Back
U.S. Dollar Share of SWIFT Payments Reaches Record 51.1% in March

U.S. Dollar Share of SWIFT Payments Reaches Record 51.1% in March

The U.S. dollar accounted for more than half of international payments on SWIFT (global financial messaging network), up 1.9 percentage points in March and 13 points since 2022.

Fact Check
The numeric claim is supported by both the X post at https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2048069508355539395 and the article titled "SWIFT: The share of USD in international payments rose to a record 51.1% in March, while the share of RMB increased to 3.1%." The latter explicitly attributes the figures to SWIFT data and reports the same headline number, monthly increase, and euro comparison. However, the evidence found in this run points to March 2024 data reported in April 2026, not clearly to March 2026. Because a direct SWIFT primary page was not retrieved, confidence is medium rather than high.
    Reference: 
Summary

The U.S. dollar’s share of international payments conducted through SWIFT (global financial messaging network) rose to a record 51.1% in March, according to the provided data. That marks an increase of 1.9 percentage points from the prior reading and a gain of 13 percentage points since 2022. The input also states that the euro accounted for about 21% of SWIFT payments, showing a wide gap between the two leading currencies in global transaction use. SWIFT payment share is commonly watched as a measure of international currency usage in cross-border financial activity.

Terms & Concepts
  • SWIFT: A global financial messaging network used by banks and institutions to send payment instructions across borders.
  • International payments: Cross-border money transfers between institutions, businesses, or individuals, often used to gauge currency usage in global trade and finance.
  • Reserve currency: A widely used currency in global trade, finance, and official holdings, typically valued for liquidity and broad acceptance.