Contour Network has appointed Rahul Bhargava as Interim Chief Operating Officer, strengthening its leadership team as the platform enters its next phase of growth following a strategic acquisition completed in Q4 2025.
Bhargava’s appointment marks a strategic acceleration phase for Contour as it expands beyond the digitisation of Letters of Credit to building an integrated trade-to-settlement ecosystem. Under his leadership, Contour will vertically scale its proven LC digitisation platform while horizontally integrating institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure to enable seamless reconciliation and downstream payment optionality.
He brings extensive experience in modernising cross-border financial systems, designing interoperability frameworks, and advancing global messaging and data standards such as ISO 20022. His career spans leadership roles across banks, regulators, multilateral institutions, and payment infrastructures, positioning him to guide Contour through its next stage of growth while maintaining regulatory alignment and production-ready implementation.
A spokesperson for the acquiring group commented:
“Rahul’s expertise in bridging legacy financial infrastructure with emerging digital rails directly supports our vision of building a powerful institutional gateway for tokenised trade finance. With Contour, the focus remains on delivering scalable, compliant solutions that connect trade digitisation with efficient settlement optionality.”
On the significance of his appointment, Rahul Bhargava said:
“I am excited to join Contour at this pivotal moment in the evolution of trade finance. By vertically scaling Contour’s proven trade digitisation services and horizontally extending capabilities to support flexible settlement models, we aim to deliver a future-ready, scalable platform that helps streamline trade from execution to settlement. A dedicated Stablecoin Lab will also be available to trial regulated digital settlement models.”
As Interim COO, Bhargava will oversee operational scale-up, deepen global member engagement, expand network participation, and manage the integration of trade, digital asset, and settlement capabilities. This includes advancing Contour’s Stablecoin Lab as a structured innovation environment for testing compliant, production-grade digital settlement models alongside traditional fiat rails.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Progressing Contour Network
Operational since 2017, Contour provides banks and corporates with a production-grade, blockchain-enabled platform for digitising letters of credit and trade documentation. Member institutions using the network have reduced LC processing times from days to hours across live commodity and manufacturing trades. This core capability remains central as the platform evolves to support greater flexibility, scale, and settlement optionality in response to changing market demands.
The operating environment for digital trade finance has matured significantly, shaped by regulatory progress, evolving legal frameworks for electronic trade documents, industry-wide digitisation initiatives, and increasing institutional adoption of tokenised assets and regulated digital money.
With strong strategic backing and access to institutional-grade infrastructure, Contour is positioned to bridge trade execution and payment settlement in a manner that is compliant, scalable, and practical for banks and corporates.
Biography: Rahul Bhargava
Rahul Bhargava is a global financial market infrastructure leader with over two decades of experience in digital transformation, cross-border payments innovation, and financial systems modernisation. He is recognised for bridging traditional banking networks with emerging digital rails while ensuring regulatory alignment and enterprise-grade scalability.
He has led and advised major initiatives across global financial institutions, multilateral bodies, and industry forums, contributing to advancements in instant cross-border payments, digital money frameworks, and interoperability standards. His work brings together banks, regulators, and fintech leaders to address systemic challenges in global payments infrastructure.
A frequent speaker at major international industry conferences, Rahul is widely regarded as a thought leader on the future of finance and responsible innovation.
As Interim Chief Operating Officer of Contour Network, he is leading the platform’s next growth phase, strengthening institutional engagement and advancing the integration of digitised trade finance with flexible, compliant settlement options across both traditional and regulated digital channels.
Interviews
Interviews with Rahul Bhargava are available upon request. Please contact the communications team via the details provided separately.
About Contour Network
Contour Network is a Singapore-headquartered global digital trade-finance platform that digitises letters of credit and cross-border trade documentation. The platform delivers production-grade solutions designed to enhance speed, transparency, and trust across international trade workflows.
Media Contact
Distributed on behalf of Madhatter and Contour Networks by:
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