SWIFT has come out with an interim report on the proof of concept (PoC) for real-time Nostro reconciliation using a SWIFT-developed distributed ledger technology (DLT) sandbox with 33 global transaction banks, as part of its SWIFT gpi service. The PoC is testing whether DLT can help banks reconcile Nostro accounts more efficiently and in real-time, while lowering costs and operational risk. Under the current correspondent banking model, banks need to monitor the funds in their overseas accounts via debit and credit updates and end-of-day statements. The maintenance and operational work involved represents a significant portion of the cost of making cross-border payments. Preliminary results of the PoC show that the SWIFT-developed DLT application can deliver the business functionalities and data richness required to support real-time liquidity monitoring and reconciliation. DLT provides real-time visibility to both the account owner and its servicer on the available and forecasted liquidity on the Nostro account and supports payment reconciliation and investigations by providing an enriched data model based on ISO 20022.
