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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]
6 clusters · 33 sources · 52 days · First seen · Last updated
Categories: BUSINESS · TECHNOLOGY
Swift blockchain ledger pilot live
Entities: Mastercard · tokenized deposits · Ripple · SWIFT · blockchain ledger
Overview
In early June 2026 OCBC Bank launched a service for affluent Singapore clients to buy and hold physical gold bars, moving from pooled paper‑gold to direct ownership. Shortly after, DBS introduced a retail tokenised gold product issuing one‑gram digital tokens backed by gold stored in a Singapore vault. By early July, senior executives at Singapore’s major banks were discussing how tokenised cash or collateral could ease liquidity bottlenecks in cross‑border payments, noting that SWIFT speeds message routing but settlement still lags under local rules. The conversation coincided with regulatory shifts in China directing wealth‑management flows to Singapore. On 9 July, SWIFT announced that its permission‑based, chain‑agnostic blockchain ledger was ready for initial live use after a nine‑month development period. Seventeen banks from six continents—including Citi, HSBC, UBS, Wells Fargo, BNP Paribas, ANZ, DBS, First Abu Dhabi Bank, FirstRand, Itaú Unibanco and others—began piloting 24/7 tokenised‑deposit transactions. The ledger acts as an orchestration layer, allowing banks to move tokenised balances around the clock while final settlement remains on existing payment rails. The pilot aims to cut liquidity costs, speed international payments and offer a regulated alternative to stablecoins. Former SWIFT chief innovation officer Tom Zschach reiterated that no XRP integration is planned; XRP may be used as an optional bridge asset but is not required for settlement. A week later, on 12 July, SWIFT moved the solution into live operation, linking the 17 pilot banks through a blockchain‑based interlinking layer that routes messages and tokenised deposits while settlement continues on the traditional SWIFT and ISO‑20022 networks. On 28 July, SWIFT confirmed that the blockchain ledger is now live for real‑time payments, with the same 17 banks testing tokenised deposit transactions on an EVM‑compatible Hyperledger Besu platform.
Timeline
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5 days ago
[BUSINESS] 2 sourcesSwift launches blockchain ledger pilot with 17 global banksSwift’s blockchain ledger launched with 17 banks worldwide, while Mastercard’s partnership with Ripple fuels speculation on XRP‑based payment solutions.
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21 days ago
[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sourcesSWIFT launches tokenized 24/7 cross‑border payment interlinkingSWIFT’s live blockchain interlinking lets 17 banks move tokenised deposits 24/7, using a chain‑agnostic layer that keeps settlement on existing systems and optional XRP bridging.
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24 days ago
[TECHNOLOGY] 23 sourcesSwift launches blockchain ledger with 17 banks for 24/7 paymentsSwift’s new blockchain ledger, built in nine months, will let 17 global banks move tokenised deposits 24/7 while keeping existing settlement systems, and it does not involve XRP.
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about 1 month ago
[BUSINESS] 3 sourcesSingapore banks explore tokenisation to ease cross‑border payment liquiditySWIFT aims to use tokenised assets to cut liquidity delays in cross‑border payments, while Singapore banks, led by DBS, are set to gain from China’s tighter wealth‑flow controls.
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about 2 months ago
[BUSINESS] 4 sourcesDBS Bank to Offer 1‑Gram Tokenized Gold to Singapore Retail InvestorsDBS will launch 1‑gram tokenized gold for Singapore retail investors via digibank in late 2026, priced around S$200 per gram, with possible listing on its digital exchange.
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about 2 months ago
[BUSINESS] 2 sourcesOCBC Bank Launches Direct Physical Gold Trading for High‑Net‑Worth Clients in SingaporeOCBC Bank in Singapore now offers direct physical gold bar purchases to its high‑net‑worth clients, providing ownership of 1 kg and larger bars amid rising demand for local gold storage.
Sources
abmedia.io · aisj.org · assodigitale.it · cahighways.org · coin-turk.com · coindoo.com · coinedition.com · coingape.com · cryptobriefing.com · cryptoweek.fr · dartsnmore.com · datafloq.com · en.bitcoinsistemi.com · en.coin-turk.com · en.coinotag.com · exame.com · finovate.com · freemalaysiatoday.com · fxnewsgroup.com · it-boltwise.de · kapitalmarktexperten.de · kurse.focus.de · laboyanos.com · maritimejobfair.com · sgsme.sg · starsinsider.com · tamilmurasu.com.sg · thecorner.eu · themarketperiodical.com · timestabloid.com · tronweekly.com · u.today · vikatan.com