Hana Bank issues $100 million digital bond with same-day settlement

Hana Bank issued a $100 million, five-year foreign-currency digital bond through Euroclear’s D-FMI blockchain platform on Sept. 18. The transaction marked South Korea’s first foreign-currency bond issuance to achieve same-day T+0 settlement using Euroclear’s own blockchain infrastructure.

The digital bond processes issuance, registration and settlement on a distributed ledger. That structure reduced the conventional three-to-five-business-day settlement cycle to the issuance date. The bond also connects with Euroclear’s existing settlement network, allowing institutional investors to use their existing Euroclear accounts and trading systems. Standard Chartered served as the sole lead manager.

The transaction highlights the growing use of distributed ledger technology in capital markets. For issuers, same-day settlement can accelerate access to funding and reduce administrative steps. However, broader adoption will depend on investor participation, regulatory frameworks and integration with existing market infrastructure.