Bottomline, a major provider of Swift services, has partnered with blockchain infrastructure firm Chainlink to expand blockchain-based cross-border settlement capabilities to more than 600 bank customers.
The agreement represents a significant effort to connect traditional financial payment infrastructure with public and private blockchain networks. Bottomline processes more than $16 trillion in payments annually, giving the initiative the potential to expose a large banking network to blockchain-based settlement while allowing institutions to retain established payment messaging standards.
The partnership is designed to enable banks to continue using familiar Swift and ISO 20022 messaging infrastructure while accessing blockchain-based payment rails. Rather than requiring financial institutions to replace their existing systems, the initiative seeks to connect those systems with blockchain networks through Chainlink’s interoperability and transaction orchestration technology.
The integration is intended to allow more than 600 banks to use existing ISO 20022 messaging standards while settling eligible cross-border payments through blockchain networks, potentially reducing transaction times and operational costs.
Chainlink technology connects multiple networks
Chainlink is providing interoperability infrastructure through its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol, or CCIP, alongside its Runtime Environment. These technologies are intended to facilitate secure communication and transaction coordination across different blockchain networks and financial systems.
For banks, interoperability is a critical requirement because financial institutions may eventually need to interact with multiple public and private blockchain environments rather than relying on a single network. A system capable of connecting different networks could therefore reduce fragmentation as blockchain-based financial infrastructure develops.
Bottomline’s existing payment infrastructure provides the traditional financial component of the partnership. By adding blockchain connectivity, the companies aim to give banks access to on-chain settlement without forcing them to abandon established messaging and operational processes.
The approach could also help address one of the challenges associated with institutional blockchain adoption. Financial institutions often operate highly standardized systems that have been developed over decades, making 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 increase the time and expense required to complete transactions, particularly when payments move across different financial jurisdictions.
Blockchain settlement could potentially reduce some of these inefficiencies by allowing transactions and settlement activities to occur through digital networks. The Bottomline-Chainlink initiative is intended to combine those capabilities with existing banking infrastructure.
By connecting established payment messaging with blockchain settlement, the partnership could provide banks with a more direct path toward adopting on-chain financial infrastructure while preserving familiar workflows and standards.
The development comes as financial institutions increasingly examine blockchain technology for payments, tokenized assets and other financial applications. Tokenization has attracted particular interest as institutions explore ways to represent traditional financial assets digitally and improve their transfer and settlement processes.
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
The report indicates that 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 involving transaction monitoring, data protection, customer verification and cross-border financial regulations.
The effectiveness of the initiative will also depend on how quickly participating banks adopt the technology and how much transaction activity eventually moves through blockchain-based rails.
For Chainlink, the partnership provides 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 provide its banking customers with 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.
