Chainlink has launched the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE), a new software platform designed to let institutions deploy smart contracts on public and private blockchains with built-in tools for compliance, privacy and data integration.
Unveiled at Chainlink’s SmartCon, CRE is part of the platform’s effort to become a core infrastructure for financial institutions moving to blockchain-based rails.
Chainlink positioned CRE as the foundation for the tokenization shift, pointing out that major institutions including Swift, Euroclear, UBS and Mastercard are adopting it “to seize the $867 trillion tokenization opportunity.”
CRE was first unveiled a year ago, with Chainlink comparing the platform’s significance to Java’s development environment for the Internet age.
Unlike previous blockchain tools, CRE provides a single environment where developers can write smart contracts that work on multiple blockchains, leverage legacy financial messaging standards such as ISO 20022, and meet regulatory requirements.
CRE also includes access to Chainlink’s existing services, such as price feeds and proof-of-reserve systems.
A number of major players are already using the platform. JPMorgan’s Kinexys and Ondo completed a cross-chain settlement using CRE, while UBS Tokenize and DigiFT used it for the first-ever on-chain redemption of a tokenized fund.
“Smart contracts have evolved into a more complex form, requiring synchronization between chains, connectivity to data and identity, as well as synchronization with many other existing systems,” said Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink.
“These advanced institutional smart contracts used to take months to years to get right, and with the launch of CRE we can now reduce that to weeks or even just days,” Nazarov added.
Chainlink plans to add privacy features in early 2026, including confidential computing for institutions that require secure processing of proprietary data. CRE is now live on multiple blockchains and open to developers.