Santander has announced that they will be the first UK bank to introduce Blockchain technology for international payments through a new app. It’s currently being rolled out as a staff pilot, with the intention to expand the technology at a later date.

Santander is the first UK bank to use Blockchain technology to transfer live international payments

Payments of between £10 and £10,000 can be made, around the clock at any time of the day

The long wait for international payments to be processed is over, funds will appear in the recipients account the next working day

Sigga Sigurdardottir, Head of Customer and Innovation at Santander said:

“The need for finance has evolved from providing a physical Pound in your pocket or card in your purse, where you pay at a till, to being seamlessly integrated into a new, always on, connected lifestyle. “At Santander we work hard to ensure our banking is simple, personal and fair and believe new Blockchain technology will play a transformational role in the way we achieve our goals and better serve our customers, adding value by creating more choice and convenience.”

Once the app is downloaded, users need to complete their profile details and can then start to make payments. It connects to Apple Pay, where users can confirm payments securely using Touch ID. It lets users transfer between £10 and £10,000 and payments can be made from GBP to EUR and USD. Currently, payments made in EUR can be sent to 21 countries and US Dollar payments to the USA only.

The Blockchain technology underpinning the app is provided by Ripple, a company which Santander Innoventures has also invested in. Working with Ripple builds on Santander’s philosophy of collaborating with the most innovative companies to consistently provide better services to customers.

Chris Larsen, Chief Executive Officer at Ripple said:

“Ripple is redefining the way that value moves around the world, and today we’re already enabling real-time, affordable international settlement between banks who have adopted our solutions. “As an early adopter and pioneer in the banking industry, Santander is the first bank in the world to transfer real funds externally. In doing so, they are creating a new, exemplary standard of service.”

In line with all new technology launched by Santander, security is of paramount importance. Security and regulatory compliance is central to all activity undertaken at Santander and this app has undergone the same rigorous testing all new technology goes through ahead of roll out.