DTCC, Citi and Swift Say Interoperability Is Key to Tokenization
A joint white paper outlines a connected system linking traditional infrastructure, private networks and public blockchains as tokenization moves toward implementation.
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Citi and Swift have identified interoperability as a key requirement for tokenization to move from experimentation toward implementation across financial markets.
Their white paper, “The Connective Tissue of Digital Finance,” outlines a system in which traditional infrastructure, private networks and public blockchains work together. Connecting those environments would allow assets, cash and data to move between different platforms and financial infrastructures.
The proposed model would link established market systems with newer digital-asset networks instead of treating them as separate operating environments. That connectivity is intended to reduce fragmentation and support broader institutional use of tokenized assets.
Programmability is another central element. Rules and automated processes could be embedded directly into digital assets, supporting automated asset servicing, compliance controls and payments triggered by specific events.
Combining programmability with interoperability could improve collateral mobility and liquidity management while strengthening market resilience, particularly when markets come under pressure.
Regulatory clarity, legal certainty, investor protection, operational resilience and strong governance are necessary foundations for institutional digital markets. Those conditions are intended to support trust as financial institutions connect traditional settlement infrastructure with digital networks.
The framework places tokenization within a broader shift toward connected financial infrastructure, with the practical challenge centered on making different systems work together while preserving the controls required by institutional markets.
