The global shift to ISO 20022 represents one of the most significant transformations in financial data management in decades. Between 1 November 2025 and 1 November 2026, financial institutions worldwide must comply with the new standard requiring structured or hybrid postal addresses in cross-border payments and reporting plus (CBPR+) messages. By November 2026, unstructured address data will no longer be supported.
The logic behind this migration, beyond creating a standard for technical formatting is about accuracy, accountability and trust. In South Africa, where addressing conventions are complex and diverse, it also marks the intersection of financial regulation and geospatial intelligence, an area where AfriGIS is already leading the way.
The migration challenge
ISO 20022 creates a universal financial “language” that improves interoperability, compliance and transparency in cross-border payments. One of its most pressing requirements is the adoption of structured addresses, which poses unique challenges in regions without unified postal systems. At present, only a country and town are mandatory fields, but many jurisdictions are extending this to include postal codes and street names. The reason is clear: structured address data strengthens anti-money laundering measures and enables a verifiable origin-and-destination record for each transaction.
For South Africa, this introduces complexity. Multiple postal codes often correspond to the same town. Villages may have their own codes without municipal classification and informal settlements frequently lack formal street names. When financial institutions try to fit this unstructured reality into a rigid international template, they risk failed validations, delayed payments and regulatory penalties.
Where address and AfriGIS fits in
For over two decades, AfriGIS has been structuring and validating addresses across Africa. This experience places us in a unique position to help banks, fintechs and corporates manage, cleanse and standardise address data so that it integrates seamlessly with payment, treasury and compliance systems. Our geospatial intelligence capabilities are built around one of the continent’s most authoritative address databases, combining cadastral, postal and satellite data that are updated quarterly and rigorously verified.
We recognise that there are at least fourteen distinct address types in South Africa, each structured differently. Our systems reconcile these variations into a single coherent schema aligned with international standards while preserving local context. AfriGIS enables financial institutions to go beyond minimal ISO 20022 compliance by structuring not just the mandatory fields of country and town, but also preparing for the future inclusion of postal codes, street names and building-level information.
Building for quality, not quick fixes
Financial institutions now face the strategic decision of either implementing a temporary patch to meet immediate compliance deadlines or investing in a sustainable, high-quality model that will accommodate future requirements. AfriGIS advocates the latter. By comprehensively structuring address data from the outset, organisations avoid repeated costly migrations and ensure that their systems remain adaptable as new phases of ISO 20022 roll out.
AfriGIS offers configurable API (application performing interface) solutions that make compliance straightforward and scalable. Our expanded API provides all address components separately, allowing institutions to apply their own business logic within enterprise resource planning, treasury management system, treasury management system or treasury environments. For organisations seeking seamless integration, our delivery API embeds AfriGIS’s business logic, simplifying deployment without compromising on precision. Both APIs are ISO-compliant, secure and designed for easy implementation within existing infrastructures. Businesses can register for a trial key to explore these capabilities immediately.
Beyond compliance: turning data into insight
While structured address data will become a compliance requirement going forward, it also presents an opportunity. Once verified, structured location information becomes a foundation for deeper insight across business operations. It enhances risk modelling, supports precise cross-border payments, improves logistics and strengthens customer understanding. A single, verified “source of truth” for address data increases efficiency across departments, from finance to customer service.
By integrating AfriGIS’s contextual intelligence, organisations can identify high-risk geographies, monitor transaction flows and link financial data to spatial analytics for real-time risk mitigation. It also allows them to optimise resource allocation, validate customer details instantly and improve onboarding accuracy through reliable geocoded data.
Ahead of the curve
For more than 20 years, AfriGIS has championed the importance of address structure, data quality and standardisation. The ISO 20022 migration validates this longstanding commitment. While many institutions are now racing to meet compliance, our clients are already prepared.
AfriGIS continues to help organisations transform regulatory requirements into a competitive advantage, where every address tells a complete, verified and meaningful story.
By combining geospatial intelligence with financial data integrity, AfriGIS ensures that structured addresses help you meet your compliance checkbox, while simultaneously serving as a powerful enabler of smarter, safer and more efficient global transactions.
- The authors, Marna Roos and Charl Fouché, are the account manager and chief operating officer at AfriGIS, respectively
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