The ties that bond

IN a speedy, streamlined future, blockchain will revolutionise the finance industry, as proponents of digital ledger technologies (DLT) grandly say. The bond market is no exception. And while these are still early days, it appears that the digitalisation of Singapore's bond markets is well on its way.

The time taken to complete a bond issue from the time of pricing can be whittled down from five business days to two business days, suggests a white paper published by the Singapore Exchange on its digital asset issuance platform named "Marketnode".

Marketnode has already hosted digital bonds issued by Olam International, Singtel and United Overseas Bank this year.