tokenised bonds provides undeniable momentum. We are witnessing the serious integration of blockchain into foundational financial infrastructure, which promises substantial efficiencies for issuers and investors alike. The next critical stage will be monitoring the regulatory frameworks put in place—specifically, how the UK ensures interoperability and governance as this technology scales across both primary and secondary markets. Success here will pave the way for wider adoption of digital corporate bonds.

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