Have you ever looked at your bank statement and seen a payment you don’t recognise? If so, you’re not alone. Traditional electronic payments often only include basic information, like the amount and date, leaving little insight into the payment itself. This lack of detail creates friction for everyone, from individuals managing personal finances to businesses trying to reconcile payments with invoices. 

Enter ISO 20022, the global financial messaging standard that’s set to transform the way we pay by providing richer, more structured data with every transaction. By embedding detailed remittance information, ISO 20022 makes payments more transparent, efficient and useful, not just for financial institutions but for businesses of all sizes and their customers. 

Payments Canada, the organisation which operates Canada’s national payment systems, leads the country’s adoption of ISO 20022 by offering resources, education, training and operational support for Canada’s financial ecosystem. They also manage ISO 20022 usage guidelines for our payment systems in alignment with global standards.

Payments Canada has published updated ISO 20022 message specifications for use on Lynx, Canada’s high-value payment system. These specifications were published alongside a companion document to help financial institutions prepare for changes coming in November 2025. These revised guidelines introduce enhancements, including a new hybrid postal address format developed by Swift’s Payment Market Practice Group (PMPG). 

This hybrid approach combines structured address elements, such as country and town name, with unstructured fields like address lines. It’s a practical bridge that enables organisations to start transitioning toward structured data without requiring an immediate change. Structured address formats will improve accuracy, reduce errors and support critical processes like anti-money laundering (AML) monitoring. 

Another important update is the global shift from legacy MT messages to the modern MX format, which uses XML-based messaging. As of November 2025, the coexistence period of these two message types will end, meaning some MT messages will no longer be supported. Financial institutions, payment service providers and their technology partners are strongly encouraged to prepare for this transition by updating their systems and reviewing how the changes may impact their operations. 

Amidst these transformational shifts in the way we move money, ISO 20022 will embed actionable data into every transaction. As more countries align with global standards, as Canada is well on the way to doing, payments and processes will only grow more swift, fast, and secure.

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To learn more about ISO 20022 and how Payments Canada supports its adoption, visit their website and explore their growing library of educational materials. 

You can also join over 1,900 payment leaders and innovators at The Payments Canada SUMMIT, happening 6-8 May in Toronto. Use promo code SUMM25PCVIP to save $100 off your event pass.