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Swift’s blockchain-based ledger ready for use
10 July 2026 Belgium
Image: ImageFlow/stock.adobe.com
Swift, a member-owned cooperative operating messaging infrastructure for the world’s banking system, has announced that its blockchain-based ledger is ready for initial use.
Early-adopting financial institutions will gain support for 24/7 cross-border payments with tokenised deposits.
According to Swift, 17 banks from six continents are preparing to pilot live transactions, with its shared ledger providing a secure orchestration layer for bank-issued tokenised deposits on their own infrastructure.
The pilot banks include: ANZ, BNP Paribas, BNY, Citi, DBS, First Abu Dhabi Bank, FirstRand Bank, HSBC, Itaú Unibanco, Lloyds Bank, Mashreq, OCBC, Standard Chartered, UBS, UOB, and Wells Fargo.
The infrastructure is said to allow funds to be moved overnight and on weekends, before completing final settlement through existing systems.
This marks the first use case for the ledger, originally announced last year, which Swift designed and built with feedback from international financial institutions.
Following the initial controlled deployment of the blockchain-based ledger, the firm plans to expand its functionality and availability, building upon improvements made by Swift and its community to existing rails.
Speaking on the launch, Thierry Chilosi, chief business officer at Swift, says: “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.”
Lisa Vasic, managing director, transaction banking, ANZ, adds: “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.”
Pierre Fersztand, global head of cash management, payments, trade solutions and factoring for the BNP Paribas Group, comments: “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.”
Senior representatives at a number of pilot banks shared the positive sentiment surrounding their participation in the testing phase and the potential applications of the ledger.
Early-adopting financial institutions will gain support for 24/7 cross-border payments with tokenised deposits.
According to Swift, 17 banks from six continents are preparing to pilot live transactions, with its shared ledger providing a secure orchestration layer for bank-issued tokenised deposits on their own infrastructure.
The pilot banks include: ANZ, BNP Paribas, BNY, Citi, DBS, First Abu Dhabi Bank, FirstRand Bank, HSBC, Itaú Unibanco, Lloyds Bank, Mashreq, OCBC, Standard Chartered, UBS, UOB, and Wells Fargo.
The infrastructure is said to allow funds to be moved overnight and on weekends, before completing final settlement through existing systems.
This marks the first use case for the ledger, originally announced last year, which Swift designed and built with feedback from international financial institutions.
Following the initial controlled deployment of the blockchain-based ledger, the firm plans to expand its functionality and availability, building upon improvements made by Swift and its community to existing rails.
Speaking on the launch, Thierry Chilosi, chief business officer at Swift, says: “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.”
Lisa Vasic, managing director, transaction banking, ANZ, adds: “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.”
Pierre Fersztand, global head of cash management, payments, trade solutions and factoring for the BNP Paribas Group, comments: “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.”
Senior representatives at a number of pilot banks shared the positive sentiment surrounding their participation in the testing phase and the potential applications of the ledger.
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