UBS and Ant Trial Tokenized Deposits to Speed Cross-Border Treasury Flows
UBS and Ant International are launching a Singapore-based pilot to tokenise bank deposits with the goal of enabling instant cross-border payments and improving liquidity management for corporate treasuries. The project, billed as one of Singapore’s largest blockchain experiments, will test tokenised cash balances that can be moved and settled more quickly than traditional correspondent banking flows, aiming to reduce settlement lag and free up intraday liquidity.
If successful, the trial could reshape how institutions handle short-term funding and FX settlement, offering a faster on‑ramp for tokenised cash on regulated rails. Observers say the pilot’s significance lies not just in speed but in demonstrating interoperability, custody and compliance models for tokenised deposits; outcomes will inform whether regulators and banks scale similar setups across markets. Next steps to watch include regulatory sign‑offs, integration with existing payment systems and the pilot’s approach to counterparty and operational risk.