ISO 20022 replaced SWIFT MT messages in November 2025. Track your payment by UETR — works for both MT103 and pacs.008 formats.
pacs.008 (Payment Clearing and Settlement — FI to FI Customer Credit Transfer) is the ISO 20022 message that replaced the classic SWIFT MT103 for cross-border customer credit transfers. It is part of the pacs (payments clearing and settlement) message family within the ISO 20022 standard.
FIToFICustomerCreditTransfer (pacs.008.001.08 as used in SWIFT CBPR+)| Aspect | MT103 (Legacy) | pacs.008 (ISO 20022) |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Proprietary SWIFT FIN (text-based, tag:value) | XML (ISO 20022, structured) |
| Field tags | Numeric codes: 20, 32A, 50F, 59, 70, 71A | Descriptive XML: Dbtr/Nm, CdtrAgt/BICFI |
| UETR | Originally absent; became mandatory via field 121 (Nov 2018) | Native mandatory field from inception |
| Address format | 4 lines of 35 chars, unstructured | Structured: Street, City, PostCode, Country |
| Remittance info | Field 70: 4x35 chars max | Unlimited structured or unstructured data |
| Exchange rate | Field 36 (conditional — when currencies differ) | Explicit XchgRate field, always available |
| Charges detail | Field 71F/71G (single amount) | ChrgsInf array: amount + agent per charge |
| Character set | SWIFT X/Y character set (limited) | Full UTF-8 / Unicode |
| LEI support | Not native | OrgId/LEI field for legal entity identification |
| Purpose codes | Field 26T (limited) | ISO 20022 purpose code taxonomy (100+ codes) |
| Max message size | ~10,000 characters | ~10MB per message (FINplus) |
| Status | Deprecated 22 Nov 2025 | Mandatory for cross-border payments |
Since 22 November 2025, SWIFT no longer accepts MT103 for cross-border payment instructions. All banks worldwide must now use pacs.008. If your bank still shows you an "MT103 confirmation", it was likely converted from pacs.008 internally. During the coexistence period (March 2023 – November 2025), SWIFT operated a central Translation Service that automatically converted between MT and MX formats.
Still have an MT103 or pacs.008 confirmation? Upload it and we'll extract the tracking data automatically
Below is an anonymized pacs.008.001.08 message with key fields annotated. This is the XML structure that travels between banks for every cross-border payment.
<Document xmlns="urn:iso:std:iso:20022:tech:xsd:pacs.008.001.08">
<FIToFICstmrCdtTrf>
<!-- Group Header -->
<GrpHdr>
<MsgId>EXMB92426831ABCD</MsgId> ← Message ID
<CreDtTm>2026-01-15T09:30:00Z</CreDtTm> ← Creation timestamp
<NbOfTxs>1</NbOfTxs> ← Number of transactions
<SttlmInf>
<SttlmMtd>INDA</SttlmMtd> ← Settlement method
</SttlmInf>
</GrpHdr>
<!-- Credit Transfer Transaction -->
<CdtTrfTxInf>
<PmtId>
<InstrId>EXMB92426831ABCD</InstrId> ← Instruction ID
<EndToEndId>INV-2026-00142</EndToEndId> ← End-to-end reference
<UETR>eb6305c4-3e7a-4b29-9a1f-8d2ce5a71b30</UETR> ← UETR (tracking!)
</PmtId>
<PmtTpInf>
<SvcLvl><Cd>G001</Cd></SvcLvl> ← SWIFT gpi service level
</PmtTpInf>
<IntrBkSttlmAmt Ccy="USD">75000.00</IntrBkSttlmAmt> ← Settlement amount
<IntrBkSttlmDt>2026-01-16</IntrBkSttlmDt> ← Settlement date
<InstdAmt Ccy="EUR">68500.00</InstdAmt> ← Original instructed amount
<XchgRate>1.0949</XchgRate> ← Exchange rate
<ChrgBr>SHAR</ChrgBr> ← Charge bearer
<Dbtr> ← Debtor (sender)
<Nm>Acme Trading GmbH</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<StrtNm>Hauptstrasse 42</StrtNm>
<PstCd>60311</PstCd>
<TwnNm>Frankfurt</TwnNm>
<Ctry>DE</Ctry>
</PstlAdr>
</Dbtr>
<DbtrAcct>
<Id><IBAN>DE89370400440532013000</IBAN></Id>
</DbtrAcct>
<DbtrAgt>
<FinInstnId><BICFI>COBADEFFXXX</BICFI></FinInstnId> ← Debtor's bank BIC
</DbtrAgt>
<CdtrAgt>
<FinInstnId><BICFI>CHASUS33XXX</BICFI></FinInstnId> ← Creditor's bank BIC
</CdtrAgt>
<Cdtr> ← Creditor (beneficiary)
<Nm>Global Supplies Inc.</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<StrtNm>123 Commerce Street</StrtNm>
<PstCd>10005</PstCd>
<TwnNm>New York</TwnNm>
<Ctry>US</Ctry>
</PstlAdr>
</Cdtr>
<CdtrAcct>
<Id><Othr><Id>483926175012</Id></Othr></Id>
</CdtrAcct>
<RmtInf> ← Remittance information
<Ustrd>Payment for Invoice INV-2026-00142</Ustrd>
</RmtInf>
</CdtTrfTxInf>
</FIToFICstmrCdtTrf>
</Document>UUID v4 that enables end-to-end tracking across all banks in the chain. Mandatory since November 2018 in MT103 (field 121), native in pacs.008. This is what you use to track your payment.
Reference assigned by the ordering customer that must be passed unchanged through the entire payment chain to the beneficiary. Typically an invoice number, purchase order, or contract reference — used for reconciliation.
Bank's internal instruction reference. Changes at each bank in the chain (unlike EndToEndId which is preserved).
G001 = SWIFT gpi, enabling tracking and SLA commitments.
The amount actually moving between banks, with currency.
The original amount the customer wanted to send (may differ due to FX conversion).
Explicit FX rate applied to the conversion. In MT103 this was conditional field 36; in pacs.008 it is always available when applicable.
Sender's full structured name and address (street, city, postal code, country — all separate fields).
Beneficiary's structured details.
Sending and receiving bank BIC/SWIFT codes. Correspondent banks directory
Who pays fees: SHAR (shared), DEBT (sender), CRED (receiver).
Payment purpose. Can be unstructured text or structured with invoice references, tax IDs, etc.
Have your UETR? Enter it in the tracking form above to check your payment status across multiple correspondent banks simultaneously. Track Now
Ask your bank for the confirmation — MT103 format, pacs.008 XML, or a bank portal screenshot.
Look for a UUID like eb6305c4-3e7a-4b29-9a1f-8d2ce5a71b30. In pacs.008, it is the <UETR> element. In MT103, it is field 121.
Fill in the UETR, amount, currency, and value date in the form above.
Our AI-powered scanner extracts UETR, reference, and amount from both MT103 and pacs.008 confirmations automatically.
Key message: Whether your payment was sent as MT103 or pacs.008, the UETR is the universal tracking key. Our tracker shows the latest available SWIFT status and consolidates data from several major banks.
Mandatory UETR means every payment is trackable end-to-end from day one. Track yours now
Structured addresses, purpose codes, and unlimited remittance info reduce manual processing.
Machine-readable structured data enables automated sanctions screening and AML checks. See our sanctions screening →
Structured fields eliminate ambiguity — no more parsing 4 lines of unstructured address text.
Explicit exchange rates and itemized charges per bank in the chain.
Same format used by SEPA, Fedwire, CHAPS, TARGET2 — true interoperability.
| Region / System | ISO 20022 Status | Since |
|---|---|---|
| EU / SEPA | Full adoption (pain.001, pacs.008) | Feb 2014 (mandatory) |
| UK / CHAPS | Migrated to ISO 20022 | 19 June 2023 |
| EU / TARGET2 | Migrated to ISO 20022 | March 2023 |
| SWIFT Cross-border | Mandatory MX (pacs.008) | 22 November 2025 |
| US / Fedwire | Migrated to ISO 20022 | July 2025 |
| Australia / RITS | ISO 20022 adopted | 2024 |
| India / RTGS | ISO 20022 adopted | 2024 |
| China / CNAPS | ISO 20022 adopted | 2023 |
| Japan / BOJ-NET | ISO 20022 adopted | 2024 |
| Singapore / MEPS+ | ISO 20022 adopted | 2023 |
Look for the <UETR> element inside <PmtId>. It is a UUID in the format xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx. In an MT103, it is field 121. If your bank gave you a PDF or screenshot, you can upload it to our scanner and we will extract it automatically.
While SWIFT no longer accepts MT103 between banks (since 22 November 2025), some banks still generate MT103-style confirmations for customers as a familiar format. Internally, the payment traveled as a pacs.008 message. During the coexistence period (March 2023 – November 2025), SWIFT's central Translation Service automatically converted between formats. The fields map directly, so your UETR works for tracking regardless.
In SERIAL routing, the pacs.008 message travels through each bank in the chain sequentially. In COVER routing, the pacs.008 goes directly to the creditor's bank while a separate pacs.009 (cover payment) moves funds through the correspondent chain. Cover is used when the debtor and creditor banks don't have a direct relationship.
SHAR (shared — sender pays sending bank fees, beneficiary pays receiving bank fees), DEBT (all charges paid by sender/debtor), CRED (all charges paid by receiver/creditor). In pacs.008, each bank's charges are itemized separately in ChrgsInf, unlike MT103 where only totals were provided.
CBPR+ (Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus) is SWIFT's implementation of ISO 20022 for cross-border payments. pacs.008 is the primary payment message within CBPR+. The service level code G001 indicates a SWIFT gpi payment with tracking capabilities and SLA commitments.
No. ISO 20022 is a global standard maintained by ISO Technical Committee 68 (TC68), with SWIFT as Registration Authority. It covers 200+ message types used by SEPA (Europe), Fedwire (US), CHAPS (UK), TARGET2 (EU), and dozens of domestic systems worldwide. SWIFT's adoption for cross-border payments in November 2025 was the final major milestone.
Whether your payment was sent as MT103 or pacs.008, the UETR is your tracking key. We consolidate data from several major banks for the latest available status.
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