Tokenised finance at scale: insights from Swift and Standard Chartered Bank

Why tokenisation is reaching a tipping point

Tokenisation is no longer experimental. Financial institutions want more than faster data flows. They want assets and value to move instantly, securely, and reliably.

For banks and their clients, especially in fast-growing markets, “always-on” services are becoming the baseline expectation. Tokenisation helps meet this demand by bringing new efficiency, speed and innovation into mainstream financial services.

As discussed during the session, digital assets are now crossing the line from controlled pilots into real-world adoption.

Extending trust into the digital asset world

Swift already connects more than 11,500 financial institutions across over 200 countries. This trusted global reach is why extending Swift’s infrastructure into blockchain-based ledger technology is a natural next step.

The proposed ledger will act as a secure, real-time record of transactions between financial institutions. It aims to validate transaction sequences and enforce agreed rules through smart contracts, while maintaining the reliability the industry expects from Swift.

Rather than replacing existing systems, the ledger will complement today’s infrastructure and bridge traditional finance with tokenised assets.

Solving fragmentation through interoperability

One of the biggest challenges in digital finance today is fragmentation. Multiple networks exist, but they struggle to work together.

This lack of interoperability limits scale and slows adoption. The discussion highlighted that true progress depends on common standards and shared infrastructure.

Swift’s role is to help the industry connect tokenised networks in the same way it connected fiat payment rails—safely, securely, and at scale.

An industry effort, built with the community

This initiative is not being built in isolation. Swift is collaborating with more than 30 global financial institutions, technology partners, and central banks.

By working together, the industry can agree on settlement models, token types, and governance frameworks that work across borders. Collaboration is what unlocks scale and turns innovation into usable, global services.

Swift leads at the infrastructure level, but success depends on the collective effort of the financial community.

A shared vision for the future of finance

The discussion closed on a clear message: interoperable digital infrastructure is critical to the future of global commerce.

By connecting tokenised assets across networks and jurisdictions, the industry can better support trade, payments and economic growth worldwide. This is not just about technology. It’s about enabling finance to move at the speed modern economies require.