Euroclear Expands into Asia with Marketnode Stake

Euroclear, a major securities settlement house based in Belgium, has entered Asia by acquiring a strategic stake in Marketnode, a Singapore-based operator specializing in blockchain for financial market infrastructure.

On Thursday, Euroclear announced that this is the firm's first strategic investment in Asia, aiming to help establish a market infrastructure in the Asia Pacific designed to simplify fund flow management and reduce settlement times using new technology.

While the size of the investment was not disclosed, Euroclear joins Marketnode's major shareholders, including SGX Group, Temasek, and HSBC. Marketnode closed its Series A financing round in May 2024, led by HSBC.

Founded in 2021 by SGX and Temasek, Marketnode primarily operates two platforms: Gateway and Fundnode. Gateway serves as an end-to-end platform leveraging tokenization, while Fundnode operates Singapore’s investment fund infrastructure on blockchain, according to the firm’s statement. Euroclear intends to enhance the growth of Euroclear FundsPlace's fund offerings with this new investment.

Philippe Laurensy, CEO of Asia Pacific markets at Euroclear, stated, “This first strategic investment in Asia also reinforces the region’s importance to Euroclear’s positioning and business growth. We are excited to join Marketnode’s pioneering journey in the rapidly growing area of digital assets and support the company’s international service expansion.”

Pradyumna Agrawal, managing director of investment at Temasek, noted that Euroclear’s partnership can provide Marketnode with expertise and access to a broader ecosystem, reinforcing Singapore’s position as a leading financial hub for funds.

Euroclear seems to recognize blockchain as a critical investment area, having also invested in Fnality, a London-based blockchain payments firm, in multiple rounds during 2022 and 2023.