November 2026 end-date of the unstructured address format for EPC payment scheme transactions
The European Payments Council (EPC) notes that on 27 August 2026, Swift announced in a press release its decision to extend the migration period for structured addresses for ISO 20022 payment messages.
In this context, the EPC also took note of the advice at the Advisory Group on Market Infrastructures for Payments (AMI-Pay) meeting of 20 August 2026 as published on the European Central Bank (ECB) AMI-Pay webpage.
The EPC is currently collecting statistical information and data trends on the current use of the various address formats in SEPA transactions.
We would like to inform you that the EPC will determine its position on this matter at the meeting of the Payment Scheme Management Board (PSMB) on 9 September 2026.
Until further notice the EPC timelines remain unchanged – 15 November 2026 stands. We expect that you proceed on that basis and continue with your preparations as planned.
The EPC will provide a further update following the 9 September PSMB discussion.
