The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has opened the first selection procedure to appoint a Consolidated Tape Provider (CTP) for bonds, inviting interested entities to register and submit requests to participate by 7 February 2025. The CTP is intended to consolidate bond trade data from multiple trading venues into a single continuous electronic stream to support market transparency and price discovery. ESMA has published the contract notice and procurement documents on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Requests will be assessed against exclusion and selection criteria, with successful candidates then invited to submit a full application. ESMA aims to adopt a reasoned decision on the selected applicant by early July 2025. The selected provider will operate the CTP for five years, will be invited to apply for authorisation with ESMA without undue delay, and will be supervised by ESMA once authorised.