ISO 20022, an international standard for electronic data interchange between financial institutions, is already live in many regions and is set to become the universal standard for cross-border payments worldwide by the end of 2025. For banks, ISO 20022 compliance calls for a sweeping operational transformation affecting everything from payment infrastructure to customer reporting. But the detailed transaction reports and account statements under the new ISO 20022 formats may also hold a new and unexpected revenue opportunity created by the value delivered.
What is ISO 20022?
ISO 20022 is a universal financial messaging standard that is set to replace legacy systems like SWIFT MT messages. It is a more structured and data-rich format that will streamline payment processing, compliance, fraud detection, and improve transparency, reconciliation, and automation across payment ecosystems. The most common ISO 20022 statement messages include:
- camt.052: Bank to customer account report (intra-day)
- camt.053: Bank to customer statement (end-of-day)
- camt.054: Debit/credit notification (event-driven)
- camt.086: Detailed cash management extensions, including balance details and remittance information
Beyond Compliance: Monetization Potential Behind ISO 20022
Most banks consider ISO 20022 only from a compliance perspective. Statements are typically generated and delivered at no additional cost when provided electronically, as part of the overall relationship or bundled under account servicing agreements. However, paper statements or special delivery options may incur fees depending on the institution and account terms. Every statement represents value delivered to the client that can and should be monetized. By not charging customers for these complex statements, banks face a significant revenue leak. If they introduce pricing control at this level they can tap into a new service-based revenue model, and offer differentiated, relationship-based pricing models to ensure customer satisfaction. They can also ensure transparent billing that enhances client trust and auditability and plug revenue leakage from uncharged services.
ISO 20022 will increase the number and kinds of statements banks will have to generate. Now is the time to approach corporate banking reports and statements as monetizable assets instead of cost of doing business. For instance, banks can bundle camt.052, 053, and 054 messages and deliver as a composite service to the client and charge a fee for it. But this involves different combinations of frequency, currency, channel, and recipient. Not only is this a complex process, but it also makes it difficult to standardize pricing for these services.
ISO 20022 calls for large volumes and good quality of data. This is a good opportunity for banks who can leverage the same data to roll out smart pricing models like:
- Tiered pricing based on frequency (daily, weekly, monthly), volume, or format
- Conditional waivers for high-value clients for limited timeframes
- Segment-specific pricing for SMEs vs. large corporates
- Currency- and country-based pricing for cross-border reports
Complexity of Pricing
But charging for ISO 20022 services is a complex task. And banks must consider a few key factors:
- Whether to offer bundled or unbundled CAMT services – such as camt. 052, camt. 053, camt 054 grouped together to present one composite statement
- Different delivery channels (host-to-host, SWIFTNet, online portals)
- Country-specific regulation (e.g., SEPA, local data protection laws)
- Custom formats (XML, PDF, hybrid formats)
- Individual waivers and legacy client agreements
Unfortunately, legacy banking systems cannot handle this level of pricing complexity. They cannot analyze vast volumes of data to deliver such detailed and nuanced statements at scale or in real time, or even in a way that aligns with both compliance and billing systems.
Turning ISO 20022 into a Revenue Lever with SunTec Xelerate
Banks can choose to deploy a robust cloud-native, microservices-based middleware revenue management and pricing product like SunTec Xelerate. SunTec Xelerate can effectively integrate transaction systems, ISO 20022 messaging infrastructure, and billing systems to help banks determine the value of each statement and customer segment and then automate pricing rules.
SunTec Xelerate enables pricing at both the customer and account levels and supports grouping of pricing and invoicing across various tiers of a customer’s relationship hierarchy. This flexibility allows banks to consolidate and generate billing statements into a single CAMT.086 message, tailored to the specific structure and needs of each business entity. It can seamlessly handle multiple currencies at an individual account level, while offering flexibility to price, invoice, and settle in different other currencies. For instance, SunTec Xelerate Deal Management offers robust capabilities to configure and manage negotiated rates for products and services. These agreed-upon rates are accurately reflected in CAMT.086 statements alongside the applicable service charges. With SunTec Xelerate banks can deploy exception and negotiated pricing and work with real-time and batch-level billing triggers. They can create tiered and bundled product catalogs and ensure audit trails and compliance-ready invoicing.
Now is the time for banks to rethink how they want to treat statements under this regime. As revenues continue to be under pressure and macro-economic conditions remain fraught, banks need to identify and leverage new revenue streams. ISO 20022 is an opportunity to unlock latent value in digital reporting. Banks that modernize their pricing logic, align services with usage, and apply smarter charging frameworks stand to recover millions annually.