Banks to Process Payments via Tokenized Deposits

ACI Worldwide Inc. announced that banks will be able to process payments via tokenized deposits through its ACI Connetic payments hub. The move adds Swift ledger transactions to the platform, allowing banks to process payments via tokenized deposits alongside traditional payment methods.

The international payments network Swift introduced its blockchain-based ledger last year, and ACI’s latest move aims to provide a practical way for banks to operationalize tokenized deposits at scale. According to Craig Ramsey, a senior vice president at ACI, “Digital assets should extend a bank’s payment capabilities, not force it to build a second payment operation.”

Tokenized Deposits and Digital Assets

ACI Connetic combines card processing, account-to-account payments, and fraud prevention on one platform, and the latest move will let banks process payments via tokenized deposits with no change in operations, workflows, or technology. This means a separate operation for payments via digital assets is not needed, according to the processor.

The versatility of ACI Connetic will grow in importance as trends such as digital assets become more pronounced, with payment methods like tokenized deposits emerging from pilots and entering production. Aaron McPherson, principal at AFM Consulting, notes that adding support for tokenized-deposit transfers is necessary for the technology to scale.

Swift Ledger Transactions

Swift launched its blockchain ledger in 2025, which is now hosting pilots for 17 banks on six continents. The ultimate goal for ACI Connetic is to ease the way for banks to slide Swift ledger transactions into the same platforms they use for payments processing. For Swift, ledger transactions are real-time entries on a blockchain that banks can use to settle cross-border transactions with regulated digital assets.

In related news, SoFi Technologies Inc. and Mastercard announced that SoFi Bank is the first national bank to go live with stablecoin settlement for the bank’s credit and debit card platform on Mastercard’s global network. The integration uses the SoFiUSD stablecoin for settlement, following a partnership between the companies announced in March.

Stablecoin Settlement

SoFi Bank is committing its $25-billion card program to settlement via SoFiUSD, with the advantage of the program being that businesses have faster access to their money via the speed of blockchain, with the safeguards of a bank. SoFi is in talks with large merchants across the U.S. regarding stablecoin settlement arrangements, and the venture aids Mastercard’s strategy to support stablecoin settlement throughout its network.