Swiss digital asset infrastructure provider SCRYPT has integrated Franklin Templeton‘s tokenised money market fund into its internal treasury operations. The company is using the BENJI token to gain round-the-clock liquidity for its idle cash reserves, reducing its reliance on traditional settlement cycles. SCRYPT is using the BENJI token, which represents shares in the Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund (FOBXX). The integration allows the Swiss-licensed firm to manage its treasury with continuous on-chain access to a yield-bearing asset. Conventional money market funds typically settle on a T+1 basis and operate within standard banking hours. This creates a settlement mismatch for digital asset firms that manage liquidity in markets that operate around the clock. By deploying its idle capital into a tokenised fund, SCRYPT can achieve more immediate liquidity for its treasury. The firm executes these transactions on the same institutional infrastructure it uses for trading, settlement, and custody. Sylvan Martin “Integrating BENJI into SCRYPT’s treasury gives us 24/7 intraday liquidity in a tokenised money market fund issued by one of the world’s most established asset managers,” said Sylvan Martin, Founder and Chief Growth Officer at SCRYPT. The deployment shows how regulated counterparties are placing their internal treasuries on tokenised cash rails before offering similar models to their clients.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by agilimam107 via Magnific The post SCRYPT Uses Franklin Templeton’s BENJI Token for 24/7 Treasury Access appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Public Sapient and Salesforce have released a whitepaper presenting a comprehensive technology strategy to help business and technology leaders to prepare for agentic commerce, or what they describe as the next major evolution in retail and commerce where AI agents handle the cognitive tasks of shopping, such as product comparison and validation. According to the paper, agentic commerce is moving at an unprecedented pace. While the widespread adoption of the Internet took two decades, and mobile phones eight years, agentic commerce is expected to compress into just 24-26 months. This is because agents leverage existing infrastructure, including APIs, payment systems, and fulfillment networks built in place, preventing the need for businesses to rebuild foundational systems from scratch or wait for new digital rails to be established. The A.C.E. Framework To support this shift, the paper introduces the A.C.E Framework, an architectural model for building agent-ready commerce ecosystems across three critical layers. First, the Agentic Experience Interface focuses on enabling products and services to be discoverable and actionable by AI agents. Second, the Composable Micro-Apps expose core commerce capabilities through modular, interoperable services. Finally, underpinning both is the Enterprise Context Orchestration, which represents the central nervous system of the agentic system. Situated between the micro-apps and legacy enterprise systems, this layer governs data integrity, security, compliance, and contextual intelligence across the entire agent ecosystem. The A.C.E Framework, Source: Public Sapient and Salesforce, March 2026 Beyond the architectural foundation, the paper also identifies three emerging categories of AI agents that organizations must increasingly optimize for. The first category is the platform agents, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. These platforms sit between consumers and merchants, effectively functioning as the new “headless browser” for the AI era. As they control an increasingly dominant share of product discovery, becoming agent-addressable on these surfaces has become critical for businesses. ChatGPT, for example, processes 1 billion web searches weekly, with several sources claiming approximately 50 million shopping-intent queries every day. The second category is brand agents. These systems operate on merchant-owned assets, serving customers directly within the brand’s ecosystem. Unlike platform agents, they offer differentiated experiences, capture first-party data, and strengthen direct relationships. Notable examples include Sephora Virtual Artist, an augmented reality feature in Sephora’s app that allows users to try on makeup products in real time and which formulates product recommendations; and Zalando Advisor, an AI-powered conversational tool providing personalized fashion advice and product recommendations based on the customer’s questions, context, and shopping history. Finally, the third category is personal consumer agents. These agents act on behalf of individual shoppers, managing preferences, executing purchases, and coordinating across multiple merchants. They are being enabled by platforms like ChatGPT Projects, and Gemini Personal Agents, alongside automation tools and open-source ecosystems that allow for self-hosted, action-capable agents, and long-running effort. Though this category is still in its infancy, it is evolving quickly and warrants close monitoring from business leaders. Agentic commerce market outlook Agentic commerce refers to a shopping experience powered by intelligent AI agents capable of anticipating, personalizing, and automating every step of the process to create frictionless, proactive experiences. It’s enabled by cutting-edge advancements in AI, and represents a transformative shift in the entire commercial ecosystem. Potential agentic customer journey, Source: McKinsey, Oct 2025 Consumer behavior is already evolving in response to these capabilities. According to a 2025 survey by McKinsey, 44% of users who had tried AI-powered search said that it had become their “primary and preferred” source for Internet searching, compared with 31% who prefered using traditional search. Digital information sources preferred by consumers to inform their purchasing journeys, Source: McKinsey’s AI Discovery Survey, Aug 2025 In Europe, AI adoption shows up most strongly upstream of the transaction. In particular, European consumers most frequently use AI for comparison brands, models, prices and reviews (63%), learning about a category or product (55%), and discovering new products and getting inspired (46%), according to separate 2025 study by McKinsey. However, trust drops sharply when it shifts from supporting judgment to taking decisions, particularly when using AI to pre-fill baskets, complete checkout, or automatically reorder items. European consumers trust in AI tools during shopping journey, Source: McKinsey Consumer AI Discovery Survey, Dec 2025 Despite current challenges, McKinsey forecasts robust growth for the sector. Given the growing availability and current adoption levels of AI-powered discovery tools, it estimates that by 2030, the global B2C retail market alone could see between US$3 trillion and US$5 trillion in orchestrated revenue from agentic commerce.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by DC Studio via Magnific The post Public Sapient and Salesforce Share Framework for Agentic Commerce Ecosystem appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Euroclear and Societe Generale-FORGE are exploring the use of a US dollar stablecoin to settle tokenised short-term funding instruments. The initiative aims to explore settlement solutions for non-euro transactions on distributed ledger technology (DLT). The partnership focuses on the settlement of tokenised US dollar-denominated Negotiable European Commercial Paper (NEU CP). The companies will evaluate the use of USD CoinVertible for these transactions. SG-FORGE, the digital asset subsidiary of the Societe Generale group, issues the stablecoin, which complies with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. European financial institutions are currently working to modernise the commercial paper market. Project Pythagore, an ongoing regional initiative, aims to transition euro-denominated NEU CP onto DLT using central bank money for settlement. Because the commercial paper market is inherently multi-currency, Euroclear and SG-FORGE are testing alternative digital cash solutions to support US dollar transactions in parallel with this DLT evolution. Isabelle Delorme “As we work with Banque de France to help the NEU CP market evolve toward DLT, this collaboration allows us to test how USD settlement can evolve alongside it,” said Isabelle Delorme, Head of Product and Innovation at Euroclear. Jean-Marc Stenger “This collaboration highlights the growing role of digital cash solutions in modernising financial market infrastructure,” said Jean-Marc Stenger, CEO of Societe Generale-FORGE. “We are exploring how a robust and secure asset can enhance efficiency and resilience in cross-currency markets, while remaining fully aligned with regulatory and market standards.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by smartmalik6384 via Magnific The post Euroclear and Societe Generale Test USD Stablecoin for Tokenised Debt Settlement appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The Crypto Valley Association has launched a direct investment initiative to fund early-stage startups that apply blockchain technology within their product stack. Dubbed “Made in Crypto Valley”, the initiative is open to ventures across multiple sectors including fintech, AI, supply chain, biotechnology, medical technology, and robotics. The programme targets founders at the pre-seed or seed stage, offering a structured syndicate investment process connecting them with regional investors and established companies. The programme matches founders directly with a CVA-orchestrated syndicate designed to provide direct capital investment. To qualify, participating startups must have raised a maximum of CHF 1.5 million to date, with a valuation cap set at CHF 10 million. The initiative aims to foster talent and support the next generation of builders within the Swiss startup ecosystem. The investment process will culminate in a final presentation day in Zurich on 11 November 2026. Startups have until 15 September 2026 to submit their applications to the syndicate.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Magnific The post Crypto Valley Launches “Made in Crypto Valley” Startup Investment Initiative appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

PayPal has added more than 30 local payment methods to its global platform through a collaboration with infrastructure provider PPRO. The integration allows merchants to accept region-specific payment options, targeting consumers who prefer familiar checkout tools when buying from international retailers. The new options include Swish in Sweden, MB WAY in Portugal, and BLIK Pay Later in Poland, along with Brazil’s Pix. With this expansion, PayPal now supports a wider range of locally preferred payment methods worldwide, including bank transfers, digital wallets, and cash-based solutions. The European international e-commerce market has reached nearly €359 billion, representing a substantial growth area for businesses looking to expand. Samba Natarajan “Even when consumers shop globally, they want to pay with the payment methods they know and trust at home,” said Samba Natarajan, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Europe, PayPal. Offering localised payment options can help online retailers reduce checkout friction. This process often leads to higher conversion rates and improved customer satisfaction, which is particularly relevant for merchants seeking to expand their customer base beyond domestic borders. Motie Bring “By integrating more than 30 new local payment methods into PayPal’s platform, we are connecting global merchants with more shoppers around the world,” said Motie Bring, CEO, PPRO. The collaboration brings together PayPal’s global payments network and PPRO’s expertise in local payment infrastructure, helping merchants offer the payment options customers expect in different markets.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by digitizesc via Magnific The post PayPal Targets Cross-Border E-Commerce With 30 New Local Payment Methods appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Venturelab’s Venture Leaders programme has supported Swiss technology companies over the past 20 years, with many companies facing challenges securing growth-stage capital after completing the programme. To address this gap, Managing Partners Christian Winkler and Michael Wieser have announced the Swiss Champions Fund, a venture capital fund managed by TIE Capital Partners with a target size of approximately CHF 100 million. The fund will invest exclusively in companies that have participated in Venturelab’s Venture Leaders programme. It will focus on Series A and Series B rounds. As a lead or co-lead investor, it will typically make initial investments ranging from CHF 3 million to CHF 5 million. The fund plans to build a concentrated portfolio and focus on this specific pipeline and stage of financing. The launch comes as Swiss startups continue to see growth in venture capital investment. Total annual investment in Swiss startups has increased from about CHF 940 million in 2016 to nearly CHF 3 billion in recent years. However, data from SECA and startupticker indicates that roughly 24% of this capital has come from Swiss investors over the past decade. In later-stage rounds, the domestic share falls below 10%. As a result, Swiss startups often raise growth funding abroad, including in London, Berlin, and the US. Michael Wieser Christian Winkler “Switzerland doesn’t have an innovation problem, it has a scaling capital problem,” said Christian Winkler and Michael Wieser, Managing Partners of the Swiss Champions Fund. “Switzerland has been producing companies for years. With the Swiss Champions Fund, we aim to act as a growth-stage investor for selected Venture Leaders companies during their expansion phase.” The fund will become a main sponsor of Venture Leaders and use the programme as its investment pipeline. Around 60 companies are selected for Venture Leaders each year. Jordi Montserrat “For over 20 years, Venture Leaders has supported Swiss technology companies as they enter international markets,” said Jordi Montserrat, Co-Founder of Venturelab. “The addition of a growth-stage fund provides another financing option for companies moving beyond the programme.” The launch was announced on the evening of 24 June during Venture Leaders’ 20th anniversary celebration in Zurich.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Magnific The post Swiss Champions Fund Launches CHF 100M Vehicle for Venture Leaders Startups appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Worldline has introduced Click to Pay for recurring payments in Europe, allowing international merchants to integrate one-click checkouts across recurring and stored credential payments. The capability is available on Global Collect, the global cross-border payments platform of Worldline. The service targets digital-first businesses looking to scale subscription models across multiple markets, while seeking to increase conversion rates and protect recurring revenue streams. According to data from Worldline, checkout friction and payment failures remain significant obstacles to growth in digital commerce. Click to Pay can increase checkout conversion by up to 6%, while involuntary churn from expired or reissued cards causes up to 40% of total subscription churn. By extending this feature, the company aims to help merchants improve both customer acquisition and long-term retention. Gertjan Dewaele “With Global Collect, we help international merchants convert more sign-ups into long-term revenue by reducing checkout friction and avoiding payment failures,” said Gertjan Dewaele, Head of Product and Technology at the Global Commerce division, Worldline. During the initial transaction, the system securely stores tokenised payment credentials. Tokenisation replaces sensitive card data with secure digital identifiers used for subsequent billing cycles. The system automatically updates these tokens when payment cards are renewed or replaced, helping avoid interruptions in billing cycles. The company designed this automation for businesses in software-as-a-service, streaming, gaming, and digital memberships, where acquisition and retention directly drive profitability. Built on EMVCo Secure Remote Commerce standards and supported by major card schemes, the solution allows consumers to register once. Shoppers can then check out instantly across participating merchants without manual data entry, passwords, or lengthy forms. For merchants, the integration promises higher conversion through faster checkouts, reduced involuntary churn via updated tokens, and simplified compliance. Worldline stated that 89% of consumers rate the payment method equal to or better than other digital checkout options. The new capability will be live on the Global Collect platform starting 30 July 2026.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech New Switzerland, based on image by Worldline The post Worldline Enables Click to Pay for Recurring Payments in Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

UBS and Nethermind have successfully completed two joint proofs of concept (PoC) demonstrating that the public Ethereum network can support the operational and compliance requirements of regulated banks. The testing showed that financial institutions can implement robust compliance controls through systems run on top of the network without altering the underlying blockchain protocol. This allows the network to remain open and neutral while meeting institutional risk management standards. The collaboration focused on enforcing compliance at two critical stages of Ethereum transaction broadcasting. First, the teams configured an Ethereum node to apply custom risk rules, including restricting transactions to pre-approved addresses and blocking specific smart contract interactions. Second, they developed a component to route approved transaction bundles directly to selected builders through relay services. This ensures reliable blockchain inclusion. The end-to-end process was validated on the Sepolia test network using no live transactions. Andreas Kubli “These proofs of concept demonstrate the value of close collaboration between UBS and Nethermind in shaping the next generation of compliant blockchain infrastructure,” said Andreas Kubli, Group Head of Digital Assets at UBS. He added that the results demonstrate that institutions can achieve controls and public network interoperability without compromising openness. Tomasz Kurowski, Head of Enterprise Business at Nethermind, said: Tomasz Kurowski “By implementing compliance controls at the infrastructure layer, we have shown that institutional requirements can be met without compromising Ethereum’s openness or interoperability.”     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by mkmult via Magnific The post UBS and Nethermind Test How Banks Can Use Ethereum Compliantly appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

AI startups claimed the top prizes at the Swiss Fintech Awards 2026 in Zurich on 23 June, reflecting a broader shift towards automated technologies in the financial sector. Every finalist at this year’s event focused on AI applications, spanning fraud prevention, automation, and governance. The winners of the Swiss Fintech Awards are: Early Stage Start-up of the Year Porters AI start-up Porters wins the «Early Stage Start-up of the Year» award. Porters positions itself as an outsourcing partner for numerous banking operations. With agentic AI systems, the company automates processes and creates consistent workflows, enabling banks and financial service providers to implement scaling and compliance more cost-effectively. With this award, the jury honors a start-up that addresses a clear need in the financial sector and is already particularly well positioned to execute on its vision and grow strongly in the months and years ahead. Growth Stage Start-up of the Year BLP In the «Growth Stage Start-up of the Year» category, BLP wins the award. BLP enables intelligent, end-to-end ERP automation for finance, sales and other corporate functions. The solution works with digital twins of existing systems, numerous ERP integrations and hundreds of pre-trained AI agents. This makes it possible to leverage the opportunities of AI without having to fundamentally redesign existing ERP systems. As a result, complex processes can be automated, exceptions handled efficiently and compliance requirements met. The jury particularly highlights BLP’s strong market demand and exceptional growth momentum. The start-up is on a remarkable growth trajectory and demonstrates how AI can precisely and scalably automate resource-intensive and repetitive tasks. Fintech Influencers of the Year Sven Siat and Mike Hofmann Sven Siat Mike Hofmann For the first time in the history of the Swiss Fintech Awards, the «Fintech Influencers of the Year» award goes not to one individual, but to two personalities: Sven Siat and Mike Hofmann. The jury recognises their long-standing commitment to Open Banking in Switzerland. Over several years, Sven Siat and Mike Hofmann have worked to build a platform and infrastructure from which the entire Swiss financial centre can benefit. Their work around bLink and the development of an open, standardised and sustainable Open Banking ecosystem are particularly noteworthy. Thanks to the commitment of the two award winners, the Swiss financial centre is now ready to take Open Banking to the next level. The Swiss Fintech Awards A panel of 19 industry representatives judges the Swiss Fintech Awards, an event launched in 2016 to highlight innovators and startups within the local ecosystem.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Swiss Fintech Awards The post Here Are the Winners of the Swiss Fintech Awards 2026 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Chainlink, South Korean infrastructure provider FairSquareLab, the Unified Korea Alliance (UniKA), and European stablecoin consortium Qivalis have launched Project Pangea to modernise global foreign exchange markets. The strategic collaborative task force aims to enable real-time, stablecoin-based cross-border settlement models, connecting dozens of financial institutions across Europe and South Korea. UniKA represents a steering committee of five entities, including Shinhan Bank, JB Bank, Kbank, FairSquareLab, and OBDIA, alongside more than 10 commercial banks, while Qivalis is backed by 37 European banks. The initiative focuses on the direct, atomic swap of regulated, fiat-referenced digital assets, such as euro and Korean won stablecoins. The system uses the infrastructure of Chainlink alongside the onchain foreign exchange settlement technology developed by FairSquareLab. Modernising global foreign exchange through Project Pangea The global foreign exchange market processes over US$9.6 trillion in daily trading volume, but traditional banking systems face major bottlenecks because of fragmented market structures. Institutions frequently delay cross-border transactions when they must convert capital into intermediary currencies during the settlement process. Project Pangea plans to transform this system by using ISO 20022 messaging standards and existing Swift infrastructure. This integration allows participating banks to execute direct, atomic Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) swaps of compliant stablecoins, achieving instant settlement. The initiative focuses on three core pillars, which include enabling direct atomic transactions between compliant regional currencies, supporting instant settlement, and expanding onchain liquidity across various currency markets to provide frictionless access. Technical infrastructure and orchestration Chainlink provides the core infrastructure enabling existing financial platforms to connect with public and private blockchain networks using standard messaging networks. The system relies on the Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Standard to securely transfer stablecoins across native networks, helping to prevent liquidity fragmentation. Additionally, Chainlink Data Streams deliver high-speed market data to power a Proactive Market Maker engine. This helps ensure onchain quotes remain synchronised with global markets. The Chainlink Runtime Environment serves as the orchestration layer between Swift and blockchain networks. It allows financial firms to connect using their existing software systems. FairSquareLab supports the network through its multi-currency stablecoin liquidity engine for interbank settlement. The system anchors price discovery directly to oracle quotes rather than a bonding curve to minimise slippage. This system operates on the FairSquareLab Pangea L1 Network, a dedicated, neutral blockchain. The network is designed to execute oracle updates ahead of other transactions in each block. Fernando Vazquez “Project Pangea upgrades the fragmented foreign exchange model of today with direct, atomic currency swaps using stablecoins,” said Fernando Vazquez, President of Capital Markets, Chainlink Labs. He added that the standard powers global-scale settlement for capital markets as finance increasingly moves onchain. Joonhong Kim “Project Pangea opens a path for the Korean won to connect more directly with global currency markets, reducing reliance on intermediary currencies,” said Joonhong Kim, CEO, FairSquareLab. Kim noted that the alliance brings the South Korean banking sector into a new era of real-time cross-border settlement.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by leungchopan via Magnific This article first appeared on Fintech News Hong Kong The post European and South Korean Banks Form Project Pangea for FX Settlement appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Nuvion has partnered with Visa Direct to enhance its global payout capabilities for businesses operating across borders. The integration allows companies to send funds to cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets worldwide. It supports real-time and near real-time disbursements across supported markets. Businesses can manage these global payouts on Nuvion’s platform alongside its broader multi-currency accounts, FX services, and stablecoin settlement capabilities. Moving money quickly remains an operational challenge for companies managing international suppliers and contractors. The partnership aims to provide greater flexibility for businesses managing international treasury operations. Keisha Clark “Global businesses should not have to wait days for money movement in an always-on economy,” said Keisha Clark, CEO of Nuvion. “Through our partnership with Visa Direct, we’re enabling faster and more connected financial experiences for businesses operating across borders.” Olga Ovchinnikova, VP Head of Visa Direct Europe, said: Olga Ovchinnikova “By partnering with Nuvion, Visa Direct is helping power faster, simpler cross-border payouts so companies can move money globally with the same speed and confidence they expect locally.” The collaboration brings together traditional financial infrastructure and modern payment networks to help ambitious businesses scale their operations internationally.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by mrsiraphol via Magnific The post Nuvion Integrates Visa Direct for Faster Cross-Border B2B Payouts appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The emergence of digital assets as an institutional asset class generate up to US$8 billion in net new revenues for wholesale banks by 2030, according to estimates by Oliver Wyman and Morgan Stanley. However, greater disruption is expected to stem from the redistribution of existing revenue streams, with up to US$82 billion of traditional revenue expected to migrate to digital rails. This bullish scenario assumes that digital asset adoption would move beyond priority use cases and scale across a wider set of wholesale banking products. It also presumes widespread adoption across the broader financial ecosystem, facilitated by integration with customer-facing software that makes it seamless to transact natively on digital rails, in addition to vertical integration with bigtech platforms, especially stablecoins affiliated with Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Industry utilities and networks would also contribute to adoption by standardizing blockchain rails,  enabling broader access and greater ease in onboarding participants. In this scenario, tokenization would gain traction in capital markets and cryptocurrencies would expand as an asset class. As adoption grows, tokenized money would become widely used as a both a payment and settlement asset, supporting the expansion of delivery-versus-payment and payment-versus-payment models across asset classes. In this scenario, digital assets are projected to penetrate 11% of wholesale banking revenues, driven by cross-border payments (30%), and tokenized equities trading (15%). This would be driven by strong retail demand, and institutional adoption. Net new revenue pools would expand to US$16 billion, with banks capturing about 50% of this value. Cross-border payments have long been considered one of the most promising areas for digital assets, given that today’s infrastructure is fragmented, expensive, and slow. Several major banks have already started deploying digital assets and tokenized money. For example, JP Morgan’s institutional blockchain platform Kinexys processes about US$5 billion daily in tokenized bank deposits transfers, cross-border payment settlements, and tokenized asset management. SG Forge, meanwhile, is deploying EUR and USD stablecoins. Similarly, 37 European banks are participating in the Qivalis EUR stablecoin initiative. Tokenization also presents a significant opportunity by making equity issuance, trading, settlement, and collateral management faster, more transparent, and more capital-efficient. Financial institutions are actively building platforms to tokenize traditional and illiquid assets: Citi’s new offering developed with the SIX Digital Exchange tokenizes shares of late-stage private companies; UBS Tokenize is a institutional tokenization platform for bonds, structured notes, and tokenized funds; and Goldman Sachs’ GS Digital Asset Platform (DAP) supports digital issuance, tokenized fund interest, and blockchain settlement. Citi expects public market equities to achieve one of the highest tokenization penetration rates among key financial asset types. By 2030, approximately US$5.4 trillion worth of public equities assets could exist in tokenized form, representing roughly 66% of the total tokenized asset market. Estimating tokenization market size by 2030 (US$ trillion), Source: Tokenization 2030: Wall Street On-Chain, Citi, Jun 2026 Although the Oliver Wyman and Morgan Stanley report expects faster settlement and 24/7 trading hours to increase business activity and overall revenues for wholesale banks, these gains could be offset by lower profit margins as banks pass their reduced operating costs on to customers, and decreasing liquidity balances in accounts earning interests. Furthermore, it notes that the rapid adoption of digital assets could accelerate the entry of non-bank competitors, which could capture up to 10% of the market share and increase competitive pressure on incumbents. Total digital asset-driven revenue for wholesale banks, US$ billion, 2030, Source: Digital Rails, Real Economics: Digital Assets & the Future of Wholesale Banking, Oliver Wyman and Morgan Stanley, Mar 2026 AI in wholesale banking Besides estimates on the impact of digital assets on wholesale banking, the report also examines the state of the industry, delving into 2025 developments and emerging trends. It highlights that while artificial intelligence (AI) investment in wholesale banking continues to increase, banks are struggling to convert this momentum into meaningful financial outcomes. The Evident AI Index 2025, which assessed 50 of the world’s largest banks across North America, Europe, and Asia, found that only seven of the banks studied disclosed projected returns from all AI initiatives, and just four reported realized financial benefits. Year-over-year change in bank reporting on AI use cases and outcomes, Source: 2025 Evident AI Index Banks, Evident, Oct 2025 However, among the banks that reported both projected and realized outcomes, early results are significant. JP Morgan reported annual AI spend of about US$2 billion, with realized benefits already matching this level as of 2025. France’s BNP Paribas stated EUR 635 million (US$723 million) in AI-driven benefits in 2025, with projections rising to EUR 750 million (US$860 million) by 2026. In Singapore, DBS reported SGD 1 billion (US$774 million) in economic value from AI in 2025, up from SGD 750 million (US$581 million) in 2024. Other research mirror these gaps. A 2025 study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) of more than 1,250 firms worldwide found that only 5% of the organizations polled have taken significant AI actions and actually achieved AI value at scale. Conversely, 60% reported achieving no material value at all, noting minimal revenue and cost gains despite substantial investment. Another 35%, or 13 points more than in 2024, were scaling up their efforts and seeing some returns, but many of them admitted that they were not moving far enough or fast enough. Despite this, AI investment continues to surge, with Wall Street analysts estimating US$1 trillion in total spending through 2027, CNBC reports. Stages of AI adoption in the enterprise, Source: BCG Build for the Future 2025 Global Study, Boston Consulting Group, Sep 2025   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Magnific The post Digital Assets Could Generate US$8B in New Revenues for Wholesale Banks By 2030 appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

While today’s banking system presents itself as fully digital, the core settlement architecture remains rooted in systems designed decades ago. This infrastructure pose significant challenges as it is often built around fragmented legacy systems that are expensive to maintain, difficult to integrate with modern technologies, and slow to adapt to new regulations or products. Against this backdrop, blockchain technology represents a viable solution for upgrading this infrastructure, offering shared-ledger settlement in real time at costs and speeds suitable for production volumes, and providing the structural overhaul that banking infrastructure requires, according to a new report by management consulting firm Roland Berger. The paper notes that while many banks have already begun experimenting with blockchain, most activity remains confined to pilots and token gestures. The strategic challenge is therefore to move beyond experimentation while remaining compliant and managing risk. It outlines four steps to meet this challenge. First, banks must quantify the greatest sources of financial drain, customer friction or risk of inaction, and isolate one or two high-impact business cases. Then, they can develop a strategy that concentrates resources where there is a clear return on investment, avoiding engaging in initiatives that lack measurable return. Second, banks need to establish a dedicated digital assets team to bridge technology, finance and compliance. This team will be in charge of developing the strategy and implementation roadmap. It will require top-level sponsorship as digital asset programs are frequently met with skepticism across established banking structures, hence, clear executives backing is key to reduce internal resistance and signal institutional commitment. The third step involves translating prioritized pain points into a well-defined pilot. This pilot should be contained, for example, within a specific currency corridor or product line, and supported by clearly defined success metrics. A key decision at this stage will be whether to build a proprietary solution or participate in an existing blockchain consortium. Finally, the fourth and last step involves choosing the right blockchain based on alignment between the technology architecture and the operational and regulatory context in which it will be deployed. While public networks like Ethereum offer transparency, liquidity, and access to a broad developer ecosystem, banks’ privacy and compliance obligations may make private or permissioned configurations more appropriate. Often, a multi-chain approach proves the most relevant. Inefficiencies in current banking infrastructure Despite improvements on mobile apps and digital channels, the core infrastructure of banking still runs on settlement architecture designed in previous decades. This legacy infrastructure is plagued with inefficiencies that are embedded in interbranch settlement, interbank flows, cross-border transfers and operational areas such as lending and trade finance. Settlement processes still depend on reconciliation cycles and operating-hour limitations. Furthermore, large back-office teams continue to reconcile transactions manually, with one study indicating that 0.8-1.8% of these accounts are subject to error. These manual processes not only introduce delays and capital drag but also create a significant vulnerability to mistakes. Cross-border transfers show a similar pattern. These payments are routed through intermediary and correspondent banks operating across different time zones and regulatory regimes, with each intermediary performing compliance checks before funds reach their destination, causing settlement times to range from a number of hours to several days. This accumulates fees along the chain, and introduces opacity throughout the journey. Loan servicing is also plagued with timing gaps. Loan systems frequently rely on asynchronous updates across departments, creating temporary mismatches and limits responsiveness. Escrow processes likewise rely on legacy infrastructure and time-consuming manual verification, with buyers and financial institutions maintaining separate records across independent systems. Verifying contractual milestones typically requires documentation exchange before funds are released, extending closing processes to as much as 30-45 days. Similarly, trade finance remains heavily manual and document-driven. Transactions involve exporters, importers and banks that operate distinct record-keeping and compliance systems. These systems are rarely integrated, with verification requiring repeated document checks before capital can move. The potential of blockchain Blockchains are decentralized ledgers that allow transactions to be recorded, verified and synchronized across participants without requiring a central intermediary to reconcile accounts after the fact. This presents a fundamentally different operating model to a traditional bank core settlement architecture which uses centralized databases and trusted internal systems to process, reconcile, and finalize transactions. For interbranch settlements, a bank could deploy a private blockchain network in which each branch operates as a node with read and write access. When a customer at one branch withdraws funds deposited at another, the transaction is recorded on a shared ledger and becomes immediately visible across the network, with balances updating simultaneously. Major financial institutions are implementing tokenized deposits that enable immediate fund transfers across branches while reducing internal settlement friction. JP Morgan, for example, offers the Kinexys suite of blockchain services for moving money, tokenizing assets and exchanging financial information. JP Morgan is also part of the Canton Network alongside institutions like Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and BNY. The Canton Network is a blockchain network for regulated financial markets launched in 2023. In interbank settlements, instead of routing transactions through correspondent chains or relying on end-of-day netting, banks participating in a blockchain network can record obligations on a consortium platform accessible to authorized members. This blockchain layer would sit above existing core systems and connect through APIs, allowing synchronization without requiring a wholesale replacement of legacy infrastructure. This approach has already been tested through initiatives like the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Project Ubin, which explored distributed ledger technology (DLT) for real-time gross settlement systems for interbank payments and securities settlement. A shared blockchain ledger can also function as a single source of truth for loan data. When a borrower makes a payment, the update is recorded once and reflected immediately across relevant departments. Versana illustrates this model in syndicated lending. The platform, which is backed by major banks, provides real-time visibility into loan positions, repayments and accruals for participating lenders. Cross-border transfers are another area particularly suited to shared ledger settlement. Instead of moving through multiple intermediaries, transactions can be recorded directly on blockchain infrastructure between participating institutions, reducing reliance on correspondent chains, improving speed, and ultimately cutting costs. According to an analysis by cryptocurrency investment group Keyrock, stablecoins can reduce remittances fees by 92%. Fee comparison by provider type for a US$200 transfer, Source: Keyrock Finally, trade finance and escrow arrangements can benefit significantly from blockchain technology. Platforms can digitalize trade documentation and store it on a shared ledger that is accessible to authorized participants. Smart contracts, meanwhile, automate verification by checking whether predefined conditions are met before triggering payment. Similarly, escrow arrangements can be automated through smart contracts that hold funds on blockchain infrastructure and release payment once predefined conditions are verified. Rather than relying on manual confirmation by an escrow agent, execution is triggered automatically when an authoritative event is recorded. American startup Propy exemplifies this model, using blockchain to modernize how property is bought, sold, and transferred. The company claims its model reduces closing time from 30-45 days to as little as 24 hours in some cases.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Swizterland, based on image by 21vectors via Magnific The post Modernizing Bank Settlements with Blockchain appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Seturion, the settlement platform for tokenised assets owned by Boerse Stuttgart Group, is partnering with Weltix and BlockInvest to build an integrated infrastructure for DLT based financial instruments in Italy. The collaboration aims to address the fragmentation of the settlement layer in Europe’s digital capital markets. It allows issuers to structure and issue tokenised financial instruments through the BlockInvest platform, while Weltix manages their circulation via its DLT register. Weltix is authorised by Italy’s Consob regulator under the country’s fintech decree. Seturion will handle the settlement of these transactions, offering the flexibility to settle in central bank money or on-chain cash. The infrastructure also makes the instruments eligible for trading across multilateral trading facilities and over-the-counter environments, including direct access to Boerse Stuttgart Group venues. Sven Wilke “We offer Italian issuers and investors the entire value chain in one regulated architecture, from issuance to settlement,” said Sven Wilke, Deputy CEO and CGO, Seturion. As European banks and issuers increasingly look to tokenise assets under new regulatory frameworks, they are doing so at a growing pace. However, the lack of an integrated settlement layer remains a bottleneck for institutional scaling. Lorenzo Rigatti “By combining BlockInvest’s orchestration platform with a robust, regulated settlement layer, we are building a seamless, end-to-end corridor for banks and corporates to move assets and capital fluidly across European borders,” said Lorenzo Rigatti, Founder and CEO, BlockInvest. The partnership is open to additional participants, including banks, trading venues, and other market players.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by rawpixel.com via Magnific The post Seturion Teams Up With Weltix and BlockInvest for Italian DLT Framework appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Four Swiss cantonal banks have partnered with banking software and wealth management technology provider Avaloq to enhance mobile banking services for approximately one million clients in Switzerland. The consortium comprises Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Basler Kantonalbank along with Bank Cler, St. Galler Kantonalbank and Thurgauer Kantonalbank. These institutions collaborated to evaluate and select a technology vendor to support their digitisation strategies. Phased Rollout for Digital Banking Tools The project will transition the banks to the new Avaloq mobile platform in phases. The updated application provides trading and portfolio management tools, customisable dashboards, real-time notifications and credit card management capabilities. It also integrates Apple Pay and Google Pay, and allows the banks to add features independently over time. Beyond the software deployment, the project serves as a model for stronger collaboration among cantonal banks. By pooling their experiences and aligning their innovation strategies, the participating banks plan to improve their digital offerings and the overall client experience. Manuel Niederkofler “We selected Avaloq for this project based on its proven track record in core banking, sustained investment in research and development, and its Swiss roots,” said Manuel Niederkofler, Head of IT at Thurgauer Kantonalbank. Christian Haux, Managing Director for Switzerland and Liechtenstein at Avaloq, said: Christian Haux “With rising expectations for intuitive digital services and self-service, mobile banking has become a clear priority for financial institutions, and we are committed to ensuring that our clients can offer a modern, user-friendly mobile banking experience.”       Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by tahantanha10 via Magnific The post Avaloq Secures Mobile Banking Deal with Four Swiss Cantonal Banks appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Tenity has announced its investment in reltix, an AI-native property management company operating across Europe. The investment forms part of a €3 million pre-seed funding round. The funding announcement comes as reltix achieves a milestone of €1 million in annual recurring revenue. Founded by Léon Alex Bamesreiter and his co-founding team, the company acts as a direct property manager rather than selling software tools to traditional operators. Reltix intends to turn operational workflows and data points into the structured foundation of an open operating platform. The company plans to integrate partners across banking, energy, and construction to build an infrastructure layer for the residential property management market. Léon Alex Bamesreiter “Building an AI-native property management business means transforming an industry long overdue for meaningful change,” said Léon Alex Bamesreiter, Co-Founder of reltix. He added that collaboration with Tenity provides an ecosystem. It helps the startup scale innovation in a traditionally analog sector. Tenity chose to invest due to the large size of the underserved property management market. The sector typically suffers from poor service levels and low software penetration. The investment platform also cited reltix’s early execution, noting that it expanded its geographic reach within less than a year of entering the market. Guillermo Forteza “Rather than optimising within the existing model, reltix is creating an open ecosystem where service quality improves structurally,” said Guillermo Forteza, Principal and Investment Lead Europe at Tenity. He noted that the business model becomes more scalable as technology absorbs more of the workflow. According to Tenity, the investment reflects its strategy of backing founders who rethink established industries from first principles. The investment firm believes highly attractive opportunities in services come from companies that own the customer relationship. These companies use AI to deliver consistent outcomes.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Tenity The post Tenity Invests €3 Million in AI Property Management Startup reltix appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Alibaba Cloud has opened a new cloud region in France, adding two availability zones to its European infrastructure network to support growing regional demand for data-sovereign digital services. The Paris facility is the company’s third European hub, joining its existing data centres in Germany and the UK. The expansion provides enterprise-grade cloud computing services that comply with European data privacy, cybersecurity, and resilience regulations. The infrastructure supports elastic computing, storage, containerisation, networking, security, databases, and advanced developer tools. In the second half of 2026, Alibaba Cloud will introduce a suite of agentic AI services tailored for European markets. These tools are designed to help enterprises build, deploy, and manage AI agents while maintaining local compliance and security. The planned lineup includes AgentRun, a development platform for AI agents, and STAROps, an intelligent operations platform. The suite also features security-focused tools such as ACS Agent Sandbox for hardware-level isolation, Agent Security Center for supply chain transparency, and AI Security Guardrails 2.0 to monitor model interactions and intercept runtime risks. Dr. Feifei Li “The expansion of our cloud infrastructure into France reinforces our ongoing commitment to empowering European businesses with sovereign, secure, and intelligent solutions,” said Dr. Feifei Li, Chief Technology Officer and President of International Business of Alibaba Cloud. Alibaba Cloud has operated in Europe since 2016, providing digital solutions for multinational and local enterprises. The provider recently supported the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with cloud and AI services and announced a multi-year technology partnership with UEFA in May 2026.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Alibaba Cloud The post Alibaba Cloud Expands European Footprint With New Paris Cloud Region appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

The 2026 >>venture>> competition has announced its results, with three Swiss fintech startups recognised in the Business and Finance category. Swiss regtech RegCheck secured the top prize in the vertical, taking home CHF 50,000 and a consulting package from McKinsey and Company. The competition also recognised reilo. and UAC Labs as finalists for their respective financial solutions. RegCheck (Winner) Source: >>venture>> RegCheck uses AI to simulate regulatory audits, helping regulated firms spot compliance gaps before submission and enabling more consistent reviews. reilo. (Finalist) Source: >>venture>> reilo. turns smallholder farmers’ natural assets into bankable collateral, unlocking capital and carbon income for 500 million farmers excluded from finance. UAC Labs (Finalist) Source: >>venture>> UAC Labs builds coordination infrastructure that guarantees atomic settlement across any financial system, without intermediaries or locked capital. Launched in 1997, >>venture>> has been fostering winning business ideas for over 25 years. Competition alumni have gone on to successfully found over 1500 companies and create more than 15,000 jobs in Switzerland.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Nadifa99 via Magnific The post >>venture>> Reveals 2026 Fintech Competition Winners appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Visa has rolled out its Click to Pay feature for eligible Revolut Visa cardholders across Europe and the UK, enabling a faster and more secure online checkout experience. The global standard removes the need for consumers to manually enter card numbers, passwords, or one-time codes at checkout. Because Revolut is enabling the feature at the card level, millions of users will be automatically enrolled when shopping at participating online merchants both domestically and internationally. According to data from the Visa network, the technology can reduce fraud by up to 91% by replacing exposed card details with secure tokenised credentials. The system also increases transaction authorisation rates by up to 11% and cuts checkout times by up to 20 seconds compared to manual card entry. Expanding digital checkout capabilities Revolut is introducing the feature to its base of more than 13 million customers in the UK and 40 million users across Europe. The company also plans a coordinated rollout across international markets, including Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, while making the option available to merchants in the UK and Europe. Mathieu Altwegg “By bringing Visa Click to Pay to millions of people, they are moving the optionality of online checkouts towards a new best-in-class solution, built on the foundations that will power the next generation of digital experiences,” said Mathieu Altwegg, Head of Product and Solutions, Europe, Visa. Alex Codina “Our goal is to offer flexible, secure ways to pay, and integrating the Click to Pay standard gives our customers an excellent additional option for a smooth checkout experience,” said Alex Codina, General Manager of Merchant Payments at Revolut. Tokenisation and future commerce The payment infrastructure reflects a broader industry shift away from static card details towards digitally native credentials. The system relies on network tokenisation, which protects sensitive card information by replacing static details with secure digital tokens designed specifically for digital commerce. The feature also supports modern authentication methods such as Visa Payment Passkeys, which use biometrics to confirm consumer identity quickly. This integration helps establish foundations for future use cases where payments and identity work seamlessly in the background, including embedded commerce and digital verification.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by freepik via Magnific The post Visa Rolls Out Click to Pay for Revolut Cardholders Across Europe appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

Competition in the wealth management industry has intensified significantly, driven by new digital challengers and specialized providers, eroding customer loyalty, and increasing demand for better access to alternative investments, according to Capgemini Research Institute’s World Wealth Report 2026. Released earlier in June, the report draws on three research efforts conducted in January 2026 across the wealth management industry: the 2026 Global HNWI Insights Survey polled more than 6,500 global high-net-worth investors (HNWIs); the 2026 Global Wealth Management Executive gathered 144 responses from the industry across ten markets; and the 2026 Global Relationship Manager Survey included more than 1,300 responses from across 16 markets. Client loyalty erodes The research reveals that traditional wealth management firms are facing mounting competitive pressure as customer loyalty weakens. In 2019, 39% of HNWIs with financial assets exceeding US$1 million reported working with a single firm for their wealth management needs. By 2025, that figure had dropped to just 19%, marking a 50% decline in the share of exclusive relationships. Conversely, the proportion of HNWIs working with four to six wealth management firms surged from 12% to 25%, representing a 100% surge over the same period. Incumbent providers face a double threat- declining mindshare and shrinking wallet share, Source: World Wealth Report 2026, Capgemini, Jun 2026 These findings suggest that incumbents are losing ground on two fronts: in client mindshare as advisory relationships fragment, and in wallet share as assets flow to a broader ecosystem of specialized providers. This decline in mindshare translates directly into measurable losses in wallet share. Between 2022 and 2025, traditional wealth management firms failed to fully capitalize on the growth in global HNWI investable assets, resulting in a significant portion of this growth captured by other competitors. Capgemini estimates that this shortfall amounts to at least a 1.6-point in global HNWI investable wealth, representing a conservative estimate of approximately US$1.5 trillion in uncaptured assets under advice. Unmet needs drive shift to specialized providers HNWIs are splitting their portfolios among multiple firms to access specific products that traditional banks often lack. Notably, 88% of HNWIs choose to work with multiple providers in order to access better alternative investments. Digital assets also play an important role. 50% of HNWIs consider access to digital assets an important factor when selecting a wealth manager, driven by a desire to experiment and gain exposure to the niche asset class. However, many traditional firms lack the secure custody infrastructure and specialist expertise needed to support this demand, or do not provide HNWIs with access to these assets. Against this backdrop, focused competitors, including weatlhtech firms, single-family offices, and robo-advisory platforms, are increasingly capturing market share from incumbents, attracting clients who feel underserved on product breadth, advice quality, or both. These competitors benefit from greater nimbleness, allowing them to expand at materially higher rates than the overall market. Projections between 2024 and 2030 indicate substantial growth across these segments. Single-family offices are expected to achieve a 9.7% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for assets under management (AUM), independent advisors a 6.8% CAGR, and the robo-advisory market a striking 44.1% CAGR. Embracing technology for efficiency While expanding products and services boost loyalty, realizing measurable value requires proper coordination and management across the customer journey. Currently, 60% of executives report that their firms lack a unified client view, resulting in fragmented processes and duplicated effort. Moreover, 41% of relationship manager time is consumed by operational tasks, leaving limited capacity for proactive client engagement. Relationship managers recognize the need to embrace advanced technologies to boost efficiency and enhance client experience. 71% of relationship managers want digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems to automate routine work, and 61% want access to an integrated ecosystem of specialists to respond effectively across financial and non-financial needs. This indicates that frontline staff feel constrained by routine tasks and are actively seeking to transition from administrative bottlenecks to strategic advisory roles. It also reflects a recognition that modern clients expect holistic support spanning financial and personal life domains rather than isolated investment advice. Global HNWI wealth surges As customer expectations change, HNWI wealth is experiencing robust growth. In 2025, global wealth of HNWIs increased 8.7% year-over-year (YoY), reaching a record of US$98.3 trillion, representing the largest single-year increase since 2018. Nearly 2 million people became millionnaires last year, bringing the total number HNWIs to 25.3 million. Global wealth creation accelerates despite regional imbalances, Source: World Wealth Report 2026, Capgemini, Jun 2026 Across wealth bands, ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) with financial assets exceeding US$30 million captured the largest share of the gains. Global UHNWI wealth grew 9.7% YoY, outpacing the broader HNWI segment. In 2025, that global population stood at roughly 250,000, marking a 9.4% YoY increase, and retaining its status as the fastest-growing wealth segment for the second consecutive years. Equity markets, fueled by AI-related rallies, were the primary engine of HNWI wealth growth across the five major regions. Asia-Pacific posted the highest regional growth in wealth of 10.5% and HNWI population growth of 9.4% as semiconductor demand boosted Asian stock markets. Japan and China were among the strongest performers, adding 436,000 and 154,000 millionaires, respectively. North America’s HNWI population increased 9.1%, led by the US, which added 736,000 new millionaires, more than any other country worldwide. Europe’s HNWI population grew 6.5% in 2025, with Luxembourg emerging as one of the highest-growth markets with an increase of 13.5% of its HNWI population, followed by Germany, which registered an 11.1% growth of its HNWI population. HNWI population growth mirrors rising global wealth creation momentum, Source: World Wealth Report 2026, Capgemini, Jun 2026   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Magnific The post Traditional Wealth Firms Lose Share to Wealthtechs, Robo-Advisors, Single-Family Offices appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.