Nearly 9 in 10 Big Businesses Are Using or Testing Tokenised Money

Large businesses are increasingly exploring tokenised money, driven by anticipated operational efficiencies. The survey found that 72% of respondents expect or are already experiencing improvements in transaction traceability and auditability within two years. Additionally, 71% identify real-time cross-border payments as a key benefit, while 66% point to stronger controls and governance, and 65% to better liquidity management. These reported advantages align with broader business pressures, including adapting to shifting trade routes and currency volatility.

Despite widespread exploration, with 88% of large businesses engaged, the scale of deployment for tokenised money remains early. Only 24% of surveyed companies have fully deployed it at scale, with 43% reporting limited live use and 21% conducting pilots. This suggests that while intent and early stages of adoption are robust, widespread, large-scale implementation is still developing.

Alongside tokenised money, AI is also being integrated into treasury operations. The survey shows that 76% of businesses expect AI to improve payment investigations and post-settlement issue resolution within two years. The same proportion anticipates better cash and liquidity forecasting, and 75% foresee improvements in reconciliation and exception detection. This indicates a dual focus on digital transformation in finance, leveraging both tokenisation and artificial intelligence.

However, the path to full adoption faces common barriers. Regulatory uncertainty, data security concerns, limited expertise, and integration challenges are cited as obstacles for both AI and tokenised money. Businesses are looking to banks for support, with 64% seeking a single point of integration for tokenised money ecosystems and 63% wanting access to bank-enabled technology infrastructure for AI adoption, according to DBS.