Irish Funds Emerging Tech & Innovation Speaker Series - Tokenisation: How Distributed Ledger Technology Will Redefine Financial Services

Irish Funds was delighted to hold its second Emerging Technology & Innovation (ET&I) Speaker Series of the year, bringing together industry leaders and regulators to examine how distributed ledger technology (DLT) and tokenisation are set to reshape financial services.

The event, kindly held at KPMG's Platform X, focused on the theme “Tokenisation: How Distributed Ledger Technology Will Redefine Financial Services.”

The session opened with Cathal McGlinchey of KPMG, who outlined the SIU’s competitiveness agenda and Irish Funds’ strategic focus on advancing tokenisation for funds.

A keynote presentation followed from Rosemary Hanna of the Central Bank of Ireland, providing an overview of Discussion Paper 12. The paper explores the potential benefits of tokenisation, key enabling factors, and associated risks for the financial ecosystem.

A forward‑looking panel discussion then explored the practical application and future impact of DLT and tokenisation across funds and asset management. The panel featured John Burrowes (Invesco), Hannah Fenlon (Dillon Eustace LLP) and Alejandro Gutierrez (Superteam Ireland), and was moderated by Conor Moroney (KPMG).

Key themes arising from the discussion included:

• The transition from proof‑of‑concept initiatives to real‑world adoption

• The need to enable scale through interoperability, digital cash, standards and protocols

• Regulatory and legal considerations as tokenised models develop

A strong message throughout the session was the importance of continued collaboration between regulators, industry participants and technology providers to support responsible innovation and drive meaningful adoption.

Participants also heard a clear call to action for fund managers, service providers and stakeholders to actively engage with the Department of Finance and Government on the prioritisation of tokenisation, recognising its transformative potential for the funds and asset management industry and its role in deepening capital markets.

Stakeholders were encouraged to contribute to the Central Bank of Ireland’s Discussion Paper 12, with submissions due by 5 June. The Irish Funds Digital Assets Working Group will submit a response in due course.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to such an engaging discussion, and to the Irish Funds Emerging Tech & Innovation and the Digital Assets Working Groups for continuing to create space for meaningful, forward-looking conversations in our sector.