Clearstream, the post-trading arm of Deutsche Börse Group, recognizes the increasing importance of digitization in the financial industry. Therefore, it has indicated its intention to acquire a minority stake in Digital Vault Services (DVS), a financial technology company specializing in issuing and safeguarding digital bank guarantees and assurances in Europe.

The investment is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, subject to regulatory approval and finalization of legal documents.

Clearstream Investment in DVS

The strategic collaboration between Clearstream and DVS aims to leverage the strengths of both companies. By combining DVS's digital bank guarantee approach with Clearstream's expertise in providing market infrastructure solutions and connectivity, the collaboration aims to streamline processes and modernize outdated procedures in the trade finance ecosystem.

Jens Hachmeister, Head of Issuer Services and New Digital Markets at Clearstream, commented, "The shared commitment to market innovation by both companies makes DVS an ideal partner for Deutsche Börse Group and Clearstream. DVS's innovative approach to digital bank guarantees, combined with D7's position in digital securities and Clearstream's core role in global financial markets, will drive significant growth."

Mid-term plans involve integrating DVS's collateral vault with Deutsche Börse Group's digital post-trading platform D7, allowing D7 to expand its digital asset product portfolio into areas beyond securities for the first time.

Ludger Janssen and Jaime Gimeno, Co-CEOs of Digital Vault Services, believe that this collaboration will result in "a unique end-to-end solution that disrupts and modernizes outdated procedures with unparalleled efficiency."

This investment marks an important milestone for DVS on its journey to becoming the recognized market infrastructure solution for digital guarantees in Europe. It also prepares the company for future use cases and tools. Clearstream will acquire a minority stake in DVS, expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, subject to necessary regulatory approval and finalization of legal documents.

Partnership with iCapital

Two months before announcing the investment in a European fintech company, Clearstream expanded its partnership with another fintech company, iCapital. This expanded partnership will allow broader access to various private market investment opportunities curated by leading global asset management firms. These investment options provided through the iCapital Marketplace will be available on the Clearstream Fund Centre and Clearstream Vestima platforms.

Philippe Seyll, Head of Clearstream Fund Services, stated, "Through our scalable, secure, and integrated distribution and processing solutions ecosystem, we are committed to providing data and services to both ends of the distribution chain."

Clearstream is responsible for the secure management, custody, and administration of assets in its custody. Currently, Clearstream holds over 300,000 types of bonds, stocks, and investment funds from domestic and international markets.