By Paul Thomalla, Global Head of Payments at Finastra

The ISO 20022 standard is a catalyst for change in digitalisation and payments. The current edition of the standard was published in May 2013, and it’s been clear since then that the standard represents the future of payments messaging. This is due to the rich information, process automation and interoperability it enables. What started off in the Automated Clearing House world with the Single European Payments Area is increasingly becoming the de-facto standard for instant payments and for high-value payments worldwide. In fact, we estimate that all major payment systems and currencies will have moved over to ISO 20022 by the end of 2023.

Banks, meanwhile, will be able to get closer to their customers and offer better services. As this happens, the nature of the entire payments supply chain will change: there will be no one owner. Instead, consumers, corporates, banks, software vendors, fintechs and other stakeholders will all play a part.

Migration to ISO 20022 is moving at pace with one of two adoption models being taken. In the first approach, a ‘like-for-like’ migration occurs, which means data fields and messages are gradually moved over in compliance with the new ISO 20022 standard. However, the bank and client aren’t reaping the potential of the new standard as no further action has been taken. ‘Going native’ is the second approach. This allows extensive data sharing between banks and corporates unlocking a range of benefits including deeper insights into customers and partners, better accounting and financial data and more efficient payment processing. Data-rich messages can provide corporates with all the information they need to automatically reconcile transactions the moment they happen.

Banks deciding which way to move forward must remember that corporates have been waiting eight years for this new ISO 20022 functionality and if their bank is not able to deliver the promised benefits, they could decide to take their business elsewhere.

Planning the migration process

Deciding which approach to take is the first step in the migration process for banks. The main transition models being deployed to the market are: the ‘like-for-like’ translation model, or; for an ‘ISO-Native’ approach – either the complete overhaul model, or the hybrid model.

The translation model approach translates incoming MX messages to the SWIFT MT format and vice-versa for outgoing messages. This model is less disruptive and has a lower upfront cost. However, it involves high dependence on third parties resulting in less interoperability with fintechs and no new customer insight. The complete overhaul model allows organisations to execute a wholesale architecture transformation. This approach gives access to leverage rich data across the business including new insights on the market and customers. One negative aspect of this approach is the fact it is disruptive and requires a large upfront investment. Finally, the hybrid model works well for global banks where translation is needed across the board. This approach offers flexibility and the ability to localise strategic response, however it adds a level of complexity to users. The leading model is unclear, but banks must remember to align their payments operations with their chosen model.

That’s not to say that the adoption of ISO 20022 will be plain sailing. One challenge is that the standard describes an asynchronous messaging process. For banks which currently rely on return messages to confirm the successful completion of a payment transaction, this will cause significant upheaval, and is a change that underscores the need for everyone in the payments ecosystem to get ISO 20022 migration right. Banks will need to overhaul their business processes and operations to adapt to asynchronous messaging. This will in turn require new systems, such as Confirmation of Payee and Request to Pay.

The new format requires a fundamental change to the payments world, so the decision on which transition model best suits their needs isn’t to be taken lightly. Internal and external considerations will help banks determine next steps to successfully implementing ISO 20022. Internally, banks must ensure they have the right people to deliver this transformation, have processes in place to easily review and adapt back office functions and have the correct technology required for the migration. Our approach at Finastra has been to build a payments hub that is ISO 20022 native from the start – ready for widespread adoption across the industry. Banks must also look at external factors like customer impact, market share, competitors and regulatory constraints.

Benefits across the payments value chain

The adoption of ISO 20022 allows for additional, enriched data to be transferred within the payment instruction. The new format has more granular and better organised data elements as well as a consistent data dictionary across the payments chain to speed processing and improve compliance. This prevents misinterpretation and expensive manual interventions. All of this will facilitate improved processing and allow all agents in the payment to make more informed compliance decisions.

In the short term, including additional party and remittance information will help reconcile transactions. For example, QR codes are being used more widely on invoices, clearly identifying the beneficiary and facilitating automation in the back office. Looking at the medium term, institutions will be able to limit the resources they have to dedicate to exception handling and one-off investigations due to missing information or unstructured input that cannot be easily integrated into automated workflows. And finally, the benefits of ISO 20022 in the long term mean data that is properly structured and adhered to will support better regulatory compliance practices and financial crime monitoring.

The rewards of ISO 20022 make any temporary disruption more than worth it. We’re excited to enter a new era of payments messaging that will drive collaboration, innovation and efficiency through interlinked partner ecosystems.