The BIS Innovation Hub's London Centre, in collaboration with the Bank of England, introduces Project Keystone—a modular platform to unlock the full potential of enriched payment data and bolster the efficiency and oversight of global payment ecosystems.

The BIS Innovation Hub’s London Centre, working together with the Bank of England, has introduced Project Keystone, a new initiative aimed at boosting the way we analyze ISO 20022 payment message data. You know, with about 93% of payment system operators worldwide either already adopting or getting ready to adopt ISO 20022, there’s definitely a pressing need for tools that can handle and unlock the richer data this messaging standard brings. So, Project Keystone offers a modular platform designed specifically for this purpose—made up of two main parts: one that deals with managing the complex data structure and storage needs of ISO 20022, and another focused on deep-dive data analysis. Basically, it’s a ready-made solution that payment operators can plug in, helping them better integrate and utilize the detailed payment data they receive.

By giving payment systems stronger analytical tools, the goal is to unlock deeper insights into real-time economic activities and overall liquidity in the system. This, in turn, can help regulators and central banks get a clearer picture, enabling them to oversee the payments ecosystem more effectively and boost confidence among participants, including making sure that the ISO 20022 messaging rules are followed properly. Honestly, this shows a clear move toward more standardized data and smarter analysis within payment frameworks—which are, I think, really key for keeping financial markets running smoothly and regulators doing their jobs more efficiently.

This push isn’t happening in a vacuum. There’s a broader industry effort at play to tap into ISO 20022’s potential. Take, for example, the recent hackathon organized by BIS Innovation Hub and SWIFT, which challenged developers to come up with solutions that improve cross-border payments using the standard and related APIs. Interestingly enough, the winning projects—chosen by experienced judges from top central banks and payment organizations—showed off some pretty innovative tech, like Atomic Wire’s scalable streaming system that enables real-time atomic settlement of FX trades. That’s pretty handy because it helps reduce settlement risks and supports payment-versus-payment setups across borders. These kinds of projects highlight a lively ecosystem emerging around ISO 20022, blending standardized data formats, API integrations, and advanced analytics—really shaping the future of global payment systems.

What makes Project Keystone and similar efforts so important is that they help support widespread adoption of ISO 20022 while also making better use of the data it produces. As key payment infrastructures switch over in the next few years, platforms like Keystone could be crucial. They provide operators and regulators with the tools needed—whether it’s for more transparent liquidity monitoring or proactive economic analysis—to unlock the full potential of enriched payment data. Ultimately, this could lead to a world with a more resilient and efficient payments system, don’t you think? It’s pretty interesting, right?


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Source: Noah Wire Services

Verification / Sources

  • https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/bis-innovation-hub-launches-project-3012893/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
  • https://www.bis.org/about/bisih/topics/suptech_regtech/keystone.htm - The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub London Centre, in collaboration with the Bank of England, has launched Project Keystone. This initiative aims to enhance the analytical use of ISO 20022 data, a standard adopted by 93% of payment system operators. Project Keystone offers a standardized data analytics platform with two modules: one for managing the complex data structure and storage needs of ISO 20022, and another for conducting data-driven analysis. The platform is intended to be an off-the-shelf component for payment system operators to integrate into their own systems, enabling enhanced use of enriched payments data. Central banks and other regulatory bodies could leverage this to gain deeper insights into real-time economic activity, monitor system-wide liquidity, and enhance participant confidence, including ensuring adherence to the ISO 20022 standard itself.
  • https://www.bis.org/publ/othp97.htm - Project Keystone, a collaboration between the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre and the Bank of England, has developed a standardized data analytics platform focused on ISO 20022 data. The platform comprises two modules: one addressing the complexities of handling the ISO 20022 data structure and associated storage requirements, and another providing analysis based on the data. Keystone is intended to become an off-the-shelf component that payment system operators can integrate into their own systems to unlock the value of richer payments data. The support of analytics capabilities could accelerate the ability of payment system operators to utilize the enriched data contained within the ISO 20022 message scheme for greater understanding of economic conditions, system liquidity, and compliance with ISO 20022 standards.
  • https://www.bis.org/press/p210223a.htm - The BIS Innovation Hub and SWIFT have launched a new ISO 20022 hackathon, inviting teams to build and showcase solutions that enhance cross-border payments using the ISO 20022 standard for payment messages and application programming interfaces (APIs). The hackathon aims to highlight the potential of ISO 20022, which is being adopted by large parts of the world's payment infrastructures over the next four years. Teams can adapt an existing product to make use of ISO 20022 or build and demonstrate new solutions leveraging ISO 20022 and APIs using SWIFT's API sandbox. Three winning teams will showcase their solutions at the BIS Innovation Summit in March to a global audience including key payments industry players and central bankers.
  • https://www.bis.org/press/p210325.htm - The BIS Innovation Hub and SWIFT have announced the winners of the ISO 20022 hackathon, which invited teams to build and showcase solutions that enhance cross-border payments using the ISO 20022 standard for payment messages and application programming interfaces (APIs). The winners were chosen by a panel including experts from the Bank of England, the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, DBS Bank (Singapore), European Central Bank, Federal Reserve System, Innovate Finance (UK), New Payments Platform (Australia), Payments Canada, SWIFT, and Swish (Sweden). The winning solutions showcased at the BIS Innovation Summit 2021.
  • https://www.atomicwire.io/news/2021/3/25/press-release-bis-innovation-hub-and-swift-announce-atomic-wire-as-winners-of-iso-20022-and-api-hackathon - Atomic Wire won the ISO 20022 hackathon for its highly scalable stream processing solution that performs real-time atomic settlement of FX transactions, eliminating settlement risk and removing barriers to adopting payment-versus-payment for cross-border payments. The BIS Innovation Hub and SWIFT announced the winners of the hackathon, which invited teams to build and showcase solutions that enhance cross-border payments using the ISO 20022 standard for payment messages and application programming interfaces (APIs).
  • https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/44610/bank-of-england-to-develop-analytics-data-platform-for-iso-20022 - The Bank of England is working with the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre on a project that will explore how technology can enhance the analytical use of ISO 20022 data to shed light on economic conditions, system liquidity, and compliance. Project Keystone aims to develop a standardized data analytics platform focused on ISO 20022 data, comprising two modules: one addressing the complexities of handling the ISO 20022 data structure and associated storage requirements, and another providing analysis based on the data. Keystone is intended to become an off-the-shelf component that payment system operators can integrate into their own systems.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We've since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative is based on a press release from the BIS Innovation Hub and the Bank of England, dated 4 September 2025. This indicates high freshness, as the information is current and directly from the involved institutions. No evidence of recycled or outdated content was found. The press release format typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were identified. The narrative does not include updated data but recycles older material.

Quotes check

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative does not contain any direct quotes. This absence suggests that the content is potentially original or exclusive.

Source reliability

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative originates from a press release by the BIS Innovation Hub and the Bank of England, both reputable organisations. This enhances the reliability of the information presented.

Plausability check

Score: 10

Notes: The claims made in the narrative are plausible and align with the known objectives of the BIS Innovation Hub and the Bank of England. The narrative is consistent with the institutions' missions and recent activities. No inconsistencies or suspicious elements were identified.

Overall assessment

Veredict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is based on a recent press release from reputable institutions, contains no direct quotes, and presents plausible information consistent with the organisations' missions. No issues with freshness, originality, or potential disinformation were identified.