Chainlink Pushes to Connect On-Chain Finance With SWIFT, Deepen Ties to Traditional Finance

“On-chain finance needs to solve issues around data, liquidity, compliance and on- and off-chain connectivity if it is to scale. Until everything moves fully on-chain, a hybrid structure is the most practical approach.”

Niki Ariyasinghe, Chainlink Labs’ vice president for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, made the remarks at OFF 2026, or the On-chain Finance Forum 2026, held at FKI Tower in Seoul’s Yeouido district on May 15.

On-chain finance is growing quickly, but infrastructure hurdles remain, Ariyasinghe said. The main challenges are reliable on-chain pricing data for assets, liquidity connections across blockchains, regulatory compliance and integration with existing financial systems.

Chainlink is building infrastructure to address those gaps by linking on-chain and off-chain systems. What began with price feeds for Bitcoin and Ether has expanded to traditional financial data such as stocks and bonds, and the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange are also pursuing related data connectivity.

Interoperability is another key pillar. Chainlink connects more than 75 public blockchains and more than 15 private chains, and has introduced a separate compliance layer designed to meet regulatory and privacy requirements during asset transfers.

Ariyasinghe also highlighted a hybrid trading model that combines on-chain issuance with off-chain settlement. Tokenized assets are issued on-chain, while settlement takes place over existing financial networks. He said that model is emerging as the most realistic path for the market and could become a key channel for accelerating institutional capital inflows.

He cited several use cases, including transactions linking JPMorgan’s private blockchain with public chains, delivery-versus-payment settlements for tokenized assets between Singapore and Australia, and the global investment distribution of Fidelity’s tokenized funds. In those cases, Chainlink’s infrastructure connects on-chain and off-chain systems.

He also stressed the importance of off-chain connectivity. A fully on-chain environment will take time to build, making integration with existing payment systems essential in the meantime. Chainlink is also working with SWIFT to connect the messaging network to on-chain systems.

Compliance is a core condition for expanding on-chain finance, Ariyasinghe said. Chainlink has built a structure in which transactions cannot be executed unless regulatory requirements are met, allowing financial institutions to satisfy legal requirements in on-chain markets as well.

“The essence of on-chain finance is connecting more assets and more liquidity,” he said. “When on- and off-chain connectivity is combined with compliance, institutional capital will begin flowing in more fully.”