Chainlink has launched Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE), a new software platform designed to enable institutions to deploy smart contracts on public and private blockchains with built-in tools for compliance, privacy and data integration.
Unveiled during Chainlink’s SmartCon, CRE is part of the platform’s efforts to become a core infrastructure for financial institutions moving to blockchain-based rails.
Chainlink positioned CRE as the basis for the tokenization shift, highlighting that large institutions such as Swift, Euroclear, UBS, and Mastercard are adopting it “to capture the $867 trillion tokenization opportunity.”
CRE was first revealed a year ago, when Chainlink likened the platform’s importance to that of the Java development environment in the Internet age.
Unlike previous blockchain tools, CRE offers a single environment where developers can write smart contracts that work across multiple blockchains, leverage legacy financial messaging standards like ISO 20022, and comply with 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 cross-chain settlement using CRE, while UBS Tokenize and DigiFT leveraged it for the first-ever on-chain buyout of a tokenized fund.
“Smart contracts have evolved into a more complex form, requiring cross-chain synchronization, data and identity connectivity, and synchronization with many other existing systems,” said Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink.
“It used to take months or even years to get these advanced institutional smart contracts in place, and with the launch of CRE, we can now reduce that time to weeks or even days,” Nazarov added.
Chainlink plans to add privacy features in early 2026, including confidential computing for institutions that require secure handling of proprietary data. CRE is now available on multiple blockchains and open to developers.
