The future of financial infrastructure
An ambitious look at how blockchain can reshape financial services
An Industry Project of the Financial Services Community | Prepared in collaboration with Deloitte
Foreword
Consistent with the World Economic Forum’s mission of applying a multistakeholder approach to address issues of global impact,
creating this report involved extensive outreach and dialogue with the Financial Services Community, Innovation Community, Technology
Community, academia and the public sector. The dialogue included numerous interviews and interactive sessions to discuss the insights
and opportunities for collaborative action.
Sincere thanks to the industry and subject matter experts who contributed unique insights to this report. In particular, the members of
this Financial Services Community project’s Steering Committee and Working Group, who are introduced in the Acknowledgements
section, played an invaluable role as experts and patient mentors.
We are also very grateful to Deloitte Consulting LLP in the US, an entity within the Deloitte1 network, for its generous commitment and
support in its capacity as the official professional services adviser to the World Economic Forum for this project.
2WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
1 Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their
related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide
services to clients. Please see for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms. Please see for a
detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations
of public accounting.
This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax,
or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision
or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional
advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication.
Contact
For feedback or questions:
R. Jesse McWaters
@
+1 (212) 703 6633
The Distributed Ledger Technology project is the most recent phase of the Forum’s
ongoing Disruptive Innovation in Financial Services work
3WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
The Future of Financial Services project explored the landscape
of disruptive innovations in financial services, provided the first
consolidated taxonomy for these disruptions, and explored their
potential impacts on the structure of the industry
BEYOND THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
This phase of the disruptive innovation work explores two topics
with key potential as foundational enablers of future disruption
2015 2016
This project explores the potential
for distributed ledger technology
to transform the infrastructure of
the financial services industry
The future of financial infrastructure: An ambitious look at how
blockchain can reshape financial services
A Blueprint for Digital Identity: The Role of Financial Institutions
in building Digital Identity
This project explores the potential
for digital identity in financial
services and beyond and lays out
a blueprint for the
implementation of effective digital
identity systems
Contents
4WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Executive Summary
Context and Approach….…………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
Key Findings..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17
Use Case Deep-Dives
Approach….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 32
Summaries….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 37
Modules
Payments: Global Payments......................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Insurance: P&C Claims Processing................................................................................................................................................................................ 56
Deposits and Lending: Syndicated Loans...................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Deposits and Lending: Trade Finance........................................................................................................................................................................... 74
Capital Raising: Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds............................................................................................................................................. 83
Investment Management: Automated Compliance..................................................................................................................................................... 92
Investment Management: Proxy Voting....................................................................................................................................................................... 101
Market Provisioning: Asset Rehypothecation............................................................................................................................................................... 110
Market Provisioning: Equity Post-Trade....................................................................................................................................................................... 119
Contact Details................................................................................................................................................................................................. 128
Section 1
Acknowledgements
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 5
Acknowledgements
Members of the Steering Committee
6WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
The following senior leaders from global FIs provided guidance, oversight and thought leadership to the Future of Financial Services
series as its Steering Committee:
Jason Harris
Chief Executive Officer, International
Property and Casualty, XL Group
Michael Harte
Chief Operations and Technology Officer,
Barclays
Axel Lehmann
Group Chief Operating Officer and Member
of the Group Executive Board, UBS
Anju Patwardhan
Venture Partner,
CreditEase
David Puth
Chief Executive Officer,
CLS Bank International
William Sheedy
Global Executive, Corporate Strategy, M&A,
Government Relations, Visa
Dieter Wemmer
Chief Financial Officer,
Allianz
Robert Contri
Vice Chairman,
Deloitte & Touche LLP
David Craig
President, Financial and Risk,
Thomson Reuters
John Flint
Chief Executive Officer, Retail Banking and
Wealth Management, HSBC
Kim Hammonds
Global Chief Operating Officer and Chief
Information Officer, Deutsche Bank
Acknowledgements
Members of the Working Group
7WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
The project team would also like to acknowledge the following executives of global FIs who helped define the project framework and
shape strategic analyses as its Working Group:
Victor Matarranz
Senior Executive Vice-President, Strategy, and
Executive Chairman’s Office, Santander
Neil Mumm
Vice-President, Corporate Strategy,
Visa
Max Neukirchen
Managing Director and Head, Strategy,
JP Morgan Chase
Christine O’Connell
Global Head of Strategy, Risk,
Thomson Reuters
Robert Palatnick
Managing Director and Chief Technology
Architect, DTCC
Kosta Peric
Deputy Director, Financial Services for the
Poor, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Justin Pinkham
Senior Business Leader, Strategic Initiatives,
MasterCard
Bob Reany
Senior Vice-President and Group Head,
Identity Solutions, MasterCard
Peter Rutland
Partner, Global Co-Head of Financial Services,
CVC Capital Partners
Nicolas de Skowronski
Chief of Staff,
Bank Julius Baer
Huw Van Steenis
Managing Director and Head, Financial
Services Research, Morgan Stanley
Colin Teichholtz
Partner and Portfolio Manager,
Pine River Capital Management
Fabien Vandenreydt
Global Head, Securities Markets, Innotribe &
the SWIFT Institute, SWIFT
Tom Brown
Partner,
Paul Hastings
Christof Edel
Global Head, Strategy and Business
Development, Financial, Thomson Reuters
Rob Galaski (Project Advisor)
Head of Financial Services,
Deloitte Canada
Dorothy Hillenius
Director, Corporate Strategy,
ING
Marc Lien
Director, Innovation and Digital Development,
Lloyds Banking Group
Matthew Levin
Executive Vice-President and Head, Global
Strategy, Aon Corporation
Lena Mass-Cresnik, PhD
Head, Innovation, Strategic Product
Management, BlackRock
Acknowledgements
List of subject matter experts
8WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
In addition, the project team expresses its gratitude to the following subject matter experts who contributed their valuable perspectives
through interviews and workshops (in alphabetical order):
Meyer Aaron Bank of Canada
Mark Adams Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Mark Adams National Australia Bank
Keith Ajmani TD Bank Group
Andrew Alexandratos Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
Robleh Ali Bank of England
Jeremy Allaire Circle
Sarah Andrews Thomson Reuters
Angus Armour Business Council of Australia
Akhtar Badshah Catalytic Innovators Group
Murad Baig Deloitte LLP
Steven Bardy Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Nick Beecroft Lloyd's of London
Adi Ben-Ari Applied Blockchain
Peter Berg Visa
Michael Bodson Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
Sven Bossu SWIFT
Andre Boysen SecureKey Technologies
Carolyn Burke RBC
Ross Burnett Macquarie Group
Oliver Bussman UBS
Claire Calmejane Lloyds Banking Group
Nick Caplan Faster Payments
Alicia Carmona Identity2020
Michael Casey MIT Media Lab
Stephen Catchpole Macquarie Group
Javier Celaya Banco Santander .
Matthew Chan Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
Christophe Chazot HSBC Bank Plc
Ilsa Christ Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre
Lynne Cockerell Reserve Bank of Australia
James Colaco Deloitte Canada
Robert Cranmer Deloitte Canada
Neil Cross DBS Bank
Stephen Cross Aon
Dame Damevski inpay
Andrew Davis Stone & Chalk
Shellie Davis Commonwealth Treasury
Avery Dellheim Circle
Thomas DeLuca AMP Credit Technologies
Nigel Dobson ANZ
Kirsten Dunlop Suncorp Group
John Edge Identity2020
Anna Ewing Nasdaq
Scott Farrell King & Wood Mallesons
Usama Fayyad Barclays
Daniel Feichtinger Digital Asset Holdings
Karin Flinspach Standard Chartered
Brian Forde MIT Media Lab
Mary Ann Francis Wipro
Conan French Institute of International Finance
Steve Gallagher Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
Emilio Garcia de la Sierra Santander InnoVentures
Nicholas Giurietto Australian Digital Currency & Commerce Association
Julian Gorman GSMA
Udayan Goyal Anthemis Group SA
Michael Gronager Chainalysis
Joe Guastella Deloitte Consulting LLP
Aran Hamilton Vantage
Aldila Hananto Telstra
Anna Harper SocietyOne
Adrienne Harris Council of Economic Advisers
Acknowledgements
List of subject matter experts (cont.)
9WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
In addition, the project team expresses its gratitude to the following subject matter experts who contributed their valuable perspectives
through interviews and workshops (in alphabetical order):
Oliver Harvey Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Andrew Hauser Bank of England
Ian Hill Westpac Group
Steven Holzer Citi
Matt Hooper Barclays
Chuck Hounsell TD Bank Group
Gys Hyman Deloitte Consulting LLP
Raj Iyer Bloomberg LP
Chetan Jain Inspira Enterprise
Kevin Johnson SWIFT
Ashton Jones Macquarie Group
Eiichi Kashiwagi Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Steffen Kern European Securities and Markets Authority
Andrew Keys Consensys
Dan Kimerling Silicon Valley Bank
Philipp Kroemer Commerzbank AG
Matthias Kroner Fidor Bank AG
Ashwin Kumar Deutsche Boerse
Jo Lambert Paypal
Jo Lang R3CEV
Chris Larsen Ripple
Mikkel Larson DBS Bank
Matthew Leavenworth Bank of America
Ian Lee Citi Ventures
Leo Lipis Lipis Advisors
Joel Lipman Deloitte Australia
James Lloyd EY
Sharon Lu Tyro FinTechHub
Joseph Lubin Consensys
Adam Ludwin Chain
Christian Lundkvist Consensys
Joanna Marathakis Deloitte Transactions & Business Analytics LLP
Blythe Masters Digital Asset Holdings
Lukas May Transferwise
Richard McCarthy Perpetual Limited
Mark McDonald QIC
Todd McDonald R3CEV
Claire McFarland Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Richard Miller Deloitte Australia
John Moss UBS
Eddie Niestat Novantas
Kevin Nixon Deloitte Australia
Madan Oberoi INTERPOL
Dan O'Prey Digital Asset Holdings
Cheryl Parker Rose Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Bharat Patel Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Jon Perkinson Deloitte Australia
Guy Picone Suncorp Group
Eric Piscini Deloitte Consulting LLP
Rick Porter Deloitte & Touche LLP
Dan Quan Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Dilan Rajasingham Commonwealth Bank
Rhomaios Ram Deutsche Bank
Suresh Ramamurthi CBW Bank
Dilip Rao Ripple
Tara Richards National Australia Bank
Alex Rinaldi Deloitte Canada
Alex Rozman Deloitte & Touche LLP
Wiebe Ruttenberg European Central Bank
Joel Sacmar Daon
Joy Savage Deloitte Canada
Rocky Scopelliti Telstra
Acknowledgements
List of subject matter experts (cont.)
10WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
In addition, the project team expresses its gratitude to the following subject matter experts who contributed their valuable perspectives
through interviews and workshops (in alphabetical order):
Angus Scott Euroclear
Sabrina Sdao Deloitte Canada
Anton Semenov Commerzbank AG
Beth Shah Digital Asset Holdings
Rajesh Shenoy Citi
Makoto Shibata Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Matthew Spoke nuco
Elizabeth Stark Lightning Network
Maxwell Sutton Reserve Bank of Australia
Paul Szurek Blockchain
Michael Tang Deloitte Canada
Don Tapscott The Tapscott Group
Alison Tarditi Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation
Simon Taylor 11:FS
Adizah Tejani Level39
Craig Tillotson Faster Payments
Keith Tippell SWIFT
Marcus Treacher Ripple
Alan Tse Commonwealth Treasury
Hedi Uustalu Nasdaq
Peter Vander Auwera SWIFT
Wayne Vaughn Tierion
Chris Wasden Univerity of Utah
Casey Wilcox Paretix
Shane Williams UBS
Greg Williamson JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Jeremy Wilson Barclays
Lawrence Wintermeyer Innovate Finance
Jerry Yohananov SocietyOne
Tom Zschach CLS Bank
Acknowledgements
Project team and core team
Project Team
The “The future of financial infrastructure: An ambitious look at
how blockchain can reshape financial services” project team
includes the following individuals:
World Economic Forum Project Team
Giancarlo Bruno, Senior Director, Head of Financial Services
Industries
Jesse McWaters, Project Lead, Disruptive Innovation in Financial
Services
Professional Services Leadership from Deloitte
Rob Galaski
Soumak Chatterjee
Core Team
The World Economic Forum expresses its gratitude to the
following individuals on the project core team from Deloitte for
their contribution and support throughout the project:
Vikas Singla
Chris Talley
Mayank Singhal
Roberto Durscki
11WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Section 2
Executive Summary
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 12
Section
Context and Approach
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 13
Distributed ledger technology (DLT), more commonly called “blockchain”, has captured
the imaginations, and wallets, of the financial services ecosystem
14WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Awareness of DLT has grown rapidly, but significant hurdles remain to large-scale implementation
Research
Consortium
efforts
Central
banks
Venture
capital
Bank
experimentation
Global
interest
DLT activity
2,500+ patents filed over
the last 3 years
24+ countries currently
investing in DLT
90+ central banks engaged
in DLT discussions worldwide
Over US$ billion in
investments over the past 3 years
80% of banks predicted to
initiate DLT projects by 2017
90+ corporations have joined
blockchain consortia
An absence of formal legal
frameworks
Nascent collective
standardization efforts
An uncertain and unharmonized
regulatory environment
This report aims to complement existing distributed ledger technology research by
providing a clear view into how financial service functions can be reimagined
15WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Past approaches
NOTE: Please reference Section 3: Use case deep-dive approach to learn
more about our underlying focus and assumptions across our analysis.
Our approach Future approaches
Important elements not covered within this report
• This report does not cover real-economy applications
• This report does not explore applications outside of financial
economies and their potential to foster financial inclusion
• This report does not evaluate the setup and transition costs
associated with a distributed ledger technology implementation
• This report does not predict implementation and technical
considerations
• This report presents nine use cases that highlight potential
applications, which participants can utilize to assess feasibility
• This business process-level analyses articulate how to:
o Overcome current-state pain points through DLT
o Drive dialogue around key critical conditions
o Provide basis for quantitative analyses to be conducted
• This report identifies financial service orthodoxies that may be
called into question through distributed ledger technology
Important elements covered within this report
Top-down approach
Address pain-points within select
financial service functions
Solution-first methodology
Identify current-state issues and envision
future-state through DLT capabilities
Technology focus
Position advances as having significant
disruptive impact to business models
Bottom-up approach
Identify transformative potential
across all financial service functions
Problem-first methodology
Understand business domains drive
adoption of DLT capabilities
Business-process focus
Question orthodoxies and accept that
DLT is one of many available tools
The potential for future
approaches will be explored at
the conclusion of
Section 2: Executive summary
This analysis was based on over 12 months of research, engaging industry leaders and
subject matter experts through interviews and multistakeholder workshops
16WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Received guidance from thought leaders
across global financial institutions
Conducted interviews and solicited
input from subject matter experts
Engaged leaders in academia,
government and regulation
Global workshops
Five multistakeholder workshops at global financial hubs, with 200+ total participants, including
industry leaders, innovators, subject matter experts and regulators
Singapore
Oct. 2015
New York, USA
Nov. 2015
London, UK
Dec. 2015
Davos, Switzerland
Jan. 2016
Sydney, Australia
Apr. 2016
Section
Key Findings
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 17
DLT has great potential to drive simplicity and efficiency through the establishment of new financial services infrastructure
and processes
DLT is not a panacea; instead it should be viewed as one of many technologies that will form the foundation of next-
generation financial services infrastructure
Applications of DLT will differ by use case, each leveraging the technology in different ways for a diverse range of benefits
Digital Identity is a critical enabler to broaden applications to new verticals; Digital Fiat (legal tender), along with other
emerging capabilities, has the ability to amplify benefits
The most impactful DLT applications will require deep collaboration between incumbents, innovators and regulators, adding
complexity and delaying implementation
New financial services infrastructure built on DLT will redraw processes and call into question orthodoxies that are
foundational to today’s business models
The World Economic Forum’s analysis has yielded six key findings regarding the
implications of distributed ledger technology (DLT) on the future of financial services
18WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3 4 5 6
These key findings are explored in depth in the following pages, based on the use case deep-dives conducted across financial services.
Key findings
Distributed ledger technology has great potential to drive simplicity and efficiency
through the establishment of new financial services infrastructure and processes
19WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
The following six key value drivers for DLT were identified through the in-depth examination of nine use cases from across financial
services.
Value drivers
1
Operational simplification
DLT reduces / eliminates manual efforts required to perform reconciliation and resolve disputes
2
Regulatory efficiency improvement
DLT enables real-time monitoring of financial activity between regulators and regulated entities
3
Counterparty risk reduction
DLT challenges the need to trust counterparties to fulfil obligations as agreements are codified and executed in a shared,
immutable environment
4
Clearing and settlement time reduction
DLT disintermediates third parties that support transaction verification / validation and accelerates settlement
5
Liquidity and capital improvement
DLT reduces locked-in capital and provides transparency into sourcing liquidity for assets
6
Fraud minimization
DLT enables asset provenance and full transaction history to be established within a single source of truth
1 2 3 4 5 6
Distributed ledger technology is not a panacea; instead it should be viewed as one of many
technologies that will form the foundation of next-generation financial services infrastructure
20WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Over the last 50 years, technology innovation has been fundamental to financial services industry transformation. Today, multiple
technologies poised to drive the next wave of financial services innovation are converging in maturity.
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s futureEmerging technologies
M
ai
n
fr
am
e
s
Te
rm
in
al
s
an
d
P
C
s
Lo
ca
l
n
e
tw
o
rk
s
In
te
rn
et
Sm
ar
t
d
e
vi
ce
s
M
o
b
ile
Enabled batch
overnight
processing
Automated
banks
and branches
and facilitated
offline remote
banking
Enabled data
centres,
intranets
and corporate
systems
Facilitated the
global exchange of
data and enabled a
series of
international
businesses
Created a new
medium to interact
with clients and
collect data
Spearheaded
frictionless
payments
Se
m
ic
o
n
d
u
ct
o
r
m
ic
ro
p
ro
ce
ss
o
rs
Allowed the
replacement of
physical recording
by digital data
1 2 3 4 5 6
DLT is one of many transformative new
technologies that will shape future financial
services infrastructure and should be seen as
part of a toolbox
Digital
banking
Credit
cards
Messaging
services (. SWIFT)
ATMs Electronic
trading
Biometrics
Machine learning /
predictive analytics
Cognitive computing
Quantum computing
Distributed ledger
technology
Cloud computing
Robotics
Examples of DLT value drivers
and benefits
Value driver Benefits
Applications of distributed ledger technology will differ by use case, each leveraging the
technology in different ways for a diverse range of benefits
21WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
1 2 3 4 5 6
Enables the near real-time point-to-point transfer of funds
between financial institutions (FIs), removing friction and
accelerating settlement
Settlement time reduction
Global
payments
Provides faster and more accurate reporting by automating
compliance processes that draw on immutable data sources
Regulatory efficiency
improvement
Automated
compliance
Enables real-time multi-party tracking and management of
letters of credit, and enables faster automated settlement
Operational simplification
Trade
finance
Provides market participants with an improved line of sight into
assets, enabling improved risk evaluation and decision-making
Liquidity and capital
improvement
Asset
rehypothecation
Use case
Digital Identity is a critical enabler to broaden applications to new verticals; Digital Fiat
(legal tender), along with other emerging capabilities, has the ability to amplify benefits
22WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
1 2 3 4 5 6
Digital identity Digital fiat Future innovations
C
u
rr
e
n
t
st
at
e
Correct identity information is critical to
ensuring financial transactions are accurate
and compliant – but integrating physical
identity protocols with DLT creates frictions
and increases the potential for errors
DLT systems are frequently denominated
with tokens that are native to the system –
but users of formal financial infrastructure
will demand high levels of liquidity
between assets on the system and fiat
currency
The advent of the fourth industrial
revolution is rapidly altering the financial
system and broader economy through the
exponential acceleration of innovation
C
ap
ab
ili
ty
e
n
ab
le
r A fully digital system for storing and
transferring identity attributes could be
directly integrated into distributed financial
infrastructure
Distributed fiat currencies issued by central
banks could be employed within
distributed financial infrastructure,
ensuring the availability of liquidity even in
the event of systemic instability
Opportunities for integration may emerge
between distributed financial
infrastructure and a range of innovations,
such as artificial intelligence or the rapidly
evolving internet of things
Fu
tu
re
b
e
n
e
fi
ts • Faster and accurate anti-money
laundering (AML) and know-your-client
(KYC) processes
• Seamless customer onboarding
• Improved counterparty matching
• Settlement to liquid cash-equivalent
tokens issued by a central bank
• Elimination of the need for an inefficient
bridge between cash and new financial
infrastructure
?
The potential benefits of these integrations
are highly uncertain
The most impactful DLT applications will require deep collaboration between
incumbents, innovators and regulators, adding complexity and delaying implementation
23WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Updating financial infrastructure through DLT will require significant time and investment. Three key observations must be taken into
consideration for this implementation to be successful.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Key observations and insights
Legal, regulatory and
governance frameworks
Infrastructure
replacement
Competing
interests
Replacing existing financial
infrastructure by DLT will
require significant time and
investment
Aligning key stakeholders for
collective action will require
difficult balancing of interests in
the face of diverging interests
and zero-sum games
Implementing new financial infrastructure will
require changes to existing regulations,
standards of practice, and the creation of new
legal and liability frameworks. Specifically, the
implementation of smart contracts will
require additional stakeholder alignment and
governance considerations
Achieving all three key observations will
delay large-scale, multi-party DLT
implementations in highly regulated
markets. However, if successful, these
could enable scalable infrastructure
fabrics, industry-wide solutions and
standardized processes
a b c
New financial services infrastructure built on DLT will redraw processes and call into
question orthodoxies that are foundational to today’s business models
24WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Assumptions that are central to today’s financial business models will be impacted both intentionally and unintentionally by the shift to
distributed financial infrastructure, requiring incumbents to adjust their business practices in response.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Current-state assumptions
Transformative characteristics of
distributed infrastructure
Implications for market participants
within financial services
Information silos drive the need for detailed
reconciliation activities
Lack of a single version of the truth and audit
trails creates arbitrage concerns
Asymmetric information between market
participants drives the proliferation of
central authorities
Lack of transparency increases regulations on
FIs
Lack of trust between counterparties creates
the need for central authority oversight in
contract execution
a) immutability
b) transparency
c) autonomy
Eliminates need for
reconciliation
Provides historical single
version of the truth
Eliminates imbalance of
information among market
participants
Increases cooperation
between regulators and
regulated entities
Ensures agreements are
executed to agreed upon
business outcomes
Disintermediates supporting
entities established to
resolve disputes
Current state
DLT transformative potential Financial services implications
Distributed ledger technology will question the need for individual books of record
through immutable and distributed record-keeping
25WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
DLT provides transaction immutability, which is a key requirement for eliminating the need for an enforcer of trust in the ecosystem.
Tamper-proof distributed data enables an environment in which trust is not an issue and allows counterparties to operate with a single
version of the truth.
Challenges information silos between market
participants and eliminates the need for inter-firm
reconciliation
At its core, DLT is a growing repository of transactions
organized in chronological blocks where the technology
intrinsically makes changes to previous transactions
functionally impossible
Traditionally, asset and transaction information was stored within physical books to independently reference previous actions internally
and externally. As technologies advanced, physical books were translated into digital ledgers
DLT has been designed to replicate data among
participating nodes in real time, ensuring all parties
operate off of a single version of the truth at all times
Disintermediates central intermediaries and reduces the
fear of arbitrage within the ecosystem
Enables audit trails to be established for assets and
transactions with a significant reduction in disputes
Today, every FI maintains its own digital “book of record” repository
As a result, central intermediaries proliferate in the industry, providing unbiased reconciliation services to facilitate transactions between
counterparties without requiring them to trust each other. For transactions executed internal to the organization, reconciliation is
performed within lines of businesses
a1 2 3 4 5 6
Current state
DLT transformative potential Financial services implications
Distributed ledger technology will significantly increase transparency between market
participants
26WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Infrastructure must be capable of sharing information among all market participants. DLT builds upon a single version of the truth to
provide transparency for historical and real-time transactions.
Challenges existing competitive advantage models that
leverage information asymmetry
The age and fragmentation of large parts of existing financial infrastructure have placed limits on the degree of transparency these
systems are able to offer, creating opportunities for information asymmetry
Reduces the role of supporting entities (. insurers)
that profit from opacity within the ecosystem
Promotes discourse in the ecosystem where
transparency best serves market participants vs where
opacity is needed (. secure personally identifiable
information data)
As a result, some actors within the ecosystem have gained competitive advantages through the imbalance of information
While some entities profit from this state of information, others experience suboptimal performance and spend excessive resources on
risk hedging and liquidity guarantees
b1 2 3 4 5 6
The “default setting” of DLT is to provide full
transparency into transactions
DLT has the potential to transform existing notions of
private records, in which transaction details are only
known to counterparties
DLT can promote the creation of a public record of
activity in the ecosystem to which all market participants
have access in real time
Current state
DLT transformative potential Financial services implications
Distributed ledger technology will have implications for the cost of leverage by reducing
information asymmetry between borrowers and lenders
27WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
DLT enables improved visibility into the ways in which assets are being employed through the tokenization of assets and a public record
of transactions.
Promotes visibility of assets and associated
liens/ownerships to quantify risk and increase pricing
accuracy
DLT can tokenize individual assets (. property and
bonds) on a shared and trusted ledger to establish
provenance
In a wide variety of transactions types, FIs may loan or pledge assets to provide or receive access to credit; however, limited visibility
exists into how many times an asset has been loaned or pledged
DLT can provide visibility into assets and associated
liabilities based on transactional history while increasing
the efficiency of credit transactions
Reduces access to capital for borrowers by limiting the
ability to use the same asset to secure leverage from
multiple parties
Challenges the role of rating entities in quantifying risks
This limited line-of-sight into liens against an asset enables that asset to be used to secure multiple debts by the borrowers, often in
excess of nominal asset value
This opacity causes lenders to rely upon reputational factors and assessments by supporting entities such as rating agencies
b1 2 3 4 5 6
Current state
DLT transformative potential Financial services implications
Distributed ledger technology will transform the relationship between regulators and
regulated entities, reducing frictions and improving outcomes
28WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Transactional data must provide granularity and accuracy to regulators in order to monitor and comply with regulatory obligations. DLT
facilitates transparency between regulators and regulated entities through a shared repository with real-time access to data.
Transforms compliance from post-transaction
monitoring to on-demand and immediate monitoring
DLT can become a shared data repository between
regulators and regulated entities, breaking down
organizational silos
Regulated entities and regulators are increasingly challenged to support information requirements to certify compliance
Improves capability of regulators to fulfil their mandate
of ensuring the legality, security and stability of financial
markets
Improves efficiency for regulators to monitor trading
venues such as over-the-counter markets and dark pools
While regulated entities are committed to enable transparency, significant costs and risks are associated with current systems and
business processes
As complexity within the ecosystem and financial instruments increases, the trade-off between transparency and cost becomes a
balancing act
b1 2 3 4 5 6
Reduces regulatory compliance costs significantly
DLT has the potential to allow subsets of transactional
data to be effortlessly shared with regulators in real-time
DLT can facilitate ‘regulatory-inclusive’ business models,
in which regulators utilize smart contracts to verify
transactions / deals in real-time
Current state
DLT transformative potential Financial services implications
Distributed ledger technology will reduce the need for intermediaries by providing
autonomous execution capabilities
29WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Financial agreements are enforced via a complex set of business rules and processes to ensure obligations are fulfilled by counterparties.
DLT provides the ability to autonomously execute these conditions in a shared and trusted environment.
Reduces counterparty risk due to the reduced need to
trust counterparties’ willingness or ability to fulfil
obligations
DLT can codify financial agreements in a shared platform
and guarantee execution based on mutually agreed
conditions, limiting unilateral counterparty actions
All transactions involving at least two market participants are governed by agreements that highlight business outcomes based on
obligations that must be met by each counterparty
DLT can eliminate the manual effort required to support
the execution of financial agreements and can accelerate
business outcomes
Disintermediates entities that currently mediate
disputes and resolve business outcomes
The responsibility for ensuring these agreements are enforcements dependent on legal and regulatory frameworks
As a result, the complexity of these agreements has given rise to intermediaries that mediate disputes between parties and resolve
deviations within agreed upon outcomes
c1 2 3 4 5 6
30WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Past approaches Our approach Future approaches
NOTE: Please reference Section 3: Use case deep-dive approach to learn
more about our underlying focus and assumptions across our analysis.
• Cost-benefit analyses need to be conducted to determine the financial viability of distributed ledger technology
• Roadmaps need to be developed to achieve market participant collaboration and establish standards
• Governance models, backed by societal-level discussions, need to be envisioned to support technology accountability
• Regulatory, legal and jurisdictional-specific tax frameworks need to be established and well-understood
Important questions to be answered moving forward
Top-down approach
Solution-first methodology
Technology focus
Bottom-up approach
Problem-first methodology
Business-process focus
Quantitative approach
Conduct DLT cost-benefit analysis
across financial services functions
Feasibility-centric methodology
Develop implementation roadmap to
achieve DLT transformative potential
Stakeholder alignment focus
Determine if market participants are
interested in achieving DLT benefits
To conclude our executive summary, the following page will expand on our approach and help navigate across our use case deep-dives.
Additional research remains to assess distributed ledger technology feasibility, quantify
benefits and analyze implementation details
This report provides comprehensive, business-process-level views of distributed ledger
technology implementations within each financial services function
31WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
This report’s detailed findings are designed to be consumed according to business affinity and interest. The table below shows the
location of each use case, which can be read independently of each other.
Context and Approach
An overview of current global DLT activity and the analysis methodology
Executive Summary
A summary of the use case deep-dives through six key findings
Use Case Deep-Dive Approach
An introduction of selected use cases, the analysis structure and high-potential use case characteristics
Use Case Deep-Dive Summaries
A summary of the key findings of each use case organized by financial services function
Use Case Deep-Dive Modules
Nine business-process-level analyses of a use case’s current state and transformed future state enabled by DLT
Each use case can be read individually according to the table below:
Global Payments 46 P&C Claims Processing 56 Syndicated Loans 65
Trade Finance 74 Contingent Convertible Bonds 83 Automated Compliance 92
Proxy Voting 101 Asset Rehypothecation 110 Equity Post-Trade 119
1
2
5
3
4
Section 3
Use Case Deep-Dive Approach
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 32
Use cases for this report were identified across each function within financial services
33WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Leveraging the financial services innovation taxonomy within the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Financial Services 2015 report,
the implementation of DLT is considered across each function of financial services.
Disruptive innovation
in Financial Services,
June 2015
Use case portfolio selection criteria
1. Representation of DLT implementations across various asset classes across multiple subsectors
2. Demonstration of scenarios where DLT must be implemented in a networked or single entity environment
3. Consideration of implementations that could be justified both on financial and non-financial/strategic grounds
DLT use cases in
Financial Services,
July 2016
Use case deep-dives were conducted and summarized in a standardized format
34WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Use case deep-dives that follow a standardized format were conducted to strike a balance between the possible and practical in order to
consider how the structure of financial services might be transformed by DLT.
Use case deep-dive structure
Introduction
Overview of
ecosystem players
and statistics
Current state
Current-state
process description
and pain points
analysis
Future state
Future-state
process description
and benefits
analysis
Critical conditions
Key barriers that
must be met for
DLT to be
successful
Conclusion
Summary, outlook
and unanswered
questions of use
case deep-dive
The goals
Educate the community on the key
DLT value drivers through business-
process-level use cases
1
Highlight key conditions that must
be met to implement new,
distributed financial services
infrastructure
2
Support existing conversations to
implement DLT and initiate new
discussions elsewhere
3
Throughout the use case deep-dives, a broad set of assumptions regarding DLT had to be developed.
Each use case deep-dive maintained a consistent focus and set of assumptions
35WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
A note on security considerations
Similar to any technological innovation, DLT comes with a set of
risks that must be considered:
1. Ensuring that distributed ledgers are secure and safeguarded
against errors is paramount to the long-term success of the
technology and should not be treated the same as
fundamentally questioning the strength of the protocol
2. While smart contracts enable autonomous agreement
execution between parties, they rely on architects and security
experts to build business rules that prevent malicious
behaviour, complete thorough end-to-end testing and verify all
code
3. Meticulous IT controls must be in place to detect potential gaps
in security across all the inputs, components and outputs of DLT
Our focus
• Understanding the direct impacts that DLT can have at the business-process level on FIs and other market participants
• Analysing use cases that are broadly applicable in global financial markets, occasionally utilizing US regulations as reference points
• Identifying critical conditions for the successful implementation of DLT across the following four categories:
Stakeholder alignment: achievement of shared benefits
Technology: implementation dependencies
Regulatory: compliance-related requirements
Governance: administration and liability oversight
1. We assume that enabling capabilities (. digital identity) are
available to be incorporated, in conjunction with distributed
ledger technology, to meet each use case’s goals securely and
effectively
2. We assume that distributed ledger solutions implemented in
the near future will be scalable to meet volume requirements
(including, in some cases, billions of transactions)
3. We assume data sources that are accessible by distributed
ledgers and/or facilitate autonomy cannot be compromised
4. We understand that benefits realized will be contingent on
specific business models for each FI and jurisdictional
uniqueness
Our assumptions
Through the deep-dives, a number of characteristics were discovered that should be
utilized to identify other high-potential use cases in financial services
Shared repository
A shared repository of information is
used by multiple parties
Ledger that stores financial assets in which an owner and owned assets
are tracked and shared with other internal/external parties (.
regulators and other geographical units)
Multiple writers
More than one entity generates
transactions that require
modifications to the shared
repository
Payments system collectively managed and maintained by a small group
of banks, but each bank has millions of end users transacting with their
bank
Minimal trust
A level of mistrust exists between
entities that generate transactions
Multiple parties within a trade finance arrangement (. importer,
exporter, issuing bank, receiving bank, correspondent banks and
customs) that do not “trust” each other and, therefore, institute layers of
verification and impose collateral requirements
Intermediaries
One (or multiple) intermediary or a
central gatekeeper is present to
enforce trust
Removing and/or reducing the importance of a central intermediary,
whose primary role is to provide “trust” to the post-trade ecosystem
Transaction
dependencies
Interaction or dependency between
transactions is created by different
entities
A situation in which Alice needs to send funds to Bob, then Bob needs to
send funds to Charlie. Bob’s transaction is dependent on Alice’s
transaction, and one cannot verify Bob’s transaction without checking
Alice’s first
36WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Through the examination of nine use cases, a set of common characteristics were identified that appeared to be shared by high-
potential applications of DLT
Characteristics of high-potential use cases Example
Section 4
Use Case Deep-Dive Summaries
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 37
Reading guide
38WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
This section provides a summary of the findings, divided by function and DLT use cases within the function. For each use case, the key
players and impact are summarized, the critical conditions to be successful are identified and the possible outcomes are examined.
Function grouping
DLT use case name
High-level summary of potential DLT benefits
Key stakeholders involved within use case
Predicted financial services outcomes if DLT
is successfully implemented
Identified conditions that must be met for
DLT to achieve determined benefits
Use cases | Payments
39WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Money Sender
and Beneficiary Money Transfer
Operator
Sender
Bank
Beneficiary
Bank
Correspondent
Bank
SWIFT
Regulator
Local Clearing
Network
Global Payments
Summary
Conducting international money
transfers through DLT could
provide real-time settlement and
reduce costs, enabling new
business models (.
micropayments), and institute
newer models of regulatory
oversight
Implications for FIs
• Real-time settlement of international money transfers can increase
profitability by reducing liquidity and operational costs
• Utilizing DLT will enable direct interaction between sender and
beneficiary banks, and eliminate the role of correspondents
• Smart contracts can capture obligations and drive reporting,
minimizing operational errors and accelerating outcomes
Critical conditions for implementation
• Ensuring compliance via standard KYC processes
• Binding legality of cryptographic hash to exchange value
• Adopting standards and ensuring interoperability
Use cases | Insurance
40WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Insuree
Insurer
Reinsurer
Regulator
Broker
Supporting
Data Sources
P&C Claims Processing
Summary
Facilitating claims management
for property and casualty (P&C)
insurers on DLT can automate
processing through smart
contracts, improve assessment
through historical claims
information and reduce potential
for fraudulent claims
Implications for FIs
• Smart contracts can automate claims processing through third-party
data sources and codification of business rules
• DLT can drive reductions in operating costs through process
simplification
• Storing historical claims information on the ledger will enable
insurers to identify suspicious behaviour and improve assessment
Critical conditions for implementation
• Building a comprehensive set of asset profiles and history
• Adopting standards for relevant claims data
• Providing a legal and regulatory framework
Use cases | Deposits and Lending
41WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Importer
Inspection
Company
Import
Bank
Correspondent
Banks
ExporterCustoms
Freight Export
Bank
Lead Arranger
SyndicateRequesting
Entity
Regulator
Syndicated Loans
Summary
Utilizing DLT to automate
syndicate formation,
underwriting and the
disbursement of funds (.
principal and interest payments)
can reduce loan issuance time
and operational risk
Implications for FIs
• Forming syndicates through smart contracts can increase speed and
provide regulators with a real-time view to facilitate AML/KYC
• Performing risk underwriting through DLT can substantially reduce
the number of resources required to perform these activities
• Smart contracts can facilitate real-time loan funding and automated
servicing activities without the need for intermediaries
Critical conditions for implementation
• Building risk rating framework for syndicate selection
• Standardizing diligence and underwriting templates
• Providing access to financial details on the distributed ledger
Trade Finance
Summary
Utilizing DLT to store financial
details can facilitate the real-time
approval of financial documents,
create new financing structures,
reduce counterparty risk and
enable faster settlement
Implications for FIs
• Storing financial details on the ledger can automate the creation
and management of credit facilities through smart contracts
• DLT can improve real-time visibility to the transaction to better
institute regulatory and customs oversight
• Utilizing DLT will enable direct interaction between import and
export banks, and eliminate the role of correspondent banks
Critical conditions for implementation
• Providing transparency into trade finance agreements
• Enabling interoperability with legacy platforms
• Rewriting regulatory guidance and legal frameworks
Use cases | Capital Raising
42WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Summary
Utilizing smart contracts to
automate regulator reporting can
minimize the need for point-in-
time stress tests, reduce market
volatility and, ultimately, increase
“CoCo” bond issuance
Implications for FIs
• Tokenizing bond instruments when soliciting capital from investors
can enable them to make informed, data-driven decisions
• Smart contracts can alert regulators when loan absorption needs to
be activated, minimizing need for point-in-time stress tests
• Providing investors with transparency into loan absorption can
reduce uncertainty currently associated with “CoCo” bonds
Critical conditions for implementation
• Standardizing attributes for soliciting investments
• Streamlining trigger calculations across FIs
• Developing processes to act on real-time trigger notifications
Financial
Institution
Investor
Regulator
Use cases | Investment Management
43WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Regulator Corporation
InvestorThird Party/
Intermediaries
Proxy Voting
Summary
Distributing proxy statements via
DLT and counting votes via smart
contracts may improve retail
investor participation, automate
the validation of votes and,
potentially, enable personalized
analyses in the future
Implications for FIs
• Distributing proxy statements via the distributed ledger can reduce
costs associated with printing and mailing
• Smart contracts can automate the validation of votes and increase
the transparency of counting votes (. end-to-end confirmation)
• Storing proxy statements on the ledger may enable investors to
conduct personalized, automated analyses in the future
Critical conditions for implementation
• Storing investment records on a distributed ledger
• Integrating legacy voting mechanisms into tokens
• Collaborating across actors to ensure success
Auditor
Financial
Institution
Regulator
Accountant
Federal
Reserve
Internal
Revenue
Service
Automated Compliance
Summary
Utilizing DLT to store financial
information can eliminate errors
associated with manual audit
activities, improve efficiency,
reduce reporting costs and,
potentially, support deeper
regulatory oversight in the future
Implications for FIs
• Storing financial information on the ledger provides immutable,
real-time updates and facilitates automated review
• Executing reporting activities through smart contracts can facilitate
the automated creation of quarterly and annual findings
• In the future, DLT can seamlessly execute and automate compliance
activities (. Comprehensive Capital Assessment Review)
Critical conditions for implementation
• Providing compartmentalized access to data
• Automating faster and efficient enforcement of regulations
• Enabling interoperability with legacy platforms
Use cases | Market Provisioning
44WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Custodian
Bank
Investor
Central
Securities
DepositoryCentral
Clearing
Counterparty
Exchange
Equity Post-Trade
Summary
Utilizing DLT and smart contracts
to facilitate post-trade activities
can disintermediate processes,
reduce counterparty and
operational risk and, potentially,
pave the way for reduced
settlement time
Implications for FIs
• Conducting clearing activities through the ledger can automate
processes, reduce settlement time and lower counterparty risk
• Smart contracts can simultaneously transfer equity and cash in real
time, reducing the likelihood of errors impacting settlement
• Disintermediating clearing, settlement and servicing processes can
reduce costs and enable capital & liquidity management efficiencies
Critical conditions for implementation
• Incorporating “net transaction” benefits within settlement
• Achieving multistakeholder alignment across participants
• Standardizing reference data utilized to match trades
Broker/
Dealer
Selling
Investor
Buying
Investor
Regulator
Asset Rehypothecation
Summary
Utilizing DLT to track and manage
asset rehypothecation via smart
contracts can enable the real-
time enforcement of regulatory
control limits across the financial
system and reduce settlement
time
Implications for FIs
• Rating counterparties based on transaction history stored on DLT
can enable investors to improve investment decisions
• Smart contracts enable the real-time reporting of asset history and
the enforcement of regulatory constraints
• Facilitating clearing and settlement processes via smart contracts
can eliminate need for intermediaries and reduce settlement time
Critical conditions for implementation
• Tokenizing assets using a shared standard
• Fostering engagement among the financial ecosystem
• Architecting solution to manage over-the-counter (OTC) templates
Section 5
Use Case Deep-Dive Modules
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 45
Section
Payments: Global Payments
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 46
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Global Payments
Introduction
47WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Business is growing fast and steadily : The global payments volume is
increasing at an approximate rate of 5% yearly worldwide and will reach
an estimated US$ 601 billion in Revenue is growing in all regions,
especially in Asia where China will likely surpass Brazil as the third largest
payment area after the United States and the Eurozone2, 3
• Profit margins are high: The average cost to the final customer (money
sender) is % of the amount transferred
• Newcomers are arriving: Non-bank transactions are reaching up to 10%
of the total payments volume2
The focus of this use case is on low value−high volume payments from an
individual/business to an individual via banks or money transfer operators.
These transfers are more commonly known as remittances
A payment refers to the process of transferring value from one individual or organization to another in exchange for goods, services
or the fulfillment of a legal obligation. Global payments are an expansion of that concept, in which payments can be completed
across geographical borders through multiple fiat currencies.
Money Sender
and Beneficiary Money Transfer
Operator
Sender
Bank
Beneficiary
Bank
Correspondent Bank
SWIFT
Local Clearing
Network
Regulator
1. Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, World Bank, 2016.
2. Top 10 Trends in Payments in 2016, Capgemini, 2016.
3. Global Payments 2015: A Healthy Industry Confronts Disruption, McKinsey & Company, 2015.
Market participant Role Description
Money Sender and
Beneficiary
Core
An individual or business wishing to transfer money (sender) to another individual
or business (beneficiary) internationally
Money Transfer Operator Core
Non-bank companies specialized in international money transfer through a global
network of agents
Sender Bank Core A sender’s preferred bank that offers international money transfer
Beneficiary Bank Core A bank used by the beneficiary to receive funds
Correspondent Bank Supporting
A bank that has access to foreign exchange (FX) corridors and facilitates the
transfer (via nostro accounts and SWIFT)
SWIFT Supporting
The global member-owned cooperative provider of secure financial messaging and
settlement services
Local Clearing Network Supporting
The national interbank network that allow financial messaging/settlement (.
ACH, SPB and Zengin)
Regulator Supporting
Central banks and monetary authorities that determine and monitor adherence to
KYC and AML standards
Global Payments
Key market participants
48WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
SWIFT
Global Payments
Current-state process depiction
Current-state process description
Sender needs to send money to
another country and
approaches a bank or money
transfer operator, which does
the following:
- Performs AML/KYC
activities
- Collects funds and fees
- Confirms and supports
transfer inquiries/disputes
The bank or money transfer
operator will move money across
borders through either of the
following mechanisms:
- Utilizes SWIFT network (part of
SWIFT network)
- Facilitates transfer via
correspondent banks (not part
of SWIFT network)
* Transactions can either be
“netted” or initiated per-transaction
The beneficiary is notified and
approaches a bank or money
transfer operator
Depending on the pre-existing
relationship, KYC may be
performed by the bank or
money transfer operator
The amount due in local
currency is paid
Periodically, according to local
regulations, the bank and
money transfer operator will
provide reports to regulators
containing transaction details
(. sender and beneficiary ID,
currencies, transferred amount
and timestamps)
49WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Initiate relationship Transfer money Deliver funds Act post payment
Sender
Sender
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Track transfer
Process funds
Perform KYC Beneficiary
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Local clearing
network
Local clearing
network
Correspondent
bank
Beneficiary
Pay funds
Perform KYC
All banks
Money
transfer
operator
Periodic
reports
Regulator
1
2a
2b
6
1
4
3 6
2a
2b
4
5
3
5
Global Payments
Current-state pain points
Current-state pain points
Inefficient onboarding:
information about the sender
and beneficiary is collected via
manual and repetitive business
processes
Vulnerable KYC: limited control
exists over the veracity of
information and supporting
documentation, with various
maturity levels across
institutions
Cost and delay: payments are
costly and time consuming
depending on route
Error prone: information is
validated per bank/transaction,
resulting in high rejection rate
Liquidity requirement: banks
must hold funds in nostro
accounts, resulting in
opportunity and hedging costs
Vulnerable KYC: similar to #2,
limited control exists over the
veracity of information and
supporting documentation, with
various maturity levels across
institutions
Demanding regulatory
compliance: due to various data
sources and channels or
origination, regulatory reports
can require costly technology
capabilities in addition to
complex business processes
(often supported by multiple
operation teams)
50WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Initiate relationship Transfer money Deliver funds Act post payment
Sender
Sender
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Track transfer
Process funds
Perform KYC SWIFT Beneficiary
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Local clearing
network
Local clearing
network
Correspondent
bank
Beneficiary
Pay funds
Perform KYC
All banks
Money
transfer
operator
Periodic
reports
Regulator
1
7
1 3
4
6
6 7
2
5
2
3
54
Fiat currency Fiat currency
Real-time AML
Global Payments
Future-state process depiction
51WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Initiate relationship Deliver funds Act post payment
Sender
Sender
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Submit transfer
Transfer request
Verify KYC Beneficiary
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Beneficiary
Pay funds
Verify KYC
On-demand
reports
Regulator
Transfer money
Regulator
Smart contract
Sender ID
Beneficiary ID
FX rate
Transfer amount
Date and time
Payout conditions
Distributed
ledger
Future-state process description
Trust between the sender and a
bank or money transfer
operator is established either
via traditional KYC or a digital
identity profile
A smart contract encapsulates
the obligation to transfer funds
between sender and beneficiary
The currency conversion is
facilitated through liquidity
providers on the ledger
The regulator can monitor
transactions in real time and
receive specific AML alerts
through a smart contract
A smart contract enables the
real-time transfer of funds with
minimal fees and guaranteed
delivery without the need for
correspondent bank(s)
Funds are deposited
automatically to the beneficiary
account via a smart contract or
made available for pickup after
verifying KYC
The transaction history is
available on the ledger and can
be continuously reviewed by
regulators
1 6 74
5
2
3
1
2 3 4
5
6
7
Real-time AML
Fiat currency Fiat currency
Global Payments
Future-state benefits
52WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Initiate relationship Deliver funds Act post payment
Sender
Sender
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Submit transfer
Transfer request
Verify KYC Beneficiary
bank
Money
transfer
operator
Beneficiary
Pay funds
Verify KYC
On-demand
reports
Regulator
Transfer money
Regulator
Smart contract
Sender ID
Beneficiary ID
FX rate
Transfer amount
Date and time
Payout conditions
Future-state benefits
Seamless KYC: leveraging the
digital profile stored on DLT
establishes trust and
authenticates the sender
FX liquidity capabilities:
through smart contracts,
foreign exchange can be
sourced from participants
willing to facilitate the
conversion of fiat currencies
Real-time AML: regulators will
have access to transaction data
and can receive specific alerts
based on predefined conditions
Reduced settlement time:
cross-border payments can be
completed in real time
Cost savings: with fewer
participants, the improved cost
structure can generate value
Seamless KYC: leveraging the
digital profile stored on DLT
establishes trust and
authenticates the beneficiary
Automated compliance: the
regulator will have on-demand
access to the complete
transaction history over the
ledger
1 6 73
42
1
2 3
5
6
7
4
5
Distributed
ledger
Global Payments
Critical conditions
53WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Ensuring compliance via standard
KYC processes
Binding legality of cryptographic
hash to exchange value
Adopting standards and
ensuring interoperability
Members of the ledger as well as regulators
need to converge on common KYC processes to
effectively identify stakeholders involved in the
transaction and ensure a corresponding
template data set is available on DLT
Regulators, central banks and legal participants
will need to collaborate from different
countries to reach a valid legal framework for
global payments
Consensus on the choice of DLT platform across
a significant number of FIs will allow economies
of scale and higher return on investment
Why? Why? Why?
Real-time and on-demand AML/KYC
compliance for global payments is enabled
when banks and money transfer operators
provide trusted and standard dataset on DLT
If the underlying solution is not legally
accepted, legacy solutions will have to be
maintained in parallel, limiting the forecasted
benefits
Different ledgers and/or adoption cycles from
key stakeholders would compromise benefits
and lead to interoperability issues
Challenge Challenge Challenge
The policies and processes of banks and money
transfer operators to onboard customers
(sender, beneficiary) are diverse, as are the
regional regulatory requirements
Given no legal precedent, legal and technology
subject matter experts from different countries
will need to establish a globally accepted legal
framework
The differing priorities, levels of urgency and
budgets of players will created obstacles to
forming international agreements among
participants
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Global Payments
Additional considerations
54WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
DLT enabled by global banks Embedded solution
Cryptocurrency as the linking
currency
Overview Overview Overview
Global correspondent banks can implement
DLT to unlock benefits and increase efficiency
in the value chain, while also enabling next-
generation competitive services to local banks
The adoption of DLT may be driven by key
information technology providers; as they
integrate DLT into their core banking platforms,
they might play a key role on setting standards
Banks can leverage cryptocurrency on the DLT
to facilitate global payments, eliminating
supporting settlement platforms and foreign
currency buffers in nostro accounts
Impact Impact Impact
• Non-members of the DLT platform would
still be reliant on middlemen and their
associated fees to offer global payments as
a product
• Banks and information technology
providers will need to collaborate on a
shared strategy to converge on mutual
interest
• The use of DLT may be driven by the choice
of ledger implemented by the information
technology provider
• Additional gains will be made on liquidity
management and transaction settlement
time
• The use of cryptocurrency will add to
additional volatility and will demand
additional hedging instruments
• Banks would be required to hold
cryptocurrency as assets on their books
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Global Payments
Conclusion
55WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Initiatives: Will retail and wholesale banking initiatives merge
towards common DLT implementation despite competing
interests?
• Volatility: Is there a role for cryptocurrencies as a bridge asset
to facilitate FX?
• SWIFT: What role will SWIFT play in enabling DLT-based global
payments?
• Real-time settlement: enabling banks can fulfil and settle
international money transfers in real time, while increasing
profitability via a reduction in liquidity and operations costs
• Reduced fraud: transparent and immutable data on DLT can
reduce fraudulent transactions to a fraction of what they are
today
• Development of digital obligations: smart contracts can be
used to capture obligations among FIs in order to ensure that
appropriate funds are exchanged, eliminating operational
errors
• SWIFT is implementing a “Global Payments Innovation
Initiative” to facilitate global payments with transparent fees
and same-day funds delivery but this initiative does not employ
DLT
• Currently, the adoption of DLT for global payments by
incumbent banks is limited, although concrete initiatives are
occurring in North America and Europe across retail and
wholesale banking
• Opportunities exist for regulators to assess and promote the
viability of prototypes and future implementations within
current regulatory frameworks
• Challenge correspondent banks: DLT has the potential to
disrupt the role of dedicated banks that act as gateways to
international fund transfers
• Allow direct interaction between sender and beneficiary
banks: DLT can give direct access to most if not all relevant
destinations for adopting banks and money transfer operators
• Enable micropayments: DLT can make low-value transactions
more feasible to FIs as cost structures are modified
Section
Insurance: P&C Claims Processing
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 56
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
P&C Claims Processing
Introduction
57WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• P&C is large: P&C is the second largest segment of insurance worldwide
(after life and health) with earned premiums in 2014 of US$ billion,
growing at % since 2010, and is set to reach US$ billion by 20181
• Claims processing is a key bottleneck: For P&C insurance, the tasks
associated with claim and loss processing are a major source of friction,
accounting for an average of 11% of the overall written premium
(revenue)2
DLT has the potential to optimize the back-office operational costs of property
and casualty insurers. This use case highlights the key opportunities in claims
processing for the P&C commercial insurance business
Insurance is a financial risk management product in which an individual or entity receives protection against losses (. property,
asset, casualty and health) from the insurer. Commercial property and casualty (P&C) insurance (. commercial motor, commercial
property and commercial liability) protects businesses against risks that may result in loss of life or property.
Insuree
Insurer
Reinsurer
Regulator
Broker
Supporting
Data Sources
1. Global Commercial Non-Life Insurance: Size, Segmentation
and Forecast for the Worldwide Market, Finaccord, 2015.
2. ISO Verisk Analytics, 2016.
Market participant Role Description
Insuree Core
Companies looking for insurance to cover their underlying operational risks
(properties and casualties)
Insurer Core
A company that, through a contractual agreement, undertakes to compensate
specified losses, liability or damages incurred by another company
Reinsurer Core
A company that provides financial protection to insurance companies handling
risks that are too large for insurance companies to handle on their own
Regulator Supporting
Insurance supervisory agency and central banks that determine and monitor
adherence to KYC, AML, risk concentration, liquidity and solvency standards
Broker Supporting
A specialized company or registered professional that acts as an intermediary,
advising and connecting insurees with insurers
Supporting Data Sources Supporting
Diversified sources of information used by insurers to assess underwriting risks
and evaluate claims and losses; they can include authorities, experts and official
data sources, among others (. police report, weather database, official
inspection reports, asset ownership records)
P&C Claims Processing
Key market participants
58WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
P&C Claims Processing
Current-state process depiction
59WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Claim submission Claim approvalLoan assessment
Current-state process description
Insuree reports loss and claims
restitution from an insurer (and
reinsurer, if applicable) via a
broker (or independently)
Broker may request additional
information from insuree to
support the loss claim
Broker submits the claim to the
insurer and reinsurer (in cases
of syndicate insurance or
reinsurance)
After verifying the documentation received, the insurer(s) confirm
receipt of the claim submission
Loss adjusters perform claim assessments and verify the validity of the
claims through client information, secondary data sources (.
weather statistics and authority reports) or additional inspection
assessments/interviews
If additional information is required by the insurer, a new information
request is made to the broker or insuree. In some situations, the
insuree must collect supporting documentation directly from
secondary data sources
After concluding claim
assessments, the loss adjuster
within each insurer reaches a
conclusion about the claim
If the claim is approved,
payment to the insuree is
initiated via an insurer’s claims
agent
1 74
3
5
6
8
ReinsurerInsurer
BrokerInsuree
Report loss
Provide requested
information
Submit claim
Confirm
submission
Reinsurer
Insurer
Asset
database
Weather
statistics
Credit
reports
Inspection
provider
Authority
report
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Broker Insuree
Request additional
information
Request additional
information
Provide
additional
information
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Claim approved
Insuree
Initiate
payment
2
1 2
3
4
5
5
6
6
7
8
P&C Claims Processing
Current-state pain points
60WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Claim submission Claim approvalLoan assessment
Current-state pain points
Undesirable customer
experience: to initiate a claim,
the insuree must complete a
complex questionnaire and
maintain physical receipts of
the costs incurred by the loss
Costly intermediaries: brokers
act as intermediaries during
processing, adding delays and
costs to the submission
Fragmented data sources: insurers must establish individual
relationships with third-party data providers to get manual access to
supporting asset, risk and loss data that may not be updated
Fraud prone: the loss assessment is completed on a per-insurer and
per-loss basis with no information sharing between insurers,
increasing the potential for fraud and manual rework
Manual claim processing: loss
adjusters are required to review
claims and to:
- Ensure their completeness
- Request additional
information or use
supporting data sources
- Validate loss coverage
- Identify the scope of the
liability
- Calculate the loss amount
1 53
2
4
ReinsurerInsurer
BrokerInsuree
Report loss
Provide requested
information
Submit claim
Confirm
submission
Reinsurer
Insurer
Asset
database
Weather
statistics
Credit
reports
Inspection
provider
Authority
report
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Broker Insuree
Request additional
information
Request additional
information
Provide
additional
information
Loss adjuster Claims agent
Claim approved
Insuree
Initiate
payment
1 2
4
4
4
3
5
P&C Claims Processing
Future-state process depiction
61WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Claim submission Claim approvalLoan assessment
Future-state process description
Loss information is submitted
by the insuree or smart asset
(via sensors or external data
sources if the asset is
technologically capable),
triggering an automated claim
application
For insurance policies issued via
a smart contract, insurees
receive feedback regarding
initial coverage in real time
Claim due diligence is automated via codified business rules within the
smart contract, using information submitted by the insuree
DLT automatically utilizes secondary data sources to assess the claim
and calculate the loss amount
Depending on the insurance policy, a smart contract can automate the
liability calculation for each carrier where a syndicate (or insurers or
reinsurers) exists
In predetermined situations, the smart contract can trigger an
additional assessment of the claim in order to reach a final
decision/calculation
If the claim is approved,
payment to the insuree is
initiated via a smart contract
1 73
2
4
Submit claim
Confirm coverage
Asset
database
Weather
statistics
Credit
reports
Inspection
provider
Authority
report
Loss adjuster
Claim approved
Insuree
Smart
contract
Insuree
Smart
asset
or
Request loss
confirmation data
Insurer Loss adjuster Reinsurer Loss adjuster
Request manual review
Insuree information
Covered asset information
Coverage terms
Coverage period
Claim history
Loss submission details
Smart
contract
Initiate
payment
5
6
1
2 5
4
3 6
7
P&C Claims Processing
Future-state benefits
62WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Claim submission Claim approvalLoan assessment
Future-state benefits
Simplified and/or automated
claim submission: through a
smart contract, the claim
submission process will be
simplified and/or fully
automated (in cases of smart
assets)
Enhanced customer experience: through the streamlined transfer of
loss information from insuree to insurer, DLT eliminates the need for
brokers and reduces claim processing times
Automated claim processing: business rules encoded in a smart
contract eliminate the need for loss adjustors to review every claim
(functionality will enable the loss adjuster to review the claim and
provide a decision, in specific risk situations)
Reduction in fraudulent claims: the insurer will seamlessly have
access to historical claims and asset provenance, enabling better
identification of suspicious behaviour
Integrated data sources: DLT
facilitates the integration of
various data sources from
trusted providers with minimal
required manual review
Streamlined payment process:
in most cases, the smart
contract will facilitate the
payment automatically without
effort from the back office
1 52
3
Submit claim
Confirm coverage
Asset
database
Weather
statistics
Credit
reports
Inspection
provider
Authority
report
Loss adjuster
Claim approved
Insuree
Smart
contract
Insuree
Smart
asset
or
Request loss
confirmation data
Insurer Loss adjuster Reinsurer Loss adjuster
Request manual review
Insuree information
Covered asset information
Coverage terms
Coverage period
Claim history
Loss submission details
Smart
contract
Initiate
payment
4
1
2 4
5
3
6
6
P&C Claims Processing
Critical conditions
63WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Building a comprehensive set of
asset profiles and history
Adopting standards for relevant
claims data
Providing a legal and regulatory
framework
Asset records must migrate to the DLT to allow
smart contracts to consume reliable and
updated asset information directly over the
ledger in the case of a claim
Insurers and regulators will play a key role in
setting data standards and facilitating the
adoption by external data providers to ensure
the effective flow of information among the
participants
Regulators, insurers and other relevant
stakeholders will have to establish a legal
framework that regulates the validity of smart
contracts as binding instruments for insurance
policies
Why? Why? Why?
If asset provenance and loss information are
kept off the ledger among different players,
smart contracts will lose their effectiveness to
process claims automatically
If the data is not standardized, additional
manual work will still be required, resulting in
cost inefficiencies and jeopardizing gains
The absence of a legal precedent will expose
the insurer and insuree to higher counterparty
risk and disputes
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Engaging the market and enforcing a specific
DLT as the dominant mechanism for asset
registry may be challenging to implement and
will require stakeholders diligence
Changing current company-specific processes
and data sets to a shared standard will require
extensive discussion and converging interests
Careful and close collaboration would be
required since stakeholders will likely have
competing interests and senses of urgency to
establish a shared framework
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
P&C Claims Processing
Conclusion
64WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Profitability: Will the automated processing of claims have
adverse effects on loss ratios?
• Pricing: What impact will changes in loss ratios have on
insurance premiums?
• Claims automation: Claims processing can be automated using
trusted third-party data sources and the codification of
business rules in smart contracts on the ledger
• Reduced fraud: Transparent and immutable data on the ledger
can also reduce fraudulent claims to a fraction of what they are
today
• The application of DLT within insurance is currently in its
infancy, with a number of incumbents and new entrants
providing early proof of concept, focusing on:
- Creation of immutable insurance claim records
- Development of asset provenance to assist in risk
profiling and claims processing
- P2P insurance
• Opportunities exist for regulators/FIs to:
- Monitor and assess new DLT-based products (. P2P
insurance)
- Guide the industry towards a lower-cost model via the
common and shared implementation of DLT
• Smart contracts will be key: Insurance policies can
be managed using smart contracts on DLT, capturing coverage
conditions, and syndicate insurance agreements or insurer-
reinsurer agreements
• Loss adjustment expenses may become irrelevant: DLT
utilization will fundamentally disrupt the cost and profitability
ratios that are currently in use across the insurance industry
Section
Deposits and Lending: Syndicated Loans
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 65
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Syndicated Loans
Introduction
66WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• The US market is dominated by incumbents: Four US FIs accounted for
more than 50% of the market share (US$ 1,917 billion total volume) in
20141
• The EMEA market is large: The total EMEA syndicated loan volume in
2014 amounted to US$ 1, billion1
• The Asia-Pacific market is growing: The Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan)
syndicated loan volume increased by 22% in 2014, bringing total volume
to US$ billion1
• The Latin American market is immature: The total Latin American
syndicated loan volume in 2014 amounted to US$ billion1
DLT has the potential to optimize syndicated loan back-office operations. This
use case highlights key opportunities in the end-to-end syndicated loan
process
Syndicated loans provide clients with the ability to secure large-scale diversified financing at the current market rate. These loans are
funded by a group of investors (. syndicate), where one investor serves as the lead arranger. The lead arranger serves as the
underwriter for the loan and performs all administrative tasks throughout the loan life cycle, charging a fee based on the complexity
and risk factors associated with the loan.
Lead Arranger
SyndicateRequesting
Entity
Regulator
1. Global Syndicated Loans: League Tables 2014, Bloomberg, 2014.
Market participant Role Description
Lead Arranger Core
An FI that leads a group of investors through the underwriting and financing of a
large loan
Syndicate Core
A group of investors formed into one entity for the purpose of distributing risk
across institutions for large transactions
Requesting Entity Core An organization requesting a large loan from an FI
Regulator Supporting A monitor that verifies adherence to AML compliance activities
Syndicated Loans
Key market participants
67WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Lead arranger solicits
syndicate members
Syndicated Loans
Current-state process depiction
68WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Syndication Underwriting Closing and servicing
Loan request
Diligence
Lead arrangerCorporation
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3
Syndicate
Lead
arranger
Syndicate
Corporation
Lead arranger
30% pledged
Member 1
25% pledged
Member 2
20% pledged
Member 3
25% pledged
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3
Syndicate
Lead arranger Corporation
Loan funded
Syndication fee
Principal and interest payments
Current-state process description
A corporation requests a loan
from an FI (referred to as the
lead arranger within the
syndicated loan market)
The lead arranger performs KYC
procedures in accordance with
regulatory requirements
To reduce risk, the lead
arranger sources prospective
members to fund the loan
The lead arranger facilitates the
investigation of the
corporation’s financial health to
determine credit worthiness
and the level of risk associated
with the loan
Syndicate members pledge a
percentage of the overall risk
based on their respective
tolerance levels
The lead arranger takes on the
administrative responsibility for
servicing throughout the agreed
upon contract life cycle (.
funding the loan and dispersing
principal and interest payments
to syndicate members)
1 5 64
2
3
Principal & interest
1 2
3
4
5
6
Lead arranger solicits
syndicate members
Syndicated Loans
Current-state pain points
69WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Syndication Underwriting Closing and servicing
Loan request
Diligence
Lead arrangerCorporation
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3
Syndicate
Lead
arranger
Syndicate
Corporation
Lead arranger
30% pledged
Member 1
25% pledged
Member 2
20% pledged
Member 3
25% pledged
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3
Syndicate
Lead arranger
Loan funded
Syndication fee
Principal and interest payments
Current-state pain points
Time-intensive process:
selecting syndicate members
based on financial health and
industry expertise is time-
intensive and inefficient due to
manual review processes
Time-intensive review:
analysing a corporation’s
financial information is time-
intensive and inefficient due to
manual review processes
Lack of technology integration:
due diligence team members
reference various applications
and data sources, resulting in
additional time required and a
potential for errors
Labour-intensive process: the
documentation of syndicate
member pledging is labour-
intensive and inefficient due to
reliance on manual activities
Lack of technology integration:
underwriting systems do not
communicate with diligence
systems, duplicating efforts
Inefficient fund disbursal: the
lead arranger facilitates
principal and interest disbursal,
resulting in additional costs to
investors
Default risk: the lead arranger
poses a risk in the disbursement
of funds throughout the loan
life cycle
Delayed settlement time: while
verifying funds, payments settle
t+3 (trade date plus three days),
delaying investors from
obtaining funds
Costly intermediaries: third-
party organizations facilitate
servicing operations, resulting in
additional costs to investors
Siloed systems: activities are
duplicative since systems do not
communicate with one another
1 5 83
1
2
4
6
42
6
7
9
10
3
5
7
8
9
10
Corporation
Principal & interest
Smart contract
Members selected
based on criteria
Syndicated Loans
Future-state process depiction
70WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Syndication Diligence and underwriting Closing and servicing
Corporation
Lead arranger Smart contract
Regulator
Member 2
Member 3
Syndicate
Member 1
Lo
an
r
eq
u
es
t Investor records
Risk tolerance
Lead arranger
30% pledged
Member 1
25% pledged
Member 2
20% pledged
Member 3
25% pledged
Assets
Liabilities
Project Plan
Diligence results
RegulatorSmart contractCorporation
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3Lead arranger
Loan funded
Principal & interest
Loan funding
Syndication fee payment
Principal and interest payments
Servicing documents
dispersion
Future-state process description
A corporation requests a loan from an FI
acting as the lead arranger
Leveraging the corporation’s digital identity,
the lead arranger performs KYC activities in
real time through the DLT’s record-keeping
functionality, which also provides regulators
with a transparent view of activity
The investor’s financial records and risk
tolerance stored on DLT automates the
selection process, reducing the time it takes
to form a syndicate
Leveraging the corporation’s financial
information and project plan data accessible
through the DLT, diligence activities are
automated via a smart contract
Key attributes from the diligence process are
populated into the underwriting template,
streamlining the process and reducing time
through the DLT’s transfer of value capability
Smart contracts eliminate the need for a
third party to fund the loan, disperse funds
and facilitate the loan servicing process
Embedded regulation facilitates the review
of financial details to ensure AML
procedures are followed appropriately
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2 3
4 5
6
7
Smart contract
Members selected
based on criteria
Syndicated Loans
Future-state benefits
71WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Syndication Diligence and underwriting Closing and servicing
Corporation
Lead arranger Smart contract
Regulator
Member 2
Member 3
Syndicate
Member 1
Lo
an
r
eq
u
es
t Investor records
Risk tolerance
Lead arranger
30% pledged
Member 1
25% pledged
Member 2
20% pledged
Member 3
25% pledged
Assets
Liabilities
Project Plan
Diligence results
RegulatorSmart contractCorporation
Member 1 Member 2 Member 3Lead arranger
Loan funded
Loan funding
Syndication fee payment
Principal and interest payments
Servicing documents
dispersion
Future-state benefits
Automated syndicate formation: through
programmable selection criteria within a
smart contract, syndicate formation is
automated, reducing the time for a
corporation’s loan to be funded
Embedded regulator: throughout the
syndicated loan life cycle, regulators are
provided with a real-time view of financial
details to facilitate AML/KYC activities
Automated diligence and underwriting:
corporation financial information analysis
and risk underwriting are automated,
reducing the execution time and the amount
of resources required to perform these
activities
Technology integration: diligence systems
communicate pertinent financial information
to underwriting systems, streamlining
process execution and reducing underwriting
time
Reduced closing time: loan funding is
facilitated in real time, eliminating
traditional t+3 settlement and centralized
lead arranger operations
Servicing disintermediation: activities are
executed via smart contracts, eliminating the
need for third-party intermediaries
Reduced counterparty risk: the
disbursement of principal and interest
payments throughout the loan life cycle is
automated, reducing operational risk
1
2
3
4
5
6
2
1
3 4
6
7
7
5
Principal & interest
Syndicated Loans
Critical conditions
72WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Building risk rating framework for
syndicate selection
Standardizing diligence and
underwriting templates
Providing access to financial
details on the distributed ledger
FIs must develop a framework that provides
guidance for rating and sharing counterparty
performance information on the distributed
ledger
FIs must standardize financial attributes to
facilitate the automated population of diligence
and underwriting templates
FIs and loan requestors must be willing to store
pertinent financial information on the
distributed ledger
Why? Why? Why?
Automated syndicate formation relies on a
robust counterparty rating system that lead
arrangers can leverage for syndicate member
selection
The automated population of diligence and
underwriting templates requires standardized
data fields to move information from one
system to another
To facilitate automated syndicate formation,
due diligence review and underwriting
template creation, pertinent financial details
must be accessible through the distributed
ledger
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Aligning FIs around a single standard for
counterparty rating requires an enormous
amount of coordination and governance
The myriad diligence and underwriting
collection vehicles across FIs will make
alignment around one format difficult
Given no legal precedent or liability model is
established to mitigate the risk of storing
proprietary financial information on the ledger,
participation is uncertain
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Syndicated Loans
Conclusion
73WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Automated AML activities: What are the implications of
making KYC information more public? Is this a key step to
mutualizing KYC information among FIs?
• Underwriting automation: Underwriting activities can be
automated, leveraging financial details stored on the
distributed ledger
• Regulatory transparency: Compliance officials are provided
real-time tools to enforce KYC requirements
• Cost savings: DLT can provide a global cost reduction
opportunity within the process execution and settlement
subprocesses of syndicated loans
• Applications of DLT within syndicated loans are currently being
explored at the proof-of-concept level with a number of
incumbents, focusing on:
- Smart contract settlement and servicing
- Automated underwriting
• Opportunities exist for FIs to reduce closing-time operational
risk and manual activities:
- Loan funding executed via smart contract
- Account servicing facilitated via smart contract
- Automated underwriting activities
• Manage loan life cycle via smart contracts: Syndicated loans
can be managed using smart contracts on DLT – KYC
verification, due diligence review, underwriting automation,
loan funding, payment dissemination, etc. – as the loan moves
through the syndicated loan life cycle
• Execute servicing disintermediation: Traditionally performed
by a third party, closing and servicing activities are executed via
smart contract, eliminating third-party fees
Section
Deposits and Lending: Trade Finance
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 74
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Trade Finance
Introduction
75WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Financing dominates world trade: Today’s trade operations are
facilitated through financing. US$ 18 trillion of annual trade transactions
involve some form of finance (credit, insurance or guarantee)1
• The trade finance market is large: Since financing has become such an
integral part of trading, the market has grown substantially to more than
US$ 10 trillion annually1
DLT has the potential to optimize the regulatory and operations costs of trade
finance. This use case highlights the key opportunities in the end-to-end trade
finance process
Trade finance is the process by which importers and exporters mitigate trade risk through the use of trusted intermediaries. FIs serve
as the trusted intermediary providing assurance to sellers (in the event the buyer doesn't pay) and contract certainty to buyers (in the
event that goods are not received). Regardless of counterparty performance, payment and delivery terms (. prepayment,
piecemeal or upon delivery) are documented in a letter of credit or open account contract vehicle. FIs command a fee for
documentation/oversight of payment terms and for taking on the risk position of either the importer or exporter.
Importer
Import
Bank
Exporter
Export
Bank
Inspection Company
Freight
Customs
Correspondent
Banks
1. Improving the Availability of Trade Finance in Developing
Countries: An Assessment of Remaining Gaps, World Trade Organization, 2015.
Trade Finance
Key market participants
Market participant Role Description
Importer Core An entity requesting a cross-border product/service
Import Bank Core An FI that assumes risk on behalf of the importer
Exporter Core An entity providing the cross-border product/service
Export Bank Core An FI that assumes risk on behalf of the exporter
Inspection Company Supporting A company that verifies that the goods shipped match those on the invoice
Freight Supporting The transport of goods by truck, train, ship or aircraft
Customs Supporting The country authority responsible for controlling the flow of goods
Correspondent Banks Supporting An FI that provides services on behalf of import/export banks
76WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Trade Finance
Current-state process depiction
77WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Current-state process description
An importer and exporter agree to the sale of a
product at a future date and time
The financial agreement is captured within an
invoice, which identifies the quantity of goods sold,
price and delivery timeline
The importer provides a bank with a copy of the
financial agreement for review
The import bank reviews the financial agreement
and provides financials on behalf of the importer to
a correspondent bank, which has established a
relationship with the export bank
The export bank provides the exporter with the
financing details, which enables the exporter to
initiate the shipment
A trusted third-party organization inspects the
goods for alignment with the invoice
Local customs agents within the export country
inspect the goods based on the country code
The goods are transported by freight from Country
A to Country B and local customs agents within the
import country inspect the goods based on the
country code
Following inspection, the goods
are delivered to the importer,
which provides a receipt
notification to the import bank
Upon receiving notification, the
import bank initiates the
payment to the export bank
through the correspondent
bank
1
6
95
3
4
Establish payment terms Settle on termsDeliver goods
Importer Exporter
Import bank Correspondent bank Export bank
Order goods
Provide invoice
Financial
agreement
Exporter
Financials Financials
Fi
n
an
ci
al
s
Inspection
company
Customs
Country A
Customs
Country B
Freight
Initiate
shipment
Verified
goods Verified
goods
Product
shipped
Importer
Product
Import bank
Receipt
notification
Correspondent bank Export bank
Payment
Initiate
payment
7
8
10
2
1
2
3
4 5
6
7
8
9
10
Trade Finance
Current-state pain points
78WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Current-state pain points
Manual contract creation: the import bank
manually reviews the financial agreement provided
by the importer and sends financials to the
correspondent bank
Invoice factoring: exporters use invoices to achieve
short-term financing from multiple banks, adding
additional risk in the event the delivery of goods
fails
Delayed timeline: the shipment of goods is
delayed due to multiple checks by intermediaries
and numerous communication points
Manual AML review: the export bank must
manually conduct AML checks using the financials
provided by the import bank
Multiple platforms: since each party across
countries operates on different platforms,
miscommunication is common and the propensity
for fraud is high
Duplicative bills of lading: bills of lading are
financed multiple times due to the inability of
banks to verify their authenticity
Multiple versions of the truth:
as financials are sent from one
entity to another, significant
version control challenges exist
as changes are made
Delayed payment: multiple
intermediaries must verify that
funds have been delivered to
the importer as agreed prior to
the disbursement of funds to
the exporting bank
1
5
74
Establish payment terms Settle on termsDeliver goods
Importer Exporter
Import bank Correspondent bank Export bank
Order goods
Provide invoice
Financial
agreement
Exporter
Financials Financials
Fi
n
an
ci
al
s
Inspection
company
Customs
Country A
Customs
Country B
Freight
Initiate
shipment
Verified
goods Verified
goods
Product
shipped
Importer
Product
Import bank
Receipt
notification
Correspondent bank Export bank
Payment
Initiate
payment
6
8
2
1 2
3
4
6
7
3
5
8
Smart
contract
Smart
contract
Shipment
received
Trade Finance
Future-state process depiction
79WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Future-state process description
Following the sale agreement,
the financial agreement is
shared with the import bank
through a smart contract
The import bank reviews the
arrangement, drafts the terms
of the letter of credit and
submits it to the export bank for
approval
The export bank reviews the letter of credit; once approved a smart
contract is generated to cover the terms and conditions of the letter
of credit
The exporter digitally signs the letter of credit within the smart
contract to initiate shipment
Goods are inspected by a third-party organization and the customs
agent in the country of origin (all requiring a digital signature for
approval)
The goods are transported by freight from Country A to Country B and
inspected by local customs agents prior to being received by the
importer
The importer digitally
acknowledges receipt of the
goods, which initiates payment
from the import bank to the
export bank via a smart contract
1
4
73
Establish payment terms Settle on termsDeliver goods
Importer Exporter
Order goods
Provide invoice
Customs
Country A
Customs
Country B
Freight
Verified
goods
Product
shipped
Importer Import bank
Receive
goods
Export bank
Initiate
payment
5
6
2
Exporter Inspection
company
Initiate
shipment
Import bank
Financial
agreement
Export bank
Verified
goods
Smart
contract
Shipment
initiated
Letter of
credit
+ +
Smart
contract
+
Payment
complete
1
2
3
4 5 6
7
Shipment
received
Trade Finance
Future-state benefits
80WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Future-state benefits
Real-time review: financial
documents linked and
accessible through DLT are
reviewed and approved in real
time, reducing the time it takes
to initiate shipment
Transparent factoring: invoices
accessed on DLT provide a real-
time and transparent view into
subsequent short-term
financing
Disintermediation: banks facilitating trade finance through DLT do not
require a trusted intermediary to assume risk, eliminating the need for
correspondent banks
Reduced counterparty risk: bills of lading are tracked through DLT,
eliminating the potential for double spending
Decentralized contract execution: as contract terms are met, status is
updated on DLT in real time, reducing the time and headcount
required to monitor the delivery of goods
Proof of ownership: the title available within DLT provides
transparency into the location and ownership of the goods
Automated settlement and
reduced transaction fees:
contract terms executed via
smart contract eliminate the
need for correspondent banks
and additional transaction fees
Regulatory transparency:
regulators are provided with a
real-time view of essential
documents to assist in
enforcement and AML activities
1
5
73
Establish payment terms Settle on termsDeliver goods
Importer Exporter
Order goods
Provide invoice
Customs
Country A
Customs
Country B
Freight
Verified
goods
Product
shipped
Importer Import bank
Receive
goods
Export bank
Initiate
payment
6
2
Exporter Inspection
company
Initiate
shipment
Smart
contract
Import bank
Financial
agreement
Export bank
Verified
goods
Smart
contract
Shipment
initiated
Letter of
credit
+
Smart
contract
+
Smart
contract
+
Payment
complete
2
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
8
4
Trade Finance
Critical conditions
81WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Providing transparency into trade
finance agreements
Enabling interoperability with
legacy platforms
Rewriting regulatory guidance
and legal frameworks
Bills of lading and invoice details must be
transparent within the smart contract to reduce
counterparty risk
To ensure smart contracts containing the
details of the financing agreement flow
through the trade finance process, FIs and
technology providers must ensure the ledger is
interoperable with many different platforms
Agreed upon procedures must be established
within the end-to-end trade finance process to
provide regulators with a real-time view of bills
of lading, letters of credit, etc.
Why? Why? Why?
Ecosystem participants must have a
transparent view into invoice and bills of lading
details to ensure factoring and double
spending are not taking place
The creation of letters of credit/bills of lading
and goods inspection documentation requires
stakeholders to integrate the developed DLT
solution with legacy systems
Compliance officials must have a real-time
view of financing details within the smart
contract to enforce regulatory guidelines
Challenge Challenge Challenge
FIs and shipment carriers must establish
procedures and liability models that govern the
transparent sharing of financial information
FIs, customs, freight, importers and exporters
utilize multiple technology solutions that may
be incapable of interfacing with the ledger
Given the lack of legal/regulatory precedent,
the procedures that facilitate the use of smart
contract reporting to regulatory agencies will
be difficult to establish
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Trade Finance
Conclusion
82WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Pricing: What is the impact on financing fees (taking into
account the cost of implementation) as correspondent banks
are eliminated from the trade finance process?
• Level of disruption: how will the import banks and export
banks ensure that they are not disrupted by new or existing
market participants?
• Letter of credit automation: Letter of credit creation can be
automated leveraging financial details stored on the distributed
ledger
• Regulatory transparency: Compliance officials are provided
real-time tools to enforce AML and customs activities
• New product opportunities: DLT within global trade networks
will yield new product opportunities for incumbents (or
innovators) around lending and securitization of trade
obligations
• Cost savings: DLT can yield cost savings associated with letter
of credit creation, process automation and fraud reduction
• The application of DLT within trade finance is currently being
explored at the proof-of-concept level with a number of
incumbents, focusing on:
- Letters of credit encapsulated in a smart contract
- Electronic invoice ledger
• Opportunities exist for FIs to reduce counterparty risk and fraud
by:
- Providing transparent invoice factoring
- Reducing bill of lading double spending via transparent
tracking
• Manage letters of credit via smart contracts: Letters of credit
can be managed using smart contracts on DLT – capturing
shipment details, financial information and payment data as the
letter of credit moves through the trade finance process
• Consider correspondent banking disruption: DLT utilization can
fundamentally disrupt the role of correspondent banks as FIs
work directly with one another
Section
Capital Raising: Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 83
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Introduction
84WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• "CoCo" bond issuance has flatlined: After experiencing continued
double-digit market growth since 2013, issuance flatlined in European
markets in 2015
• A primary concern has been uncertainty: After being developed as a
mechanism to reduce the need for bailouts during financial crises, no
"CoCo" bonds have required conversion to equity, making the market
largely untested so far
• Another key concern is the extreme volatility of these instruments:
While yields have been historically high, recent events have had
significant impact. High market volatility, fuelled by regulator stress tests
in 2016, eliminated all yields within six weeks
DLT has the potential to embed regulation into business processes. This use
case highlights key opportunities to reduce volatility and uncertainty
regarding this instrument and potentially to increase "CoCo" bond issuance in
the future
Contingent convertible (“CoCo”) bonds are financial instruments that enable banks to increase their capital ratio in case it falls below
a predefined threshold. Unlike traditional bonds, "CoCo" bonds provide banks with the ability to convert the bond into equity if a
capital ratio condition is met (. bank capital falls below %) or a discretionary circumstance is determined by the
bank/regulators. Today’s banks are responsible for calculating their own capital ratio, and regulators do not have insight unless they
request a stress test.
Financial Institution
Investor
Regulator
Market participant Role Description
Financial Institution Core The institution that issues "CoCo" bonds and solicits investment from investors
Investor Core
The individual and/or institution that agrees to the terms outlined during bond
issuance and invests in the asset
Regulator Supporting
The entity that ensures market stability; FIs adhere to their predefined loan
absorption mechanism criteria
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Key market participants
85WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Contingent Convertible ("CoCo") Bonds
Current-state process depiction
86WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Current-state process description
To initiate issuance, the bank
determines a trigger option
through a book-value or
market-value calculation (.
bank capital falls below %) to
activate loan absorption
(conversion of a “CoCo” bond to
equity)
After determining bond attributes (. trigger and maturity date), the
bank issues “CoCo” bonds to raise funds from a broad set of investors
(including retail, banks, hedge funds and insurance companies)
The issuing bank and regulator monitor the trigger to determine if
loan absorption needs to be activated through two ongoing and one
ad hoc mechanisms:
- Bank analyses trigger (no frequency mandated by regulator)
- Bank and regulator make discretionary decision (. market
performance)
- Regulator requests point-in-time stress test to assess capital ratio
If any monitoring mechanism
results in requiring loan
absorption to be activated (.
bank capital falls below % or
discretionary action is taken),
the “CoCo” bond is converted
into equity at a predetermined
conversion rate
1
3
42
a
b
c
Trigger options
Capital ratio book-value
calculation
Capital ratio market-value
calculation
Discretionary
Issuance Loan absorptionMonitoring (ongoing and ad hoc)
Bank Investors
Bond request
Yes
Below
condition?
O
n
go
in
g
A
d
h
o
c
Regulator
Stress test
Bank
RegulatorBank
Market
Liabilities
Assets
and
Bank Investors
Equity
“CoCo” bond
2
2
4
3
5
6
Trigger options
Capital ratio book-value
calculation
Capital ratio market-value
calculation
Discretionary
Trigger options
Capital ratio book-value
calculation
Capital ratio market-value
calculation
Discretionary
Contingent Convertible ("CoCo") Bonds
Current-state pain points
87WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Issuance Loan absorptionMonitoring (ongoing and ad hoc)
Bank Investors
Bond request
Yes
Below
condition?
O
n
go
in
g
A
d
h
o
c
Regulator
Stress test
Bank
RegulatorBank
Market
Liabilities
Assets
and
Bank Investors
Equity
“CoCo” bond
Current-state pain points
Limited participation: limited
rating information within the
“CoCo” bonds market limits
participation from large
institutional investors
Inconsistent trigger calculation methods: banks can complete capital
ratio analyses through book-value (using internal models) or market-
value (comparing stock market capitalization to assets) calculations
Ambiguity: regulators lack insight into capital ratio (aside from
requesting point-in-time stress tests) and whether loan absorption
may need to be activated in the future
Lack of real-time reporting: regulators must rely on public-facing,
point-in-time stress tests to assess the health of the banks and “CoCo”
bonds market
Market fear: bank equities are susceptible to extreme volatility as
investors fear stress test results
Delayed activation time: since
trigger condition calculation
frequency is not regulated (.
bank capital ratios may be
calculated quarterly), “CoCo”
bonds may not be converted
into equity immediately after
the condition is met
1
3
62
2
2
4
3
5
6
4
5
Trigger options
Capital ratio book-value
calculation
Capital ratio market-value
calculation
Discretionary
Tokenized
instrument
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Future-state process depiction
88WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Issuance Loan absorptionMonitoring (ongoing)
Bank Investors
Bond
request
Yes
Below
condition?
Bank
Market
Liabilities
Assets
Bank Investors
Discretionary input
“CoCo”
bond
Future-state process description
Similar to the current state, the
issuing bank determines the
trigger option through a book-
value or market-value
calculation to activate loan
absorption, and initiates bond
issuance
The bank issues a tokenized
“CoCo” bond to raise funds
from investors, utilizing the
record-keeping functionality of
DLT
The tokenized bond includes key attributes, including a loan
absorption trigger, issuing bank, coupon rate and maturity date
The bank analyses the current capital ratio to determine if loan
absorption needs to be activated
The latest calculation is added directly to the tokenized asset for the
bond, providing investors and regulators with transparency into the
status of their issued “CoCo” bonds
If the trigger is reached, regulators and bank leadership are notified in
real time through a smart contract
After a bank or regulator
provides discretionary input
into conversion (can be
automated in the future), loan
absorption can be activated
through a smart contract
The “CoCo” bond is converted
into equity at a predetermined
conversion rate
1 73
1 2
Trigger options
“CoCo” bond
Coupon rate
Maturity date
Trigger
Select based
on criteria
Smart
contract
Capital ratio: %
Trigger options
Smart
contract
Regulator
Bank
A
le
rt
Regulator
Bank
Smart
contract
Equity
2
4
5
6
8
3
4
5
6 7
8
Tokenized
instrument
Contingent Convertible ("CoCo") Bonds
Future-state benefits
89WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Issuance Loan absorptionMonitoring (ongoing)
Bank Investors
Bond
request
Yes
Below
condition?
Bank
Market
Liabilities
Assets
Bank Investors
Discretionary input
“CoCo”
bond
Future-state benefits
Increased participation: up-to-
date capital ratio information
stored within DLT can increase
confidence and lead to
developing a “CoCo” bond
rating system, enabling large
institutional investors to
participate within the market
Improved calculations: integrating capital ratio calculations directly
into DLT can improve data input maturity and calculation frequency
across banks
Real-time reporting: regulators can be notified in real time through a
smart contract if a “CoCo” bond trigger is reached
Reduced stress tests: since regulators have access to a bank’s capital
ratio in real time, bank equity volatility can be reduced as the
likelihood for point-in-time stress tests decreases
Real-time activation time: since
the frequency of the trigger
calculation and reporting
increases through DLT, the time
to convert a “CoCo” bond into
equity after the condition is met
significantly reduces
1 52
1
Trigger options
“CoCo” bond
Coupon rate
Maturity date
Trigger
Select based
on criteria
Smart
contract
Capital ratio: %
Trigger options
Smart
contract
Regulator
Bank
A
le
rt
Regulator
Bank
Smart
contract
Equity
3
4
2
3
5
4
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Critical conditions
90WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Standardizing attributes for
soliciting investment
Streamlining trigger calculations
across FIs
Developing processes to act on
real-time trigger notifications
Regulators across markets must initiate
conversations with FIs that issue “CoCo” bonds
to develop standardized attributes that can be
used by investors to make data-driven
investment decisions
Regulators must impose standards for FIs to
streamline their methodologies behind trigger
calculations, and the frequency that results will
be entered into the tokenized “CoCo” bond
instruments
Regulators and bank leadership must develop
the business processes required to act on real-
time trigger notifications to determine if loan
absorption should be activated at that FI and
across the market
Why? Why? Why?
Data fields and templates must be
standardized to tokenize “CoCo” bonds across
FIs within the distributed ledger
Investor confidence in “CoCo” bonds can only
increase if standardization exists within the
calculation process and, subsequently, loan
absorption
Since the viability of “CoCo” bonds is in
question due to loan absorption, transparency
is required in order for investors to continue
investments
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Each market requires different data to be
provided when issuing “CoCo” bonds; data field
units are currently not standardized across FIs
Each FI currently calculates trigger values
independently and with varying degrees of
automation
Regulators may require a significant process
overhaul since they are traditionally restricted
to point-in-time stress tests to analyse an FI’s
capital ratio
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Contingent Convertible (“CoCo”) Bonds
Conclusion
91WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Business drivers: Since loan absorption is an indication that a
broader crisis may be taking place, is reduced market volatility
enough of a driver to warrant investment?
• Improved monitoring: Ongoing monitoring can be standardized
across FIs while ensuring that regulators receive real-time
notifications of impending loan absorption activation
• Increased investor confidence: Ensuring that processes exist to
improve visibility into monitoring and loan absorption will
increase investor confidence and, potentially, participation
• No significant applications of DLT within the “CoCo” bond life
cycle have been reported or discussed within blockchain
research released to date
• While benefits associated with process execution and reporting
costs exist, a majority of benefits are ancillary and focused on
improving market stability
• Opportunity exists for regulators to push standardized capital
ratio calculations across FIs and to reduce volatility associated
with requesting point-in-time stress tests
• Ensure educated and empowered investors: Tokenized bond
instruments can enable investors to make informed, data-
driven decisions; improved monitoring processes can reduce
market uncertainty
• Allow point-in-time stress tests to become irrelevant: Smart
contracts can alert regulators when loan absorption needs to
be activated, while ensuring that “over-reporting” is not a
concern
Section
Investment Management: Automated Compliance
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 92
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Auditor
Financial Institution
Regulator
Accountant
Federal
Reserve
Internal
Revenue
Service
Automated Compliance
Introduction
93WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Compliance costs are high: Compliance activities are a major portion of
the cost overhead FIs deal with. In 2014 the largest FIs spent US$ 4 billion
in compliance-related activities1
• Auditing costs are high: Auditing represents one of the largest annual
compliance costs for FIs. On average, public companies paid in excess of
US$ million in audit fees in 20132
DLT has the potential to increase operational efficiencies and provide
regulators with enhanced enforcement tools. This use case focuses on the key
opportunities in the financial statement audit process to highlight an
automated compliance solution
FIs are responsible for complying with and reporting on a multitude of regulatory requirements. These activities may be executed
internally by a functional area within the organization or via a third party. Audit, tax, CCAR and routine Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) filing (10K/10Q) are just a few compliance-related activities that add additional cost to FIs’ annual spend.
1. Banks face pushback over surging compliance and regulatory costs,
Financial Times, 2015.
2. 2015 Annual Audit Fee Report, Financial Executives Research Foundation, 2015.
Market participant Role Description
Auditor Core
Individual(s) who perform(s) the financial statement examination and provide(s)
reasonable assurance of the financials via the audit opinion
Financial Institution Core An entity providing the financial statements and requesting the audit opinion
Regulator Supporting
A monitor who verifies adherence to audit activities (. the CCAR regulator is
responsible for verifying requisite capital is on hand to conduct operations)
Accountant
Additional
participant
Individual(s) responsible for reviewing, preparing and filing the tax statements on
behalf of the FI
Federal Reserve
Additional
participant
The US government organization responsible for supervising and regulating
banking institutions
Internal Revenue Service
Additional
participant
The US government organization responsible for tax collection and tax law
enforcement
Automated Compliance
Key market participants
94WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Automated Compliance
Current-state process depiction
95WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Planning Follow-up ReportingAssessment
Auditor Bank
Objectives
Audit scope
Risk assessment Bank
Auditor
Independent
audit report
Accounts
payable
Accounts
receivable
Material
information
Auditor Bank
Supporting
documentation
Identified errors
Auditor Bank
10K/10Q
Current-state process description
Annually, auditors coordinate
with the bank to perform the
required audit of financial
statements
Members of the audit team
work directly with the bank to
perform an initial risk
assessment and align on the
scope, objectives, timing and
resources required
The bank provides the audit
team with copies of financially
material data and access to the
systems that enable analyses to
be conducted
Auditors evaluate the
information provided for
completeness and conduct tests
for accuracy in parallel to
performing the evaluation
Throughout the process,
auditors work directly with the
leadership and representatives
from the bank to address
identified errors within the data
and testing exceptions
As exceptions are identified, the
audit team requests additional
information to determine the
depth of the concern
At the conclusion of the
evaluation, the audit team
releases an opinion of the
overall financial health of the
bank in the form of an
independent audit report
The bank uses the results of the
report to populate its quarterly
and annual filings
(10K/10Q)
1 5 73
2
4
6 8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Automated Compliance
Current-state pain points
Current-state pain points
Resource-intensive: scope
formation, risk assessment and
audit planning require
representatives from multiple
functional areas, reducing
productivity as individual
employees cannot complete
their daily activities
Time-intensive review: pulling
sample data for audit review is
time-intensive and inefficient
due to dependency on manual
activities
Lack of technology integration:
information is copied from
source systems and provided to
auditors, adding inefficient
manual processes that increase
the likelihood of errors
Resource-intensive: exception
and error follow-up requires
additional interaction with
representatives from multiple
functional areas, further
reducing productivity
Lack of technology integration:
information provided in the
independent audit report does
not feed directly into quarterly
and annual filings (10K/10Q),
duplicating efforts
96WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Planning Follow-up ReportingAssessment
Auditor Bank
Objectives
Audit scope
Risk assessment Bank
Auditor
Independent
audit report
Accounts
payable
Accounts
receivable
Material
information
Auditor Bank
Supporting
documentation
Identified errors
Auditor Bank
10K/10Q
1 4 52
3
1
2
3
4
5
Assessment
Automated Compliance
Future-state process depiction
97WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Reporting Additional compliance activities
Bank
10K/10Q
Smart
contract
DLT financial data extraction layer
Accounts
receivable
Accounts
payable
Management
assertions
DepreciationLosses LiabilitiesAssetsIncome
Auditor
Accounts
payable
Accounts
receivable
Accessed
through DLT
Auditor
Independent
audit report
Stored on DLT
Comprehensive Capital Assessment Review
Enterprise tax filing
IRSAccountant
+ +
Federal
Reserve
+Regulator
Future-state process description
Financially material information is accessible
to auditors in real time through the use of a
financial DLT enabled data extraction layer
Since auditors have authorized access to this
data, representatives and leadership of the
bank do not need to be involved with audit
planning and data distribution
The audit team performs an audit evaluation
using data directly from the DLT, eliminating
errors generated from manual activity and
the requirement for follow-up
Auditors develop the independent audit
report and store it on the DLT for real-time
access by the bank and regulator
A smart contract facilitates the movement of
information from the audit report to
financial reporting instruments, minimizing
duplicate efforts
In the future, DLT is uniquely positioned to
seamlessly execute and automate
compliance activities such as:
- Comprehensive Capital Assessment
Review (pictured)
- Enterprise tax filing (pictured)
- Real time tasks for trading in financial
instruments (. insider trading)
- Processing information about new
regulatory developments
1
2
3
4
6
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
Assessment
Automated Compliance
Future-state benefits
98WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Reporting Additional compliance activities
Bank
10K/10Q
Smart
contract
DLT financial data extraction layer
Accounts
receivable
Accounts
payable
Management
assertions
DepreciationLosses LiabilitiesAssetsIncome
Auditor
Accounts
payable
Accounts
receivable
Accessed
through DLT
Auditor
Independent
audit report
Stored on DLT
Comprehensive Capital Assessment Review
Enterprise tax filing
IRSAccountant
+ +
Federal
Reserve
+Regulator
Future-state benefits
Data transparency: enabling data stored
within financial systems to be accessible via
DLT through the financial data extraction
layer provides immutable and transparent
records that are updated in real time
Automated review: financial information
accessible via DLT enables an automated
review via audit software, reducing the time
and resources required to perform these
activities
Reduced errors: audit teams have
authorized access to financial data,
eliminating errors generated by manual
activities and streamlining the update
process
Integrated systems: reporting activities
executed via DLT facilitates the creation of
quarterly and annual filings, reducing
duplicate efforts
In the future, DLT can enable additional
compliance activities to be seamlessly executed
through automation:
• The bank provides Federal Reserve officials
with authorized access to facilitate
automated capital analysis and store results
on DLT
• The bank provides tax accountants with
authorized access to real-time financial data
to facilitate tax calculations and automate
IRS tax payments
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
6
6
5
Automated Compliance
Critical conditions
99WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Providing compartmentalized
access to data
Automating faster and efficient
enforcement of regulations
Enabling interoperability with
legacy platforms
The DLT solution must ensure access can be
authorized at the financial category level (.
assets, liabilities, etc.)
FIs and regulators must transition to a real-
time cadence for sharing financially material
information
Legacy platforms of FIs and regulatory agencies
must be capable of feeding data directly into
and extracting data from the distributed ledger
Why? Why? Why?
To mitigate risk, external users should only
have access to financial data that is material to
their compliance activity
Providing regulators with real-time transparent
access to financial data enables the regulatory
enforcement of compliance-related activities
To facilitate process automation, technology
platforms must be capable of transmitting and
receiving data on the distributed ledger
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Current DLT solutions authorize access to the
ledger as a whole and do not provide the
capability to partition access
Given no legal/regulatory precedent,
establishing a shared arrangement between
the regulator and FIs will be arduous
FIs and regulatory agencies use multiple
technology solutions that may be incapable of
interfacing with the ledger
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Automated Compliance
Conclusion
100WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Continuous auditing: Will more frequent financial statement
audits (potentially continuous) have adverse effects on investor
decisions?
• Process automation: Audit examination activities are executed
via automated audit software, dramatically reducing the time
and resources required to perform the audit
• Regulatory transparency: Audit officials are authorized access
to pertinent financial information to execute the audit
examination
• Cost savings: DLT can provide major cost savings in process
execution and reporting
• Applications of DLT within automated compliance are currently
being explored at the proof-of-concept level with a number of
incumbents, focusing on:
- Continuous auditing
- AML/KYC verification
- Automated tax filing
• Opportunities exist for FIs to reduce headcount and manual
activities:
- Eliminating planning/follow-up activities
- Automating assessment/reporting activities
• Audit continuously: The convergence of automated audit
software and access to real-time financial information facilitate
continuous auditing, which provides greater confidence in the
financial health of the organization
• Extract financial data: Financial information stored on a
distributed layer facilitates the automated execution of
additional compliance activities (. CCAR, tax filing, etc.)
Section
Investment Management: Proxy Voting
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 101
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Proxy Voting
Introduction
102WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Retail investor participation is low compared to institutional investor
participation: On average, institutions voted 83% of their shares, while
retail investors voted 28% of their shares1
• As a result, significant participation in elections is lacking each year:
From 1 July to 31 December 2015, approximately 24 billion shares
remained “un-voted” as a result of this turnout1
• Efforts are being launched to improve retail participation: As investor
activism strengthens, leadership is recognizing the need to engage all
shareholders throughout the voting process
DLT has the potential to transfer value irrefutably. This use case highlights the
key opportunities to improve retail investor participation in proxy voting
Proxy voting facilitates remote investor voting on topics discussed during annual corporate shareholder meetings without requiring
attendance. To ensure investors are able to make an informed decision, corporations are responsible for distributing proxy
statements. Currently, a third party is responsible for delivering these statements to investors in partnership with intermediaries that
track order execution. Investors conduct a manual analysis before casting their vote directly to the third party.
Regulator
Corporation
InvestorThird Party/
Intermediaries
1. ProxyPulse: First Edition 2016, ProxyPulse.
Market participant Role Description
Corporation Core
The publicly traded entity that would like to improve proxy voting response rates
by implementing a DLT solution
Investor Core
An individual and/or institution that participates in the voting process by receiving
proxy statements and casting a vote via phone, mail or online channels
Third Party/Intermediaries Supporting
Entities that facilitate the proxy voting process, while ensuring that statements are
distributed to all beneficial investors
Regulator Supporting
A monitor who ensures proxy statements are distributed to all investors and the
voting process is completed without any illegal or suspicious activity
Proxy Voting
Key market participants
103WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Proxy Voting
Current-state process depiction
104WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Distribute proxy statement Review proxy statement Cast vote
Corporation
Regulator
Intermediaries
Analyse potential
voting impact
Results
released
Third party Online Mail
Provide notice that
proxy statements are
accessible by investors
Provide beneficial
investor information in
partnership with the
Depository Trust &
Clearing Corporation
Investors
or
Online
Mail
or
Proxy
statements
Investors Third
party
or
or
Cast
vote
Current-state process description
The corporation develops a proxy statement
internally in partnership with various teams,
including general counsel and accounting
The corporation simultaneously provides a
third-party organization with the documents
to distribute to shareholders (via online and
mail) and notifies the regulator that the
proxy statement is available
The third-party organization works with
intermediaries to obtain beneficial investor
information that may not be available
Investors analyse the proxy statement to
determine the potential impact of the votes
being solicited during a corporation’s
shareholder meeting
Investors cast their vote directly to the third-
party organization either online or by mail or
phone
Results are not shared with investors or the
corporation throughout the voting process
During the shareholder meeting, votes cast
by attendees are aggregated with those
submitted by proxy and announced
1
2
3
4
6
5
7
1
2
4 5 6
7
3
Proxy Voting
Current-state pain points
105WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Distribute proxy statement Review proxy statement Cast vote
Corporation
Regulator
Intermediaries
Analyse potential
voting impact
Results
released
Third party Online Mail
Provide notice that
proxy statements are
accessible by investors
Investors
or
Online
Mail
or
Proxy
statements
Investors Third
party
or
or
Cast
vote
Current-state pain points
Ambiguity: a single view into the total
population of registered and beneficial
investors does not exist without
intermediaries
Costly distribution process: since the online
portal for statement distribution can only
occur if an investor has “opted-in”,
significant print and mail expenses are
incurred
Limited distribution: depending on the
market, proxy statements cannot be shared
with institutional investors, restricting the
number of potential votes that can be cast
Misleading representation: summaries
within proxy statements can provide a
misleading view into a corporation’s health
Error prone: in some cases, minor data
errors are uncovered by institutional
investors conducting detailed analyses
Manual intensive process: given the length
and unstructured format of proxy
statements, investors have to manually
determine the information that will help
facilitate an informed decision
Minimal retail investor participation: in the
United States (and other countries
worldwide), a majority of shares owned by
retail investors go unvoted each year
Lack of transparency: the corporation and
voters do not receive insight into the process
until they are made available by the third
party
Voting discrepancies: the number of shares
held by investors may differ from the
number of votes cast; depending on the
regulation, these votes are either adjusted
or not counted
1
2
3
4
8
7
9
1
3
2
5 7 8
5
6
4
6
9
Provide beneficial
investor information in
partnership with the
Depository Trust &
Clearing Corporation
Smart contract
Smart
contract
Proxy Voting
Future-state process depiction
106WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Distribute proxy statement Review proxy statement Cast vote
Corporation
Regulator
Analyse potential
voting impact
Results
released
Investors
Online
Mail
or
Proxy
statements
Investors
or
or
Cast
vote
Future-state process description
As orders are executed to invest in a
corporation’s equity, DLT stores investment
records including the number of shares
After a corporation has finalized its proxy
statement, a smart contract ensures that it is
sent to all investors (via an online portal or
mail) and the regulator is notified that the
documents are available
Investors analyse the proxy statement to
determine the potential impact of the votes
being solicited during a corporation’s
shareholder meeting through DLT’s transfer
of value capability
Investors cast their vote either online or by
mail or phone directly into the DLT as a
tokenized asset through back-end
infrastructure integration
A smart contract ensures votes are valid by
comparing the number of votes cast to
ownership data
Results are shared with the corporation
and/or investors in real time or during a
shareholder meeting
1
2
3
5
4
6
3
4 5
6
Validate votes by
comparing to ownership
data
Investors
Provide notice that
proxy statements are
accessible by investors
Proxy
statement
Proxy
statement
Investor
Details
Corporation
Name
Investment
Records
1
2
Smart contract
Smart
contract
Proxy Voting
Future-state benefits
107WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Distribute proxy statement Review proxy statement Cast vote
Corporation
Regulator
Analyse potential
voting impact
Results
released
Investors
Online
Mail
or
Proxy
statements
Investors
or
or
Cast
vote
Future-state benefits
Disintermediation: since all investment
records are stored on DLT, partnerships with
a third-party organization and intermediaries
are not required; a smart contract can notify
regulators of proxy statement availability
and ensure distribution to investors
Streamlined distribution process: DLT can
reduce the costs associated with printing
and mailing proxy statements (difficult to
compute savings since investor must “opt-
in”)
Improved accessibility and participation:
DLT can increase the mechanisms that can
be used to access proxy statements (.
native mobile applications)
Future automated analyses: in the proposed
future state, the current proxy statement
format will continue to be distributed to
investors, but future implementation can
enable investors to conduct personalized,
automated analyses
Automated validation: smart contracts can
ensure that voting is aligned to share
ownership at the time of the vote
Increased transparency: depending on
requirements, voting data could be made
available to the corporation and/or voters in
real time
Improved accessibility and participation:
DLT can increase mechanisms used to cast
votes (. native mobile applications)
1 3
6
5
7
3
7 5
6
Validate votes by
comparing to ownership
data
Investors
Provide notice that
proxy statements are
accessible by investors
Proxy
statement
Proxy
statement
Investor
Details
Corporation
Name
Investment
Records
1
2
2
4
4
Proxy Voting
Critical conditions
108WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Storing investment records
on a distributed ledger
Integrating legacy voting
mechanisms into tokens
Collaborating across actors to
ensure success
Corporations and/or exchanges must store all
investment records on a distributed ledger in
order to identify beneficial investors without
the need for intermediaries
To ensure investors have a broad set of
mechanisms to cast votes, systems will need to
be developed to convert votes cast via mail or
phone into tokens that can be stored on the
distributed ledger
Corporations may choose to partner among
each other and/or exchanges to minimize
parallel development, while providing investors
with confidence that the voting system is not
susceptible to corruption
Why? Why? Why?
Third parties currently work directly with
central securities depositors to ensure
investors are engaged appropriately
throughout the process
Proxy voting must be accessible by investors
across demographics to ensure no
discriminatory consequences exist during the
process
If each corporation develops a voting solution,
investors will not be able to standardize
analysis across investments; conflict of interest
concerns may exist
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Ensuring that all investment records are stored
on a distributed ledger with corresponding
digital identities will require industry discussion
regarding whether equity post-trade activities
should also be facilitated through DLT
To ensure no manual processes exist while
converting votes cast via mail into tokens,
creative solutions will need to be developed to
read voter responses autonomously and with
complete accuracy
Process and liability models must be
established to outline alternative procedures in
the event the smart contract does not
successfully validate and/or count votes
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Proxy Voting
Conclusion
109WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Cost vs benefits: When voting operations are executed faster
and at lower cost, will voting frequency increase? Additionally,
will this change the relationship between companies and
activist investors?
• Streamlined distribution: Smart contract technology reduces
manual processes associated with proxy statement distribution,
reducing the time and manpower required to perform the
process
• Automated reconciliation: Smart contract technology prevents
investors from casting more votes than the shares they own
and provides real-time updates for error correction, potentially
increasing the total number of counted votes
• Applications of DLT within proxy voting are currently being
explored at the proof-of-concept level by incumbent
exchanges:
- NASDAQ
• Opportunities exist for FIs to improve participation and
accessibility to:
- Proxy statements
- Vote casting mechanisms
• Ensure voting transparency: The potential exists for DLT to
provide a transparent view of voting data during annual
shareholder meetings
• Provide central authority disintermediation: Investment
records stored on the distributed ledger and proxy statements
disseminated via smart contract technology eliminate the need
for third-party intermediaries and associated fees
Section
Market Provisioning: Asset Rehypothecation
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 110
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Asset Rehypothecation
Introduction
111WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• The secondary trading market is large: Secondary trading has become an
extremely common practice, driving its volume in the US loan market to
US$ 628 billion in 20141
• Secondary market trading is increasing: Although the secondary trading
market is already substantially large, it continues to grow; between 2013
and 2014 secondary trading volume increased by 21%1
DLT has the potential to optimize the regulatory components of asset
rehypothecation. This use case highlights the key opportunities to improve
information transfer in the end-to-end broker/dealer process
Asset rehypothecation is a common practice in which FIs securitize existing collateral to reduce the cost of pledging collateral in
subsequent trades. As assets are rehypothecated, ownership structures and asset composition can become ambiguous due to the
lack of clear transaction and ownership history, exacerbating counterparty risk and asset valuation uncertainty. Regulatory constraints
are designed to limit the extent to which an asset can be rehypothecated, but without a mechanism for tracking transaction history,
enforcement is not possible.
Broker/Dealer
Selling
Investor
Buying
Investor
Regulator
1. 4th Quarter 2014 Secondary Trade Data Study,
The Loan Syndications and Trading Association.
Market participant Role Description
Broker/Dealer Core An entity that assists investors in buying or selling securities
Selling Investor Core An entity or individual attempting to sell the security
Buying Investor Core An entity or individual attempting to purchase the security
Regulator Supporting A monitor that verifies adherence to regulatory requirements
Asset Rehypothecation
Key market participants
112WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Asset Rehypothecation
Current-state process depiction
113WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Two counterparties Four counterparties Five counterpartiesThree counterparties
Customer Bank
Cash
Collateral
Each section
represents ¼ of
collateral value
Rehypothecation percentage: 0% Rehypothecation percentage: 75% Rehypothecation percentage: % Rehypothecation percentage: %
The customer maintains possession of the home
Bank
75% of obtained
collateral
: 75% : 75%: 75%
Current-state process description
A customer acquires a loan
from a bank to purchase a
home
In exchange, the customer
provides the bank with the
house as collateral and
authorizes rehypothecation to
improve the rate
During the mortgage repayment
period, the bank may use the
house as collateral in
subsequent transactions
The bank securitizes a portion
(75% within the example) of the
mortgage debt along with other
mortgages and sells it to an
investment bank
The investment bank now has
75% of the house value in
collateral that can be used in
subsequent trades
The investment bank
repackages the debt obtained
(75% of 75% within the
example) into a security (.
mortgage-backed), which is
further divided into tranches
and sold to a hedge fund based
on its risk appetite
The hedge fund has now
secured % of the original
house value (that can be used in
subsequent trades)
The hedge fund uses a
broker/dealer to sell a
derivative in over-the-counter
markets, where the underlying
asset is the rehypothecated
percentage obtained (100% of
75% of 75% within the example)
The ownership and collateral
value becomes ambiguous,
creating a scenario where the
total value pledged far exceeds
origination
1 6 84
2
5
7
9
3
1
2
3
5
4
7 9
6
8
Investment
bank
75% of obtained
collateral
Hedge
fund
100% of obtained
collateral
US SEC limits
rehypothecation
to 140%
Asset Rehypothecation
Current-state pain points
114WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Current-state pain points
Lack of regulatory reporting:
within secondary trading
markets, reporting
requirements do not detail the
transaction history of the asset
(. purchase price, purchase
date and loan originator) or
other counterparties with
claims to the asset
Counterparty risk: investors
lack insight into additional
counterparties with ownership
claims to the asset
Lack of transparency:
regulators do not have the
ability to track securities as they
are rehypothecated in the
market, making enforcement of
regulator limits nearly
impossible
Security value ambiguity: since
a detailed transaction history is
not maintained, each trade
leveraging a percentage of the
collateral makes it more difficult
to determine the true value of
the asset
Systematic failure: if default
occurs with any of the players, a
part or even the entire
transaction chain is affected,
which may have unintended
consequences on adjacent
operations in the financial
system
1 4 52
3
Two counterparties Four counterparties Five counterpartiesThree counterparties
Customer Bank
Cash
Collateral
Each section
represents ¼ of
collateral value
Rehypothecation percentage: 0% Rehypothecation percentage: 75% Rehypothecation percentage: % Rehypothecation percentage: %
The customer maintains possession of the home
Bank
75% of obtained
collateral
: 75% : 75%: 75%
1
3
2
4
5
Investment
bank
75% of obtained
collateral
Hedge
fund
100% of obtained
collateral
US SEC limits
rehypothecation
to 140%
Asset Rehypothecation
Future-state process depiction
115WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Future-state process description
Collateral obtained by the bank
is tokenized to record the
transaction history of the
underlying asset on DLT
A smart contract encapsulates
the tokenized collateral and
facilitates record-keeping and
the transfer of value
In subsequent trades, the smart
contract broadcasts the
transaction history details (.
collateral value and
counterparty information) to
participating entities
Investors receive a transparent
view of the asset history along
with associated counterparty
information (via the
counterparty rating system) to
enhance trade decisions
Regulators receive authorized
real-time access to view the
transaction details and monitor
regulatory infractions
The smart contract restricts the
additional hypothecation of the
asset once predetermined
regulatory rehypothecation
limits are met
1 5 63
2
4
Two counterparties Four counterparties Five counterpartiesThree counterparties
Customer Bank
Cash
Collateral
Each section
represents ¼ of
collateral value
Rehypothecation percentage: 0% Rehypothecation percentage: 75% Rehypothecation percentage: % Rehypothecation percentage: %
The customer maintains possession of the home
Bank
75% of obtained
collateral
: 75% : 75%: 75%
1
2
4
6
5
Investment
bank
75% of obtained
collateral
Hedge
fund
100% of obtained
collateral
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
✘
✘
3
Asset Rehypothecation
Future-state benefits
116WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Two counterparties Four counterparties Five counterpartiesThree counterparties
Customer Bank
Cash
Collateral
Each section
represents ¼ of
collateral value
Rehypothecation percentage: 0% Rehypothecation percentage: 75% Rehypothecation percentage: % Rehypothecation percentage: %
The customer maintains possession of the home
Bank
75% of obtained
collateral
: 75% : 75%: 75%
Future-state benefits
Transparency: the collateral
value, risk position and
ownership history are
transparent to investors, aiding
in investment decision-making
Counterparty risk:
counterparties are rated based
on transaction history, enabling
investors to hedge their risk by
selecting a counterparty that
best fits their risk profile
Automated processing: DLT
increases processing efficiency,
reducing manual processes and
associated costs
Embedded regulation:
regulators maintain a clear view
of the asset history (. value,
ownership and risk position),
enabling the enforcement of
regulatory constraints
Automated enforcement: a
smart contract ensures assets
are not rehypothecated over
regulatory limits
Financial stability: the
enforcement of regulatory
controls and the transparent
transaction history greatly
reduce the risk of systematic
failure in the event of default
Disintermediation: a smart
contract facilitates the
movement of funds and assets,
eliminating the need for costly
intermediaries
1 5 73
4 6
2
1
2
4
6
7
Investment
bank
75% of obtained
collateral
Hedge
fund
100% of obtained
collateral
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
Smart
contract
< 140% regulatory limit
✘
✘
3 5
Tokenizing assets using a shared
standard
Fostering engagement among the
financial ecosystem
Architecting solution to manage
over-the-counter (OTC) templates
FIs and technology providers must work
together to tokenize collateral linked assets
within the financial system
FIs throughout the financial system must agree
to participate in a tokenized asset trading
system and comply to the agreed upon rules
and regulations
Technology providers must design a flexible
distributed ledger solution that accounts for
non-standard and future formats of OTC
templates
Why? Why? Why?
To track assets and calculate rehypothecation
percentages via smart contract, collateral
tokenization is required
To accurately track assets as they move
through the financial system, all FIs conducting
trades must participate in the distributed-
ledger-based solution
While the ledger will most likely refer to
documents stored externally, the solution must
be flexible in case modifications to OTC
templates are require in the future
Challenge Challenge Challenge
A tokenization standard among FIs will be
difficult to establish, as will incorporating
legacy assets into the distributed ledger
DLT is still unproven; a framework for
participation must be established and support
from the financial services community must be
gained
FIs and technology providers will need to
collaborate to ensure flexibility and minimal
downstream impacts to smart contracts
Asset Rehypothecation
Critical conditions
117WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Asset Rehypothecation
Conclusion
118WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Asset history tokenization: Identifying asset value, ownership
and risk position is a major challenge in today’s financial
system, so how will this issue be resolved so that transaction
histories can be stored on the ledger?
• Will regulators require OTC markets to comply with this
implementation?
• Asset tokenization: Collateralized assets are tokenized and
stored on the distributed ledger where transaction history
details are stored in perpetuity
• Regulatory transparency: Compliance officials maintain a real-
time view of asset transaction history (value, ownership, risk
position) to assist in the enforcement of regulatory control
limits
• Collaboration: successful implementation of DLT would require
a significant amount of standardization and normalization of
static data between market participants
• Applications of DLT within asset rehypothecation are currently
being explored at the proof-of-concept level with a number of
incumbents, focusing on:
- Gold markets
- Repurchase markets
- Asset transfer
• Opportunities exist for counterparty risk reduction and
enhanced regulatory enforcement tools:
- Counterparty rating system
- Asset transaction history storage
- Regulatory transparency
- Smart contract enforcement
• Reduce counterparty risk: The transparent view of asset
history (value, ownership and risk position), coupled with a
counterparty rating system, assists investors in aligning their
risk appetite with potential trade partners
• Financial system stability: smart contract technology
terminates trades that violate regulatory controls, reducing the
propensity of systemic failure within the financial system and
improving collateral management
Section
Market Provisioning: Equity Post-Trade
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016 119
Current-state background
Key ecosystem stakeholders Overview
Equity Post-Trade
Introduction
120WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Significant volume exists within the equity market: The NYSE, for
example, processes millions of trades and billions of shares each day1
• Processes are time-intensive: Following confirmation of a trade, post-
trade settlement and clearing processes take anywhere from one to three
days to complete (depending on the market)
• Intermediaries are costly: Within the United States, banks, central
agency bodies and intermediaries generate approximately US$ 9 billion in
various post-trade activities2
DLT has the potential to improve the efficiency of asset transfer. This use case
highlights the key opportunities to streamline clearing and settlement
processes in cash equities
Equity post-trade processes enable buyers and sellers to exchange details, approve transactions, change records of ownership and
exchange securities/cash. These processes are initiated after an investor receives confirmation of an executed trade from the
exchange. Central Securities Depositories (CSDs), working in partnership with custodians, match trades and validate investor
credentials. After successful validation, Central Clearing Counterparties (CCPs) net all transactions and transfer cash/equity to all
involved custodians. Custodians store assets in safekeeping accounts in partnership with CSDs, who are responsible for initiating asset
servicing (. income distribution and proxy voting) as required.
Custodian Bank
Investor
Central
Securities
DepositoryCentral
Clearing
Counterparty
Exchange
1. NYSE: Transactions, Statistics and Data Library, 2016.
2. Charting a Path to a Post-Trade Utility, Broadridge, 2015.
Market participant Role Description
Custodian Bank Core
An entity that investors use to place trades with the exchange, and that manages
post-trade processes and stores assets for servicing
Investor Core
An individual or organization that instigates equity post-trade processes by
initiating a trade
Central Securities
Depository
Core
The entity that supports matching trade sections prior to settlement and facilitates
asset servicing processes
Central Clearing
Counterparty
Core
The central body that manages counterparty credit risk during settlement by
acting as the buyer to the seller and vice versa to the buyer
Exchange Supporting
The entity that matches equity “buy” and “sell” orders on behalf of investors, and
confirms them prior to successful post-trade processes
Equity Post-Trade
Key market participants
121WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Custodian 1
Custodian 2
Custodian 1
Equity Post-Trade
Current-state process depiction
122WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Equity trade execution Settlement Asset servicingClearing
Bank 1
CSD
Bank 2
CCP
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Exchange
* Trade
confirmation
SELL 100
SELL 100
BUY 100
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Trade date/
details
Settlement
date
Counterparty
bank details
Cash
commitments
Validation
Custodian 2Custodian 1
Investor 2
Investor 1 Investor 3
Cash Equity
Investor 3Investor 1 Investor 2
Safekeeping accounts
Custodian 1 Custodian 2CSD
Distribute
income
Corporate
actions
Proxy
statements
Current-state process description
Investors use interfaces
provided by the bank of their
choosing to place equity trade
orders through the exchange
The exchange is responsible for
matching the equity trade
orders placed by investors
across banks in order to confirm
trades in real time and initiate
post-trade processes
Utilizing securities settlement
systems, custodian banks send
their section of the trade details
to the CSD on behalf of the
investor
The CSD is responsible for
validating the trade details
provided by all custodian banks
(. cash commitments and
settlement date) and matching
all sections of the trade
After matching all sections of
the trade, CCPs determine the
“net transaction” across all
trades and custodian banks to
minimize the number of
required transactions
The simultaneous transfer of
equity and cash is managed by
the CCP between custodian
banks on behalf of all involved
investors
After the required assets are
transferred, equity and cash are
stored in safekeeping accounts
managed in partnership by
custodian banks and the CSD
As various servicing processes
occur, third parties work
directly with the CSD to ensure
custodian banks and, ultimately,
investors are engaged
1 5 73
2
4
6
8
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
8
Custodian 1
Custodian 2
Custodian 1
Equity Post-Trade
Current-state pain points
123WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Equity trade execution Settlement Asset servicingClearing
Bank 1
CSD
Bank 2
CCP
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Exchange
* Trade
confirmation
SELL 100
SELL 100
BUY 100
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Trade date/
details
Settlement
date
Counterparty
bank details
Cash
commitments
Validation
Custodian 2Custodian 1
Investor 2
Investor 1 Investor 3
Cash Equity
Investor 3Investor 1 Investor 2
Safekeeping accounts
Custodian 1 Custodian 2CSD
Distribute
income
Corporate
actions
Proxy
statements
Current-state pain points
Duration between trade
execution and settlement:
despite investors being able to
see traded assets in their
account shortly after receiving
confirmation, settlement occurs
t+3, which limits the actions
that investors can take in the
interim
Inconsistent data: as a result of
frequent changes to
counterparty bank details, CSDs
must manually validate a
number of transactions prior to
settlement
Counterparty risk: custodians
must account for the possibility
that a counterparty is unable to
settle when due
Operational risk: CCPs must
account for the possibility that
technology and/or manual
errors result in inaccurate
settlement
Settlement ambiguity:
investors are inconsistently
notified when their trades settle
depending on custodian
procedures
Safekeeping account
complexity: since securities
settlement systems connect
safekeeping accounts across
custodian banks at the CSD,
custodians have limited
flexibility to store assets
Costly intermediaries:
corporations must involve third
parties and intermediaries to
initiate asset servicing
1 4 62
3
5
7
1
3
2
4
6
7
5
Smart
contract
Smart
contract
Custodian 1
Custodian 2
Custodian 1
Equity Post-Trade
Future-state process depiction
124WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Equity trade execution Settlement Asset servicingClearing
Bank 1
Bank 2 Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Exchange
* Trade
confirmation
SELL 100
SELL 100
BUY 100
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Trade date/
details
Counterparty
details
Cash
commitments
Validation
Custodian 2Custodian 1
Investor 2
Investor 1 Investor 3
Cash Equity
Investor 3Investor 1 Investor 2
Custodian 1 Custodian 2
Distribute
income
Corporate
actions
Proxy
statements
Future-state process description
Similar to the current state,
investors use the interfaces
provided by the bank of their
choosing to place equity trade
orders through the exchange
The exchange is responsible for
matching the equity trade
orders placed by investors
across banks in order to confirm
trades in real time and initiate
post-trade processes
Custodian banks send their
section of the trade details to
the DLT on behalf of the
investor
A smart contract validates the
trade details provided by all
custodian banks (. cash
commitments and counterparty
details) and matches all sections
of the trade in real time
After matching all sections of
the trade, a smart contract
determines the “net
transaction” to minimize the
number of required
transactions
Smart contracts ensure the
simultaneous transfer of equity
and cash between custodian
banks on behalf of all investors
Confirmation is stored in the
DLT to facilitate future
processes
After required assets are
transferred, equity and cash are
stored in safekeeping accounts
managed solely by custodian
banks
As various servicing processes
occur, smart contracts notify
custodian banks and investors
in real time
1 5 83
4
6
9
8
9Trade
confirmation
Safekeeping
accounts
2
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
7
Smart
contract
Smart
contract
Custodian 1
Custodian 2
Custodian 1
Equity Post-Trade
Future-state benefits
125WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Equity trade execution Settlement Asset servicingClearing
Bank 1
Bank 2 Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Exchange
* Trade
confirmation
SELL 100
SELL 100
BUY 100
Investor 3
Investor 2
Investor 1
Trade date/
details
Counterparty
details
Cash
commitments
Validation
Custodian 2Custodian 1
Investor 2
Investor 1 Investor 3
Cash Equity
Investor 3Investor 1 Investor 2
Custodian 1 Custodian 2
Distribute
income
Corporate
actions
Proxy
statements
Future-state benefits
Reduced settlement time:
through downstream, post-
trade automation and efficiency
enhancements, settlement
could potentially be reduced to
real-time settlement, trade date
plus one day or trade date plus
two days
Standardized data
requirements: standardizing
data fields for trade matching
improves the efficiency of
existing clearing processes
Reduced counterparty risk:
through automated validation,
custodians benefit from the
reduced likelihood that the
counterparty is unable to settle
Reduced operational risk:
through the use of a smart
contract to transfer equity and
cash, the likelihood of
technology and/or manual
errors is decreased
Real-time confirmation: by
storing trade confirmations on
DLT, investors can receive
notification of settlement
without relying on a custodian
Reduced account complexity:
custodians will be able to store
assets with greater flexibility
since integration with securities
settlement systems will no
longer be required
Servicing disintermediation:
servicing activities initiated via a
smart contract eliminate the
need for third-party
intermediaries
1 4 62
3 5
7
6
7Trade
confirmation
Safekeeping
accounts
1
2
3
2
4
5
Equity Post-Trade
Critical conditions
126WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
Incorporating “net transaction”
benefits within settlement
Achieving multistakeholder
alignment across participants
Standardizing reference data
utilized to match trades
Custodian banks and regulators will need to
work together to determine if and how to
incorporate the benefits achieved by netting in
order to minimize transactions and money
transferred across custodian banks
Regulators, custodian banks and exchanges
must work in partnership to develop a solution
that can handle billions of dollars in daily
transaction volume, while providing the
economies of scale to benefit players of all sizes
Custodian banks will need to work together to
develop a standardized set of data fields that
can match trades while providing investor
anonymity and confidence in automation
Why? Why? Why?
CCPs aggregate executed trades to optimize
the movement of assets; the inability to
perform similar activities may add
inefficiencies to settlement
Given the complexity of post-trade processes,
all entities involved must be willing to directly
participate with one another to ensure market
stability
The inability to standardize this data will cause
manual post-trade validation processes to still
be required, inhibiting the disintermediation of
CCPs and CSDs
Challenge Challenge Challenge
Since smart contracts execute commands in
real time, batching trades with some
predefined frequency may require
customization
If CCPs will be disintermediated as a result of a
successful implementation of DLT, governance
and collaboration will be required to ensure a
liability model exists in case technology failures
occur
Since traditional data fields used to match can
change frequently (. bank details),
significant collaboration is required to
standardize attributes that are not prone to
constant updates
Stakeholder
alignment
Technology Regulatory Governance
Critical condition categories
Summary Outlook
Key takeaways Unanswered questions
Equity Post-Trade
Conclusion
127WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
• Real-time settlement: Will the savings associated with
transitioning to faster settlement meet or exceed the value of
“float” revenues earned today by holding assets during the
settlement period?
• What are the settlement implications of operating a “slow lane”
and “fast lane” (. real-time settlement and trade date plus
three days)?
• Process automation: Clearing, settlement and servicing
activities are executed via automation, dramatically reducing
the time and resources required to perform these processes
• Reduced settlement time: Smart contract technology facilitates
customizable settlement timelines (real-time settlement, trade
date plus one day, trade date plus two days), reducing the time
it takes to exchange assets
• Cost savings: DLT can provide a global cost reduction
opportunity associated with process execution and fee
reduction
• Applications of DLT within equity post-trade are currently being
explored at the proof-of-concept level with a number of
incumbents and FinTechs, focusing on:
- Private equity trading
- Clearing and settlement solutions
• Opportunities exist for FIs to reduce costs and improve
operational efficiencies:
- Eliminating fees through disintermediation
- Executing clearing and settlement via smart contract
• Reduce operational risk: Simultaneous settlement of cash and
equity executed via smart contract reduces the likelihood of
manual errors and the resources required to execute the
process
• Provide central authority disintermediation: Settlement and
servicing activities are executed via smart contract, eliminating
costly fees
Section 6
Contact Details
For additional information, please contact:
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM PROJECT TEAM
R. Jesse McWaters
Project Lead, Financial Services
World Economic Forum
@
Giancarlo Bruno
Senior Director, Head of Financial Services Industries
World Economic Forum
@
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEADERSHIP FROM DELOITTE
Rob Galaski
Deloitte Canada
rgalaski@
Soumak Chatterjee
Deloitte Canada
schatterjee@
129WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM | 2016
