Singapore financial group DBS and American financial giant Citi on Saturday completed the first cross-border payment using a tokenized deposit between Singapore and the U.S. over a weekend.
The companies executed the transaction using tokenized deposits via the Swift digital ledger to circumvent the limitations of traditional banking hours, DBS said on Monday.
The deposit was settled in minutes, which DBS called a "significant improvement" compared to the industry norm of up to two business days for traditional cross-border transfers.
The transaction shows how traditional banks are exploring blockchain infrastructure to enhance the efficiency of cross-border operations, while also aiming to keep deposits within banking channels. Standard Chartered and HSBC were the first to complete a cross-border tokenized deposit transaction in August via the Swift blockchain ledger.
In July, Swift, the world's largest financial messaging network, stated that its blockchain ledger was ready for initial use and that it was preparing to pilot cross-border payments using tokenized deposits involving 17 major banks, including Citi and DBS, as well as HSBC, BNP Paribas, UBS, ANZ, and Standard Chartered.
Citi is also part of a group of major U.S. banks planning to launch a separate tokenized deposit network in the first half of 2027. The bank-owned network will be operated by The Clearing House. This was reported in June by David Watson, CEO of the payment operator, to The Wall Street Journal.
In November 2025, DBS and JPMorgan disclosed plans to develop a tokenization blockchain platform that will enable on-chain transfers between the banks' tokenized deposit ecosystems; the goal is to establish an industry standard for interbank payments.
Related: VARA and Securitize Sign MoU to Boost Tokenization in Dubai
end-content





