Factors in the Portability of Tokenized Assets on Distributed Ledgers

Abstract: The tokenization of assets deployed to distributed ledger technology is increasingly cited to revolutionize financial services by allowing traditionally illiquid assets to be bought and sold on primary and secondary markets increasing asset liquidity, transparency and reducing transaction completion time. To realize these benefits it is important the token is transferrable, that is, portable from one distributed ledger to another. In this paper we survey current interoperability architectures and smart contract languages, identifying factors affecting the portability of tokenized assets. We propose a portability maturity model that can be used to help assess the current state of technology and supporting market infrastructure.