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From Payments Chief Discusses Tokenization's Role in Corporate Liquidity

How could the shift to tokenized payments affect the Santander Group?

Possible What happens if… A possibility worth considering, not a forecast.

Tokenization could reshape cross-border payments for Santander Group The use of stablecoins for cross-border transactions, such as Hyundai purchasing commodities from Chile, could allow companies to transfer funds internationally through fewer correspondent banks. According to the reports, this shift could cause a greater share of transaction revenue to flow to financial institutions and service providers handling the conversion of currencies into digital tokens. While tokenization offers banks an opportunity to reassert themselves by combining services like payments, custody, and trading, the competitive landscape remains unsettled, meaning the impact on established institutions like Santander Group is a significant factor to watch.

Reported by 1 independent outlet Written 6 hours ago
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How it reaches Santander Group

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The facts so far

As reported. Each one links to where it comes from.

  • Naveen Mallela, Standard Chartered's global head of payments, discussed tokenization at the World Digital Assets Forum 2026 in Seoul.koreaherald.com
  • Tokenization could allow companies to unlock cash from financial assets and make payments in a single process.koreaherald.com
  • Using the Hyundai purchasing commodities from Chile example, Mallela noted stablecoins could transfer funds internationally through fewer correspondent banks.koreaherald.com
  • With stablecoins, a greater share of transaction revenue could flow to financial institutions and service providers handling the conversion of won into digital tokens in Korea and tokens into pesos in Chile.koreaherald.com

Why it matters

For Santander Group, which operates globally and relies heavily on cross-border financial flows, the potential shift toward tokenized payments represents a fundamental challenge to its existing revenue architecture. If the industry adopts this new architecture, the traditional distribution of transaction fees among correspondent banks and large financial institutions could be significantly altered.

This transition is part of a broader wave of payment innovation where banks, fintech companies, and digital asset providers are all competing to define the future financial architecture. While tokenization offers banks an opportunity to reassert themselves by integrating services like custody and trading, the ultimate winner in this competitive landscape is not yet clear.

What we don't know yet

  • How quickly will the adoption of stablecoins for corporate cross-border payments accelerate?
  • What specific regulatory frameworks will govern the conversion of won into digital tokens in Korea and tokens into pesos in Chile?

What would change this answer

Major financial institutions begin integrating tokenized assets into their core payment offerings.This would increase the certainty of the shift, potentially accelerating the change in revenue distribution for banks.
Regulatory bodies impose strict limitations on the use of stablecoins for international corporate transactions.This would slow the adoption of the new payment architecture, mitigating the potential disruption to established financial institutions.

Reporting

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The full eventPayments Chief Discusses Tokenization's Role in Corporate Liquidity Everything aboutSantander Group

Brind's analysis is written by AI from the reporting linked above and can be wrong. This explainer is a possibility worth considering, not a forecast: steps marked as Brind's reasoning are not stated in the reporting. It is not investment advice; do your own research.