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SWIFTmessageblockstructure
TheconnectorsupportsSWIFTFinancialApplication(FIN)messages.Theyhavethefollowingstructure:
{1:BasicHeaderBlock}{2:ApplicationHeaderBlock}{3:UserHeaderBlock}{4:TextBlockorbody}{5:TrailerBlock}
ThesefiveSWIFTmessageblocksincludeheaderinformation,thebodyofthemessage,andatrailer.Allblockshavethe
samebasicformat:
{n:...}
Thecurlybraces({})indicatethebeginningandendofablock.nistheblockidentifier,inthiscaseasingleinteger
between1and5.Eachblockidentifierisassociatedwithaparticularpartofthemessage.Thereisnocarriagereturnor
linefeed(CRLF)betweenblocks.
Blocks3,4,and5maycontainsubblocksorfieldsdelimitedbyfieldtags.Block3isoptional.Manyapplications,however,
populateblock3withareferencenumbersothatwhenSWIFTreturnstheacknowledgement,itcanbeusedfor
reconciliationpurposes.
Note:
ForfurtherinformationonSWIFTmessageblocks,seeChapter2oftheSWIFTUserHandbookFINSystemMessages
Document.
{1:BasicHeaderBlock}
Thebasicheaderblockisfixedlengthandcontinuouswithnofielddelimiters.Ithasthefollowingformat:
{1:F01BANKBEBB2222123456}
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)
a)
1:=BlockID(always1)
b)
ApplicationIDasfollows:
F=FIN(financialapplication)
A=GPA(generalpurposeapplication)
L=GPA(forlogins,andsoon)
c)
ServiceIDasfollows:
01=FIN/GPA
21=ACK/NAK
d)
BANKBEBB=Logicalterminal(LT)address.Itisfixedat12charactersitmustnothaveXinposition9.
e)
2222=Sessionnumber.Itisgeneratedbytheuser'scomputerandispaddedwithzeros.
f)
123456=Sequencenumberthatisgeneratedbytheuser'scomputer.Itispaddedwithzeros.
{2:ApplicationHeaderBlock}
Therearetwotypesofapplicationheaders:InputandOutput.Botharefixedlengthandcontinuouswithnofield
delimiters.
Theinput(toSWIFT)structureisasfollows:
{2:I100BANKDEFFXXXXU3003}
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)
a)
2:=BlockID(always2)
b)
I=Input
c)
100=Messagetype
d)
BANKDEFFXXXX=Receiver'saddresswithXinposition9/ItispaddedwithXsifnobranchisrequired.
e)
U=themessagepriorityasfollows:
S=System
N=Normal
U=Urgent
f)
3=Deliverymonitoringfieldisasfollows:
1=Nondeliverywarning(MT010)
2=Deliverynotification(MT011)
3=Bothvalid=U1orU3,N2orN
g)
003=Obsolescenceperiod.Itspecifieswhenanondeliverynotificationisgeneratedasfollows:
ValidforU=003(15minutes)
ValidforN=020(100minutes)
Theoutput(fromSWIFT)structureisasfollows:
{2:O1001200970103BANKBEBBAXXX22221234569701031201N}
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)
a)
2:=BlockID(always2)
b)
O=Output
c)
100=Messagetype
d)
1200=Inputtimewithrespecttothesender
e)
TheMessageInputReference(MIR),includinginputdate,withSender'saddress
f)
970103=OutputdatewithrespecttoReceiver
g)
1201=OutputtimewithrespecttoReceiver
h)
N=Messagepriorityasfollows:
S=System
N=Normal
U=Urgent
{3:UserHeaderBlock}
Thisisanoptionalblockandhasthefollowingstructure:
{3:{113:xxxx}{108:abcdefgh12345678}}
(a)(b)(c)
a)
3:=BlockID(always3)
b)
113:xxxx=Optionalbankingprioritycode
c)
ThisistheMessageUserReference(MUR)usedbyapplicationsforreconciliationwithACK.
Note:
Othertagsexistforthisblock.Theyincludetags(suchas119,whichcancontainthecodeISITConanMT521)that
mayforceadditionalcodewordandformattingrulestovalidatethebodyofthemessageaslaiddownbyISITC(Industry
StandardizationforInstitutionalTradeCommunication).Forfurtherinformation,seeAllThingsSWIFT:theSWIFTUser
Handbook.
{4:TextBlockorbody}
Thisblockiswheretheactualmessagecontentisspecifiedandiswhatmostuserssee.Generallytheotherblocksare
strippedoffbeforepresentation.Theformat,whichisvariablelengthandrequiresuseofCRLFasafielddelimiter,isas
follows:
{4:CRLF
:20:PAYREFTB54302CRLF
:32A:970103BEF1000000,CRLF
:50:CUSTOMERNAMECRLF
ANDADDRESSCRLF
:59:/123456789CRLF
BENEFICIARYNAMECRLF
ANDADDRESSCRLF
}
ThesymbolCRLFisamandatorydelimiterinblock4.
TheexampleaboveisoftypeMT100(CustomerTransfer)withonlythemandatoryfieldscompleted.Itisanexampleof
theformatofanISO7775messagestructure.Block4fieldsmustbeintheorderspecifiedforthemessagetypeinthe
appropriatevolumeoftheSWIFTUserHandbook.
appropriatevolumeoftheSWIFTUserHandbook.
Thecontentofthetextblockisacollectionoffields.FormoreonSWIFTfields,seeSWIFTfieldstructure.Sometimes,
thefieldsarelogicallygroupedintosequences.Sequencescanbemandatoryoroptional,andcanrepeat.Sequencesalso
canbedividedintosubsequences.Inaddition,singlefieldsandgroupsofconsecutivefieldscanrepeat.Forexample,
sequencessuchasthoseintheSWIFTTags16Rand16Smayhavebeginningandendingfields.Othersequences,such
asTag15,haveonlyabeginningfield.Inyetothermessagetypes,nospecifictagsmarkthestartorendofafield
sequence.
Theformatofblock4fieldtagsis:
:nna:
nn=Numbers
a=Optionalletter,whichmaybepresentonselectedtags
Forexample:
:20:=Transactionreferencenumber
:58A:=Beneficiarybank
Thelengthofafieldisasfollows:
nn=Maximumlength
nn!=Fixedlength
nnnn=Minimumandmaximumlength
nn*nn=Maimumnumberoflinestimesmaximumlinelength
Theformatofthedataisasfollows:
n=Digits
d=Digitswithdecimalcomma
h=Uppercasehexadecimal
a=Uppercaseletters
c=Uppercasealphanumeric
e=Space
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x=SWIFTcharacterset
y=UppercaselevelAISO9735characters
z=SWIFTextendedcharacterset
Somefieldsaredefinedasoptional.Ifoptionalfieldsarenotrequiredinaspecificmessage,donotincludethembecause
blankfieldsarenotallowedinthemessage.
/,word=Characters"asis"
[...]=Bracketsindicateanoptionalelement
Forexample:
4!c[/30x]
Thisisafixed4uppercasealphanumeric,optionallyfollowedbyaslashandupto30SWIFTcharacters.
ISIN1!e12!c
Thisisacodewordfollowedbyaspaceanda12fixeduppercasealphanumeric.
Note:
Insomemessagetypes,certainfieldsaredefinedasconditional.Forexample,whenacertainfieldispresent,another
fieldmaychangefromoptionaltomandatoryorforbidden.Certainfieldsmaycontainsubfields,inwhichcasethereis
noCRLFbetweenthem.Validationisnotsupported.
Certainfieldshavedifferentformatsthatdependontheoptionthatischosen.Theoptionisdesignatedbyaletterafterthe
tagnumber,forexample:
:32A:000718GBP1000000,00
ValueDate,ISOCurrency,andAmount
:32B:GBP1000000,00
ISOCurrencyandAmount
Note:
TheSWIFTstandardsforamountformatsare:nothousandseparatorsareallowed(10,000isnotallowed,but10000is
allowed)useacomma(notadecimalpoint)foradecimalseparator(1000,45=onethousandandfortyfive
hundredths).
:58A:NWBKGB2L
BeneficiarySWIFTaddress
:58D:NatWestBank
Beneficiaryfullnameandaddress
HeadOffice
London
{5:TrailerBlock}
Amessagealwaysendsinatrailerwiththefollowingformat:
{5:{MAC:12345678}{CHK:123456789ABC}
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