The programme – run under the auspices of the Monetary Authority of Singapore – is part of a wider technology drive which will improve efficiency and allow personalisation of clients' investment options.

Schroders Singapore is taking part in a digital assets project overseen by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

The Project Guardian programme of MAS tests the feasibility of tokenized assets while managing risks to financial stability and integrity, Schroders said. 

Schroders will work with global funds network Calastone to explore the capabilities of a tokenized investment vehicle for Singapore’s variable capital companies (VCCs). This should allow clients to improve how they personalise investment solutions and use the underlying blockchain technology to streamline day-to-day operational processing.

“Distributed Ledger Technology is an important evolution that has the potential to improve speed and transparency, achieve efficiencies, and allow personalisation of investment options in new and exciting ways,” Lily Choh, CEO, Schroders Singapore, said.

Adam Belding, chief technology officer, Calastone, said: “We have been working on the use of DLT as an enabler for many years, and we are very excited to work with a visionary asset manager like Schroders to enable the genuine transformation to the investment industry.”

Schroders said the programme forms part of a wider technology drive. In February, Schroders took part in the first-ever GBP Digital Bond issued by the European Investment Bank, a move to develop digital asset solutions. In August 2022, Schroders announced its strategic minority stake in Forteus, an asset manager focused on blockchain and digital assets, to support its ongoing education and research in this sector and to develop investment solutions for the benefit of its clients.