Executive Summary
The OECD's "Regulatory Approaches to the Tokenisation of Assets" report examines various strategies governments and regulatory bodies are adopting towards the tokenisation of assets—a process that involves representing traditional financial instruments as digital tokens. The report highlights the rapid evolution of blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) in financial services, covering areas like payments, post-trade processes, and the unregulated crypto-asset markets.
Key Findings
Technology-Neutral Approach: Most regulators apply existing financial regulations to tokenised assets, maintaining a 'substance over form' perspective.
Tailored Frameworks: Some regulators introduce bespoke frameworks for tokenised assets and DLT-based markets, defining new roles for participants in these sectors.
Addressing Emerging Risks: Policies focus on mitigating risks associated with innovative DLT applications, including payment processes, custodianship, and technological uncertainties.
Challenges for Policymaking: The report identifies challenges related to terminology clarity, settlement finality, geographic regulation enforcement, legal aspects of smart contracts, governance, privacy, and operational issues.
Future Outlook: It predicts that DLTs will become integral to financial markets, potentially leading to structural changes in market processes and possibly the market structure itself.
The report suggests that future developments in tokenised assets will continue to evolve as DLTs become more integrated into financial systems. Policymakers will need to adapt their strategies to accommodate these changes while ensuring regulatory compliance, financial stability, and consumer protection.