Marketnode

Marketnode operates as a digital market infrastructure provider in the Asia-Pacific region, originating from a joint venture between the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Temasek, a government-linked investment firm. Incorporated in 2021, the company was established to address inefficiencies in capital markets by deploying distributed ledger technology (DLT), smart contracts, and tokenization. This initiative was a progression from a successful 2020 collaboration among SGX, Temasek, and HSBC, which resulted in Asia's first public syndicated digital bond for Olam International.

The company is led by CEO Rehan Ahmed, a founding team member with over two decades of experience in financial markets and fintech. His career spans roles at Bear Stearns, UBS, and Bloomberg L.P. before he joined SGX Group, where he headed Fixed Income Products and Digital Assets. This background in institutional trading and the development of market platforms, including SGX's initial digital bond issuance platform, directly informed the creation and strategic direction of Marketnode.

Marketnode targets financial institutions, including banks, asset managers, issuers, and law firms, by providing infrastructure that streamlines capital markets workflows. Its business is structured across two main lines. The first is centered on primary markets for fixed income, structured products, and credit. Through its "Gateway" platform, Marketnode digitizes and automates processes like documentation, ESG data collection, regulatory filings, and asset servicing. This platform aims to accelerate time-to-market and manage the entire lifecycle of both traditional and tokenized assets. The second business line focuses on wealth management through its "Fundnode" platform, which serves as a centralized infrastructure for settling fund transactions in Singapore. By connecting asset managers, administrators, and distributors, Fundnode replaces archaic processes with a DLT-based system for fund creation and redemption.

The company's strategic partnerships are core to its ecosystem-building approach. Marketnode has collaborated with numerous major financial institutions, including HSBC, Euroclear, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, and Standard Chartered, to validate its offerings and drive adoption. These partners provide critical market input and co-develop DLT solutions. A Series A funding round led by HSBC, with participation from Temasek and a subsequent strategic investment from Euroclear, provides the capital to scale its platforms. By tackling operational pain points, Marketnode aims to build a trusted, neutral market infrastructure for the next generation of digital assets.

Keywords: digital market infrastructure, fixed income, capital markets, DLT, asset tokenization, distributed ledger technology, Fundnode, wealth management, asset servicing, post-trade, smart contracts, SGX, Temasek, Rehan Ahmed, digital bonds, financial infrastructure, fintech, Singapore, structured products, ESG data, funds settlement, primary markets, transaction management