Volante helps banks comply with SEPA Instant & SWIFT 2025

By Vriti Gothi

Volante Technologies has helped its clients comply with new payment rules introduced in Europe and globally. These include the SEPA Instant Payments Regulation in Europe and SWIFT’s updated messaging requirements, which took effect in October and November.

The changes ensure that payments move faster, more securely, and in a more standardised format. This work followed an earlier update in July, when high-value payments in the US moved to a common messaging standard. Together, these upgrades help banks process payments more smoothly and meet new regulatory requirements without disruption.

The SEPA IPR requires euro-denominated payments to be processed within 10 seconds, 24/7, with penalties for non-compliance reaching at least 10% of annual net turnover. SWIFT SRG 2025 replaces the legacy MT messaging format with XML-based ISO 20022 MX messages for cross-border payments, enhancing data richness, fraud detection, and operational efficiency.

Meeting these regulatory deadlines proved challenging for banks due to legacy infrastructure and tight timelines. According to Volante’s Big Survey 2025, only 36% of Dutch banks and 39% of Belgian banks offered SEPA Instant Payments as of May 2025, while 14% of EMEA banks were still exploring SWIFT ISO 20022 compliance.

Volante leveraged its ISO-native Payments-as-a-Service platform to ensure seamless migrations over a 48-hour go-live period, enabling uninterrupted operations across multiple geographies and deployment models.

“Transition periods are normally a source of stress for businesses, as any disruption can wreak havoc on services, customers, and their users. But this wasn’t the case here,” said Philip Benson, Senior Operations Manager at QIB (UK) plc. “Partnering with Volante meant migration occurred instantly, and operations continued optimally.”

Vijay Oddiraju, CEO of Volante Technologies, added, “SRG 2025 was particularly complex, involving both technology and operational changes. Regardless of the deployment model, we were able to help all our customers achieve compliance without disruption.”

Looking ahead, SEPA Instant Payment rules will extend to non-Euro area states, including Poland and Sweden, by 2027. Volante plans to continue supporting banks in adopting ISO-native, real-time platforms to maintain compliance while unlocking innovation opportunities.