BPC releases new practical White Paper guiding banks through the challenges of ISO 20022 migration

• ISO 20022 will become the mandatory global standard for cross-border and high-value payments by November 2025.
• Banks risk regulatory penalties, operational disruptions and exclusion from key networks if migration is delayed.
• BPC’s new white paper guides banks through the complex migration to ISO 20022-compliant payments infrastructure.
• BPC recently renewed its SWIFT CBPR+ attestation, reaffirming compliance and leadership in ISO 20022 migration support.

 BPC, a global leader in payment solutions, today announced the launch of its latest white paper, ISO 20022 Migration 101: Steps and Strategies for Banks. The white paper provides a comprehensive guide to navigating one of the most critical transitions in the global financial ecosystem: the shift to ISO 20022 messaging standards.

With the deadline for mandatory global migration set for November 2025, banks worldwide are under increasing pressure to modernise their payment infrastructures. Institutions that fail to comply risk being disconnected from key clearing networks, facing operational downtime and incurring regulatory sanctions. BPC’s latest research highlights the key regulatory milestones across different regions, from the ECB’s T2-T2S consolidation to Australia’s HVCS and the Bank of England’s new CHAPS mandates, underlining that ISO 20022 is not just an industry trend but a global regulatory imperative.

The white paper also explores the challenges banks face in complying with ISO 20022 standards, including legacy system limitations, operational risks, coordination complexities and resource constraints. Importantly, the report highlights and explains the uneven capabilities among solution vendors, emphasising the need for future-ready, agile platforms.

BPC’s SmartVista platform is designed to bridge the compliance gap and unlock the broader value of ISO 20022. By offering full native support for both legacy SWIFT MT and modern MX messaging, SmartVista enables gradual migration with minimal to zero disruption. Its modular, microservices-based architecture ensures scalability, real-time processing and compliance with evolving global mandates, including SWIFT CBPR+ standards.

The white paper analyses migration success stories, including:

• EthSwitch (Ethiopia): Transformation of the national payment switch to a real-time, ISO-20022-native Instant Payment System (IPS), enhancing financial inclusion and transaction speed nationwide.
• Meezan Bank (Pakistan): Deployment of a modern participant payment gateway integrated with national instant systems (1LINK and RAAST), boosting transaction volumes, real-time fraud fund transfers and open banking capabilities.
• National Payments Switch (Sierra Leone): Establishment of an interconnection between six major commercial banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators and fintech companies to create a single ecosystem, aiming to enhance financial inclusion and encourage digital payments.

Commenting on the white paper launch, Evgeny Kozhin, Head of POC, BPC, said: “The successful renewal of our SWIFT CBPR+ attestation reinforces BPC’s position as a trusted partner for ISO 20022 migration. With SmartVista, we enable banks not only to meet regulatory deadlines but also to unlock the full potential of richer data, greater interoperability and real-time payment capabilities. Our mission is to ensure that every institution can transform compliance into a strategic advantage.”

The full white paper is available for download here.