Wholesale Financial Markets

Definition ∞ Wholesale Financial Markets refer to the segment of the financial system where large institutions, such as banks, corporations, and governments, trade financial instruments in high volumes. These markets typically involve transactions between professional participants rather than individual retail investors. They facilitate large-scale capital flows, liquidity provision, and risk management across various asset classes. The operations in these markets are often subject to specialized regulatory oversight.
Context ∞ News often discusses Wholesale Financial Markets in the context of central bank digital currencies CBDCs and institutional adoption of blockchain technology. The tokenization of traditional assets and the use of distributed ledger technology for interbank settlements are areas of significant exploration. Understanding how digital assets might integrate into these markets is crucial for assessing their potential to reshape global finance. Regulatory frameworks are being developed to accommodate blockchain-based solutions within these high-volume trading environments.