ISO 20022 Standard Adoption Set to Fuel Rally in Key Altcoins Like XRP, XLM, and HBAR

6 hour ago

The global financial sector is on the brink of a major transformation with the imminent adoption of the ISO 20022 messaging standard, which is scheduled to take full effect by November 22, 2025. This standard, developed by the International Organization for Standardization, replaces outdated text-based formats with rich, structured data to enhance interoperability, enable faster settlement, and improve compliance in cross-border payments and securities settlements.

SWIFT has reaffirmed that the deadline will not be delayed again, following multiple postponements since 2020. The transition requires all institutions handling cross-border payments to migrate to the ISO 20022 CBPR+ standard. The U.S. Federal Reserve's Fedwire Funds Service, which processes approximately $4.7 trillion daily, officially implemented the standard on July 14, after extensive testing to ensure readiness. Europe has been proactive, with regions like the Eurozone completing migrations for TARGET2 and EBA Clearing in March 2023.

This shift is expected to act as a significant catalyst for the cryptocurrency market, particularly for altcoins aligned with banking and payment infrastructure. Coins such as XRP, Stellar (XLM), Hedera (HBAR), IOTA, and Algorand (ALGO) are poised to benefit due to their focus on cross-border payments, regulatory-friendly rails, and enterprise-grade ledgers. Ripple, for instance, has partnered with over 300 financial institutions and has long-term commitments to ISO 20022 compliance, as highlighted by former team lead Marcus Treacher. Similarly, HBAR's governance model and IOTA's data-rich transaction capabilities position them for increased demand.

Despite progress, a June report by Banking Vision indicated that only 44.9% of central banks have fully implemented ISO 20022 in their real-time gross settlement systems. The standard will also introduce mandatory features in 2026, such as the camt.110 message for investigations, underscoring its role as the foundation for next-generation payment networks.