Chainlink SWIFT Deal Could Put LINK Closer to Thousands of Banks

Chainlink (LINK) is moving deeper into traditional finance after teaming up with SWIFT to help banks connect to its blockchain ledger.

On Monday, Chainlink said its infrastructure will allow financial institutions to connect their systems to the SWIFT ledger.

Notably, SWIFT’s wider network covers more than 11,500 financial institutions and corporates across over 200 markets. However, that does not mean all of these institutions are adopting Chainlink.

Under the proposed setup, banks would use Chainlink’s Runtime Environment (CRE) to connect their systems and transaction-signing infrastructure to the SWIFT ledger. Banks would still control the keys needed to authorize transactions, while CRE would coordinate workflows between their systems and Swift.

The goal is to support 24/7 cross-border payments using tokenized deposits. These deposits would remain on bank-owned ledgers, while Swift’s ledger coordinates the movement of funds between participating institutions before final settlement.

Chainlink Labs CEO Sergey Nazarov said the company is “thrilled to be supporting the SWIFT ledger” as more banks explore tokenized deposits and look for ways to connect to the network.

The SWIFT development also came as Chainlink launched CCIP 2.0, an updated version of its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol.

The upgrade adds new transaction verification options, compliance controls and customizable transfer settings. Through its Automated Compliance Engine, CCIP 2.0 can also support KYC, AML and sanctions checks.

Chainlink says CCIP now secures more than $84 billion in cross-chain assets, with over $15 billion migrating to the protocol in the past four months.

The Swift announcement comes as LINK gains more attention from institutional investors and crypto traders. LINK-focused ETFs recorded more than $2 million in inflows on Monday, while spot Chainlink ETFs attracted another $6.4 million over the past week, according to data from Sosovalue.

These products now hold roughly $227 million in LINK, about 2.2% of the token’s current supply. The growing institutional interest has also supported LINK’s recent rally, with the token surging roughly 18.7% over the past week.

That said, crypto analytics firm Santiment highlighted a shift among LINK holders following the rally. The analytics firm said on Monday that Chainlink reached a 2026 high of $14.89 while the number of non-empty wallets fell to 912,020.

According to the firm, some smaller holders may have taken profits on the rally. The firm also noted that LINK’s holder base remains near record levels after expanding throughout 2026, a positive sign for LINK.

Elsewhere, popular analyst Javon Marks also sees room for a much bigger move. In a Monday post, Marks pointed to a multi-year descending trendline stretching back to LINK’s 2021 all-time high. The chart connects several lower highs formed through 2022 and 2023 before the recent breakout.

“LINK has turned significantly, and prices look to be entering a new wave with massive upside as the breakout target at $47.154 is still in play!” Marks wrote, adding that another 200% move could take LINK toward that level.

Marks made a similar call in June, saying the $47.154 target remained valid despite market volatility. At the time, he suggested LINK could eventually move more than 500% if an altcoin season developed.

At press time, LINK was trading around $13.59 after gaining roughly 10% in 24 hours.