Back in 2018, Ripple hosted a pivotal gathering at its San Francisco headquarters ahead of the Swell conference. The event brought together a heavyweight roster of global financial institutions and payment networks—MUFG Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Westpac, Standard Chartered, Banco Santander, Siam Commercial Bank, American Express, and SBI—all exploring how blockchain technology could reshape cross-border payments and settlement. This moment captured the early momentum of crypto adoption among traditional finance, showcasing how major players were experimenting with distributed ledger solutions. A throwback worth revisiting for anyone tracking the evolution of institutional engagement with blockchain infrastructure.