Doha Bank issues USD150 million digital bond with instant settlement

Standard Chartered is Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Arranger of landmark deal for Qatar, which sets a new standard with instant settlement and advances the region’s digital-markets agenda

Singapore – Doha Bank has successfully listed its inaugural USD150 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 this pioneering digital issuance. The milestone transaction, one of Qatar’s earliest digitally native USD bond issuances, sets a new standard by offering instant settlement, and advances 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 modernise financial markets and unlock new channels of digital funding and liquidity, 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,” said Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Fahad Al-Thani, Group CEO, Doha Bank. “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. We thank Standard Chartered for their exceptional partnership, and we are pleased to collaborate with Euroclear and the London Stock Exchange on this landmark issuance.”

Salman Ansari, Global Head, Capital Markets, Standard Chartered, said: “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. We are pleased to be the Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Arranger of this landmark digital bond, which reflects the deep relationships that we have with Doha Bank and our market partners.”

Built on DLT, the DNN delivers enhanced transparency, decentralised 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 issuing and paying agent on the digital issuance.

Sebastien Danloy, Chief Business Officer, Euroclear, said: “We are honoured to support Doha Bank’s DNN 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. 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.”

Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO, London Stock Exchange plc and Head of Digital & Securities Markets, LSEG, said: “We are delighted that Doha Bank has chosen the London Stock Exchange as the listing venue for its digital bond and congratulate them on this milestone transaction. As one of the largest markets for the listing of fixed income globally, we are also proud to play a key role in the development of digital markets infrastructure to make capital markets globally more efficient for issuers and investors alike. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and supporting the growth of digital funding and liquidity through future initiatives as demonstrated by Doha Bank today.”

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For further information, please contact:

Rami Lawand
Standard Chartered

Nisha Ramchandani
Standard Chartered

Ayman Hassan
Doha Bank

About Doha Bank
Doha Bank, established in 1979, is a leading commercial bank with a strong domestic and international presence. It has been at the forefront of the digitalisation of banking services in Qatar, setting industry benchmarks with its state-of-the-art initiatives and future-proof digital and IT infrastructure. The Bank provides individuals, commercial, corporate and institutional clients with new and better ways to manage their financial lives. Its focus on reliability is highlighted by its strong credit ratings – A by Fitch and Baa1 by Moody’s – further solidified by multiple accolades to its name.
For more information, please visit https://qa.dohabank.com.

About Euroclear
Euroclear group is the financial industry’s trusted provider of post trade services. Guided by its purpose, Euroclear innovates to bring safety, efficiency and connections to financial markets for sustainable economic growth. Euroclear provides settlement and custody of domestic and cross-border securities for bonds, equities and derivatives and investment funds. As a proven, resilient capital market infrastructure, Euroclear is committed to delivering risk-mitigation, automation and efficiency at scale for its global client franchise. The Euroclear group comprises Euroclear Bank, the International CSD as well as Euroclear Belgium, Euroclear Finland, Euroclear France, Euroclear Nederland, Euroclear Sweden, Euroclear UK & International.

About LSEG
LSEG is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider, playing a vital social and economic role in the world’s financial system. With our open approach, trusted expertise and global scale, we enable the sustainable growth and stability of our customers and their communities. We are dedicated partners with extensive experience, deep knowledge and a worldwide presence in data and analytics; indices; capital formation; and trade execution, clearing and risk management across multiple asset classes. LSEG is headquartered in the United Kingdom, with significant operations in 65 countries across EMEA, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. We employ over 26,000 people globally, more than half located in Asia Pacific. LSEG’s ticker symbol is LSEG.