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【Japan’s Ministry of Finance Establishes “On-Chain Settlement Study Group” to Explore Real-Time Government Bond Settlement】

Japan’s Ministry of Finance announced the establishment of an “On-Chain Settlement Study Group” focused on researching the feasibility of real-time settlement for government bond transactions. The first meeting is scheduled to October 8 be held. The study group will systematically examine the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain-based real-time settlement in light of the current next-day settlement convention. Its members will include professors from universities such as the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, as well as private-sector strategists. The Bank of Japan and the Financial Services Agency will also participate in exchanges of views. An official from the Ministry of Finance noted that the United States already has MMF products backed by government bonds as underlying assets and traded on blockchain, which will serve as an important reference case. The study group plans to organize the key issues by the end of the year.