Presented at the Post Trade Distributed Ledger working group, London, November 1, 2016
The response to ESMA is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8tGDTaBY4-Nb3ZuRmgzRXJXOUk
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is in a very early stage of development. Sometimes confused with the blockchain technology underlying bitcoin, it is supposed to be its evolution designed to avoid the architectural choices that make bitcoin and blockchain unsuitable for securities settlement and financial applications. DLT is enjoying the blockchain hype originating from the resiliency of bitcoin operations, but it still lacks a reference implementation or strict technical specifications, beyond being a shared ledger using cryptographic tools. As such, it is difficult to discuss its promises and limitations. Nonetheless, some considerations are possible starting from the existing market infrastructure, the experience with operational blockchains, and the available elements of the public debate about DLT.