SEB and Nasdaq to Build Blockchain for Swedish Mutual Fund Market

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEB, the Nordic financial services group, and  Nasdaq, Inc.  (Nasdaq:NDAQ) have announced a joint project to test a developed prototype for a  mutual fund trading platform based on blockchain technology. The aim is to increase efficiency in the processing of purchases and sales of fund units and to create a unit ledger - an area which today is largely characterized by manual routines, long settlement cycles and paper driven processes.

"With the help of a blockchain we can create a faster, simpler, more effective and reliable fund market," said Göran Fors, acting head of Investor Services at SEB. "Funds are increasingly important for our clients and it is with great pleasure that we can announce this important project together with Nasdaq."

"By leveraging blockchain technology there is strong potential for improvement via digitalization that can reduce manual work, create a faster process and reduce the risk for errors," said Magnus Haglind, SVP & Head of Product Management, Market Technology, Nasdaq. "This development will look to benefit the fund market and, in the end, also the individual investors through faster response from purchases and sales."

The concept of the project indicates that, by subscribing to a private blockchain, the various market participants-fund companies, distributors and others-will be able to share a distributed database in which all transactions and changes are registered among all participants in real-time. The cooperation agreement entails that SEB and Nasdaq will continue to develop the technology with the end goal of creating a working prototype, which will be based on the Chain.com blockchain ledger. In addition, the two parties have opened a channel for collaboration with additional interested parties on building a uniformed market infrastructure for Sweden's fund market.

In contrast to the equities market, which relies on a Central Securities Depository (CSD), the Swedish fund market lacks a central, primary point for registering holdings. This means that the administration of purchases and sales of fund units are handled through an intermediary or directly with each executing party. Since a chain can consist of many links - for example, when a customer via a Swedish bank buys units in a foreign fund company - a relatively large administrative process arises. This is handled today through a combination of different technical solutions, including orders placed by paper driven processes and follow-up phone calls.

Nasdaq's market infrastructure technologies, including trading, real-time risk, index, clearing, CSD and market surveillance systems are operated in more than 100 marketplaces, regulators, clearinghouses and central securities depositories across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

About Nasdaq

Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) is a leading global provider of trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and public company services. Through its diverse portfolio of solutions, Nasdaq enables customers to plan, optimize and execute their business vision with confidence, using proven technologies that provide transparency and insight for navigating today's global capital markets. As the creator of the world's first electronic stock market, its technology powers more than 90 marketplaces in 50 countries, and 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Nasdaq is home to 3,800 total listings with a market value of $11 trillion. To learn more, visit: http://business.nasdaq.com

About SEB

SEB is a leading Nordic financial services group with a strong belief that entrepreneurial minds and innovative companies are key in creating a better world. SEB takes a long term perspective and supports its customers in good times and bad.  In Sweden and the Baltic countries, SEB offers financial advice and a wide range of financial services. In Denmark, Finland, Norway and Germany the bank's operations have a strong focus on corporate and investment banking based on a full-service offering to corporate and institutional clients. The international nature of SEB's business is reflected in its presence in some 20 countries worldwide. At 30 June 2017, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 2,777 billion while its assets under management totaled SEK 1,835 billion. The Group has around 15,000 employees. Read more about SEB at www.sebgroup.com

For Media Inquiries:

Nasdaq

Ryan Wells (International Media)
ryan.wells@nasdaq.com
Mobile:  +44 (0) 7809 596 390

Ulrika Andersson  (Swedish Media)
ulrika.andersson@nasdaq.com
Mobile:  +46734496852

David Augustsson (Swedish Media)
david.augustsson@nasdaq.com
Mobile: +46734496135

SEB

Frank Hojem, Head of Media Relations
frank.hojem@seb.se
Mobile: +46707639947

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