Swift and Chainlink have developed together to become one of the most notable partnerships between traditional finance and blockchain technology. For nearly a decade, both organizations have worked on one common goal: to enable financial institutions to enter blockchain networks without disrupting the infrastructure, messaging standards, and operational controls they already use.
NEW: As part of Swift’s work with Chainlink and UBS Asset Management, Swift has completed groundbreaking interoperability milestones with BNP Paribas, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Societe Generale 🧵 https://t.co/4cNB1EcJGS pic.twitter.com/18J3wtPp6K
— Chainlink (@chainlink) January 15, 2026
Swift is a platform based on a global messaging network that handles trillions of transactions every day, while Chainlink has become blockchain’s largest oracle and interoperability network. Together, they are establishing the foundation for institutional adoption of tokenized assets, cross-chain payments, and automated financial workflows.
Early foundations laid at Sibos
Its origins date back to the Sibos event in 2016, when many sectors of the financial industry considered blockchain itself an experimental technology. At the time, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov demonstrated his vision for intelligent contracts that could interface with real-world information and payment rails.
Our first demonstration using Oracle’s infrastructure showed how financial information can inform on-chain contracts and initiate Swift-based ISO 20022-compliant payment messages. This initial proof of concept outlined important lessons. This means that blockchain can only improve financial markets if it is interoperable with existing systems.
Accelerating interoperability between networks
As Chainlink began operations and became popular in decentralized finance, Swift began exploring blockchain capital markets. Industry conferences, such as those hosted by SmartCon and Swift, have strengthened collaboration with industry. In it, the groups described how institutions can connect their backend systems to a set of blockchains using standards they are familiar with.
The biggest advancement was the implementation of the Chainlink CrossChain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP). This technology allows data and tokens to be transferred between both public and private blockchains in response to commands in Swift messages. This strategy makes Swift a one-gate authority to the rapidly growing on-chain ecosystem.
Engine pilots and practical use cases
The partnership began implementation through a large-scale industrial pilot. In 2023, Swift and Chainlink collaborated with leading banks and market infrastructure to demonstrate secure cross-chain exchange of tokenized assets. These experiments demonstrated that institutions can model payment workflows across multiple networks without recreating core systems.
In parallel, another use case that has become important is the processing of corporate activities. Three years later, Swift and Chainlink have worked with custodians and asset managers around the world to standardize the process of sourcing, verifying, and distributing corporate activity data by integrating AI, oracle networks, and blockchain. The net effect is purer data, faster processing, and reduced operational risk.
Integrating tokenized assets with existing payments
Payments are a big issue for financial institutions entering digital assets. In 2024, Swift, Chainlink, and UBS Asset Management provided an example of a model where tokenized fund subscriptions and redemptions can be completed through off-chain fiat payments. Chainlink coordinated on-chain issuance and token writing. Swift then sent the payment route to the existing rails.
2025: Establishment of institutional-level standards
In 2025, a new step in the partnership is the introduction of the Digital Transfer Agent technology standard. The framework, launched at Sibos, will enable institutions to process tokenized funds workflows from their existing systems with direct ISO 20022 messages sent via Swift and coordinated by Chainlink’s runtime environment.
In the meantime, there was a second wave of business action programs that went into production readiness. New validation roles will be implemented to ensure data is accurate, and verified records will be distributed across Swift and various blockchain networks with the help of CCIP. This is moving into experimentation with industry-grade, scalable deployments.
A common vision for on-chain finance
Swift, Chainlink, and several financial institution leaders emphasized the importance of common standards and verifiable data during Sibos and SmartCon 2025 as markets go on-chain. The theme is the same: interoperability, assurance, and continuity of operations are non-negotiable when it comes to organizational adoption.
Swift and Chainlink are helping financial institutions enter the digital asset market by matching blockchain innovation with established financial infrastructure. As our relationship proves, collaboration, not disruption, is set to define the next phase of global finance.
