Building the digital payment stack of the future
We’re working with 40+ financial institutions to add a blockchain-based ledger to our infrastructure stack. By doing so, we’ll extend our trusted platform into a digital environment, unlock the potential for instant, always-on transactions at global scale and accelerate the industry’s transition to digital finance. The first use case will be focused on 24/7 cross-border payments.
Building the digital payment stack of the future
More than a technology upgrade
Our first use case will be supporting 24/7, real-time cross-border payments
A secure, real-time log of transactions between financial institutions will record, sequence and validate transactions and enforce rules through smart contracts
Financial institutions depend on us to keep the economy moving – now we’re bringing that reliability to digital finance
Designed to interoperate with existing and emerging systems, our ledger will help digital finance scale efficiently
With our new ledger capability, we’re extending the trust and stability of established finance into the frontiers of digital money. It allows tokenised value to move across borders with the velocity and flexibility modern commerce expects, while maintaining the same high levels of resiliency, security, and compliance global finance requires. The strong support from banks shows the practical value of this approach — one that will help scale benefits globally while creating a foundation for future innovation in areas like programmable money and agentic commerce.
Pilot banks
Our blockchain-based ledger is ready for initial use, enabling early adopter financial institutions to support 24/7 cross-border payments with tokenised deposits — and marking a decisive step in scaling the benefits of digital value across the regulated global financial system.
Banks that will pilot initial live transactions on the ledger include:
ANZ | FirstRand Bank Limited | OCBC |
Testimonials
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Swift’s digital ledger initiative is an important step in advancing real-time, always-on cross-border payment capabilities. By combining Swift’s trusted network with this new infrastructure, we see strong potential to help customers move funds in real-time and manage liquidity more flexibly. Building on our deep experience in digital assets, ANZ is committed to working with Swift and global partners to securely scale next-generation payments infrastructure and deliver more efficient, always-on payments capabilities.
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We are proud to be among the first banks to pilot Swift’s blockchain-based ledger - a significant milestone in the evolution of cross-border payments. This achievement reflects BNP Paribas’ ongoing collaboration with Swift to shape the next phases of the ledger’s development. By supporting this initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to industrialising digital finance at scale. Our goal is clear: to deliver measurable value to corporate clients through faster, more transparent, and more secure transactions.
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We are pleased to continue collaborating with Swift on the use of shared ledger technology to support greater interoperability in cross-border payments. This work is an important step in understanding how these capabilities may evolve over time in a way that complements existing infrastructure and meets the needs of clients globally.
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The launch of Swift’s blockchain-based ledger represents an important step towards enabling always-on payments and liquidity. Collaborating on this initiative reinforces Citi’s commitment to our clients for making cross-border money movement seamless and instant. Leveraging Swift’s innovative blockchain based messaging infrastructure allows us to create interoperable payment solutions, powered by Citi's network, enhances our ability to serve our global clients with greater speed, resilience and security.
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Blockchain-based ledgers and tokenised money enable banks to deliver greater speed, transparency and real-time liquidity to better support client needs. Interoperability with existing payment rails and application in real world use cases will be critical for these capabilities to scale. By leveraging Swift’s extensive network with DBS’ track record in tokenised deposits and cross-border payments, we can contribute meaningfully as one of the pioneer banks on Swift’s blockchain-based ledger – underscoring our commitment towards shaping a resilient and future-ready global banking system.
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At HSBC, we are leading the charge in scaling tokenised deposits across multiple markets worldwide. We are pleased to be one of the first banks to connect our Tokenised Deposit Service to Swift’s new blockchain-based ledger infrastructure, building on our existing 24/7, compliant tokenised deposits capabilities. This is an important milestone in the evolution of cross border payments and a positive step towards making them work the way our clients’ businesses operate today - in real time, across time zones, and without artificial cut-offs. By using tokenised deposits on a regulated, bank-issued basis and connecting them through Swift’s trusted global network, we can improve liquidity efficiency, strengthen cash-flow visibility, and deliver a more seamless 24/7 experience for corporates.
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This marks progress in the development of on-chain ecosystems. As an early participant, we have supported the development of Swift’s blockchain-based ledger, reflecting the value of industry collaboration in advancing digital finance.
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Mashreq is committed to shaping the future of financial services through innovation in digital banking. By collaborating with Swift to utilise next generation ledger technologies, we will enable faster settlement and enhance the security of transaction processing for our clients.
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MUFG Bank is proud to join Swift and global industry partners in advancing the exploration of next-generation financial market infrastructure. We see strong potential for tokenized deposits and distributed ledger technology to contribute to more efficient and transparent cross-border payments and liquidity management over time. Through our participation in this initiative, we are focusing on piloting and evaluating practical use cases, while carefully considering how these innovations can be integrated into existing financial ecosystems in a safe, scalable, and client-centric manner.
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OCBC has been building our blockchain and tokenisation capabilities as part of a broader focus on strengthening our AI, Digital and Data expertise. We look forward to working with Swift and the partner banks to enable real-time, 24/7 cross-border tokenised transactions leveraging the Swift ledger, to better serve the payment needs of our customers.
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We are redefining cross-border payments with Swift’s new blockchain-based ledger – combining tokenised deposits with our global network to deliver instant, always-on money movement. This will position our FI and Corporate clients at the forefront of payments innovation – unlocking real-time visibility, enhanced liquidity control, and the speed needed to stay ahead in managing capital globally.
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We see interoperability as the key enabler for scaling tokenised deposits beyond individual institutions. Swift’s ledger is an important industry initiative that can help connect digital money networks, supporting real-time settlement, greater liquidity mobility and the broader adoption of tokenised payments and digital assets across the global financial ecosystem.
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Swift’s blockchain-based ledger has moved from concept to live infrastructure, marking an important step towards practical adoption of new payment capabilities. For businesses, real-time, 24/7 cross-border payments can improve settlement speed, liquidity efficiency and cash flow visibility. UOB is among the first banks in this industry collaboration, bringing our regional network and transaction banking expertise to support secure, scalable and interoperable solutions that help businesses move value with greater confidence across borders.
FAQs
What is the Swift blockchain-based shared ledger?
A blockchain providing a shared, real-time record of transactions between financial institutions, designed for instant, always-on cross-border payments and tokenised value.
Who is it for?
Banks and financial institutions that want to deliver faster, more transparent payments while preparing for the digital future.
What are the benefits?
- Real-time visibility and predictability of payments
- Interoperability with traditional rails and emerging systems
- Ability to move regulated tokenised value securely
How does it fit with Swift’s platform?
It complements our trusted role in global finance, extending capabilities into digital rails while maintaining resilience, security, and compliance.
What’s the first use case?
Supporting real-time, 24/7 cross-border payments.
Who is involved?
We’re working with a coalition of over 30 banks from 16 countries.
When will it be available?
The initiative is being developed in stages, starting with the prototype. Timelines will be guided by development and testing phases.
Want to learn more?
Reach out to your account manager to learn more about this exciting project.
Straight from Sibos
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