Chainlink Kickstarts November with Multiple Innovations: A Look at The Protocol's Key Partnerships and New Features

Decentralized Oracle Network Chainlink introduced several updates and partnerships in early November 2025, focusing on enhancements to its infrastructure for blockchain interoperability, privacy, and compliance. 

These developments, covered in this article, include the launch of the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE) and Chainlink Confidential Compute, as well as expansions in institutional integrations. This activity signals continued efforts to support onchain finance through tools that enable cross-chain operations, provide data feeds, and ensure regulatory compliance.

New Product Launches and Features

Chainlink Runtime Environment Goes Live

Chainlink announced the Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE) on November 4, 2025. CRE functions as an orchestration layer designed for institutional-grade smart contracts. It supports interoperability across public and private blockchains, incorporates compliance and privacy features, and integrates with existing systems. 

Institutions and DeFi protocols have adopted it to facilitate onchain finance applications. Developers can use Go and TypeScript SDKs, a command-line interface (CLI), templates, and an AI-enabled Developer Assistant to build with CRE. Specific use cases include cross-chain delivery-versus-payment (DvP) settlements, tokenized funds, and hybrid smart contracts that combine onchain and off-chain logic.

Announcing Chainlink Confidential Compute

Chainlink announced Confidential Compute, a service that enables private smart contracts across various blockchains. This service combines privacy mechanisms with connectivity and verifiability. It applies to private transactions, privacy-preserving real-world assets (RWAs) and tokenization, confidential data distribution, cross-chain interoperability, and identity and compliance processes. 

Confidential Compute relies on CRE and uses technologies such as Distributed Key Generation (DKG) and the Vault Decentralized Oracle Network (DON) to manage secrets in a decentralized manner. 

The Early Access version of Chainlink Confidential Compute will be available through CRE in early 2026, with General Access launching later in 2026.

Initiation of Rewards Season 1 for LINK Stakers

Additionally, Chainlink initiated Rewards Season 1 for LINK stakers. Eligible participants earn non-transferable points called "Cubes," which they can allocate toward tokens from nine projects in the Chainlink Build program, including Dolomite, SpaceandTime, XSwap, and Brickken. 

A snapshot of stakers occurred on November 3, 2025, with the allocation period scheduled from November 11 to December 9, and claims beginning on December 16. This program encourages engagement within the Build ecosystem.

Institutional Partnerships and Integrations

Several partnerships highlight Chainlink's role in institutional blockchain applications.

UBS Tokenized Fund Workflow
UBS, managing over $6 trillion in assets, completed what it described as the world's first in-production tokenized fund workflow using Chainlink's Digital Token Asset (DTA) standard. This process handled end-to-end subscriptions and redemptions through CRE, the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), ACE, and NAVLink. The initiative builds on Project Guardian, a collaboration with Singapore's Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

FTSE Russell Global Indices Onchain
FTSE Russell, a provider of financial indices, began publishing global indices onchain via Chainlink's DataLink. This includes the Russell 1000, 2000, and 3000; the FTSE 100; World Market Rates (WMR) FX benchmarks; and digital asset benchmarks, now accessible on more than 40 blockchains. The move allows institutions to launch assets and markets more efficiently.

Tradeweb U.S. Treasury Data Onchain
Tradeweb Markets incorporated U.S. Treasury data onchain, publishing FTSE U.S. Treasury Benchmark Closing Prices through DataLink. This data, representing $2.4 trillion in daily volume, supports tokenization efforts.

Cross-Border DvP Settlement with Central Banks
A cross-border DvP settlement demonstration involved central banks from Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil, BCB) and Hong Kong (Hong Kong Monetary Authority, HKMA). Chainlink's technology enabled conditional payments, ISO 20022 messaging, and electronic bill of lading (eBL) transfers using CRE and CCIP. Participants included Banco Inter, Standard Chartered, Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), and 7COMm.

Chainalysis Integration into ACE
Chainalysis partnered with Chainlink to integrate its Know Your Transaction (KYT) risk intelligence into ACE. This enables uniform anti-money laundering (AML) policies across blockchains, automating compliance checks and reducing the need for manual reviews.

Kiln Integration of CRE and ACE
Kiln, a staking platform with over $16 billion in staked assets, integrated CRE and ACE. CRE handles vault orchestration on the Base blockchain, while ACE enforces know-your-customer (KYC) policies and other regulatory standards.

Aave Horizon Adoption of ACE
Aave Horizon adopted ACE to apply issuer and regulatory standards in tokenized asset markets, facilitating institutional participation in decentralized finance (DeFi).

X Layer Joins Chainlink Scale Program
X Layer, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Layer 2 network from OKX with over 100 million users, joined the Chainlink Scale program. It incorporates Chainlink Data Feeds for price information and CCIP for cross-chain interoperability.

Lista DAO Integration of Price Feeds
Lista DAO integrated Chainlink Price Feeds to secure its lisUSD and USD1 stablecoins on the BNB Chain. This supports Lista DAO's RWA collateral and borrowing platform, which holds $1.9 billion in total value locked (TVL).

x402 as AI Partner for CRE
x402, developed by Coinbase, serves as an AI partner for CRE. It allows AI agents to discover, trigger, and pay for CRE workflows, enabling programmatic payouts and monetized smart contract operations.

Validation Cloud Collaboration
Validation Cloud collaborated with Chainlink to support institutional DeFi through CCIP interoperability and AI integration via its Mavrik platform.

XSwap Token Creation Platform Launch
XSwap, a member of the Build program, launched its Token Creation Platform (TCP) on Base, using CCIP for cross-chain token deployments.

Hackathons and Widespread Integrations

Chainlink hosted SmartCon in early November 2025, with Day 1 featuring announcements on CRE, the UBS workflow, Confidential Compute, and other updates. A livestream recap is available for those who missed the event.

The GLEIF vLEI Hackathon, sponsored by Swift and Chainlink, announced winners: London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) for an automated compliance framework, and Clearstream as runner-up for an identity verification solution.

Further, Chainlink reported 62 integrations across 24 blockchains, including Arbitrum, Base, Ethereum, and others. Projects involved include Aave, Euler, Ondo, Stellar, and TON.

SmartCon sponsors included gold-level partners Fidelity, FTSE Russell, Google Cloud, and GLEIF, with The Graph as a platinum sponsor.

Conclusion

Chainlink's early November 2025 activities demonstrate its capabilities in providing oracle services for data feeds, cross-chain transfers, privacy tools, and compliance frameworks. Through launches such as CRE and Confidential Compute, and through integrations with entities including UBS, FTSE Russell, and central banks, the protocol facilitates secure, interoperable blockchain operations. 

These efforts underscore Chainlink's position in enabling institutional adoption of decentralized technologies. 

Sources:

• Chainlink Runtime Environment goes live: https://blog.chain.link/chainlink-runtime-environment-now-live/ 
• What is Chainlink Confidential Compute: https://blog.chain.link/chainlink-confidential-compute/ 
• UBS executes first live tokenized fund transaction leveraging the Chainlink Digital Transfer Agent technical standard: https://www.ubs.com/global/en/media/display-page-ndp/en-20251104-chainlink.html 
• Chainlink Collaborates With FTSE Russell To Publish Global Indices Onchain for the First Time Via DataLink: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chainlink-collaborates-with-ftse-russell-to-publish-global-indices-onchain-for-the-first-time-via-datalink-302601997.html