ANZ completes landmark cross-border tokenised deposit payment with Swift, BHP and Citi
RWA Signal Insight
InfrastructureANZ has successfully executed a live cross-border corporate treasury transaction using tokenized deposits on the Swift blockchain ledger. The pilot involved a collaboration between ANZ, BHP, Swift, and Citi to facilitate US dollar payments between Melbourne and New York. By leveraging shared ledger technology, the transaction demonstrated the ability to process payments outside of traditional banking hours with increased speed and efficiency. This initiative highlights the potential for tokenized deposits to operate seamlessly across different banking institutions while remaining invisible to the end customer. For the RWA market, this represents a significant step toward integrating digital assets into existing global financial infrastructure. The successful test confirms that Swift’s ledger can act as a secure connector for interoperable tokenized deposits, supporting 24/7 liquidity management for multinational corporations. This development underscores a shift toward real-time, always-on settlement capabilities within the traditional banking ecosystem.
Key points
- ANZ became the first Australian bank to utilize Swift’s blockchain ledger for payments.
- The pilot successfully moved US dollar funds between Melbourne and New York.
- Collaboration included ANZ, BHP, Swift, and Citi to test cross-border interoperability.
- Tokenized deposits enabled real-time, 24/7 payment processing for corporate treasury operations.
Background
Swift is a global member-owned cooperative that provides secure financial messaging services to thousands of institutions worldwide. Recently, Swift has been developing blockchain-based ledger technology to enable interoperability between traditional banking systems and digital asset networks. Tokenized deposits represent digital claims on a bank, designed to function as a programmable form of commercial bank money.