Tag: Tokenization

Project Acacia and Tokenized Markets with Justin Chapman and Paul Abraham

Project Acacia and Tokenized Markets with Justin Chapman and Paul Abraham

As tokenized assets move into real-world testing, institutional investors need to understand how they could affect existing payment systems, settlement processes, risk controls, and operating models.

What can real-world testing teach financial institutions about the next stage of digital markets?

In this episode, Paul Fahey speaks with Justin Chapman, Group Head of Strategic Partnerships, Digital Assets and Financial Markets at Northern Trust, and Paul Abraham, Chief of Investment Services at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, about Project Acacia. They cover a live use case connecting a tokenized carbon credit with traditional cash settlement, what institutional investors are learning about tokenized assets and digital cash, and why hybrid infrastructure may remain part of financial markets as adoption develops.

Key points:

  • How Project Acacia tested tokenized assets alongside traditional payment infrastructure and settlement processes
  • Why institutional investors are studying tokenization before broader adoption reaches their operating models
  • How digital cash, tokenized equities, and different settlement models may develop across jurisdictions
  • Where tokenization may improve liquidity, collateral use, operational efficiency, and risk visibility
  • Why trust, liquidity, security, and regulatory clarity remain central to wider institutional participation
  • And more!

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About Paul Abraham:

Paul Abraham is Chief of Investment Services at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), which provides superannuation products and services to Australian Government and Australian Defense Force employees. He joined CSC in 2005 and brings more than 30 years of financial services experience, with previous roles spanning chartered accountancy, asset management, and financial planning across Australia, London, Tokyo, and Singapore. Paul is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and holds a Master of Financial Management from Australian National University and a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from Charles Sturt University.

Digital Assets, Tokenization, and the Future of Institutional Investing

Digital Assets, Tokenization, and the Future of Institutional Investing

Financial markets continue to evolve as institutions evaluate new ways to move assets, improve settlement processes, and expand investment opportunities.

What role will digital assets play in the future of investing? And how are institutions balancing innovation with regulation, governance, and risk management?

In this episode, Paul Fahey speaks with Andrew Czupek, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation, North America at Northern Trust, about the findings from Northern Trust’s 2026 Global Asset Owner Peer Study. They explore growing institutional adoption of digital assets, the rise of tokenized funds, the importance of interoperability between traditional and digital systems, and how regulatory developments are influencing participation.

Andrew also shares why utility, mobility, and infrastructure development are becoming key drivers of long-term institutional interest.

Key takeaways:

  • Growing institutional participation reflects increasing interest in digital assets beyond cryptocurrency exposure
  • Digital cash and settlement rails are helping address twenty-four-hour market activity needs
  • Tokenized assets create new opportunities for collateral mobility and operational efficiency
  • Regulatory frameworks are shaping institutional confidence and participation decisions
  • Interoperability between traditional and digital systems remains critical for broader adoption

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The Road to Institutional DeFi

The Road to Institutional DeFi

As a space that is expected to take off in coming years, the road to utilizing decentralized finance (DeFi) for regulated financial activities is under construction. Dan Sleep of Northern Trust and Boon-Hiong Chan of Deutsche Bank examine key driving forces in the DeFi domain and assess what lies ahead for the institutional investment industry on the road to institutional DeFi.

Key Highlights:

  • Understand the current state of DeFi and how it is being used in financial services today
  • Learn about the benefits of DeFi in institutional investing and how it can change the industry
  • Hear about DeFi in action through current projects and use casesĀ 
  • Learn about the regulatory and cybersecurity risks and what institutions can do to build robust frameworks that ensure trust and security
  • Discover why collaboration between financial institutions, regulators, and tech companies is crucial to developing standards and ensuring seamless integration of decentralized and traditional systems
  • And much more!

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Beyond Asset Tokenization with Dan Sleep and Zhu Kuang Lee

Beyond Asset Tokenization with Dan Sleep and Zhu Kuang Lee

This episode of Faster Forward features Dan Sleep, Digital Assets and Financial Markets Specialist at Northern Trust, and Zhu Kuang Lee, Managing Director and Chief Digital, Data & Innovation Officer at HSBC. The pair will discuss the power of tokenization as a true disruptor and how tokenization and the broader growth of the digital world are challenging how asset servicers operate.

Dan and Zhu Kuang discuss:

  • Significant changes and innovations in the industry due to the rise of digital assetsĀ 
  • Regulatory challenges in the digital assets space
  • The need for asset servicers to adapt to stay ahead of investor expectations
  • Servicing a blended ecosystem of traditional and digital assets
  • And more

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