The Central Bank of Egypt announced that the Egyptian banking sector has moved, effective June 21, 2026, to the ISO 20022 international standard for SWIFT messages used in financial transfers between Egyptian banks. The change is presented as a core upgrade to Egypt's digital payments infrastructure and is intended to improve the efficiency and accuracy of interbank instant settlement while aligning messaging with international standards. ISO 20022 is described as a more advanced and standardized financial messaging format that allows richer payment data to be included in transfers, supports more automated processing and reduces manual intervention. The central bank linked the shift to faster execution, better cross-border payment processing and stronger automated screening of transactions against domestic and international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing recommendations. It also said the update supports newer financial services, including open banking and advanced data analytics, and brings Egypt's updated instant settlement system into line with more advanced settlement infrastructures globally.
Central Bank of Egypt2026-06-21
Central Bank of Egypt shifts Egyptian banks to ISO 20022 for interbank transfer messaging
The Central Bank of Egypt said Egyptian banks have adopted ISO 20022 for SWIFT messages used in interbank financial transfers from June 21, 2026. The move is intended to improve interbank settlement efficiency, enrich payment data and support more automated cross-border processing and compliance screening. It also updates Egypt's instant settlement system to align with international messaging standards.