Crédit Agricole CIB and ING adopt SECRO for digital commodity trade finance

By AI, Created 10:49 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Crédit Agricole CIB and ING are using SECRO’s workflow platform to digitize commodity trade finance and replace paper documents of title with tokenized originals. The moves mark early bank adoption of a system SECRO says is already used across 48 countries and is designed to speed transfers, tighten control and support financing.

Why it matters: - The bank rollouts show digital negotiable instruments moving from pilot phase into live commodity finance operations. - SECRO says the shift reduces courier delays, improves control over the original document of title and can speed up financing for traders. - The platform’s adoption by tier-1 banks strengthens the case for broader interoperability across exporters, logistics providers, traders and lenders.

What happened: - Crédit Agricole CIB went live with SECRO’s blockchain-based workflow platform in October 2025 for transactional commodity operations. - The bank completed its first digital commercial operation in the energy sector earlier this year with a major global trader. - ING adopted the platform in the first months of 2026 and is expanding tokenization across its commodity finance portfolio. - SECRO says its services are now used in more than 48 countries and have digitized $3.5 billion in shipments. - SECRO says 6 of the top 10 largest commodity traders use its platform, along with more than 300 importers, exporters and logistics providers. - SECRO is based in Switzerland, where it established its European headquarters in July 2025 after founding in the US in 2021.

The details: - In the Crédit Agricole CIB transaction, a vessel master issued the digital document of title while the vessel was already at sea. - The document moved to the shipper in seconds and then into Crédit Agricole CIB’s digital vault. - Crédit Agricole CIB held control of the only original throughout the voyage and digitally endorsed it to the final consignee after settlement. - SECRO says the model enables one tokenized original with real-time ownership tracking and clear legal rights assignment. - SECRO says transfers that once took days by international courier can now happen in seconds. - ING’s Swiss branch is exploring SECRO Core for inventory financing. - SECRO says that, if validated, ING could become the first bank able to tokenize documents of title across pre-shipment, in-transit and post-shipment commodity finance. - ING’s digital trading operations are expected to begin shortly, with multiple launch customers already lined up. - SECRO says multiple other banks are also being onboarded. - More information is available in SECRO’s solutions.

Between the lines: - The bank deals suggest commodity finance is one of the clearest use cases for tokenized trade documents because it depends on legal certainty, timing and handoffs across many parties. - SECRO is positioning Switzerland as a legal and technical base for global use, leaning on the country’s DLT Act and a FINMA-compliant infrastructure in the Zurich region. - The company is also trying to solve a key industry problem: end-to-end connectivity between banks, traders, shippers and logistics providers. - Crédit Agricole CIB and ING both framed the move as part of a broader push to improve efficiency, transparency and resilience in trade finance.

What’s next: - SECRO expects more shipments to follow the first Crédit Agricole CIB transaction. - ING is preparing to launch digital trading operations with multiple customers. - SECRO says it is onboarding additional banks, which could widen network effects across commodity trade finance. - The company is also working to extend tokenization from trade documents into inventory financing and the broader commodity value chain.

The bottom line: - SECRO’s bank wins turn digital trade finance from a legal concept into an operating model now being tested in real commodity flows.