Chainlink and Swift Enable Banks to Access Blockchains Without Infrastructure Upgrades

Chainlink has unveiled a new technical framework allowing financial institutions to manage digital asset workflows using Swift’s global messaging system, eliminating the need for infrastructure upgrades or overhauls to legacy processes.

Key Takeaways:

• Chainlink and Swift have enabled banks to trigger blockchain transactions using ISO 20022 messages without changing existing systems.
• UBS successfully piloted the integration, showing tokenized fund operations can be managed entirely through Swift messaging.
• The solution aims to bring onchain automation to the $100+ trillion fund industry while cutting costs and maintaining regulatory compatibility.

The pilot, conducted with UBS Tokenize, demonstrated how banks can use ISO 20022 messages, the global standard for financial communications, to trigger blockchain-based transactions, according to a recent press release.

When UBS sent these standardized messages through Swift, they were received by Chainlink’s Runtime Environment (CRE), which then activated subscription and redemption processes for a tokenized fund through Chainlink’s Digital Transfer Agent.

The process allows institutions to connect with blockchain systems from within their existing architecture, sidestepping the need for new identity, key management, or settlement tools.

The goal is to reduce friction, increase automation, and expand blockchain use without forcing traditional finance to abandon familiar infrastructure.

This development builds on earlier work completed under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Project Guardian, where Chainlink, Swift, and UBS first collaborated to test tokenized asset settlement using offchain cash transfers.

The new phase adds interoperability, enabling onchain events to be triggered directly from traditional messaging rails—a key challenge in institutional adoption of tokenized finance.

Chainlink said the model is designed to be “plug-and-play,” opening access to blockchain infrastructure for global institutions without the cost and complexity of full system replacements.

The Chainlink integration with Swift messaging is seen as a bridge that enables the $100+ trillion fund industry to explore full onchain workflows, boosting transparency, reducing reconciliation steps, and enabling programmable compliance.

We’re excited to announce a landmark technical solution enabling financial institutions worldwide to manage digital asset workflows directly from their existing systems using Swift (@swiftcommunity) messaging and Chainlink in collaboration with @UBS.https://t.co/W1fq1guro4… pic.twitter.com/0uBUl2K4tk

In parallel, Chainlink is also working with 24 global banks and financial infrastructure firms like DTCC and Euroclear on another pilot.

That project uses Chainlink’s tools and AI to standardize corporate action data, aiming to reduce billions in annual processing costs across the industry.

“This is a landmark innovation,” said Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov.

“We’re showing how smart contracts and new technical standards can allow transfer agents and other entities to manage tokenized asset workflows directly onchain.”

UBS’s involvement marks a growing interest among major banks in integrating tokenization into real-world operations, without waiting for new systems to be built.

Last week, Swift revealed that it has launched a blockchain pilot using Ethereum Layer 2 network Linea to test on-chain messaging and settlement, marking a deeper push into digital infrastructure.

The trial includes major banks like BNP Paribas and BNY Mellon and explores using a stablecoin-like token for direct interbank settlement.

Linea, chosen for its zk-rollup tech, offers low-cost, high-speed transactions while maintaining Ethereum-level security and privacy, critical for banks handling regulated financial data.

The pilot could streamline cross-border payments by reducing intermediaries and legacy friction.

This project builds on Swift’s previous blockchain experiments, including work with Chainlink, and reinforces Ethereum’s role in institutional finance.

The initiative reflects growing stablecoin interest among banks and positions Linea as a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized systems.

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