Today, Citi announced that it is the first bank to go live with multiple markets on the Swift payments scheme. This solution, enabled through Citi’s Global Clearing network and WorldLink® Payment Services, allows bank clients to access multiple cross-border instant payment markets through a single account structure and eliminates the need for separate local banking relationships, bilateral agreements, or local technical infrastructure. Citi plans to expand this capability to additional currencies and markets in the future.

Through this collaboration with Swift and the broader banking ecosystem, Citi is actively shaping the future of the cross-border payments landscape. Building on Citi’s participation in Swift’s ledger initiative and real-time capabilities delivered through Citi Custody+, 24/7 USD Clearing and Citi Token Services, these advancements represent another significant step in Citi Services’ strategy to enable interoperable, multi-bank, real-time and always-on movement of money, liquidity, securities, and collateral across borders.

Historically, enabling instant cross-border payments across multiple countries required financial institutions to open separate accounts in each local market, establish bilateral agreements with individual partner banks, and build custom integrations to local clearing systems. Citi’s multi-market solution mitigates these barriers. Available to more than 12,500 financial institutions connected to Swift, participating bank clients [1] can now access multiple domestic real-time payment networks through their existing Swift connection—without opening local bank accounts or deploying new local infrastructure.

Debopama Sen, Head of Payments, Services at Citi said: “The future of banking is real-time, always-on, and increasingly interconnected. Through our continued collaboration with Swift, we’re helping banks connect to instant payment capabilities across multiple markets through a seamless and scalable model. Combined with Citi’s global network, this initiative enhances speed, transparency, and reach while helping clients meet evolving expectations for how money moves. We’re proud to continue working with Swift to help advance the future of global payments.”

Leveraging established instant payment rails and mature ISO 20022 (MX) capabilities, Citi has enabled real-time payments through the Swift payments scheme in AUD via NPP (New Payments Platform), GBP via FPS (Faster Payment System), and INR via IMPS (Immediate Payment Service). Additionally, Citi has expanded its USD Clearing capabilities[2], allowing clients to transfer funds directly to Citi U.S. beneficiaries for faster, broader global access.

By leveraging Citi’s industry-leading global network, mature MX-enabled capabilities, and seamless connectivity to the Swift payments scheme, Citi Services is enabling clients to bring new payment capabilities to market more quickly and simplify access to multiple payment markets.

Leigh Amaro, Chief Executive, Americas at Swift, said: “Industry collaboration is essential to delivering the faster, more transparent and more predictable cross-border payments experience consumers have come to expect. As usage of Swift’s retail payments framework grows and more corridors become active, greater certainty over cost and delivery time, full-value transfers and end-to-end visibility into international payments will become a reality for more people and businesses around the world.”

This launch builds on Citi Services’ broader suite of real-time account-to-account payments solutions via WorldLink. The offering integrates cross-border instant payments and real-time wires to deliver rapid, efficient global fund movements. Through one relationship, clients gain direct connectivity to nine instant payment schemes and near real-time wires in 20 currencies and 54 markets. WorldLink offers payments in 135 currencies with integrated FX across over 4,500 currency pairs, in addition to account-to-account payments, clients can also pay into wallets and cards.

About Citi

Citi is a preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs, a global leader in wealth management and a valued personal bank in its home market of the United States. Citi does business in more than 180 countries and jurisdictions, providing corporations, governments, investors, institutions and individuals with a broad range of financial products and services.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | X: @Citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi

[1] The Swift payments scheme is available globally to the 12,500 financial institutions connected to Swift. Citi is offering this capability to its participating bank clients.

[2] Citi has expanded its participation in the Swift payments scheme to include the United States. USD payments are now live through Citi’s internal network, enabling participating banks to send U.S. dollar payments that are credited directly to Citi account holders in real time.

 

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