ISO 20022 is the international standard for exchanging structured electronic financial data. It defines a common framework for payments, cash management, securities, trade and more. In practice, the standard is implemented mainly in XML; JSON can be used in APIs where supported. Unlike legacy formats that rely on short codes or unstructured fields, ISO 20022 carries richer, structured elements. This makes transactions easier to validate and automate—and adoption is now mandatory across many payment infrastructures.

The migration timeline

For cross-border payments and cash reporting on Swift (CBPR+), the coexistence of MT and MX ends on 22 November 2025. From then, ISO 20022 MX messages will be required for those flows.

• T2 (successor to TARGET2 in the euro area) migrated fully to ISO 20022 in March 2023.
• UK CHAPS migrated on 19 June 2023. From 1 May 2025, the Bank of England will require enhanced data and Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) for FI-to-FI payments.
• Other MT categories may continue for now; the MT101 retirement date remains unconfirmed.

For any company connected to international financial flows, preparation is urgent.

Why ISO 20022 poses data challenges

Most organisations still work with older formats such as SWIFT MT, proprietary ACH files, CSV, or flat-file ERP exports. These lack many of the structured elements that ISO 20022 requires, such as:

• Detailed party information: structured names and postal addresses.
• Standard identifiers: IBAN where applicable (e.g. SEPA), BIC as required, and LEI where mandated (such as CHAPS FI-to-FI).
• Structured remittance information: references placed in the proper fields rather than free text.

Without proper conversion and enrichment, financial messages may fail schema checks or be rejected by clearing systems.

How Roboshift supports ISO 20022 compliance

Roboshift automates complex data conversion and enrichment tasks, helping companies migrate from legacy formats to ISO 20022 messages. Key capabilities include:

• Format conversion – Translate MT, CSV, Excel, JSON, or proprietary files into ISO 20022 XML messages (e.g. pain.001 for payment initiation, pacs.008 for interbank credit transfers, camt.053 for account statements).
• Data structuring – Parse unstructured fields such as addresses or free-text remittances into the correct ISO 20022 elements.
• Business rule enforcement – Apply scheme-specific rules, such as IBAN checks, creditor identifiers, or LEI requirements.
• Validation – Ensure outputs meet both ISO 20022 XML schema definitions and market practice guides (CBPR+, SEPA, HVPS+, CHAPS).
• Workflow automation – Embed conversion into daily operations so that compliance does not rely on manual fixes.

Practical steps for companies migrating to ISO 20022

1. Assess current formats – Catalogue the files and reports your organisation generates or receives and identify which flows must become ISO 20022-compliant.
2. Prioritise key flows – Focus first on the most frequent transactions, such as payment initiations or account reporting.
3. Apply enrichment early – Use Roboshift to add mandatory identifiers and structured data during conversion.
4. Validate continuously – Incorporate both XSD checks and scheme usage guides into your workflows.
5. Handle unstructured data – Where legacy systems store data in free text, use Roboshift to restructure it into compliant ISO fields.

Beyond compliance

Regulation is the driver, but structured data brings wider benefits: fewer exceptions, easier reconciliation, better financial reporting and more reliable cash management. For banks, it means higher straight-through processing and lower operational risk.
By integrating Roboshift, companies can meet ISO 20022 obligations efficiently while also improving the quality and usability of their financial data.

Take the next step with Roboshift

ISO 20022 milestones are fast approaching: CBPR+ coexistence ends 22 November 2025, CHAPS enhanced data and LEIs are mandatory from 1 May 2025, and T2 is already live. Act now to ensure your data is ready. Schedule a demo with the Roboshift team to see how your existing formats can be converted, enriched and validated against ISO 20022—without costly system overhauls.