SWIFT trials XRP and HBAR to speed up cross-border payments
SWIFT, the global interbank messaging network, is piloting Ripple’s XRP and Hedera’s HBAR to improve cross-border payments. As part of its ISO 20022 upgrade, SWIFT is evaluating XRP via Ripple On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) and HBAR’s hashgraph consensus to reduce settlement times from days to seconds and lower transaction costs. Traditional SWIFT transfers take 1–5 business days with $10–$50 fees, whereas XRP transactions settle in 3–5 seconds at $0.0002, and Hedera can process up to 10,000 transactions per second. This experiment aligns with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s forecast that XRP could capture 14% of SWIFT’s global liquidity within five years. In parallel, Ripple plans to launch its RLUSD stablecoin in Japan by Q1 2026, expanding its liquidity solutions. SWIFT’s trials of ISO 20022-compatible blockchain solutions signal a shift toward faster, more cost-effective interbank transfers, with potential to reshape the global payments landscape.
Bullish
SWIFT’s pilot tests of XRP and HBAR represent a bullish development for the crypto market. Historically, formal experiments by established financial infrastructures, such as SWIFT’s Global Payments Innovation (gpi) launch in 2017, led to increased adoption of compliant messaging standards. By integrating blockchain-based solutions, SWIFT is acknowledging the efficiency of digital assets in liquidity management and settlement speed. In the short term, news of SWIFT’s trials typically generates positive price momentum for the associated tokens as traders anticipate heightened demand and institutional interest. XRP and HBAR may see increased trading volume and price appreciation following confirmation of successful pilots. In the long term, if SWIFT adopts Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity or Hedera’s hashgraph, it could drive significant on-chain liquidity inflows, lower cross-border transfer costs, and accelerate network effects for both ecosystems. Such integration would strengthen the use case for XRP and HBAR, positioning them as key bridges in interbank transactions. Therefore, market sentiment is likely to remain optimistic as SWIFT moves toward pilot completion and potential full-scale implementation.