Messaging

SWIFT messaging services

Secure, reliable and cost-effective messaging

A complete set of
messaging services

Benefits
Single window environment
Straight-through processing
Security and reliability

SWIFTNet is SWIFTs
advanced Internet protocol-based
messaging platform. It offers
four complementary messaging
services that provide the security,
reliability and availability our
customers expect.
Financial services organisations worldwide
face increasingly complex and diverse
messaging requirements. These include
connecting to market infrastructures,
communicating with commercial
correspondents and servicing clients.
SWIFTNet provides a single window that
caters for all these messaging needs
with its four complementary messaging
services: FIN, InterAct, FileAct and
Browse.

Cost-effective pricing

Benefits of SWIFTNet
messaging services

Single window environment: one

standard platform for all your
messaging needs
The same connectivity infrastructure
can be reused for any combination
of the SWIFTNet messaging services
across a wide range of business areas
and geographies. This translates into
significant cost savings by eliminating the
duplication of functions, resources and
effort that arise from operating multiple
links.
Straight-through processing: reduce
risk and cost
The SWIFTNet messaging services
support straight-through processing
(STP) through messaging standards
and technical interoperability.
SWIFTNet supports central message
validation for SWIFTs extended range
of MT standards and for our newer
range of XML-based MX standards
(SWIFTStandards XML).
SWIFTNet Link combines with
your interface device, whether it is
SWIFTAlliance or a third-party vendor
product, to integrate smoothly with
your inhouse applications and ensure
technical interoperability among all
SWIFTNet solutions.

Security and reliability

The SWIFTNet messaging services
run on SWIFTs secure Internet
protocol network (SIPN), a protected,
private network offering the highest
availability rates in the industry.
SWIFTNet offers encryption,
authentication control, integrity control
and non-repudiation.
Single points of failure are eliminated at
all levels: systems, facilities, network.


Message exchange

SWIFT
MT standards

SWIFT
MX standards

File transfer

Browsing

FIN
InterAct
FileAct
Browse
SWIFTNet messaging services

A complete set
of messaging services
The SWIFTNet messaging services enable
financial institutions worldwide to securely
and reliably exchange financial messages
and files and to browse securely via online
portals.

FIN
FIN enables the exchange of messages
formatted with the traditional SWIFT
MT standards. These standards cover
a wide range of business areas and
are widely used and accepted by the
financial community. FIN works in
store-and-forward mode and offers
extensive value-added functionality,
such as message copy, broadcasts, and
online retrieval of previously-exchanged
messages.
InterAct
InterAct enables the exchange of
messages formatted with the new XMLbased SWIFT MX standards. SWIFTNet
offers increased flexibility in the way of
working: in addition to store-and-forward
messaging, it also supports real-time
messaging, and real-time query-andresponse. InterAct is the service to use
in the business areas for which the use
of the new XML-based MX standards is
more advantageous.

File transfer with FileAct

FileAct enables the transfer of files in a
secure and reliable manner. It is most
efficient when used to transfer large
batches of messages, such as bulk
payment files, very large reports, or
operational data.
Browsing with Browse,
InterAct and FileAct
SWIFTNet users can browse securely on
financial web sites available on SWIFTNet
using standard Internet technologies
and protocols such as HTTP-S and
HTML. This is enabled by Browse,
complemented with InterAct and FileAct
for your business and security sensitive
exchanges.

Both FIN and InterAct enable the

exchange of messages on a messageper-message basis, and support the
exchange of messages using proprietary
formats in the context of market
infrastructures.

Bank A

Bank B

Bank A

Message

Message

T-Copy

Message

Ack
Institution
A

Message
Y-Copy

SWIFTNet
Ack

Central
storage

Copy

Authorisation/
refusal

Copy

Institution
B

Copy destination

Store-and-forward messaging

FIN

SWIFTNet PKI security

Closed User Group control
Message validation
Non-repudiation

FIN is SWIFTs core messaging service. It

enables financial institutions to exchange
individual structured financial messages
securely and reliably. FIN is used by
over 8,000 financial institutions and
their corporate customers worldwide
to exchange 15 million messages per
day across a wide range of business
areas within the banking and securities
industries.
FIN works in store-and-forward mode,
which makes it easy to exchange
messages with a large number of
correspondents, many of whom may
not be online at the time of transmission.
Store-and-forward removes the
uncertainty and inconvenience of
worrying about whether or not your
correspondents are online at the time
you send the message. Your message is
delivered as soon as the recipient is ready
to receive it. FIN provides an ideal way to
send individual instructions, confirmations
and reports to large numbers of
correspondents, regardless of their
geographical locations or time zones.

Bank B

Y-Copy for authorisation

Copy destination

T-Copy for information

Standard FIN features

FIN includes the following key standard
features:

Optional FIN features

These can significantly improve your
operational control over your business:

SWIFTNet PKI security

FIN offers authentication and integrity
control based on the SWIFTNet PKI
infrastructure.

User-selectable priority
Messages can be flagged as urgent
to allow for appropriate processing by
your correspondents.

Closed user group control

Each FIN message is controlled
for compliance with the predefined
message exchange and closed
user group rules that determine
which users can send what type
of messages to which other users.
Noncompliant messages are not
delivered.

Delivery notification
This provides confirmation that your
correspondent received your message.

Message validation
FIN supports central message
validation of a wide range of SWIFT
MT standards, which are used across
a broad range of business areas
within the financial industry.
Non-repudiation
In case of dispute, SWIFT is able to
confirm that a message exchange did
take place as claimed.
Relationship Management
Users car control the FIN traffic they
receive from others using SWIFTs
Relationship Management Application
(RMA).

Non-delivery warning
This informs you that a message
remains undelivered after a certain
period of time.
Online retrievals
Users can retrieve SWIFTNet FIN
messages they have exchanged in the
previous 124 days.
User broadcasts
Users can send broadcasts to all
other FIN users, or to a group of
users.
FIN Copy
Selected FIN messages can be fully
or partially copied to a copy
destination (T-Copy). In addition, their
delivery to the intended destination
can be made conditional on approval
by the copy destination (Y-copy).
This feature is frequently used in
the context of high-value payments
clearing systems.
FINInform
Some or all FIN messages sent or
received by an institutions subsidiary
or branch can also be fully or partially
duplicated to copy destination(s)
for centralised processing including
optional approval (Y-Copy) or
monitoring of activities, outsourcing or
regulatory reporting (T-Copy).

SWIFTNet
Message
Ack
Institution
A

SWIFTNet

Message
Ack

Central
storage

Institution
B

Store-and-forward messaging

InterAct
SWIFTNet PKI security
Closed user group control
Message validation
InterAct enables financial institutions to
exchange individual structured financial
messages securely and reliably.
InterAct offers different working modes to
meet your specific needs:
Store-and-forward messaging
InterActs store-and-forward capability
is designed for messages destined
for a large number of correspondents,
many of whom may not be online at
the time of transmission. It removes
the uncertainty and inconvenience of
worrying about whether or not your
correspondents are online at the time
you send the message. The message
is delivered as soon as the recipient
is ready to receive it. As a result,
SWIFTNet InterAct provides an ideal
way to send individual instructions,
confirmations and reports to large
numbers of correspondents, even in
different time zones.
Real-time messaging
Real-time messaging offers an
alternative to store-andforward
to correspondents who are online
at the time of transmission, such
as market infrastructures or large
correspondents expecting to receive
an instruction or confirmation and
that do not need store-and-forward
added-value features.

Query

Acknowledgement

Response

Institution
A

SWIFTNet

Message

Institution
B

Real-time messaging

Institution
A

Institution
B

Real-time query and response messaging

Real-time query and response

This is an interactive service
typically used in the context of
workstation-based online enquiry or
reporting systems. It is often used in
conjunction with Browse.

Optional InterAct features

InterAct offers the following key optional
features:

Standard InterAct features

InterAct includes the following key
standard features:

Delivery notification (store-andforward mode)

This provides confirmation that your
correspondent received your message.

SWIFTNet PKI security

InterAct is secured with SWIFTNet PKI
and offers message authentication,
encryption and integrity control.
Closed user group control
Each InterAct message is controlled
for compliance with predefined closed
user group rules that determine which
users can send messages to which
other users. Non-compliant messages
are not delivered.
Message validation
InterAct supports central message
validation of XML-based SWIFT
standards.

User-selectable priority
Messages can be flagged as urgent
to allow for appropriate processing by
your correspondents

Non-repudiation of emission and

reception
In case of dispute, this allows
SWIFT to confirm that the message
exchange did take place as claimed.
InterAct copy
For selected messages, SWIFT can
copy messages to a copy destination
(T-Copy). In addition, the delivery to
identified destination can be made
conditional to an approval by the copy
destination (Y-Copy). This feature
is typically used in the context of
payment clearing systems.

Advanced delivery control

(store-and-forward mode)
Interact offers a number of messaging
features to control traffic delivery.

SWIFTNet
File

File

Ack
Institution
A

Central
storage

Ack
Institution
B

Store-and-forward file transfer

FileAct

SWIFTNet PKI security

Closed user group control
Advanced transfer management
Support for any file format
Enhanced header

FileAct enables financial institutions to

transfer files in a secure and reliable
manner. FileAct provides a cost-effective
way to transfer bulk files in different
formats to your correspondents, while
leveraging the unparalleled security
and reliability inherent in the SWIFTNet
platform.
Whether it is for bulk payments
processing, transmission of cheque
images, securities value-added
information and reporting, or other
business areas such as centralbank reporting or corporate-to-bank
instructions and reporting, most financial
institutions require the ability to exchange
files in a secure, reliable and cost-effective
manner. FileAct allows you to do precisely
that. The benefits are significant and
extend far beyond the realms of traditional
file transfer solutions.

SWIFTNet

SWIFTNet

Message

File request

Acknowledgement

File

Institution
A

Institution
B

Real-time file transfer

FileAct offers different working modes to

meet your specific needs:
Store-and-forward file transfer
FileActs store-and-forward capability
removes the uncertainty and
inconvenience of worrying about
whether or not your correspondents
are online at the time you transmit the
file. The file is delivered as soon as the
recipient is ready to receive it.
As a result, it provides an ideal way
to send files to large numbers of
correspondents, some of which may
be in different time zones.
Real-time file transfer
Real-time file transfer allows
an institution to send files to
correspondents who are online at the
time of transmission. It is an efficient
and cost-effective way to exchange
files with market infrastructures or
large institutions.
Real-time file download
This is an interactive service typically
used to download files from the
system of a correspondent. It is often
used to download files in the context
of workstation-based systems..
FileAct Copy
For selected files, SWIFT can copy
the file (or just the file header) to a
copy destination (T-Copy). In addition,
the file delivery to the intended
destination can be made conditional
to an approval by the copy destination
(Y-copy). This feature is typically used
in the context of payments clearing
systems.

Institution
A

Institution
B

Real-time file retrieval

FileAct features
Files supported
Any character set
Any content structure
File size up to 250 Mbytes
File transfer security
Based on SWIFTNet PKI (managed
certificates)
Closed user group control
Encryption
Authentication control
Integrity control
Non-repudiation of emission and
reception (optional)
Transfer reliability
Automatic handling of intermittent
communication failures
Monitoring of transfer progress and
status
Delivery notification provides explicit
confirmation of delivery by receiver
(optional)
Throughput management and traffic
prioritisation
Enhanced header
Dedicated optional header block
to specify key business summary
information (for example, number of
payments or total amount)
Allows file handling (such as routing)
without having to open the file

SWIFTNet
Provider of online browser-based services
Alliance
Gateway
Business
application
Web
server

InterAct and
FileAct
HTTPS

Alliance
WebStation
Standard
Internet browser

A: InterAct/FileAct
traffic used for
security-sensitive
and financial data
B: H
 TTPS traffic used
for other data (e.g.,
screens)

Typical technical setup and flows

Browse

User of online browser-based services

Browser-based
Browsing security
InterAct and FileAct security
Closed user group control

Browse enables users to browse on

financial online portals made available
by financial institutions and market
infrastructures on SWIFTNet. It combines
the user friendliness of web technology
with the security features offered by
SWIFTNet.
Financial institutions and market
infrastructures that make their web portals
available on SWIFTNet benefit from a
more convenient and attractive delivery
channel to their clients, while reducing
costs and improving the security and
reliability of their services.

Browse features
Browse includes the following key
features:
Browser-based
Access to a Browse service is via
a standard Internet browser (such
as Microsoft Internet Explorer) and
Browse interface software.
There is no need to install any
software or hardware from the
provider of the online portal.
Browsing security
Browse exchanges are secured by
the combined use of the Secure
Socket Layer protocol and SWIFTs
secure IP network.
InterAct and FileAct security
Sensitive business or security data
exchanges such as payment orders,
confirmations, account balances, user
IDs and passwords are exchanged
through InterAct or SWIFTNet FileAct.
Such exchanges benefit directly from
all the features of these services,
including their high security and
reliability. Their use is made invisible to
the person browsing.
Closed user group control
Browse exchanges are only permitted
within defined closed user groups.

For more information about SWIFT

visit swift.com

APR2011 55648

For more information about SWIFT

visit swift.com
To join the community debate
visit swiftcommunity.net

SWIFT 2011