Unlocking Global Payments Via Swift Connectivity and Added Value Services

In a rapidly evolving global payments landscape, financial institutions face mounting pressure to deliver faster, more transparent, and fully compliant cross‑border payment experiences. As customer expectations accelerate and regulatory demands intensify, the need for secure, scalable, and expertly managed Swift connectivity has never been greater.

Join us for a 60 minute fireside chat exploring why banks and nonbank financial institutions worldwide are increasingly looking to simplify Swift connectivity, reduce operational burden, and unlock the full value of Swift’s growing ecosystem. We will also dive into the strategic benefits of Swift’s value-added services, including:

• Swift GPI, enabling greater speed, transparency, and end-to-end payment traceability.
• Case Management (Payment Cancellations, Exceptions & Investigations) will be mandatory for all Swift institutions by November 2026, offering structured ISO 20022 workflows, automated routing, data pre‑population and industry‑wide potential cost savings of up to *$600 million annually.

What You Will Learn:

• The operational and strategic advantages of outsourcing Swift connectivity
• How to accelerate compliance and reduce risk
• The business impact of adopting Swift GPI, Case Management (E&I), and Real-Time Payments
• Real-world insights into the lessons learned, best practice and use cases to maximise on the value of Swift Connectivity.

Transcript:

Zhenya: Hello, and welcome to this webinar, Unlocking Global Payments via SWIFT Connectivity and Added-Value Services. My name is Zhenya Winter. I am Head of Global Marketing for Financial Messaging at Bottomline, and I am delighted to be your moderator.

Just a couple of bits of housekeeping before we start. There are a number of different resources that we have made available for you. There are a couple of articles, a checklist, and also information about some solutions that are available. Please take a look at those.

There is also a Q&A box. Please submit any questions that you have. The panel are here to be challenged and to be as helpful as possible, so we really want to know what is top of mind for you.

Lastly, to make the webinar more interactive and to help the panel channel their responses based on what is important to you, please take part in the polls. There will be two in total.

Let’s get started. We have a lot to cover today.

In a rapidly evolving global payments landscape, financial institutions face mounting pressure to deliver faster, more transparent, and fully compliant cross-border payment experiences. As customer expectations accelerate and regulatory demands intensify, the need for secure, scalable, and expertly managed SWIFT connectivity has never been greater.

Today, we will explore why banks and non-banking financial institutions are simplifying SWIFT connectivity, reducing operational burden, and unlocking the full value of the SWIFT ecosystem.

Zhenya: Let me introduce the panel.

We have Sumitha Fernandez Musoles, Payments Director at PwC UK.

Sumitha: Hello. I am doing great, thank you. Thank you for having me on. It is a pleasure to be here.

Zhenya: Great to have you.

We also have my colleague, Natasha Lapierre, Principal Product Manager for Financial Messaging at Bottomline.

Zhenya: While you are answering, let’s set the scene. Sumitha, what are the key drivers for financial institutions today?

Sumitha: This is a great topic, and it is very timely.

I normally work with large global banks, helping them with transformation initiatives, particularly around ISO 20022. Everyone is focused on November 2026 and ensuring they can meet regulatory requirements.

Regulation is not optional. Institutions must remain compliant to keep payments moving. However, many banks rely on legacy systems that do not support modern standards, which forces them to modernize just to comply.

The industry has also changed. Payments are no longer dominated by banks. We now have fintechs, neobanks, and major tech companies participating. Technologies such as AI, distributed ledgers, and central bank digital currencies are reshaping the landscape.

Traditional banks are strong in trust and customer relationships, but clients are evolving, which increases complexity. Banks must focus beyond compliance and think about growth.

Natasha: From a technical and operational perspective, the pressures are not new, but the scale and pace are unprecedented.

Every regulatory change requires a full-stack response. It is not just about message validation. It affects integration, workflows, and back-office systems.

ISO 20022 has shown that this is not simply an IT upgrade but a fundamental transformation. Many legacy systems are not built for this speed of change, which is why there is a shift toward SaaS-based solutions.

Zhenya: Organizations are rethinking SWIFT connectivity. What is driving that?

Sumitha: Organizations are not thinking about SWIFT in isolation. They are rethinking their overall technology landscape.

Previously, systems were built in-house. Then we moved to vendor solutions. Now we are seeing hybrid models, where institutions use vendor products but build additional capabilities on top.

It is important to define what you want to deliver to clients and align your technology strategy with that vision.

Natasha: Running SWIFT connectivity in-house is becoming increasingly difficult.

It requires specialized knowledge, especially with ongoing regulatory updates. Many institutions are choosing to outsource so they can focus on customer value.

Zhenya: What does modern SWIFT connectivity look like?

Sumitha: It should be invisible. Payment rails should be interoperable, and money should move efficiently from A to B.

Natasha: It is about leveraging the full SWIFT ecosystem, including services like gpi and case management, not just messaging.

SWIFT gpi improves speed and transparency. However, the main issue is the last mile, where payments move into domestic systems. That is where most delays and transparency issues occur.

Sumitha: Transparency is critical, especially when things go wrong. Lack of visibility creates liquidity issues, operational disruption, and additional costs for clients.

Investigations and exceptions remain a major challenge. Many processes are still manual, and issues often stem from poor data quality and legacy systems.

Natasha: Data quality is critical. Without structured data, improving investigation processes is very difficult. For example, banks may send multiple messages to locate a payment, which creates inefficiency.

Key deadlines include November 2026 for case management implementation and November 2027 for retiring legacy message types.

If institutions delay, investigations may fail at the network level, and technical debt may increase.

Sumitha: SWIFT estimates $600 million in industry savings, including operational and liquidity cost reductions. Additional savings come from improved efficiency and better data quality.

Compliance should be seen as an enabler of innovation. It should be integrated into the design process rather than treated separately.

Natasha: Future-ready architecture must support continuous change. It should be SaaS-based, API-driven, ISO-native, and capable of incorporating technologies like AI and blockchain.

Zhenya: Thank you to our panelists and to our audience for joining us.

If we did not answer your question, please reach out, and we will follow up. Have a wonderful rest of your day.