The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the second-largest bourse in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is set to list the region’s first bond powered by distributed ledger technology (DLT).
Issued by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) through HSBC Orion—a digital assets platform—the bond will be listed on ADX.
According to a statement from ADX, HSBC Orion is operated by Hong Kong’s Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) and is backed by leading international law firms.
Global investors can access the digital bond via accounts held with CMU, Euroclear, and Clearstream, or by onboarding to HSBC Orion directly or through existing custodians connected to these platforms.
Digital bonds—blockchain-based fixed-income instruments—provide institutional investors with greater transparency, stronger security, faster settlement cycles, reduced counterparty risk, and operational efficiencies.
HSBC served as sole global coordinator, lead manager, and bookrunner for the issuance.
Abdulla Salem Alnuaimi, Group CEO of ADX, noted that this move not only increases institutional access to digital instruments but also sets the stage for future tokenised asset classes, including green bonds, sukuk, and real estate-backed products.
