Ripple could become a SWIFT blockchain bridge! XRP has the potential to reach 11,000 banks.

The integration of Ripple with global payment giant Finastra has opened a direct pathway to the SWIFT ecosystem, potentially covering 11,000 financial institutions. As SWIFT tests public blockchain settlement solutions including the XRP Ledger, Ripple (XRP) may become a key bridge between traditional cross-border payments and the blockchain world.

Finastra integrates with Ripple to open the SWIFT ecosystem

Finastra's payment hub processes approximately $5 trillion in cross-border funds daily, servicing thousands of banks and deeply connecting with the SWIFT network.

Through this integration, payments on RippleNet can be routed directly or indirectly to SWIFT member banks, meaning that Ripple does not need to force banks to abandon SWIFT to provide them with XRP-based liquidity solutions.

Industry documents show that Finastra's system can flexibly choose SWIFT messaging or alternative channels like RippleNet, providing the technical foundation for banks to introduce blockchain technology in cross-border settlement.

SWIFT Test Public Blockchain Settlement XRP Listed

In 2025, SWIFT launched a pilot program to test multiple public blockchains, including the XRP Ledger, to assess whether tokenized settlement can enhance the speed and data transparency of cross-border transfers.

Although a pilot does not equate to formal adoption, this initiative shows that SWIFT is not rejecting Blockchain, but rather actively exploring the interoperability with tokenized payment rails.

XRP Technical Advantages: Instant Settlement and Low Cost

The XRP Ledger has a typical settlement time of 3–5 seconds and transaction fees at the micro-dollar level, significantly reducing the cross-border transfer cycle and costs compared to the traditional SWIFT correspondent banking model.

Ripple executives emphasize that banks can choose to use XRP as a settlement and liquidity tool while retaining SWIFT as a messaging system, achieving a "dual-track parallel".

Legal and governance challenges remain key hurdles

Although the technology is feasible, banks' adoption of public chain settlement still needs to meet strict legal, compliance, and governance requirements.

SWIFT, as a cooperative organization managed by 11,000 member institutions, requires neutrality and a legal framework as a prerequisite for large-scale transformation. Any proposal that transfers funds to a public token track must establish a custody model, settlement finality, and regulatory approval.

Potential Market Impact: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars or On-Chain

Industry analysis indicates that even if only a small percentage of SWIFT funds shift to tokenized settlement, there could be hundreds of billions of dollars flowing on-chain annually.

Finastra's integration provides Ripple with a real pathway to reach thousands of bank endpoints, while SWIFT's pilot indicates that the penetration of blockchain in the cross-border payment sector is accelerating.

Conclusion

Ripple is gradually building a bridge between traditional finance and Blockchain. Finastra's technology integration and SWIFT's public chain pilot have paved the way for XRP's application in the global cross-border Settlement market. In the future, if legal and governance frameworks are in place, XRP may become the core channel for 11,000 banks to access Blockchain payments.