Key Takeaways:
SWIFT's revived Policy Lab is pushing XRP into the heart of global banking infrastructure, bridging traditional messaging rails with blockchain-based settlement.
XRP traded at $1.10 as SWIFT relaunched its Policy Lab on July 1, a forum designed to accelerate the token's integration into cross-border payment networks.
"Collaboration between policymakers and industry participants has never been more important," SWIFT said in its July 1 announcement, framing the Policy Lab as a dedicated forum for open dialogue between regulators, standard-setters and financial institutions.
The Policy Lab focuses heavily on ISO 20022, the new messaging standard that XRP natively supports. Ripple joined the ISO 20022 Registration Management Group in 2020 as the first distributed ledger technology-focused member. Through RippleNet, SWIFT-compliant banks including HSBC, Santander, Lloyds and Barclays can plug into XRP-powered settlement via On-Demand Liquidity, creating new payment routes on top of SWIFT's existing infrastructure.
The stakes are significant: Ripple's treasury processed $13 trillion in volume last year, and the XRP Ledger handles billions in daily trading volume. If SWIFT-tied banks find a permanent use for XRP in the modernized network, settlement data could flow through XRP's ledger rather than legacy MT messaging — a shift that would fundamentally alter how cross-border payments work.
The Policy Lab, which culminates at the Sibos conference in Miami, aims to solve the regulatory hurdles that have kept blockchain-based settlement from achieving mainstream adoption. SWIFT is acting as the main plug, uniting over 40 blockchain-based ledgers with thousands of banks worldwide.
Institutional Backing Grows
Institutions are already leaning into XRP. SBI Holdings holds close to $10.40 billion in XRP, woven directly into its cross-border remittance business. Evernorth Holdings has disclosed 388 million tokens, and Trident Digital Tech Holdings, listed on NASDAQ, has committed to a $500 million XRP reserve plan for long-term yield.
The legal uncertainty that once hung over the token cleared in August 2025, when Ripple and the SEC dropped their appeals in a settlement that included a $50 million penalty and confirmed XRP is not a security when sold on exchanges. XRP remains 71 percent below its all-time high of $3.84 from January 2018.
What Comes Next
With SWIFT pushing for immediate settlement by 2027, banks can freely choose which payment route to adopt. The synchronous composability of blockchain-based liquidity alongside traditional banking funds is what SWIFT is seeking — making global payments instant and cost-effective. The next few months will determine whether SWIFT-tied banks embed XRP permanently into the modernized network.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
