CHAPS and RTGS ISO 20022 change management process
We are responsible for keeping the ISO 20022 schemas for RTGS and CHAPS up to date.
Regular changes to our ISO 20022 implementation will ensure we will continue to:
Change Management Framework
Our Change Management Framework sets out the yearly process for the maintenance of the CHAPS and RTGS message schemas and technical guidance. It provides details of each stage; how to submit a change request; outputs; and how the wider UK payments community will be involved.
We will evaluate change requests submitted considering alignment with other key ISO 20022 implementations.
We will regularly publish updates on which change requests being progressed.
Our change management process is aligned as closely as possible with the change management processes for HVPS+ and Swift’s CBPR+ standards release cycles.
Timelines
The high-level timeline is:
- Change requests must be submitted by 1 April each year to be considered for implementation the following year. We will share information on the change requests under consideration; participants may provide feedback at this stage.
- We will confirm which change requests we have approved by 1 June each year, including those we submit to HVPS+.
- In December each year, we will provide further information on the changes to CHAPS and/or RTGS schemas and technical guidance that will be implemented the follow year. Draft updated schemas and technical guidance will be published by end January ahead of final schemas and technical guidance being made available in April of the implementation year.
- We will engage participants in the Spring on the upcoming changes and draft documentation.
- Technical changes will be implemented in November.
Detailed timelines are set out in the Change Management Framework.
Change requests for November 2025 implementation
For the November 2025 implementation, we have a list of 36 change requests – all were raised by the Bank rather than from an external source. Further proposed changes will be published later in the year following international changes that are identified through CBPR+ and HVPS+. We will also confirm which changes will be formally progressed.
Submitting a change request
Organisations can request changes to ISO 20022 schemas and technical guidance for CHAPS and RTGS messages as well any other artefacts we produce to support ISO 20022 implementation for CHAPS and RTGS. For example, this could include the UK Recommended Purpose Code list or the approach we are taking on ISO 20022 implementation to support future RTGS functionality such as synchronisation.
We would expect organisations submitting change requests to have direct involvement in sending, receiving or processing CHAPS or RTGS messages in ISO 20022 (MX) format.
- RTGS users should submit completed change request forms through RCEP under ‘Documentation -> Proposing a change to the ISO 20022 Schema’.
- Other organisations may submit completed change request forms to ISOschema@bankofengland.co.uk.
Change request form