Doha Bank has listed its inaugural US$150 million floating rate digitally native notes ( DNN ) on the London Stock Exchange’s International Securities Market ( ISM ), achieving T+0 instant settlement via Euroclear’s Digital Financial Market Infrastructure ( D-FMI ).

Euroclear’s D-FMI facilitates the issuance, distribution and settlement of fully digital international securities using distributed ledger technology ( DLT ).

Standard Chartered acted as the sole global coordinator and sole arranger, leading the structuring, execution, and distribution of the pioneering digital issuance. The milestone transaction, one of Qatar’s earliest digitally native USD bond issuances, sets a new standard by offering instant settlement while advancing the region’s digital-markets agenda.

The deal positions Qatar as one of the frontrunners of digital bond infrastructure in the GCC, supporting the region’s broader ambition to modernize financial markets and unlock new channels of digital funding and liquidity, as evidenced by Doha Bank’s DNN issuance, which has attracted a new investor to the bank.

"The successful issuance of Doha Bank’s inaugural DNN marks a significant milestone in our strategy to diversify and strengthen our funding base,” says Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Fahad Al-Thani, Doha Bank’s group chief executive officer.

“By achieving one of the region’s first real-time T+0 settlements and leveraging Euroclear’s D-FMI Infrastructure, we are embracing innovation that enhances efficiency, deepens market access, attracts new investors, and reinforces confidence in Qatar as a forward-looking financial hub. This achievement reflects strong global investor appetite for Qatar and aligns closely with the Qatar Central Bank’s Third Financial Sector Strategy and the government’s vision to advance digital transformation resilience and competitiveness of the Qatari capital market.”

Salman Ansari, global head of capital markets at Standard Chartered, says Doha Bank’s debut digital bond issuance “underscores the tangible, real-world efficiencies that cutting-edge digital infrastructure is delivering for capital markets, and the increasing appetite among our clients for this next-gen capability and execution”

The DNN delivers enhanced transparency, decentralized record-keeping, and operational efficiency. The instant, same-day ( T+0 ) settlement demonstrates the real-world potential of digital-market infrastructure to shorten settlement cycles while laying the foundation for frictionless capital markets transactions. Citi is the issuing and paying agent on the digital issuance.

"This transaction demonstrates that same-day execution and settlement are achievable through a neutral, regulated DLT infrastructure that aligns with established market standards – reducing friction and time while maintaining the level of assurance expected by issuers and investors," says Euroclear chief business officer Sebastien Danloy.

"Equally important, integration with traditional secondary-market services and trading venues ensures that investors retain access to liquidity. As similar transactions progress across global markets, Qatar is helping to set a steady pace for digital issuance within the GCC – providing a clear reference point for market participants in the region.”