Deutsche Bank conducted its first euro-denominated cross-border payment via Partior’s blockchain platform. The transaction was performed with DBS, Southeast Asia’s largest bank by assets, with Deutsche Bank acting as the settlement bank and DBS as the beneficiary bank.
The live transaction is a key milestone for the bank’s cross-border payments solutions for its financial institution clients. Deutsche Bank invested in Partior in 2024 and finalised its platform agreement in May 2025 to deliver real-time, secure, and scalable settlement.
Interoperability between blockchain and traditional rails
A key aspect of the transaction was the collaboration between Deutsche Bank and DBS, a founding shareholder of Partior, to ensure the blockchain network was interoperable with traditional payment rails. This enabled the payment to be executed across different financial market infrastructures, demonstrating how blockchain technology can complement existing systems.
Ciaran Byrne, head of product management for institutional cash management at Deutsche Bank, commented on the bank’s multi-rail strategy: “We envisage a future using multiple rails, be it SWIFT, Stablecoins, or blockchain-based solutions, where intelligent and negotiated routing produces maximum value in terms of processing efficiency, cost and client experience. Blockchain is clearly gaining traction in the industry and will form an integral component of how we service our FI clients. Through our partnership with Partior, we will offer clients a whole new experience in terms of real-time execution.”
Real-time settlement and liquidity management
The Partior platform is designed to provide real-time settlement, which offers several benefits for financial institutions. By settling directly on the blockchain, the process becomes more efficient, reduces payment failure risks, and provides real-time confirmation of transactions.
Humphrey Valenbreder, chief executive officer of Partior, said: “We are super proud of what we are able to deliver with the great collaboration of the teams at Deutsche Bank and DBS. In a very short timeframe, we have proven that our new rails create real, live business opportunities for our partners and their clients. By enabling real-time settlement in addition to the messaging, combined with the security and finality that global systemically important banks require, we are creating new possibilities for how value moves across borders – innovation that can benefit the financial ecosystem at large.”
Patricia Sullivan, head of institutional cash management at Deutsche Bank, added that the integration will also help to optimise liquidity management across the industry. “More efficient interbank settlements mean that we can help to optimise liquidity management across the industry and, specifically, enable real-time treasury management for our clients’ underlying customers,” she stated.
Partior’s blockchain solutions are built to integrate with core banking systems and offer 24/7, always-on capabilities to ensure efficient real-time settlement with finality. The platform is backed by a consortium of global banks, including DBS, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, and Emirates NBD.
