London Stock Exchange Makes Major Move Into Blockchain

For years, blockchain has been touted as the technology that could reshape traditional markets.

Now, one of the worlds oldest and most recognizable exchanges is proving that shift is no longer hypothetical. The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has officially rolled out a blockchain-based system for private funds, making it the first major global exchange to put this kind of infrastructure into live use.

Unlike past experiments in financial tokenization, the new Digital Markets Infrastructure (DMI) isnt just a proof of concept. Built with Microsoft and powered by its Azure cloud services, the platform is designed to handle the entire lifecycle of digital assets — from creation and tokenization to settlement after trades.

The decision to start with private funds reflects where LSEG sees the greatest need for modernization. These assets, often opaque and difficult to access, will now be discoverable through LSEGs Workspace, offering professional investors a clearer path to opportunities that were once locked behind closed networks.

The debut transaction came from MembersCap, with London-based Archax — a U.K.-regulated digital asset exchange — acting as nominee for the Cardano Foundation. Their participation marks the start of what LSEG hopes will be a growing ecosystem of traditional managers, crypto-native firms, and institutional investors all using the same infrastructure.

Executives at both LSEG and Microsoft described the platform as part of a larger push to close the gap between traditional finance and blockchain-based systems. Bill Borden, Microsoft‘s vice president for worldwide financial services, called it an example of how the two companies’ partnership is “reshaping the future of global finance.”

Darko Hajdukovic, who leads LSEGs digital markets unit, said that private markets are “ripe for innovation” and argued there is strong demand for a regulated, end-to-end blockchain infrastructure that supports both digital-first and traditional assets under one roof.

The launch adds momentum to a growing list of financial giants testing or deploying blockchain infrastructure. JPMorgan has piloted cross-chain settlement systems with Chainlink, while other institutions are experimenting with tokenized money market funds and bonds.

Analysts believe LSEGs move carries symbolic weight: if a centuries-old exchange is embracing blockchain for private markets, it signals that the boundary between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) is eroding faster than expected.

For investors, the London Stock Exchanges decision is less about chasing hype and more about responding to demand for transparency, liquidity, and interoperability. In short, the launch of DMI could mark the beginning of a new era where blockchain becomes part of the core machinery of global markets.