Ripple Chiseled a Crack in the Wall, But Swift Tore Down the Entire Wall
At the Sibos 2025 conference, Swift announced a major evolution of its financial infrastructure by integrating a blockchain-based shared ledger to support tokenized assets and enable secure, real-time, and interoperable global transactions. The new system, built on Consensys' Ethereum Layer 2 network Linea, uses zk-EVM rollup technology to reduce costs and settlement times while meeting banking security standards. Over 30 major banks, including JPMorgan and Citibank, are participating in the pilot.
The article reflects on Ripple’s long-standing effort to challenge traditional cross-border payments using XRP and RippleNet, which has seen adoption in retail and corporate remittances despite earlier regulatory challenges. However, Swift’s move represents a broader and more systemic shift. Unlike Ripple’s XRP-dependent model, Swift’s ledger is asset-agnostic, supporting CBDCs, stablecoins, and fiat currencies, and leverages its existing network of over 11,000 institutions.
This transition marks a convergence of traditional and decentralized finance, enabling 24/7 settlement, reducing reliance on pre-funded accounts, and potentially freeing up trillions in trapped capital. By adopting a neutral, interoperable, and highly scalable blockchain framework, Swift is positioned to redefine global value transfer—moving from a legacy telegraphic model to a digitally-native, mathematically-verified system.
深潮12/23 02:52