Global banking co-operative Swift is moving forward with plans to offer member banks access to emerging digital asset classes and currencies over its network, covering a range of use cases in payments, securities, FX, trade and beyond
Swift has spent the past couple of years running trials to test the potential for interoperability with CBDCs, private blockchain networks and tokenised assets.
The Brussels-based messaging network says it now ready to move towards real-world solutions capable of interlinking various forms of digital assets and currencies - including plans to test how to enable multi-ledger Delivery-versus-Payment (DvP) and Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) transactions on the network..
"Without a globally accepted digital form of money, the cash leg in the execution of DvP settlement is particularly challenging," states Swift. "So we’re looking at ways to connect tokenised asset settlement with the corresponding payment transfer taking place on the Swift network. The payment leg will initially be made using existing fiat currencies, but will later be able to use tokenised forms of money, such as CBDCs, tokenised commercial bank money, or regulated stablecoins."
The co-operative is also testing how its interlinking capabilities could be used to connect emerging bank-led networks such as the US Regulated Settlement Network with other financial infrastructure.
Swift says the next steps involves developing technical standards and exploring what implementation will mean for the workflows, standards and market practice requirements needed to achieve scale.