TradFi Giants Join Forces to Advance Cross-Border Payments

Deutsche Bank and Ant International expand their strategic cooperation aimed at developing cross-border payments using tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and an AI-based currency forecasting model.

Germany’s largest bank, Deutsche Bank, and Ant International, a subsidiary of Alibaba, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) confirming their strategic partnership. Together, they’ll develop and implement comprehensive solutions for cross-border payments and global liquidity management. The partnership includes integrating tokenized assets, blockchain infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI) models to optimize payment processes and reduce currency risks.

A key focus area of the collaboration is innovating cross-border settlements, including the use of tokenized bank deposits, stablecoins, and the Falcon TST FX currency forecasting model developed by Ant International based on Time-Series Transformer technology.

Under the agreement, Deutsche Bank will become the first German bank to integrate Ant International’s blockchain liquidity management platform. This will enable instant transfers between Ant’s internal entities and enhance transparency and efficiency of global treasury operations.

Moreover, Deutsche Bank will expand its cooperation with Antom, a provider of acquiring and digital trade solutions, to give European and Middle Eastern merchants access to a wider range of payment tools. To support small and medium enterprises, the bank will also provide access to WorldFirst through its global network, helping scale payment collection, currency operations, and account management solutions.

Ole Matthiessen, Head of Corporate Bank APAC & MEA for Deutsche Bank, emphasized that collaboration with Ant International opens new horizons for developing advanced financial solutions amid a rapidly evolving FinTech landscape.

The companies collaborated since 2019, and the signing of this new agreement marks a qualitative leap toward transforming global payment systems and increasing access to digital financial services for businesses across Eurasia.

A week ago, Deutsche Bank and TransferMate launched a FinTech initiative combining a global payments network with local collection, transfer, and custody tools. The project aims to provide businesses with access to local currency operations within global B2B payment corridors.