Bottomline, a leading provider of Swift services, has entered a partnership with blockchain infrastructure firm Chainlink to extend blockchain-based cross-border settlement capabilities to its network of more than 600 bank customers.

The agreement marks a significant effort to bridge traditional financial payment infrastructure with public and private blockchain networks. Bottomline processes more than $16 trillion in payments annually, which gives the initiative the potential to expose a large banking network to blockchain-based settlement while allowing institutions to retain the payment messaging standards they already use.

The partnership is designed so that banks can continue relying on familiar Swift and ISO 20022 messaging infrastructure while accessing blockchain-based payment rails. Rather than forcing financial institutions to replace their existing systems, the initiative aims to connect those systems with blockchain networks through Chainlink's interoperability and transaction orchestration technology. The effort aligns with a broader industry push to modernize cross-border payments, including the G20 cross-border payments program coordinated through the Bank for International Settlements, which has set targets for improving the speed, cost, and transparency of international transactions.

Under the integration, more than 600 banks would be able to keep using existing ISO 20022 messaging standards while settling eligible cross-border payments through blockchain networks, potentially reducing transaction times and operational costs. ISO 20022 has become the dominant standard for rich payment messaging, with Swift completing its migration of cross-border payment messages to the format in recent years, making it a natural bridge point for connecting legacy banking traffic to blockchain networks.

Chainlink technology connects multiple networks

Chainlink is supplying interoperability infrastructure through its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) alongside its Runtime Environment. These technologies are intended to enable secure communication and transaction coordination across different blockchain networks and financial systems.

Interoperability is a critical requirement for banks, since financial institutions may eventually need to interact with multiple public and private blockchain environments rather than depending on a single network. A system capable of connecting different networks could therefore reduce fragmentation as blockchain-based financial infrastructure develops. Chainlink's infrastructure is already used in institutional settings, including collaborative experiments with major financial messaging and market infrastructure players exploring on-chain settlement of tokenized assets.

Bottomline's existing payment infrastructure forms the traditional financial component of the partnership. By adding blockchain connectivity, the two companies aim to give banks access to on-chain settlement without requiring them to abandon established messaging and operational processes.

The approach could also help address one of the main challenges in institutional blockchain adoption. Financial institutions typically run highly standardized systems built up over decades, which makes wholesale changes expensive and operationally complex.

Cross-border payments targeted for modernization

Cross-border payments can involve multiple intermediaries, currencies, settlement systems, and compliance processes. These factors can raise the time and expense required to complete transactions, especially when payments move across different financial jurisdictions.

Blockchain settlement could potentially reduce some of these inefficiencies by allowing transactions and settlement activities to take place through digital networks. The Bottomline-Chainlink initiative is intended to combine those capabilities with existing banking infrastructure.

By linking established payment messaging with blockchain settlement, the partnership could offer banks a more direct path toward adopting on-chain financial infrastructure while preserving familiar workflows and standards. Similar incremental strategies have been pursued elsewhere in the industry, with Swift itself running experiments connecting its messaging network to blockchain platforms, indicating growing convergence between legacy payment rails and distributed ledger technology.

The development comes as financial institutions increasingly examine blockchain technology for payments, tokenized assets, and other financial applications. Tokenization has drawn particular interest as institutions explore ways to represent traditional financial assets digitally and improve how they are transferred and settled.

NEW: Top-three Swift service provider, Bottomline, has entered a strategic partnership with Chainlink to unlock cross-chain, cross-border payments for its 600+ bank customers. Bottomline moves more than $16 trillion in payments annually across its platforms. Through the… pic.twitter.com/jnpgCdoSCs — Chainlink (@chainlink) September 3, 2026

According to the report, the broader tokenized finance market could reach approximately $16 trillion by 2030. Greater access to blockchain settlement infrastructure could support that expansion by giving banks more practical ways to interact with tokenized assets and digital financial networks.

Regulation and adoption remain key factors

The partnership will operate within financial regulatory requirements, with security and compliance expected to remain central to its implementation. Banks adopting blockchain-based settlement must account for requirements covering transaction monitoring, data protection, customer verification, and cross-border financial regulations. Regulatory clarity around digital assets continues to evolve across jurisdictions, and frameworks such as the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation are shaping how institutions can engage with blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

The initiative's effectiveness will also depend on how quickly participating banks adopt the technology and how much transaction activity ultimately moves onto blockchain-based rails.

For Chainlink, the partnership offers an opportunity to extend its interoperability infrastructure deeper into traditional financial services. For Bottomline, blockchain connectivity could expand the capabilities available through its payment infrastructure and give its banking customers additional settlement options.

If the integration achieves broad adoption, it could serve as a model for connecting legacy financial messaging systems with blockchain networks and accelerate the use of on-chain settlement across institutional payment markets.

The next stage will likely center on implementation, transaction volumes, and adoption among Bottomline's banking customers. Regulatory developments, technical integration, and the willingness of financial institutions to shift settlement activity onto blockchain networks will remain important factors in determining the partnership's long-term impact.