Chainlink extended its streak of cooperation with traditional finance, this time aiming to integrate the Swift interbank payment system with tokenized assets.
Chainlink (LINK), the leading crypto oracle, completed another pilot in cooperation with UBS and Swift. Chainlink proposed solutions to connect the interbank payment system with various tools for on-chain settlement.
The Chainlink pilot was part of Project Guardian, launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). One of the main tests during the pilot program was to use the Swift payment system to settle on-chain transfers. Swift not only works as a payment data system and a compliance network, but also arranges communication and meetups in the banking community. The organization may be key to spreading Chainlink’s approach to traditional finance.
Chainlink, UBS Asset Management, and Swift explored tools for buying and selling tokenized funds using the Swift payment system. The reach of the available settlements would reach 11,500 financial institutions across 200 countries and territories.
Chainlink’s move replaces the general narrative that blockchains would displace Swift payments. The movement between on-chain and traditional transfers has happened manually so far, but Chainlink aims to automate the process and remove the possibility for mistakes.
The approach of Chainlink may mean that financial institutions can have a separate market for settling their claims, not going through crypto infrastructure. The approach also goes counter to the value proposition of Ripple, which has claimed its system can replace Swift.
Skeptics have noted that Chainlink will have no immediate use cases for its research, but the project is one of the first to demonstrate on-chain integration and RWA to banks and financial institutions.
Chainlink adds 40 new projects
Most Chainlink use cases are linked to the Ethereum ecosystem, with 1,151 onboarded apps and projects in total.
Chainlink still secures a total of 402 projects, or around 49% of all data-based apps and platforms. Chainlink also secures more than $24B in value, mostly tied to DeFi projects.
The share of Chainlink gradually fell from 62% as new oracles emerged. Despite this, Chainlink is still most often the first choice for reliable data. Other oracles either catch up by adding new projects, or are built to serve only one niche chain or project.
Despite the expansion, LINK tokens remain close to their yearly lows, trading around $10. LINK is at $10.79, retaining trading volumes above $280M in 24 hours. LINK has been aggressively longed in November, changing the previous trend.