R3, the enterprise distributed ledger technology (DLT) and services firm, has appointed Bob Wigley, to its board as a Non-Executive Director. 

Wigley, who has Chaired UK Finance for the last six years, joins R3 after leading the UK Finance digital tokenization task force, which produced the report Unlocking the power of securities tokenization. Wigley was previously EMEA Chairman of Merrill Lynch where he took a keen interest in market infrastructures as a member of the boards of the Bank of England, Euroclear, and LCH Clearnet. He is an Honorary Fellow at Judge Business School within Cambridge University’s Centre for Alternative Finance. 

In his role at R3, Wigley will strengthen the company’s strategy with his expertise in digital finance and help drive further adoption of R3’s new product offering, R3 Digital Markets, amongst financial institutions across the globe. The company recently launched R3 Digital Markets, an end-to-end suite of digital solutions designed to help firms adopt and drive value across digital assets and digital currencies, from initial exploration to full-scale implementation. The new suite future-proofs asset transfer and integration, instantly adding value to existing systems and enabling quicker, more efficient workflows.

“I’m delighted to join R3 at a time when R3 Digital Markets is transforming the way global financial markets operate,” said Wigley. “R3 is the catalyst behind pioneering CBDC and other real financial asset tokenization projects, and I look forward to working with the team and its customers to continue driving adoption in new geographies and asset classes.”

“We’re excited to welcome Bob to the R3 board of directors. His extensive experience in progressing regulated financial infrastructure is crucial as we build the foundations for interoperable regulated networks,” said David E. Rutter, CEO at R3. “His insight and strong industry connections will be an invaluable addition to our board, at a time when R3 is working with financial institutions and FMIs to digitize global markets.”