Russia's Central Depository to Launch Security Token Blockchain Next Month

Russia's National Settlement Depository plans to launch its long-awaited digital asset ledger next month - 5,000 kilometers away from the institution's Moscow headquarters.

At launch in June, D3 will track ownership of several assets: a security token representing unregistered shares in a small healthcare company; sora, a cryptocurrency developed by Japanese tech provider Soramitu; and the top two cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, bitcoin and ether, along with any ERC-20 token that runs on the ethereum blockchain.

In the case of bitcoin and ethererum the assets will be depository notes, akin to the way depository receipts for foreign company stocks are traded on U.S. exchanges.

"When you say you have some bitcoins in our platform," said Duvanov, "You actually have some depository receipts for bitcoins which are held by D3 ledger platform."

"The idea behind D3 is a combination of the public network and a private network; slow public network and fast private network," Duvanov said.

Switzerland's own national stock exchange, SIX, is building its own crypto tokenization and trading shop, SIX Digital.

In July of last year, SIX said SDX would be in operation in the second half of 2019., starting by tokenizing stocks and bonds and then moving on to explore digital versions of other physical assets like fine art.

SDX is also focusing on so-called security token offerings with the exchange's chairman suggesting.

SIX might even raise some funds itself via an STO. Switzerland has something of a heritage when it comes to looking after assets in a secure and private manner.

A spokesman for SIX said that the exchange "Is in close contact with the relevant regulators. So I would not call it 'driving changes in the law' but rather being the sparring partner in order to help address issues/questions/challenges that must be considered and represented in a potential law."