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A leading payments industry news source for more than 17 years. Glenbrook curates the news and keeps you abreast of the important daily headlines in payments.
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September 29, 2025
On the web
Swift to Add Blockchain-Based Ledger to Its Infrastructure Stack in Groundbreaking Move to Accelerate and Scale Benefits of Digital Finance Across More Than 200 Countries and Territories Worldwide
Swift
"Swift announced that it will add a blockchain-based shared ledger to its technology infrastructure, a pivotal step for global finance that promises to make instant, always-on cross-border transactions possible at unprecedented scale. Swift already has kicked off work with a group of more than 30 financial institutions globally to design and build the ledger, focused on a first use case of real-time 24/7 cross-border payments and starting with a conceptual prototype by Consensys. Swift will work at pace to complete the prototype in phase one and define its future phases of work."
September 25, 2025
On the web
Transforming the Experience for Retail Cross-Border Payments
Swift
"At Swift, the priority is to make cross-border payments as fast and seamless as domestic ones. With the latest major initiative, they are launching a new scheme to guarantee a consistently fast, predictable, and transparent experience for retail customers worldwide. Together with a coalition of over 30 early-adopter banks, rules will set a new standard for consumers and small businesses sending money internationally."
September 15, 2025
On the wires
Swift AI Innovation Creates Blueprint for Banks to Stop Fraud Faster Through Cross-Border Collaboration
Business Wire
"Groundbreaking experiments led by Swift have demonstrated the potential impact AI and secure cross-border data collaboration could have on reducing fraud levels in international payments. Working with 13 global financial institutions, the experiments used privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) to enable institutions to securely share fraud insights across borders. In one use case, the PETs enabled participants to verify intelligence on suspicious accounts in real-time. In a separate use case, participants used a combination of PETs and federated learning – an AI model that ‘visits’ each institution to train on its data locally to identify anomalous transactions. "
August 28, 2025
Top Post
ISO 20022 for Financial Institutions: Navigating the End of Coexistence
Swift
"Are you prepared for the end of coexistence inNovember 2025? After 22 November 2025, the coexistence period between MT & ISO 20022 ends, and all cross-border payment instructions sent by financial institutions must be exchanged in the ISO 20022 messaging standard."
May 7, 2025
Top Post
ISO 20022 in Bytes for Payments: Just Six Months to Go
Swift
"As the financial sector rapidly approaches the November 2025 CBPR+ deadline, adopting the ISO 20022 global payment standard has never been more essential. With the industry moving forward, now is the time to act."
April 17, 2025
On the web
It’s Time To Transform Exceptions and Investigations
Swift
"The industry has a lot to gain from transforming the way it processes exceptions and investigations. Through in-depth research with our community, we’ve quantified this huge opportunity and demonstrated how our enhanced Case Management solution can help achieve it."
March 27, 2025
On the web
How Barclays Is Collaborating To Simplify ISO 20022 Adoption
Swift
"With the November 2025 deadline for payments instructions fast approaching, Barclays shares insights from their ISO 20022 migration journey, adopting the ISO 20022 Rulebook for Payment Initiation Relay, and highlight the importance of collaboration."
March 26, 2025
On the web
Swift’s Line in the Sand for a New Payment Message
American Banker
"One way or another, all international Swift payments will follow the ISO 20022 standard by the Nov. 22 deadline, according to the financial messaging provider. "We will no longer deliver payment instructions in anything but ISO 20022 after the deadline," Stephen Lindsay, head of market infrastructures and standards for Swift, told American Banker. Swift supervises the ISO 20022 standard for international payments." [Subscription Required]
March 21, 2025
On the web
How We’re Enabling a Seamless Payments Experience for Corporates Around the Globe
Swift
"Corporates worldwide face a range of challenges in managing payments. Gaining visibility into the status of their cross-border transactions can be difficult, as can achieving transparency on FX rates and associated charges...By making our new FINplus service available to the corporate community, we’re introducing a payment instruction standard for corporates enabling them to reap the benefits of ISO 20022, such as improved reconciliation, better forecasting of payment flows, and improved working capital management."
January 17, 2025
On the web
ISO 20022 in Bytes for Payments: Maintaining the Momentum in 2025
Swift
Adopting the new global standard for payments is more important than ever. As the financial industry moves closer to the CBPR+ November 2025 deadline, see what’s new.
January 9, 2025
On the web
Growth at a Crossroads: New Report Reveals High Cost of Financial Fragmentation
Swift
"A new report from Economist Impact, supported by Swift, highlights the growing cost of financial fragmentation on countries, economies, businesses, and people’s lives."
January 8, 2025
On the web
How ISO 20022 Is Helping Diamond Trust Bank Achieve Operational Excellence
Swift
"The MT/ISO 20022 cross-border co-existence period is coming to an end. Diamond Trust Bank shared how adopting the global ISO 20022 messaging standard can help financial institutions unlock strategic benefits."
January 3, 2025
On the web
Connecting the Global Financial Community: Our Year in Review
"This year, we worked closely with our community to shape the next phase of our strategy, which at its core, aims to ensure we maintain the highest standards for operational excellence and enable financial institutions to provide a best-in-class cross-border transaction service to their customers."
December 11, 2024
On the web
Moving Towards an Interoperable Future: Inside Our Mission to Digitise Global Trade
Swift
Swift is supporting the industry-wide digitisation journey with a number of initiatives to enhance API standardisation, scale the use of digital trade documents, and ultimately enable the interoperability of trade transactions globally.
Swift and Google Cloud Partner
Asset Servicing Times
"Google Cloud and the Society of Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) have partnered to build an AI-powered fraud detection capability. The new tool aims to support the financial industry in tackling sophisticated financial crime and help prevent cross-border payments fraud."
December 9, 2024
On the web
Ant International Joins Swift Program to Enhance Cross-Border Payment Solutions
Tech Edition
"Ant International has partnered with Swift’s Network Interoperability Reference Implementation program, marking a significant step towards enhancing cross-border treasury management solutions."
December 6, 2024
On the web
One-Year Countdown to ISO 20022 for Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus+ Begins
Swift
"Early adopters highlight key benefits of richer data as community enters final year of the MT/ISO 20022 cross-border coexistence period for payments instructions."
November 14, 2024
On the web
10 Takeaways From Swift at Sibos 2024
Swift
"Sibos 2024 saw four days of inspiring talks and expert insights as the global financial community gathered in Beijing to unpack the latest trends shaping our industry. A common theme was 'Connecting the future of finance' – and in an era defined by change, working together to maintain a strong integrated financial ecosystem is more important than ever."
October 17, 2024
On the wires
Swift Cross-Border Payment Processing Speed Stretches Further Ahead of G20 Target
Business Wire
"Swift published new data which reveals continued progress towards meeting the G20’s goal for the speed of cross-border payments, reporting that 90% of cross-border payments made over the Swift network reach the destination bank within an hour."
October 16, 2024
On the web
Swift to Launch AI-Powered Fraud Defence for Cross-Border Payments
Swift
"Starting in January 2025, we’ll be rolling out an AI-powered fraud detection capability that aims to help the financial industry tackle increasingly sophisticated forms of financial crime. This enhancement builds on our existing Payment Controls Service (PCS) and follows a successful pilot with financial institutions across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East."
October 3, 2024
On the web
Banks Optimistic on Meeting ISO 20022 Deadline, But Challenges Remain
The Banker
"Banks across the globe are facing significant challenges in the adoption of Swift’s ISO 20022 standard. The new transaction format requires an overhaul of many major banks’ legacy systems. Swift has given banks the deadline of November 2025 to ensure that all payments messages between banks, both for sending and receiving, are based on ISO 20022."
Live Trials of Digital Asset Transactions on Swift to Start in 2025
Swift
"Starting in 2025, global financial institutions will have the ability to use Swift’s global platform to conduct pilot transactions for the settlement of digital assets and currencies. These trials will demonstrate how financial institutions can transact interchangeably across both existing and emerging asset and currency types using their current Swift connection."
September 12, 2024
On the web
How ISO 20022 Is Helping BNY Navigate the Future of Payments
SWIFT
"We’re entering a critical phase of the global ISO 20022 adoption. With the end of the MT/ISO 20022 cross-border coexistence period coming in November 2025, Fedwire scheduled to migrate in March 2025, and multiple post-migration milestones on the horizon in 2026, we spoke to Isabelle Bouille from BNY about their journey to ISO 20022 adoption."
September 9, 2024
On the web
Japan’s Big 3 Banks to Use Stablecoins, Swift for Cross Border Payments
Ledger Insights
Japan’s big 3 banks, MUFG, SMBC and Mizuho are involved with with a cross border payment system, Project Pax, that aims to use stablecoins instead of correspondent banks. Swift payment messages will be integrated with the stablecoin system, which is based on Progmat.
June 19, 2024
On the web
The Impact of Instant: Why the EU’s Regulation Is a Big Deal for Small Businesses
Swift
"What impact will the European Commission’s Instant Payment Regulation have on SMEs trading across Europe? To find out, we spoke to over 2,000 across France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Here’s what they said."
June 7, 2024
Top Post
Swift: Focus on Instruction Messages for November 2025
Swift
"With 18 months to go until the end of the coexistence period, the daily average number of CBPR+ messages exchanged now exceeds one million."
May 30, 2024
On the wires
Swift and Global Banks Launch AI Pilots to Tackle Cross-Border Payments Fraud
Business Wire
"Swift has announced two AI-based experiments in collaboration with its member banks, to explore how the technology could assist in combatting cross-border payments fraud and save the industry billions in fraud-related costs."
May 21, 2024
On the wires
Swift Standardises Payments End-to-End and Gives Banks Ready-to-Use Tracking Services to Enhance Corporate Experience
Business Wire
"Swift has set out plans to help financial institutions streamline the cross-border payments experience for their corporate customers, by extending ISO 20022 across the entire payment chain and giving banks ready-to-use, white-labelled tracking services that can be activated for customers at the click of a button."
March 26, 2024
On the wires
Swift Planning Launch of New Central Bank Digital Currency Platform in 12-24 Months
Reuters
"Global bank messaging network SWIFT is planning a new platform in the next one to two years to connect the wave of central bank digital currencies now in development to the existing finance system, it has told Reuters."
March 25, 2024
On the wires
Swift Sets Industry Up for Seamless Introduction of CBDCs for Cross-Border Transactions as Interlinking Solution Finds More Use Cases
Business Wire
"Swift announced the findings of the second phase of industry-wide sandbox testing on its central bank digital currency (CBDC) interlinking solution, with the results showing that its connector can enable financial institutions to carry out a wide range of financial transactions using CBDCs and other forms of digital tokens, easily incorporating them into their business practices."
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