In this special edition of the Digest I review some of the recent use cases for the Chainlink decentralized oracle. Blockchain technology has a fundamental limitation: it cannot access real-world data on its own. Smart contracts, essential to many blockchains and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, rely on external data to function. This is where “oracle networks” like Chainlink come in. Oracles enable smart contracts to securely pull data from a wide range of information sources, instead of relying on a single provider. Over 14 blockchain ecosystems are compatible with Chainlink, including Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, and BNB Chain. Through these integrations, over 1,600 projects are using Chainlink’s technology as of 2025.” [Read more at Decrypt] Here are some recent projects that have leveraged Chainlink:
In June 2025 Mastercard and Chainlink announced a partnership to enable Mastercard’s 3.5 billion cardholders worldwide to purchase cryptocurrency directly on-chain through decentralized exchanges. The collaboration powers a new platform called Swapper Finance, which allows users to buy crypto directly from DEXs using any Mastercard Mastercard adds secure on-chain access to crypto – Help Net Security. The partnership involves multiple technology providers including Shift4, zerohash, XSwap, and Uniswap, with Chainlink’s interoperability protocol facilitating the integration. This represents a significant bridge between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi), making crypto purchases more accessible to mainstream users without requiring them to be crypto-native or enthusiasts. [MasterCard]
In June 2025 VISA published an interim report on Phase 2 of the e-HKD Pilot Programme, an initiative by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) to explore cross-border transactions using new forms of digital money including central bank digital currency (CBDC) and tokenized deposits. The pilot, involving VISA, ANZ, Fidelity International, and ChinaAMC Hong Kong, testis how Australia-based investors can purchase tokenized fund units from Hong Kong asset managers using e-HKD or tokenized deposits. The program aims to explore the potential of blockchain technology for near real-time settlements, enhanced interoperability between public and permissioned blockchains, and the establishment of token standards, ultimately seeking to accelerate digital asset adoption and improve the efficiency of fund management and cross-border payments. [VISA]
In January 2025, Ripple announced a partnership with Chainlink to improve the adoption and utility of its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The collaboration will provide price feeds for RLUSD on Ethereum and the XRP Ledger, which aim to support cost-effective transactions and DeFi use cases for the enterprise-grade stablecoin. [Ripple]
In November 2024 SBI Digital Markets, UBS Asset Management, and Chainlink announced the successful completion of their implementation of a tokenized fund, as part of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Project Guardian. They showed how tokenization, smart contracts, and Chainlink infrastructure can automate the fund management process for fund administrators and transfer agents. The pilot demonstrated the possibility for a tokenized fund to maintain its share register on one blockchain while using Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to enable the processing of intensive fund lifecycle activities on another blockchain with different underlying security, cost, and efficiency properties. [PR News]
In November 2024 Banco Central do Brasil selected Banco Inter alongside Microsoft Brazil, 7COMm and Chainlink to build a trade finance solution as part of the 2nd phase of Brazil’s DREX CBDC experimentation. The solution leverages blockchain technology and oracles to automate supply chain management and improve trade finance processes. The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate the automated settlement of agricultural commodity transactions across borders, across platforms, and via different currencies. [PR News]
In August 2023 SWIFT published the results from a series of experiments that show its infrastructure can seamlessly facilitate the transfer of tokenized value across multiple public and private blockchains. Working with more than a dozen major financial institutions and market infrastructures, SWIFT demonstrated that it can provide a single point of access to multiple networks using existing, secure infrastructure. Chainlink was used as an enterprise abstraction layer to securely connect the SWIFT network to the Ethereum Sepolia network, while Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol enabled complete interoperability between the source and destination blockchains. [SWIFT]
Upcoming Speaking Engagements:
The CB+DC Conference (Nassau, Bahamas, September 9-11) is a premier gathering centered on CBDCs, tokenized assets, and stablecoins. It provides a forum for central bankers, commercial bankers, technology innovators, policymakers, and academics to explore the latest advancements in digital currency, engage with experts and peers, and discuss the future of digital currency. [Register here but before you do, email me at john@kiffmeister.com for a 15% discount]
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