About Us | The SWIFT Institute

The financial services industry has built a complex technical infrastructure, a wealth of data and a huge store of mature process, practice and experience. Yet the sheer pace of business change can make it difficult to recognise the lessons and harness the knowledge these resources can provide. The SWIFT Institute aims to change this by supporting independent, academic research into important topics affecting the industry and its customers world-wide.

The SWIFT Institute, set up by SWIFT, funds independent research, supports knowledge-led debate and provides a forum where academics and financial practitioners can learn from each other. The primary focus of the SWIFT Institute’s work is transaction banking, covering the areas of payments, clearing & settlement, cash management, trade finance and trust & securities.

There is often a gap between research programmes underway in academia and engagement with the financial industry . The vision for the SWIFT Institute is to bridge that gap. We want to build a body of research based on robust academic principles, which is accessible and relevant to the SWIFT community. And we want to encourage academic enquiry in our community and between our community and academia.

The SWIFT Institute core objectives

Extend understanding of current practice and future needs in global financial services, with a particular focus on transaction banking.
Foster independent research by giving grants, access to research data and publication opportunities for approved projects.
Act as a catalyst for bringing the SWIFT community and academics together to explore ideas, share knowledge and extend mutual understanding.

About SWIFT

SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, is a member-owned cooperative through which the financial world conducts its business operations. We provide our community with a platform for messaging, standards for communicating and we offer products and services to facilitate access and integration; identification, analysis and regulatory compliance.

Our messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories. Whilst SWIFT does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable our global community of users to communicate securely, exchanging standardised financial messages in a reliable way, thereby facilitating global and local financial flows, and supporting trade and commerce all around the world.

Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT’s international governance and oversight reinforces the neutral, global character of its cooperative structure. SWIFT’s global office network ensures an active presence in all the major financial centres.