Pontes Live: ECB's Digital Settlement Bridge Connects with XRP Ledger Tech

The European Central Bank's wholesale digital settlement bridge, Pontes, has officially gone live on September 21. ECB President Christine Lagarde confirmed the launch following the Eurogroup meeting.

Pontes connects market DLT platforms to the Eurosystem's existing TARGET payment rails, allowing tokenized securities to settle in real central-bank money. The system runs via a dual model, either cash tokens on a Eurosystem DLT or a trigger into T2 real-time gross settlement.

Four day-one operators are connected, including Clearstream, SWIAT, Cashlink, and Axiology, a Lithuanian DLT firm founded by former Bank of Lithuania board member Marius Jurgilas. Axiology's settlement system benefits from XRP Ledger technology, but the ECB emphasizes that cash still clears in euro central bank money.

The launch fees are set at EUR 2,500 per participant and EUR 15,000 per operator, with no per-trade charge at start. The ECB targets longer hours in 2027 and 24/7 multi-currency settlement by mid-2028.