Project Nexus – a global initiative from the BIS Innovation Hub – aims to deliver instant cross-border payments. As implementation gathers pace, XMLdation explores how testing tools can help streamline and accelerate the rollout.
The fragmented nature of today’s payments landscape makes fast, seamless cross-border transactions a challenge. While the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments sets clear targets for improvement, it’s down to the industry to identify the means to deliver on these ambitions.
When it comes to driving harmonisation, initiatives like Project Nexus offer a promising path forward – particularly when paired with self-service, independent testing.
So, what is Project Nexus? Put simply, Nexus is a Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub (BISIH) project that provides a comprehensive blueprint for connecting multiple domestic instant payment systems (IPS), globally.
To standardise the way these systems interact, Nexus enables payment system operators (PSOs) to make just one connection to its platform – instead of having to build a custom connection for each country they interact with. This centralised interface enables domestic payments systems to easily reach all other countries in the network.
Project Nexus is a robust mechanism through which the G20’s cross-border payments targets for access, cost, speed and transparency, can be met:
Given the promise of Nexus for cross-border payments, what is the project’s status and when can we expect it to go live?
In July 2024, the BIS Innovation Hub and its partners completed the comprehensive blueprint for Nexus – including the scheme rulebook, business model, governance framework, ISO 20022 message specifications, and technical guides.
This concluded phase three of the project, which saw the BIS Innovation Hub’s Singapore Centre collaborate with the central banks and IPS operators of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand – setting the stage for live implementation. Next comes phase four, which brings the Reserve Bank of India into the group – expanding the network to include India’s UPI, the world’s largest instant payment system.[i]
To move from blueprint to live rollout, participating central banks and IPS operators are now working to establish the Nexus Scheme Organisation (NSO). The NSO will manage the scheme going forward and be wholly owned by participating central banks or IPS operators, depending on each country’s structure. Meanwhile, BIS will take on an advisory role and help facilitate collaboration and future expansion.
Building on the Nexus vision: independent testing
As progressive a project as Nexus is, it requires the coordination of multiple parties across numerous time zones and will therefore become a costly, resource-intensive rollout.
The solution to this challenge is to enable national PSOs – the domestic bodies managing the real-time payments infrastructure that connects to the Nexus platform – to conduct independent testing using simulators that act as counterparties. In other words, a simulator becomes the other party in testing, allowing the PSO interfacing with Nexus to do their testing whenever they want – as opposed to waiting for other market participants to partner with. This reduces the need for multi-party coordination, while also lowering rollout costs and effort. XMLdation specialises in payments testing, and delivers simulated counterparties for this type of testing scenario.
[i] https://www.bis.org/press/p240701.htm