Northern Trust and NUS Forge Partnership to Advance Green Finance Innovation

Collaboration positions NUS as the first university in Singapore to implement blockchain technology for ESG reporting

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) has entered into a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to drive innovation in green finance and promote the adoption of green finance frameworks and blockchain technology.

The collaboration will focus on fostering cutting-edge research and developing actionable solutions to address the challenges of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) finance. A centerpiece of the partnership is a tokenization initiative leveraging Northern Trust’s Matrix Zenith platform, aimed at bringing the green credentials of bonds on-chain. This development will enhance transparency and streamline investors’ regulatory reporting obligations, aligning with global sustainability standards.

The MoU underscores Northern Trust’s commitment to advancing green finance by integrating technology into sustainable investment practices. The partnership seeks to create a framework for tokenizing green assets, enabling issuers and investors to better verify ESG claims and fulfill regulatory requirements for increased accountability in their portfolios.

Justin Chapman, Global Head of Digital Assets and Financial Markets at Northern Trust, said: “This collaboration with NUS represents a significant step forward in our efforts to harness blockchain technology for the betterment of sustainable finance. By bringing the green credentials of bonds on-chain, we are addressing investors’ need for transparency and reporting in a fast-evolving market.”

Yen Leng Ong, Country Executive, Southeast Asia at Northern Trust said: “The collaboration between Northern Trust and NUS reflects a shared vision for driving meaningful change in the financial industry. Together, we aim to unlock new opportunities for sustainable investing and set a precedent for how technology can support the global transition to a greener economy.”

The partnership will also contribute to academic engagements through Northern Trust’s partnership with the Singapore Blockchain Innovation Programme (SBIP), a research lab at the NUS School of Computing (SoC). Research fellows and PhD candidates at SoC will be involved to brainstorm, design and develop the solution to support the development of talent in the fields of blockchain technology.

Tan Kian Woo, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NUS said: “We are excited to collaborate with Northern Trust on this important initiative. By combining our academic expertise with their tokenization platform, we aim to set a new benchmark for innovation in green finance, paving the way for a more sustainable financial future. Together, we aim to redefine sustainable finance for the future.”

About Northern Trust’s Matrix Zenith Platform

The Matrix Zenith platform is Northern Trust’s flagship solution for digital asset management and tokenization. With a focus on enhancing market efficiency, the platform enables the seamless tokenization of real-world assets while ensuring compliance with the highest standards of security and transparency. For more information about Northern Trust’s digital assets platform, visit https://www.northerntrust.com/asia-pac/insights-research/asset-servicing/digital-assets-financial-markets.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 24 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 22 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of September 30, 2024, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$17.4 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.6 trillion. For more than 135 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit us on northerntrust.com. Follow us on Instagram @northerntrustcompany or Northern Trust on LinkedIn.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/terms-and-conditions.