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Vladimir Tarantaev, CFA, PMP
Vladimir Tarantaev, a CFA expert in fixed income, has a strong track record in credit analysis at CIS banks and a diverse background in math-physics and astronomy.
Vladimir Tarantaev
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08.10.2025
SWIFT Plans to Build Bridge Between Traditional Finance and Tokenized Assets
SWIFT Plans to Build Bridge Between Traditional Finance and Tokenized Assets
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Long seen as the backbone of interbank communication, SWIFT unveiled plans for its own blockchain-based settlement system. The move will bring blockchain technology directly into the heart of traditional finance, connecting tokenized currencies and securities through a trusted global network. For investors, it may offer the first truly integrated path between conventional and digital finance. Is this the breakthrough digital markets have been waiting for?

The international payments network SWIFT has confirmed plans to build its own blockchain-based shared ledger, in collaboration with more than thirty of the world’s largest banks and technology partners such as ConsenSys. Announced last week at the Sibos 2025 conference, the project aims to modernize global financial infrastructure by combining SWIFT’s trusted messaging standards with blockchain features - continuous transaction recording, real-time validation, and programmable smart contracts. In essence, SWIFT wants to evolve from being a secure messaging network into a global transaction backbone for the coming era of tokenized finance.

Unlike earlier blockchain experiments confined to pilots, this initiative represents a strategic shift by the world’s dominant interbank network. The new ledger will be designed to interact seamlessly with tokenized assets, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and stablecoins, providing a unified framework for settlement and compliance.  In practical terms, the ledger could serve as a bridge between today’s payment rails and the rapidly growing tokenized markets for securities and digital currencies.

For digital bond investors, the implications could be far-reaching. Tokenized bonds - such as recent issues by Hong Kong, NRW.BANK, and the Inter-American Development Bank - currently operate on separate blockchain platforms with limited cross-border settlement options. SWIFT’s shared ledger could help connect these fragmented systems, enabling investors to move tokenized cash and securities across jurisdictions instantly and securely.

However, challenges remain: cross-jurisdiction legal recognition of digital securities, integration with existing custodians, and the risk of creating yet another closed, permissioned ecosystem. Still, if successful, this initiative could become the missing link between digital money and digital bonds, because SWIFT's main advantage is its existing network usable in over 200 countries and connecting more than 11 000 banks.

Author
Vladimir Tarantaev, CFA, PMP
Vladimir Tarantaev, a CFA expert in fixed income, has a strong track record in credit analysis at CIS banks and a diverse background in math-physics and astronomy.
Vladimir Tarantaev
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