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Economy and Finance

Economy and Finance

What is Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS)?

22 Jul 2023 Zinkpot 870
  1. Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS) is a secure messaging standard developed to serve as a platform for intra-bank and inter-bank applications. It is an Indian version of SWIFT, which is the international messaging system used for financial messaging globally.
  2. It is a scalable architecture capable to meet the ever-increasing demands of the Indian payment and settlement system. 
  3. It is backed by INFINET as its communication medium to power its multiple kinds of transactions.
  4. This system is connected to bank gateways with HUB located at IDRBT, Hyderabad. SFMS messages from a bank branch to another bank branch are delivered via Bank Gateway and the Hub.
  5. Authentication, Confidentiality, Non-Repudiation, and Integrity are the main security aspects of SFMS. Public Key Infrastructure is used to take care of the security under which every entity has a public key and a private key. Messages sent through SFMS are digitally signed.
  6. It allows the definition of message structures, message formats, and authorization of the same for usage by the financial community.
  7. SFMS can be used for payment systems like Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), for trade-related messaging, like Inland Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantee, etc.
  8. Recently, the cross-border transactions of India and UAE are in talks. In order to facilitate smooth communication, the RBI and the Central Bank of UAE are exploring the interlinking of their messaging systems. India’s SFMS is about to unite with UAE’s messaging system, opening the gates for seamless financial communication.
  9. This measure of RBI is part of its plan to make Financial Messaging System SWIFT’s homegrown alternative SFMS ‘global’. It is because SWIFT has been grappling with the aftermath of banning Russia from the global payments messaging system over its invasion of Ukraine.
  10. Moreover, it will contribute to the RBI’s ‘Payments Vision 2025’ which aims to increase the number of digital payment transactions by more than 3x by 2025.
     

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