SWIFT has officially completed its transition from MT messages to the ISO 20022 MX format for financial institution payments. This change, finalized over the weekend, aims to enhance precision and automation in global transactions. Banks are now required to upgrade their systems to accommodate structured data, which is expected to improve anti-money laundering checks and facilitate straight-through processing. The adoption of ISO 20022 is also driving increased interest in distributed ledger technology (DLT) networks such as Ripple and Stellar. These networks are compatible with ISO 20022, offering compliant and interoperable settlement solutions that align with the new global payment standards.