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Late last week, on November 22, a significant milestone in international finance was reached with the official cut-over to the ISO 20022 messaging standard. While many believe that Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) or Stellar Network (XLM) are the frontrunners to be SWIFT’s choice for its tokenized settlement platform, the payment solution firm has instead chosen Linea crypto.
While being technical in nature, ISO 20022 delivers structured data, clearer compliance, and the potential for automation that could redefine cross-border payments. While Ripple joined the ISO 20022 Registration Management Group in 2020, SWIFT has ultimately chosen the Ethereum Layer-2 network to pilot its upcoming cross-border payment solution.
CONSENSYS CEO JOE LUBIN CONFIRMS SWIFT IS USING ETHEREUM $ETH L2 'LINEA' $LINEA TO BUILD ITS NEW PAYMENTS SYSTEM pic.twitter.com/DOTCJSS3nX
— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) October 4, 2025
SWIFT Chooses Linea Crypto Over Ripple (XRP) or Stellar (XLM) for 2025 Cross-Border Payment Pilot
Cross-border payments are levelling up with the upgrade to ISO 20022. Almost since the inception of digital finance, SWIFT has been the protocol working in the background, quietly powering the rise of global finance.
Put simply, it is a messaging system that enables banks to move trillions of dollars across borders daily. However, as blockchain technology matures and integrates with TradFi, new settlement models are challenging the legacy.
SWIFT has made the first move to maintain its position as the backbone of cross-border settlements, and its decision has shocked many. For the longest time, analysts and traders assumed that SWIFT would eventually adopt Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) for a future tokenized payment settlement platform.
There was even an outside bet that Stellar Network
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would be a dark horse for a SWIFT tokenized platform. However, in a surprising move, the global payments firm has chosen Linea crypto, an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) Layer-2 protocol, for its pilot platform.
DISCOVER: Top 20 Crypto to Buy in June 2026
Did XRP’s Longstanding Regulatory Issues Scare SWIFT Away?
SWIFT has chosen to experiment with an Ethereum-based ledger, designed to extend its reputation as a provider of neutral financial infrastructure, moving from TradFi to blockchain payments settlement.
Instead of pushing a single asset, the SWIFT system will support tokenized deposits, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and stablecoins within a permissioned, compliance-friendly environment.
One key factor that may have deterred SWIFT from adopting Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) is that its native settlement network relies on the XRP token as a built-in liquidity bridge. While using the XRP
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token as its native asset for its ledger, XRPL offers fast speeds and lower costs, but it also carries the risk of volatility.
🚨BOOM: SEC DECLARES " $XRP NOT A SECURITY" BUT APPEAL THE FEE RIPPLE IS SET TO PAY. pic.twitter.com/ghRLg8wck0
— KingXRP (@MRKingXRP) October 18, 2024
With the XRP token front and center in the XRPL, the longstanding regulatory scrutiny between the US SEC and Ripple may have swayed SWIFT toward Linea crypto.
While the SEC has recently dropped its case against Ripple and things finally seem settled after a five-year legal battle, the possibility of issues resurfacing under a future non-Trump administration may have been enough to spook SWIFT.
LINEA Crypto Up +13% on SWIFT Partnership News
As the crypto market has bounced on this Monday, up +0.6%, the combined market cap has reclaimed $3 trillion. LINEA crypto has rocketed +13%, while XRP has barely managed +1%.
The disparity between the two digital assets and their 24-hour price movements highlights investor sentiment with news that SWIFT has chosen Linea crypto as its partner for its upcoming blockchain payment settlement pilot platform.
For years, the XRP community has waited patiently for the longstanding rumors of a SWIFT and Ripple Labs partnership, hoping that the XRP Ledger would be chosen for any blockchain settlement platform SWIFT builds.
This helped create a cult-like community within the Ripple space, as investors clung to the idea of being the backbone of a revolutionary cross-border blockchain payment settlement platform, set to replace SWIFT.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see XRP struggling today, trading at $2.06 and down -9% over the past seven days, as the Ripple army has had its dreams shattered overnight.
On the other hand, LINEA crypto is up +13% in the past 24 hours alone, as the news continues to spread that SWIFT has chosen the Ethereum-based Layer-2 network as its partner for the upcoming pilot program.
LINEA has a market cap of just $172M, compared to XRP with $124Bn. If LINEA crypto fulfils its destiny to become the XRP killer, it will need to increase by more than 80x to achieve Ripple’s market cap, making LINEA one of the best crypto plays right now.
Think how big LINEA will get if Ripple is at 126B MC!!! And Ripple has lost its biggest catalyst in SWIFT.
The pump in @LineaBuild will be magical. pic.twitter.com/fRie2o2rjG
— Chart Davidson (@ChartDavidson) November 24, 2025
BONUS: PepeNode (PEPENODE) Closes in on $2.2M ICO Funding as ‘Mine to Earn’ Tech Grips Investors
The PepeNode (PEPENODE) presale has just surpassed $2.18M in ICO funding and looks set to hit $3M as its next funding target. This strong funding highlights the demand for this memecoin/utility hybrid project. This utility includes virtual mining, staking, and a rising presale price through a price-stage presale model.
Together, these features generate excitement and interest in the PEPENODE token before the project launches on DEXs and CEXs, with rumors suggesting that Binance is keeping a close eye on the project.
Virtual Mining allows investors to establish virtual nodes and facilities that generate rewards immediately through a simplified dashboard. This feature enables presale investors to compound their investments and earn additional revenue through a GameFi mining approach.
Finally, the Pepenode team has adopted a price-stage presale model, in which the PEPENODE price increases incrementally, meaning investors are automatically in profit each time the project reaches its next price stage.
As each funding milestone is met, PepeNode is solidifying its position as one of the top candidates, alongside the LINEA crypto play, as the best investment play right now.
The PEPENODE token is currently worth $0.0011638 during the presale, with just over 48 hours remaining before the timer expires and the price increases again.
EXPLORE: Best Meme Coin ICOs to Invest in 2026
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