#ProjectAgora
5 articles tagged #ProjectAgora — curated RWA tokenization coverage.
Citi launches trade digitisation solution, Lloyds tests tokenised cross-border payments through Project Agorá
Lloyds Banking Group has successfully completed three live tokenised-deposit transactions as part of Project Agorá, a collaborative initiative convened by the Bank for International Settlements and the Institute of International Finance. This project involves seven central banks and over 40 major financial institutions, including Citi, HSBC, and JPMorgan, aiming to integrate tokenised commercial-bank deposits with central-bank reserves. During recent testing, 28 institutions executed 17 scenarios totaling approximately $1 million, achieving an average settlement time of 80 seconds. This development is significant for the RWA market as it demonstrates the potential for tokenised assets to streamline wholesale cross-border payments by enabling simultaneous settlement of different currency legs. By reducing settlement risk and timing inefficiencies, Project Agorá provides a scalable framework for institutional adoption of blockchain-based financial infrastructure. The successful execution of these transactions highlights the growing momentum among global banks to transition from traditional payment rails to tokenised, programmable settlement systems. This shift is critical for the future of RWA tokenization, as it establishes the necessary plumbing for high-value, multi-currency asset transfers on distributed ledgers.
JPMorgan, Citi, UBS and Central Banks Wrap Up Real-Value Trials of Tokenized Cross-Border Payments in Project Agorá
Project Agorá, an initiative led by the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub, has successfully concluded real-value testing of tokenized cross-border payments. The trials involved 28 public and private entities, including major global institutions like JPMorgan, Citi, and UBS, alongside five central banks. Participants executed approximately 30 transactions totaling CHF 800,000 across six currencies, including the US dollar, euro, and Japanese yen. By utilizing a shared programmable ledger, the project demonstrated atomic settlement, which eliminates settlement risk by ensuring all asset transfers complete simultaneously. The average settlement time was reduced to 80 seconds, significantly faster than traditional cross-border payment methods. This milestone proves that tokenized commercial bank deposits and central bank reserves can function effectively within a unified, secure infrastructure. The successful execution of these trials highlights the potential for tokenization to modernize global wholesale finance by increasing transparency and reducing operational friction. This development marks a critical step toward institutional adoption of blockchain-based payment systems that maintain the safety of central bank-backed assets.
JPMorgan, Citi, UBS Testing Tokenized Cross-Border Payments
JPMorgan, Citi, and UBS are among 28 global financial institutions that successfully completed a live pilot of Project Agorá, a blockchain-based platform for cross-border payments. The test processed approximately $1 million in real-value transactions across six major currencies, including the U.S. dollar, euro, and Japanese yen. By utilizing tokenized commercial bank deposits alongside tokenized central bank reserves, the participants achieved an average settlement time of just 80 seconds. This initiative demonstrates the potential for atomic, multi-currency settlement that operates on a 24/7 basis, significantly outperforming traditional payment rails. The platform integrates smart contracts to embed compliance and workflow logic directly into transactions, effectively reducing manual reconciliation and operational friction. By enabling simultaneous foreign exchange settlement, the project also mitigates counterparty risk inherent in current sequential payment systems. This milestone represents a critical step toward modernizing wholesale banking infrastructure through the integration of programmable, tokenized assets.
Project Agorá starts live trials. Lloyds participates in 3 tokenized deposit transactions
Lloyds Banking Group has successfully executed three live tokenized deposit transactions as part of the Bank for International Settlements' Project Agorá. This initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of wholesale cross-border payments by integrating tokenization into the regulated banking framework. By utilizing real money rather than simulations, the project has officially entered its Real-Value Testing phase. Lloyds participated in transactions involving the conversion of Swiss francs into British pounds and euros, demonstrating the ability to execute FX conversion, payment, and settlement simultaneously. This shift from prototype to live testing highlights the potential for tokenized deposits to significantly reduce settlement risk and operational friction. The project involves a broad coalition of eight central banks and over 40 private financial institutions coordinated by the BIS and the Institute of International Finance. These trials represent a critical milestone in proving that tokenized assets can function effectively within existing global financial infrastructures.
BIS identifies stablecoin gaps. Regulation and innovations are already closing them
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has shifted its stance on stablecoins, moving from a dismissive critique of their soundness to a more constructive, prescriptive approach. While the BIS continues to highlight persistent challenges such as financial integrity, governance on permissionless rails, and blockchain fragmentation, it now emphasizes a two-pronged strategy involving coordinated regulation and the development of interoperable platforms. This strategy centers on the BIS unified ledger concept and Project Agorá, which aim to integrate tokenized commercial and central bank money. Notably, the report overlooks rapid private sector advancements that are already addressing these identified gaps. For instance, the US Hazel Network has introduced programmable compliance controls and mechanisms for deposit-to-stablecoin transitions that mitigate fragmentation. Furthermore, the GENIUS Act contains language that may provide a pathway for stablecoin elasticity, contrasting with more restrictive frameworks in Europe and the UK. These developments indicate that the market is proactively solving the structural deficiencies previously identified by global regulators. This evolution signals a maturing RWA landscape where private innovation and regulatory frameworks are beginning to align to create more robust digital monetary systems.