Chainlink
Chainlink Outperforms Major Cryptocurrencies in 2026 Following Swift and Protocol Upgrades
Chainlink's token has gained 18% in 2026 amid enterprise integrations with Swift and the launch of its upgraded interoperability protocol.
Chainlink traded around $14.41 on October 2, 2026, marking an 18% gain since the start of the year and an 80% rise from its July low of $8. The token's performance diverged from several larger crypto assets, as Bitcoin declined roughly 3%, Solana dropped nearly 3%, Ethereum fell about 9%, and XRP lost almost 18% over the same period. Despite this recovery, LINK remains approximately 36% below its level from a year earlier and down roughly 73% from its historical peak of $52.70.
The recent momentum followed a September 28 announcement that Chainlink’s software connects financial institutions to Swift's blockchain ledger, which launched for initial use in July. Seventeen banking institutions, including Citi, HSBC, UBS, and Wells Fargo, are preparing to test live transactions across the network. The integration is supported by Chainlink’s collaboration with Infosys, which covers roughly 1.7 billion bank accounts.
Simultaneously, the project released CCIP 2.0, an updated iteration of its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol that allows institutions to apply custom verification parameters, enforce payment limits, and screen against sanctions lists. Following the launch, LINK climbed 10% on heightened volume to close at $15.44 before reaching $15.70 on September 29, though subsequent selling pulled the price back toward $14.36 by September 30.
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More on Chainlink All pieces →
- Buy Chainlink Enables Financial Institutions to Access Swift Ledger for Tokenized Deposits
- Neutral Institutional demand and protocol upgrades support Chainlink market structure
- Sell Chainlink Drops 6.5 Percent to $14.14 Following Swift Integration Announcement Rally
- Neutral Infosys Integrates Chainlink Stack into Standard Banking Software Architecture
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