Itaú Unibanco Joins ANBIMA Tokenization Pilot for Bonds and Funds

Brazil's largest bank, Itaú Unibanco, has partnered with digital asset infrastructure provider OpenAssets to participate in a tokenization pilot led by the Brazilian Financial and Capital Markets Association, ANBIMA. The initiative, announced on August 11, 2026, aims to test the issuance, trading, and settlement of tokenized bonds and investment funds using distributed ledger technology in a controlled, simulated environment.

The pilot program brings together more than 50 financial institutions and technology firms to evaluate the technical, operational, and regulatory frameworks necessary for adopting blockchain-based systems in capital markets. ANBIMA selected 20 use cases from 39 proposals in April to form the initial testing group. Under the partnership, OpenAssets will supply its tokenization infrastructure while Itaú contributes its capital markets expertise. The work will focus on developing technical proofs of concept and assessing the architecture, standards, and compliance systems needed to support tokenized investments.

The testing will specifically examine debentures, a common form of corporate debt in Brazil, and investment funds. This breadth is designed to...