In international finance, the blockchain-operated new debt instrument known as BOND-I (Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument) was launched by which global institution?

Introduction / Context:
With the rise of distributed ledger technologies, multilateral institutions have experimented with blockchain for issuing and managing financial securities. One such innovation is BOND-I, which stands for Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument. Understanding which international institution launched this bond is part of modern banking and financial awareness for competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The instrument is explicitly called BOND-I, expanded as Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument.
• It is a bond issued using blockchain technology.
• The options include various major financial institutions: IMF, RBI, ADB and the World Bank.
• We assume the context refers to the first global blockchain bond issued by a multilateral lender.

Concept / Approach:
The World Bank has been a pioneer in issuing innovative debt instruments, including green bonds and more recently blockchain-based bonds. BOND-I was launched as a demonstration of how blockchain could be used to manage the entire life cycle of a bond, from creation to allocation and management. The bond was arranged in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, but the issuer was the World Bank. None of the other listed institutions are associated with a product formally named BOND-I.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that BOND-I is a blockchain-based bond.Step 2: Recall that the World Bank issued the first global blockchain bond as part of its efforts to explore financial technology.Step 3: Remember the full form, Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument, often cited in connection with the World Bank.Step 4: Compare this with the options: IMF, RBI, ADB and World Bank.Step 5: Select the World Bank as the correct issuer of BOND-I.

Verification / Alternative check:
Press releases and financial news reports describe BOND-I as a World Bank initiative executed on a private blockchain network. They emphasise that this was the first time a global institution issued a bond whose creation, allocation, transfer and management were entirely run on a blockchain platform. No similar references are found for IMF, RBI or ADB under the name BOND-I, confirming that the World Bank is the right choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• International Monetary Fund (IMF): The IMF focuses on macroeconomic stability and lending to member countries, but it does not issue public bonds named BOND-I.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI): RBI is a central bank that may experiment with technology but is not the multilateral issuer associated with BOND-I.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): ADB issues bonds but is not the institution that branded a blockchain bond as BOND-I.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may quickly associate any innovative multilateral bond with ADB or confuse blockchain projects with central bank digital currency experiments by institutions such as RBI. The key is to focus on the specific acronym BOND-I and its full form. Remembering that the World Bank has a long history of firsts in bond markets, including the first global bond and first green bond, helps link BOND-I correctly to the World Bank as well.

Final Answer:
BOND-I, the Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument, was launched by the World Bank.