How Maybank’s Pilot Could Change Cross-Border Payments
Recently, Maybank has successfully completed the first transaction under its inaugural pilot project for tokenised deposits and cross-border payments with Yinson Holdings Berhad. In the world of banking and fintech, this is exciting news and a big step forward. But the average Malaysian might be wondering: what in the world does that even mean and how does it help me?
On the surface, it might sound like another piece of complex financial jargon. But behind it is a broader push by banks to rethink how money moves, making transactions faster, more seamless, and better suited for an increasingly digital and global economy.
While this pilot is still in its early stages, it signals that Malaysian banks are actively exploring new ways to improve cross-border payments and financial infrastructure. If successful, developments like this could eventually reshape how individuals and businesses handle international transactions in the future. So before we get into the technical details, let’s break down what this actually means
So What Exactly Are Tokenised Deposits?
Think of tokenised deposits as your regular bank money, but with a digital upgrade. Instead of just sitting in your bank account, that same money can be “wrapped” into a digital token issued by a bank. And crucially, it still represents the exact same value, backed 1:1 by real cash held at that bank.
In other words, nothing new is being created here. It’s still your money, just in a form that can move more easily in a digital environment. What makes this interesting is where these tokens can operate. By bringing bank-backed money onto blockchain rails, tokenised deposits can unlock features that traditional systems struggle with, like near-instant transfers, automated transactions, and round-the-clock settlement.
Now here’s where it gets even more important. Unlike cryptocurrencies or other digital assets, tokenised deposits don’t change the nature of money itself. They’re still a liability of a regulated bank, which means they come with a level of stability and trust that financial institutions are already comfortable with.
You can think of it as upgrading the plumbing behind the financial system. The water (your money) stays the same, but the pipes become faster, smarter, and more efficient.
And while this might sound like something happening far behind the scenes, these upgrades are exactly what could make future payments, especially cross-border ones, cheaper, and a lot less painful for everyone involved.
In order to build a stable foundation, Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH) has onboarded three initiatives to test real-world applications involving ringgit stablecoins and tokenised deposits in 2026.
The three initiatives will focus on wholesale payment use cases across both domestic and cross-border transactions, including to enable the settlement of tokenised assets. Notably, BNM intends to provide greater clarity on the use of ringgit stablecoins and tokenised deposits by end-2026.
How Do Tokenised Deposits Work
Tokenised deposits were made specifically to seamlessly blend a bank’s traditional ledger with the wonders of modern blockchain infrastructure. This essentially allows fiat money to move at the blazing speed of the digital world. This process typically occurs in three distinct stages:
Issuance
It all starts off when you drop some cash (e.g. Malaysian Ringgit) into your bank account. The bank logs it in their system and then mints a matching batch of digital tokens on a blockchain. Each token is like a shiny digital twin, worth exactly the same as the money sitting safely in your account.
Settlement
Once these tokens hit the blockchain, they can start doing all sorts of digital magic. The main attraction is atomic settlement, also called Delivery-vs-Payment (DvP). In a DvP transaction, a smart contract makes sure two assets swap hands at the exact same time. Think of it like trading a tokenised security for a tokenised deposit in one seamless move, no risk of someone getting the goods while the other side comes up empty.
Redemption
When you’re ready, cashing out your tokenised deposit is just as easy. You send the token back to the bank, which burns it. This token is gone forever. The bank then updates its ledger and tops up your account with the same amount of fiat currency, closing the loop neatly.
Tokenised Deposits vs Other Digital Currencies
The rise of onchain finance has brought along a whole cast of digital money, and while they might look similar at first glance, they play very different roles behind the scenes. Knowing what’s what makes it much easier to understand where tokenised deposits fit in.
Tokenised Deposits
Think of these as your everyday bank money, just with a blockchain upgrade. Each token is a direct 1:1 claim on funds sitting in a bank account. It’s still a liability of the bank, still under the same rules and protections, just now able to move and interact in digital networks.
Stablecoins
Stablecoins are more like the fintech version of digital cash. They’re usually issued by non-bank players and backed by a mix of reserves, cash, government bonds, or other assets. When you hold one, you’re not claiming a specific bank deposit, but a slice of that reserve pool. Even when banks get involved, the structure still works this way.
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
CBDCs are the heavyweight of the group. Issued directly by a country’s central bank, they’re the digital form of sovereign money. That means they carry the full backing of the state, making them the closest thing to pure digital cash you can get.
The Perks (And Quirks) Of Tokenised Deposits
Tokenised deposits bring some serious upgrades to the table, but like any new tech, they’re not without a few trade-offs.
Why they’re exciting
First is speed. By running on blockchain rails, tokenised deposits can enable near-instant settlement, cutting out the usual waiting game. Then there’s programmability, payments can be automated with smart contracts, unlocking use cases like conditional transfers or real-time trade settlements. And importantly, they don’t reinvent money. Because they’re still bank liabilities, they come with a level of trust and familiarity that businesses and institutions already rely on.
Where things get tricky
That said, it’s not all smooth sailing. Adoption is still early, which means limited networks and interoperability between banks can slow things down. Not every system talks to each other just yet. There’s also the question of infrastructure. These solutions often run on permissioned networks, which may limit openness compared to public blockchains. And while they inherit the trust of banks, they also inherit some of the same constraints, like operating within existing regulatory and banking frameworks.
So Why Should You Care?
Tokenised deposits might sound like something happening deep in the plumbing of the financial system, and for now, they are. But just like faster internet or better payment rails, these behind-the-scenes upgrades tend to show up where it matters most; that being in your everyday experience.
If banks get this right, sending money across borders could become quicker, cheaper, and far less frustrating. Businesses could settle transactions in real time, and individuals might eventually enjoy smoother, near-instant payments without jumping through tedious hoops.
FAQs
Tokenised deposits are digital representations of commercial bank money recorded on a blockchain or distributed ledger (DLT), acting as a 1:1, regulated, and programmable version of traditional deposits. They allow for instant, 24/7, and simultaneous settlement, representing a direct claim on a bank, unlike stablecoins.
Maybank’s tokenised deposit pilot is a pioneering project in Malaysia, launched in February 2026, to test Ringgit-denominated deposit tokens for near real-time, secure, cross-border payments via blockchain. Partnering with Yinson Holdings Berhad, this pilot is supervised by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to advance blockchain technology in finance.
Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH), launched in June 2025, is a collaborative, regulatory-supported platform designed to explore blockchain technology and tokenisation in the financial sector. It enables testing of ringgit stablecoins, tokenised deposits, and other digital assets in a secure, controlled environment to promote financial innovation and stability.
Tokenised deposits are digital representations of fiat money held in regulated bank accounts, acting as bank liabilities on blockchain rails, while stablecoins are digital assets issued by private, often non-bank entities, backed by reserve assets like cash or Treasuries.
No, tokenised deposits are not the same as cryptocurrency. While both utilise blockchain technology for digital transactions, tokenised deposits are regulated, 1:1 representations of bank deposits (fiat currency) that remain liabilities of the bank. Conversely, cryptocurrencies are often decentralised assets that, unlike tokenised deposits, are typically not backed by insured fiat deposits.
