Citi Expanded Token Services to Japan and the UAE
The expansion enables businesses to leverage programmable, near-instantaneous liquidity movement across these new markets.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Financial Services
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Citi has extended its blockchain-based Token Services to Japan and the United Arab Emirates, growing its network to seven markets globally. This service allows for the movement of liquidity using tokenized deposits, bypassing traditional banking cut-off times.
Why it matters
The expansion helps multinational clients navigate the demands of 24/7 global commerce by removing reliance on holiday calendars and traditional banking hours. It aims to streamline payment and collateral management across Citi's global footprint of 180 countries.
Citi has grown its Token Services network to 7 markets from 5, supporting operations within a broader institutional footprint of 180 countries.
The players
Citi
A global financial institution providing banking services across 180 countries and focusing on enterprise payment and liquidity solutions.
The details
The system utilizes private-permissioned blockchain technology to facilitate programmable, near-instantaneous liquidity transfers. In Japan, the service supports USD transactions, while the UAE expansion covers both USD and Euro transactions. By replacing legacy clearing processes with tokenized deposits, the platform enables firms to maintain continuous cash flow regardless of local market holidays or banking hours.
Timeline
September 28, 2026: Citi announced the expansion of Token Services.
Market Landscape
This move marks a continued industry push toward 24/7 liquidity management that follows the adoption of ISO 20022 messaging standards. It underscores a strategic pivot by major banks to integrate private-permissioned blockchains into existing cross-border payment architectures.
Treasury and finance teams should evaluate whether their current banking partners offer similar tokenized liquidity solutions to optimize capital efficiency. Firms operating in Japan or the UAE should monitor how these programmable features integrate with their existing collateral management workflows.
The takeaway
The move toward tokenized deposits signals that real-time liquidity is becoming a standard expectation for international commerce. Operators should audit their current payment cycles to identify where traditional cut-off times remain the primary bottleneck to efficiency.
Further reading
For more on the changing infrastructure of cross-border payments, see the Financial Services section.
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