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What Are Tokenized Money Market Funds?

Have you ever wished your money could move as quickly as a text message?

In today's increasingly digital world, assets like stocks, bonds and even mutual funds are being transformed through a process called tokenization. One example is the emergence of tokenized money market funds.

But what exactly are they?

On screen: What is a money market fund?

Let's start with what many investors already know.

A money market fund is a type of mutual fund that typically invests in short-term, high-quality investments designed to help manage liquidity and preserve capital.

Many investors use money market funds as a place to hold cash while earning income and maintaining flexibility.

On screen: What does "tokenized" mean?

Now imagine taking ownership of a money market fund and holding that digitally on a blockchain.

That's tokenization.

Rather than only being recorded through traditional financial systems, ownership can also be represented as a digital token that reflects an investor's holdings in the fund. This digital record can make it easier to track ownership and potentially enable new ways of digitally transferring ownership to other qualified investors.

Think of it this way:

A tokenized money market fund is like taking a familiar investment and giving it a digital passport.

The destination stays the same but the journey may become faster, more connected, and better suited to an increasingly digital financial world.

On screen: What is the value for investors?

Interest in tokenization is growing because investors and financial institutions are exploring ways to make markets more efficient, transparent and connected.

Tokenized investment structures may help support:

• Near instant transfers allowing for operational efficiency
• Enhanced recordkeeping and transparency
• Increased connectivity between traditional finance and digital platforms

These are some of the reasons tokenization is receiving so much attention across the financial industry.

On screen: Does tokenization change the money market fund’s investment strategy?

What's important to remember is that tokenization doesn't change the underlying investments held by the fund or the fund’s overall investment strategy.

A tokenized money market fund still holds the same types of short-term securities as its all money market funds do. The key difference is how ownership is recorded and managed.