The National Bank completed the first cycle of testing of the new payment system
Tests in July 2026 processed the majority of messages according to ISO 20022 and aligned steps for the next phase.
In July 2026 the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia, together with commercial banks and other participants in the Interbank Payment System (MIPS), completed the first cycle of testing of the new system solution and thereby confirmed functionality and readiness to move to the next phases of implementation. During the tests the majority of the payment messages envisaged by the project were processed in accordance with the ISO 20022 standard.
After the completion of the first cycle, a working meeting was held at the National Bank with participants in MIPS where the test results were presented, the problems and issues that arose were reviewed, and the next steps for further implementation of the project were agreed.
As emphasized by Biljana Donovska-Gecheva, director of the Directorate for Payment Systems at the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia, activities will continue in the coming period to finalize the testing and prepare for the introduction of the new system solution into regular use.
What ISO 20022 brings
The introduction of the ISO 20022 standard represents a significant turning point in the modernization of the national payment infrastructure: it will enable the exchange of richer and higher-quality data in payment traffic, more efficient automated processing, simpler implementation of controls, and greater alignment with the practices of the European Central Bank and European payment systems. The aim is to create more efficient, secure and modern payment services in line with European trends and integration obligations.
The project, financed by the European Union, is titled: "Strengthening the capacity of the National Bank in the area of external statistics, payment statistics and payment systems" and, in addition to introducing ISO 20022 into MIPS, includes the establishment of a data warehouse for the needs of external statistics, thereby further strengthening the institutional capacities of the National Bank.
In the context of the changes, the amounts of some monetary fees were also published: maintaining a bank account costs 35 denars per month, while paying a bill at the counter amounts to 50 denars.
Photo: National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia
