APAC Payments & Compliance Blog

Expert guides on ISO 20022, MAS regulations, AML screening and payment operations — written for Singapore and APAC fintech teams.

pacs.008 Customer Credit Transfer: A Complete Guide for APAC Payment Teams

Everything payment operations teams need to know about the pacs.008 FIToFICustomerCreditTransfer message — field structure, mandatory elements, common validation errors, and MAS expectations.

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MAS Incident Reporting for Payment Firms: The 24-Hour Rule Explained

Step-by-step guide to MAS operational incident reporting under MAS Notice PSN05 and TRM guidelines — what qualifies, timelines, and how to write a report that avoids regulatory follow-up.

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AML Name Screening for Singapore Fintechs: Watchlists, Fuzzy Matching and False Positives

How to design AML name screening that satisfies MAS Notice 626 and 641 — covering sanctions lists, PEP databases, fuzzy matching thresholds, and how to reduce false positive rates without increasing compliance risk.

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Payment Reconciliation for APAC Fintechs: Break Types, Matching Rules and Controls

How to design payment reconciliation processes that handle the complexity of multi-rail APAC payments — covering break classification, matching hierarchy, exception management and MAS operational risk expectations.

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SWIFT MT to ISO 20022 Migration: 12 Steps Your Team Must Complete

The complete SWIFT MT to ISO 20022 migration checklist for Singapore banks and fintechs — covering message mapping, connectivity, testing, and MAS compliance steps before your go-live date.

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Singapore PSA 2019 Licence Types: Which One Does Your Fintech Need?

A practical guide to Singapore's Payment Services Act 2019 licence categories — what each covers, which activities trigger licensing, and how to determine the right MAS PSA licence for your business.

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PayNow and FAST: Singapore Real-Time Payments Guide for Fintechs

How Singapore's FAST and PayNow payment rails work, the technical and licensing requirements for participation, and what payment operations teams need to know about reconciliation and fraud controls.

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AML Transaction Monitoring Rules for Singapore Payment Firms

How to design, calibrate and document AML transaction monitoring rules that satisfy MAS Notice 626 and 641 — covering rule types, threshold setting, tuning methodology, and what MAS examiners look for.

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ISO 20022 Purpose Codes: Which Ones to Use and Why They Matter

Complete guide to ISO 20022 ExternalPurpose1Code values for APAC payment teams — which codes are mandatory, how MAS and SWIFT use them, and common mapping mistakes from legacy systems.

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KYC Refresh Frequency: How Often Must Singapore Payment Firms Update Customer Records?

MAS Notice 626 guidance on periodic KYC review — what triggers a refresh, frequency by risk tier, what documentation to collect, and how to operationalise periodic review without overwhelming your compliance team.

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