IBM now connects 12,500 financial institutions to Swift’s blockchain ledger through a beta program with its Digital Asset Haven platform, enabling tokenized deposit transactions, the company says. This integration arrives as 93% of financial institutions modernize payment infrastructure, seeking more efficient cross-border money movement and digital asset management. IBM is also extending Digital Asset Haven to an on-premises beta deployment, allowing clients to manage digital assets entirely within their own data centers. “IBM enables financial institutions to connect to Swift’s blockchain-based shared ledger,” the company stated, offering greater control over digital asset technology.
Swift Ledger Integration Enables Tokenized Deposit Transactions
IBM Digital Asset Haven now supports connections to permissioned blockchain networks, including Swift’s blockchain-based shared ledger, enabling tokenized deposit transactions in a beta program. This integration allows institutions to instruct these transactions using standard ISO 20022 messages, streamlining workflows by using existing payment formats rather than requiring blockchain-specific processes.
Participants can move digital assets around the clock, anticipating final settlement through established systems while maintaining current Swift standards and compliance protocols. The move addresses a growing demand for infrastructure supporting both tokenized and traditional assets, as the financial services industry undergoes a significant shift; “The financial services industry is entering a new era where tokenized and traditional assets will need to move side by side,” the company stated.
This demand is underscored by data from Morgan Payments, which indicates that 93% of financial institutions are currently modernizing their payments infrastructure to improve efficiency and accommodate the increasing volume of digital assets. Swift’s ledger, connecting over 12,500 financial institutions across more than 200 markets, provides a robust foundation for this integration. The on-premises deployment is particularly relevant for institutions with stringent security and compliance requirements, providing an alternative to cloud-based solutions.
Swift’s ledger transitioned from initial concept to activation within nine months, a rapid development facilitated by collaboration with over 40 financial institutions globally, and is currently being piloted by 17 first-mover institutions testing tokenized deposit transactions. Financial institutions participating in the program have already successfully tested these deposits on the Swift shared ledger using IBM Digital Asset Haven, demonstrating the viability of integrating new digital models with existing financial processes.
The financial services industry is entering a new era where tokenized and traditional assets will need to move side by side.
Tom McPherson, General Manager, IBM Z and LinuxONE
Digital Asset Haven Expands with On-Premises Deployment Option
IBM extended the capabilities of its Digital Asset Haven platform with a new on-premises deployment option designed to run entirely within a client’s data center on IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE infrastructure, eliminating dependency on public cloud services. This deployment allows organizations to manage digital assets, including stablecoins and tokenized deposits, with heightened control over their operational environment, a feature increasingly sought by regulated entities, according to IBM.
Since launching SaaS and hybrid deployment options in October 2025, IBM has seen banking and payment institutions across multiple continents begin implementing digital asset use cases using the platform. The on-premises version of Digital Asset Haven prioritizes security through hardware-backed key protection utilizing IBM Crypto Express HSMs embedded in LinuxONE, alongside confidential computing and secured environment partitioning to isolate different operational stages.
Clients can achieve industry-leading 99.999999% availability with this configuration, according to IBM, and follow formal, auditable processes for generating root certificate authority keys. Support for IBM Offline Signing Orchestrator cold storage operations further enhances security protocols, providing documentation for regulatory compliance. This focus on control and security addresses a critical need for institutions handling sensitive financial data and operating under strict regulatory oversight. Beyond security, the on-premises deployment is engineered for performance, speed, and scale, differentiating it from other available options.
“By connecting to Swift’s shared ledger and extending IBM Digital Asset Haven to on-premises environments, IBM is helping clients participate in emerging digital asset networks while prioritizing control of their most critical financial operations,” the company stated. Structured key ceremonies and cold storage capabilities are integral to the platform, allowing clients to present comprehensive documentation to regulators and maintain auditable processes for key management.
The platform’s architecture is designed to combine client control with increased operational efficiency, a combination that IBM believes is important for widespread adoption of digital assets within the financial sector, the firm reports. Institutions interested in participating in the on-premises beta can join a waitlist, signaling continued demand for secure and controllable digital asset infrastructure. The company’s expansion of Digital Asset Haven reflects a broader industry trend toward integrating digital assets into traditional financial systems while maintaining robust security and compliance frameworks.
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