Swedish Centiglobe, a payment network based on tokenized bank deposits, is partnering with Latin American infrastructure provider Bamboo. The deal comes as a new survey shows financial institutions want exactly this kind of regulated infrastructure — but are held back by regulatory uncertainty.
Swedish Centiglobe stands out from many players in the industry through its approach to blockchain technology: rather than replacing the banking system, Centiglobe builds infrastructure that connects to the existing banking system and upgrades it from within. The solution is based on tokenized bank deposits that can be used regardless of which bank issued them — making it possible to move value between banks and institutions without traditional intermediaries. In this landscape, trust is essential. A survey from FinanceX Magazine and Centiglobe, based on responses from more than 50 payments executives, shows that 77 percent of the industry is open to tokenized deposits — but only through regulated institutions. 65 percent cite regulatory uncertainty as the single biggest barrier — not technology, not cost.
It is in this context that Centiglobe is now entering a partnership with Latin American infrastructure provider Bamboo.
"Our collaborative payment network enables financial institutions to execute cross-border payments without intermediaries using bank-agnostic tokenized deposits. This delivers greater capital efficiency, more predictable payment flows, and a model aligned with evolving regulatory expectations," says Petter Sandgren, CEO of Centiglobe.
The statement speaks directly to what the survey identifies as the main challenge: institutions want access to new payment rails, but only if the infrastructure is built with regulation in mind — not as an alternative to it.
Through the agreement, Centiglobe's network members — financial institutions and global PSP clients — gain access to Bamboo's local banking and payment network in Latin America, without needing to establish their own entities or build separate local integrations. Bamboo covers more than 200 payment methods and is connected to over 600 banks and financial institutions across the region.
Gregory Cornwell, Chief of Revenue at Bamboo, says the partnership combines Centiglobe's global network with Bamboo's local execution capabilities, reducing the complexity of operating and scaling in Latin America.
The partnership is expected to enable settlement within the same day or the next, depending on payment flow and market. The tokenized model is designed to let network members move value without intermediaries — directly relevant to what the survey identifies as a key competitive advantage: reducing capital currently tied up in pre-funding across markets.
The survey also shows that interest in alternative payment solutions varies sharply between types of institutions. While newer players are moving quickly, many traditional banks are still working with a three-to-five-year horizon before adopting this kind of infrastructure. In a market where regulation, according to executives themselves, remains the biggest wildcard, the partnership between Centiglobe and Bamboo is one example of how players are trying to address that very concern.
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