ChainThink reports that, according to Crowdfund Insider, the European Central Bank's upcoming "Pontes" distributed ledger ecosystem is set to launch officially on September 21.
Pontes operates on the Eurosystem's DLT platform, providing distributed ledger services such as tokenization for European wholesale markets. Participants can settle transactions using cash tokens or through the Eurosystem’s existing real-time gross settlement system, T2.
The published list of operators includes Clearstream, SWIAT, Cashlink, and Axiology, with additional institutions awaiting registration.
The European Central Bank's Governing Council approved the project in 2025, adopting a two-track approach: the short-term solution "Pontes" (including a pilot phase) and the long-term solution "Appia".
Piero Cipollone, a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, stated that tokenized assets will become central to a new digital financial ecosystem, but also carry risks such as fragmentation, loss of monetary anchoring, and external dependency.
Pontes is making tokenized transactions settled with central bank money a reality, while Appia supports the advancement of the public-private partnership roadmap.