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A Bridge Between Banks and Blockchain
Chainlink has teamed up with Swift to let banks push transactions directly onto blockchains. This marks one of the first real products to come from Swift’s blockchain pilot.
The project connects Chainlink’s execution layer, called the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE), with Swift’s global messaging rails. That means banks don’t need new infrastructure. They can use the same system they already trust to reach multiple blockchains.
Built on Project Guardian
This move expands on Project Guardian, a 2024 pilot led by Chainlink, UBS Asset Management’s tokenization arm, and Singapore’s Monetary Authority. That test showed how tokenized fund flows could sync with fiat payment systems already in use.
Under the pilot, Swift’s ISO 20022 messages were used to handle fund subscriptions and redemptions onchain. In traditional finance, these steps pass through layers of custodians, agents, and administrators—each slowing things down. Onchain, the process skips many of those bottlenecks.
Why It Matters
Chainlink says the integration unlocks “last-mile connectivity” for financial players. In plain English, it plugs banks into blockchain without ripping out their existing plumbing.
Assets under management worldwide hit $147 trillion in June 2025, according to McKinsey. If even a slice of that flows onchain, the market could look very different.
Swift’s Blockchain Journey
Founded in the 1970s, Swift has long been the backbone of global cross-border payments. But it’s now racing to adapt. Since 2023, Swift and Chainlink have tested how Swift can serve as a one-stop access point to multiple blockchains.
In 2024, Swift joined BIS and dozens of private firms in Project Agorá, looking at how tokenized bank deposits could run alongside wholesale CBDCs. In 2025, Swift is also exploring blockchain-based settlement systems with Consensys and over 30 financial institutions.
*ISO 20022 = A global standard for electronic financial messaging.
*Tokenization = Turning real-world assets into digital tokens on a blockchain.
