Chainlink has launched a solution using its Chainlink Runtime Environment, or CRE, to connect financial institutions’ existing platforms with Swift’s blockchain-based ledger. The framework provides an intermediary access layer while banks keep their cryptographic keys and can securely self-sign transactions. It is designed to support smart contracts between banks, tokenized deposits and payment-obligation settlement without transferring signing authority to a third party. Swift’s ledger is intended for 24/7 international payments using tokenized commercial bank deposits, rather than a public cryptocurrency, and will supplement existing messaging and payment services. The project is in a limited pilot, with 17 banks in six countries having expressed interest in tokenized-deposit services and more than 40 financial companies involved in designing the ledger.