The European Central Bank, European Commission and European Securities and Markets Authority are seeking nominations for an industry-led group to draft common standards for holding and settling tokenized securities, according to Cointelegraph’s report published on Nov. 9, 2026, at 20:27:06 UTC+08:00.
The proposed European Tokenisation Standards Group (ETSG) is intended to address fragmentation across distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms and their connections to existing financial systems. The three EU institutions will participate as observers rather than lead the industry group.
What the group will work on
ETSG will develop technical and market standards to help companies hold and settle tokenized securities across different DLT platforms, while supporting interoperability with established financial infrastructure.
The institutions warned that fragmentation could limit tokenization’s benefits. The group may also recommend ways for EU authorities to encourage firms to adopt its standards; the report does not describe adoption as mandatory.
Who can participate—and the timetable
Eligible applicants include EU industry associations, global institutions, private firms and fintech companies. The reported schedule is:
- Nov. 27, 2026: deadline to apply to ETSG.
- January 2027: work is scheduled to begin.
- Early 2028: target for an initial set of standards, according to the group’s mandate.
These are planned milestones, not completed standards or evidence of industry adoption.
How it fits into Europe’s tokenization infrastructure
The standards will support Appia, the Eurosystem initiative to develop a blueprint for Europe’s tokenized financial markets.
The report also points to Pontes, which the Eurosystem launched in September 2026. Pontes allows financial institutions to settle wholesale transactions in tokenized assets using central bank money. ETSG’s stated role is different: developing shared standards for holding and settling securities across platforms and connecting them with existing systems.