Czech National Bank issues its first bonds on a blockchain ledger

A shared digital ledger in which records are grouped into blocks and linked so that past entries are very hard to change.

It underpins cryptocurrencies and is tested for payments, supply tracking and record keeping.

A loan made by an investor to a government or company, which pays interest and returns the money on a set date.

Bond yields set the baseline for borrowing costs across an economy.

A digital currency secured by cryptography and recorded on a blockchain, without a central bank issuing it.

Crypto prices are volatile, and governments are still deciding how to regulate it.