SWIFT, one of the globe’s oldest & largest financial conglomerates, is getting ready to add blockchain-based ledger technology. In their latest X message, SWIFT didn’t reveal whether XRP, HBAR or another Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) based blockchain would be adopted.
SWIFT Shifts Focused To Blockchain Tech
Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR) & Ripple (XRP) fall in line with a select other ISO 20022 compliant crypto currencies, including the likes of Stellar Lumens (XLM) & Algorand (ALGO). Rolling this messaging standard out in early 2026, SWIFT seeks for immediate transaction processing.
In a carefully-explained push towards blockchain technology, SWIFT said they’re building infrastructure to bridge assets via the UBS Asset Management in collaboration with Chainlink (LINK), the only blockchain company mentioned in the message.
Additionally, the other collaborations mentioned were the fiat & digital currency settlement through Citi Bank, ISO 20022 interoperability via the HSBC bank & setting up a digital-asset transaction exchange with the help of The Reserve Bank Of Australia & the Northern Trust wealth manager.
Who’s Edging The SWIFT Adoption Game?
While SWIFT previously confirmed testing of HBAR & XRP on their payment rails, the results are yet to be revealed. From a technical standpoint, the Hedera (HBAR) ledger is able to take in up to 10,000 transactions per second (TPS), edging XRP Ledger’s 1,500 TPS record.
On the other hand, SWIFT could as well choose XRP due to the OG altcoin’s massive trading volumes, typically garnering beyond $5 billion a day.
Long-proven to serve a bulk of transactions seamlessly, this perfectly qualifies for SWIFT’s “blockchain-based ledger” partner, as SWIFT handles over $155 trillion in annualized volume & requires an immediate settlement solution.
Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) already handles live remittances in corridors like Asia-Pacific. SWIFT’s looking for this type of experience, but it’s undeniable that the current focus is mult-chain.
Rather than focusing on one winner, SWIFT aims to unite multiple blockchains in this venture, but Ripple’s XRP Ledger might be exactly what SWIFT wants, like immediate settlement without pre-funding.
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No, SWIFT stayed neutral. While it selected Linea for the main shared ledger pilot, both XRP Ledger and Hedera were tested for interoperability and settlement use cases, so neither was excluded.
XRP was designed specifically for fast, low-cost cross-border payments. Therefore, its On-Demand Liquidity feature and proven banking partnerships make it a natural fit for SWIFT’s need to reduce pre-funding and enable 24/7 settlement.
Hedera offers extremely high throughput, carbon-negative operations, and a trusted governing council with major enterprises. As a result, it stands out for regulated, high-volume tokenization and enterprise-grade compliance.
SWIFT will likely keep a multi-rail approach. Consequently, XRP could see more use in liquidity and settlement corridors, while HBAR fits better for tokenized assets and institutional workflows.
With ISO 20022 migration reaching peak adoption in 2026, banks can start opting into different rails throughout the year. Thus, real usage will depend on actual bank integrations rather than trial results alone.
