by Jake ClaverQuick answer: The Digital Token Identifier (DTI) is the ISO 24165 standard code that uniquely identifies a digital token. It is a nine-character alphanumeric code maintained by the DTI Foundation, a non-profit division of Etrading Software that acts as the registration authority. It sits alongside older codes like the ISIN and is the piece that lets securities messaging systems, including ISO 20022, refer to a specific token without ambiguity. Assigning an identifier to a token is reference-data plumbing, not an endorsement of that token.
Updated 07/17/2026. By Jake Claver. Educational content, not investment advice.
Markets run on identifiers. A stock has an ISIN, a currency has an ISO 4217 code, and a legal entity has an LEI. Digital tokens did not have an equivalent global code until recently, which made them hard to reference cleanly in regulated reporting and settlement systems. The DTI is the standard that fills that gap, and it is the connective piece behind the phrase “DTI, ISO 24165, and ISO 20022 securities messages.”
What the Digital Token Identifier is
The DTI is defined by ISO 24165, a standard from ISO Technical Committee 68 (financial services). It assigns each digital token a unique nine-character alphanumeric code. The standard comes in two parts: ISO 24165-1, published in 2021, sets out the method for registration and assignment, and ISO 24165-2, updated in 2025, defines the data elements recorded for each token in the registry. The identifier is designed to work for tokens issued, traded, settled, or stored across distributed ledger networks.
Who maintains it
The registration authority is Etrading Software, operating through the DTI Foundation (DTIF), a non-profit division. According to the Foundation, it issues and maintains DTIs as the golden-source reference data for digital tokens, on a cost-recovery, FRAND basis, and the identifiers themselves are open access and free to use. The Foundation’s DTI FAQ lays out the structure and the registry mechanics in more detail.
How DTI relates to ISIN
The DTI does not replace the ISIN; it complements it. An ISIN identifies a security, and the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) has published guidance on pairing DTIs with ISINs so that a tokenized instrument can be described by both the security it represents and the specific token that carries it. In practice, that pairing matters for anything where a real-world asset is represented on-chain: you need to know both what the instrument is and which token it corresponds to. The DTI is also positioned alongside the Unique Product Identifier (UPI) used in derivatives reporting.
Where ISO 20022 securities messages come in
ISO 20022 is the messaging standard that carries structured financial data between institutions and market infrastructures. Its securities messages are maintained through a public change-request process, and that maintenance work has taken up requests to let securities messages represent digital tokens, including recording a blockchain address or wallet identification and reporting balances in token units. You can see the standard’s change and maintenance materials through the ISO 20022 registry, and the specific change-request document behind this thread is published as an ISO 20022 milestone document. The direction is straightforward: give the existing securities messaging plumbing the fields it needs to describe token-based instruments instead of inventing a parallel system.
What this is not
It is worth being precise, because this area attracts overstatement. A DTI being assigned to a token, or ISO 20022 messages gaining fields that can carry a token identifier or wallet address, does not mean any standards body endorses, favors, or recommends a particular cryptocurrency. Identifiers and message fields are deliberately asset-neutral. “ISO 20022 supports token X” is not the same as “ISO 20022 endorses token X,” and the second claim is not supported by these documents. Regulatory context reinforces the neutral, infrastructural framing: the EU’s markets in crypto-assets (MiCA) framework treats standardized identification as a compliance and reporting tool, not a seal of approval.
Why this matters
Clean identification is the unglamorous prerequisite for tokenized markets. Without a shared code, the same token can be described five different ways across five systems, which breaks reconciliation, reporting, and settlement. A stable DTI plus updated ISO 20022 securities messages gives regulated institutions a consistent way to name and move token-based assets, which is exactly the kind of groundwork the Bank for International Settlements has described as necessary for a tokenized future monetary system. The honest boundary: this is reference-data and messaging infrastructure. It does not speak to the value or investment merit of any token, and it should not be read as a trading signal.
Common questions
What is a Digital Token Identifier (DTI)?
A DTI is a unique nine-character alphanumeric code that identifies a digital token, defined by the ISO 24165 standard. It lets regulated systems refer to a specific token unambiguously, in the same way an ISIN identifies a security.
What is ISO 24165?
ISO 24165 is the international standard for the Digital Token Identifier. Part 1, published in 2021, sets the method for registering and assigning a DTI. Part 2, updated in 2025, defines the data elements recorded for each token in the DTI registry.
Who assigns and maintains DTIs?
The registration authority is Etrading Software, operating through the non-profit DTI Foundation. It issues and maintains DTIs as golden-source reference data on a cost-recovery basis, and the identifiers are open access and free to use.
How does the DTI relate to the ISIN?
The DTI complements the ISIN rather than replacing it. An ISIN identifies a security, while a DTI identifies the specific digital token. The Association of National Numbering Agencies has published guidance on pairing the two so tokenized instruments can be described by both codes.
Does ISO 20022 or the DTI endorse any specific cryptocurrency?
No. Assigning a DTI to a token, or adding ISO 20022 message fields that can carry a token identifier or wallet address, is asset-neutral reference-data and messaging work. It does not endorse, favor, or recommend any cryptocurrency, and it should not be read as investment guidance.
This content is educational only. It is not tax, legal, or investment advice. Check primary sources and speak with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
