The Twin Imperatives of Speed and Innovation: Delivering the WFMDS

An overview of how the WFMDS will help the UK remain competitive in a new technological era, in which DLT, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing will fundamentally reimagine how financial assets are issued, traded, cleared, and settled. 

Modernising Money and Markets: The Bank of England’s Vision for UK Wholesale Finance 

Insights from the central bank on the strategic direction for UK financial markets, focusing on the responsible adoption of tokenisation, the role of central bank money in digital settlement, and the imperative for financial stability

Market Optimisation: Eradicating Paper and the Road to October 2027  

A deep dive into the practical realities of the UK's move to T+1 settlement and the elimination of paper share certificates. This panel will address the critical challenges of automation, straight-through processing (STP), the legislative timetable for dematerialisation and managing cross-border complexities with the EU and Switzerland.

Market Transformation: Stablecoins and The Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS) 

An exclusive conversation with early participants in the Bank of England and FCA’s Digital Securities Sandbox and the Stablecoin Regulatory Sandbox. Topics include the challenges and triumphs of testing DLT-based issuance, trading, and settlement in a live regulatory environment, integrating digital native platforms with legacy infrastructure, the findings from stablecoin testing, and the path to final systemic stablecoin rules.

The Digital Gilt (DIGIT): A Catalyst for Tokenised Debt Markets 

Examining the strategic implications of HM Treasury’s digital gilt issuance (DIGIT), the world’s first sovereign bond issued natively on a DLT platform. Discussion will cover the operational efficiencies gained, the role of HSBC’s Orion platform, interoperability between infrastructure providers, and how DIGIT could reshape debt capital markets and secondary trading.

Atomic Settlement and Tokenised Collateral: Clarifying UK EMIR 

A detailed look at the Bank of England’s approach to tokenised collateral and atomic settlement. This session will cover the Bank’s forthcoming policy clarification on how tokenised collateral operates under UK EMIR, use cases for intraday repo and corporate liquidity optimisation, and bridging the gap between DLT ledgers and traditional cash rails.

Smart Data, AI, and the Future of Open Banking Payments

Exploring the role of data and AI as foundations for modern wholesale markets. The panel will discuss the adoption of smart data principles, the testing of AI-based solutions in the FCA’s Supercharged Sandbox, the forthcoming modernisation of payment services regulation, and how the regulatory framework will adapt to payments conducted by autonomous AI agents.

Pioneering Digital Assets: Fund Tokenisation and Legal Certainty 

Examining landmark transactions in the UK market, including the launch of fully tokenised OEIC funds following the FCA’s PS26/7 framework. The panel will also discuss the impact of the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025, providing statutory clarity for digital assets under English law, and the role of public vs. private blockchains in institutional finance.

How the simultaneous pressures of the WFMDS pillars—Optimisation, Transformation, and Leadership—will ultimately reshape the UK and global financial architecture. Discussion will focus on international coordination to ensure DLT interoperability, reducing fragmentation across jurisdictions (including the EU, Singapore, and the US), and maintaining the UK’s competitiveness as a global financial centre.