Michael Coletta Contact

Michael Coletta

Clearing and collateral technology, digital market infrastructure and standard-setting.

London

I spent ten years at CME Group. In Clearing technology I implemented ISDA-standard credit default swaps and interest rate swaps in the clearing and risk systems, including the IRS margin models, and from 2011 I supported CME Clearing Europe in London. In Digitization Tech Labs I built digital asset implementations, including Royal Mint Gold, while the standards for them were still forming.

At London Stock Exchange Group I shaped the group's strategy for tokenised securities across trading, clearing at LCH, settlement at Monte Titoli and benchmarks at FTSE Russell. I co-invented a DLT settlement design that LSEG filed as a patent application. The European Commission selected me for its Expert Group on Regulatory Obstacles to Financial Innovation and relied on our report in the MiCA impact assessment.

At Fineqia I designed the collateral mechanics of a crypto-collateralised exchange-traded note. Since October 2023 I have run an independent practice: CTO of Orbex, standards operations at OASIS Open, and project editor in CEN. I build implementations and work on the standards around them, and each informs the other.

Experience

Oct 2023 to present

Independent practice, London

  • Orbex Global Markets, Chief Technology Officer Oct 2023 to present

    Orbex runs a registry and traceability platform for recycled and primary commodities: supply-chain tracking, carbon avoidance and emissions attestations, including CBAM, with tokenised certificates on Hedera. I own the platform architecture and the token issuance.

  • OASIS Open, Technical Advisor Jun 2024 to present

    I run standards operations for the standard-setting body: ballots, public reviews, publication of OASIS Standards and submissions to ISO/IEC JTC 1. I chair the UBL Commodities Subcommittee.

  • CEN/TC 320/WG 13, Project Editor Aug 2025 to present

    Project editor for the EU-mandated revision of CEN/TS 15121-2, a postal digital seal service, aligning it with eIDAS 2.0.

  • Bank of England, fixed-term advisory contract Sep 2024 to Jan 2025

    Advised the CBDC Project Unit on transaction processing architectures for the digital pound core ledger.

Oct 2021 to Sep 2023

Fineqia International, Chief Strategy Officer

Repositioned a listed company as a regulated issuer of digital-asset exchange-traded notes. Designed the collateral mechanics and operating model of an ETN benchmarked to a FTSE Russell index.

Dec 2017 to Sep 2021

London Stock Exchange Group, Senior Manager, FinTech & Business Strategy

Head of Blockchain & Emerging Tech Innovation and Strategy

Group strategy for tokenised securities across trading, clearing, settlement and benchmarks. Co-inventor of a DLT settlement design. Member of the European Commission's ROFIEG (2018 to 2019) and the ESMA Financial Innovation Standing Committee Consultative Working Group (2021).

2007 to Oct 2017

CME Group, Chicago and London

  • CME Clearing Technology 2007 to 2016

    Implemented OTC credit default swap clearing (live December 2009), interest rate swap clearing (live October 2010) and the IRS margin models in the risk engine. From 2011, clearing technology liaison in London for CME Clearing Europe.

  • Digitization Tech Labs, Solutions Architect and Development Manager Feb 2016 to Oct 2017

    Set the architecture for Royal Mint Gold with BitGo and AlphaPoint, and ran a DLT delivery-versus-payment proof of concept with CME Clearing and clearing members for physical FX settlement.

Record

Public documents that name me or my work. Each link opens the primary source.

  1. 30 Recommendations on Regulation, Innovation and Finance

    European Commission, ROFIEG final report, December 2019, PDF

    Lists me among the 15 members of the expert group, for London Stock Exchange Group.

  2. MiCA impact assessment, SWD(2020) 380

    Council of the EU copy, September 2020, PDF

    States that the Commission relied on the ROFIEG report for the assessment.

  3. Digital Finance Strategy for the EU, COM(2020) 591

    EUR-Lex, September 2020

    Names the ROFIEG report among the inputs to the strategy.

  4. Patent application US20210192517A1

    London Stock Exchange plc, Google Patents, priority December 2019

    The LSEG DLT settlement design, with me named as a co-inventor.

  5. Digital Assets, Distributed Ledger Technology and the Future of Capital Markets

    World Economic Forum, 2021, PDF

    Acknowledges me as a contributor for London Stock Exchange Group.

  6. Global Digital Finance Annual Report 2020

    Global Digital Finance, PDF

    Carries my article "Beyond Skepticism and Towards Solutions", on MiCA and the legal rights of crypto-asset investors.

  7. UBL Commodities Subcommittee

    OASIS Open, UBL Technical Committee

    Names me as chair and sets out the subcommittee's purpose.

  8. Orbex, OASIS establish charter to standardize global supply chain emissions reporting

    Orbex press release, 4 June 2024

    Announces the subcommittee's charter for emissions data on commodities.

  9. Fineqia Develops Crypto ETF Capability with Global Index Provider FTSE Russell

    PR Newswire, 21 April 2023

    Announces the FTSE Russell index agreement and quotes me as Fineqia's Chief Strategy Officer.

Contact

michael.coletta@gmail.com

LinkedIn