Amundi, the leading European asset manager, CACEIS and Ant International take a concrete step in the tokenization of investment funds. The three players have developed tokenized shares of a monetary fund denominated in euros and dollars, intended to respond in real time to Ant International’s liquidity management needs. This tripartite collaboration illustrates the rise of digital assets in institutional finance.
An operational tokenized monetary fund for Ant International
Amundi announced the successful launch of tokenized shares of Amundi Money Market Fund – Short Termdenominated in euros and US dollars. These shares were developed specifically for Ant International, a global player in digital payments and financial technologies, as part of a memorandum of understanding signed last November. This agreement committed the two groups to exploring blockchain innovations applied to treasury management and tokenized investment solutions.
CACEIS, a subsidiary of the Cr̩dit Agricole group specializing in asset servicing, is involved in this system as a transfer agent and tokenization agent. This tripartite architecture Рasset manager, custodian and institutional client Рconstitutes an unprecedented operational model on this scale in the European asset management sector.
For Ant International, a pioneer client of the initiative, the solution responds to a specific need: to optimize intra-group liquidity management in real time. The group indicates that it has been using blockchain for its internal treasury management since 2019, which gives this project a dimension of industrialization rather than experimentation.
Tokenization for global corporate treasury
Fannie Wurtz, Deputy Managing Director of Amundi and President of the group’s Asia, underlines the strategic scope of the approach: “This collaboration brings together leading institutions, committed to innovation, and determined to seize opportunities emerging in the world of digital assets. “It also recalls Amundi’s ambition to “contribute to shaping the finance of tomorrow” by responding to the sophisticated needs of its institutional clients.
On the side of Ant International, Kelvin Li, General Manager “Platform Tech” and Senior Vice President, formulates a clear objective: “build a future where the movement of funds will be instantaneous and without borders”. He discusses the combination of blockchain and artificial intelligence as a lever to offer real-time solutions to corporate treasurers on a global scale, with 24/7 accessibility.
Jean-Jacques Barbéris, Deputy CEO of CACEIS, emphasizes his group’s ability to “lead the ongoing transformation in the financial industry on a global scale”, positioning CACEIS as a central player in digital asset infrastructure in Europe.
The Whale platform, next stage of deployment
Building on this initial success, the collaboration is now exploring the integration of the tokenized money fund on Whale, Ant International’s internal blockchain-based treasury management platform. The objective is to directly integrate Amundi funds and to co-develop new money market fund solutions for corporate treasurers around the world.
This next phase would combine Amundi’s investment expertise, CACEIS’ know-how in digital assets and Ant International’s advanced blockchain infrastructure. The project, however, remains conditional on obtaining the legal and regulatory authorizations required in the jurisdictions concerned.
The two groups are also examining the extension of the solution to new markets and new currencies, without precise calendars or geographies having been communicated at this stage.
A strong signal for European tokenized finance
This initiative comes in a context where the tokenization of financial assets is gradually establishing itself as an axis of structural transformation for the asset management industry. By carrying out this project, Amundi and CACEIS Рboth subsidiaries of the Cr̩dit Agricole group Рare positioning France and Europe as reference players in the development of digital financial infrastructures with a global vocation.
The collaboration with Ant International, headquartered in Singapore and operating on a global scale, gives this partnership a significant geographic dimension. It demonstrates the ability of European asset management players to form technological alliances with leading Asian platforms, in a sector where international competition is intensifying.
With nearly 2,400 billion euros in assets under management for Amundi and 5,900 billion euros in assets under custody for CACEIS, the two groups have the institutional space necessary to drive the adoption of tokenized finance on a large scale. The launch of these tokenized shares constitutes, as such, a concrete signal addressed to the entire global financial industry.
