Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters expects that every transaction will one day be conducted on the blockchain, calling it a “complete rewiring” of global finance.
The CEO of Standard Chartered believes that blockchain will eventually host all the money
How reported on CNBC Bill Winters spoke on Monday about the future of finance and Hong Kong’s role in the global digital asset space during the FinTech Week panel in Hong Kong. “Our belief, which I believe is shared by Hong Kong’s leaders, is that almost all transactions will ultimately be settled on blockchain and that all money will be digital,” Standard Chartered’s CEO said.
The comment comes amid a push to digitally tokenize accounting books around the world. For example, payments giant SWIFT is developing a blockchain-based ledger, as announced in September.
Tokenizing an asset creates a digital copy of it that can be traded on the blockchain. Last year, Hong Kong launched a project to test the application of tokenization in real business scenarios, in cooperation with Standard Chartered participant.
Standard Chartered is a British bank operating worldwide, including in Hong Kong. The institution, designated a Global Systemically Essential Bank (G-SIB) by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), has recently been increasing its presence in the digital asset space.
Earlier this year, the bank was the first in its position to launch a Bitcoin and Ethereum trading desk for institutional clients. It also formed a joint venture with Animoca Brands and Hong Kong Telecom (HKT) to obtain a stablecoin license from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
Stablecoins are a prominent example of tokenization, acting as the blockchain equivalent of fiat currencies. Standard Chartered plans to launch this type of Hong Kong dollar (HKD)-backed asset.
Today’s tokenized assets may be just the beginning if the bank CEO’s prediction that all money will eventually become digital comes true. “Think about what this means: a complete reorganization of the financial system,” Winters noted.
Bitcoin has gained 3% in the last day
Bitcoin started the up-to-date week with another rebound as its price returned to the $107,500 level. The chart below shows the recent cryptocurrency trend.
However, despite the recent bear run, Bitcoin continues to outperform in 2024 in terms of spot Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) inflows. As CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn noted in X’s report post2025 is ahead of 2024 in terms of year-to-date inflows.
How the cumulative spot ETF inflows have compared between the two years | Source: @JA_Maartun on X
At this point last year, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs had registered cumulative inflows of approximately $22.5 billion. The same figure for 2025 is now $25.18 billion.
Featured image from Dall-E, CryptoQuant.com, chart from TradingView.com
Editorial process for bitcoinist is focused on providing thoroughly researched, exact and unbiased content. We adhere to demanding sourcing standards, and each page is carefully reviewed by our team of top technology experts and experienced editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance and value of our content to our readers.
