Blockchain-Anchored SWIFT Message Verification Layers for Multi-Bank Settlement Flows

Abstract

This article presents a blockchain-anchored verification architecture for SWIFT-based multi-bank settlement flows, designed to ensure message integrity without altering the structure or routing behavior of SWIFT messaging. In the proposed model, a cryptographic hash of each outgoing payment instruction is generated at the treasury source and committed to a distributed ledger as an immutable reference point. Receiving institutions recompute the hash locally and compare it against the on-chain commitment to confirm that the message has not been modified during transmission. This approach provides tamper-evident integrity validation, improves cross-bank transparency, and reduces reliance on manual reconciliation, while introducing negligible operational overhead due to parallel anchoring and verification processes. The resulting settlement workflow preserves confidentiality, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency while providing cryptographically verifiable assurance of message authenticity across correspondent banking networks.