BADR Bank Becomes The First Public Bank In Algeria To Go Live With ISO 20022 In Partnership With Eastnets
By Nojeed Gandour, Bureau Chief, Northern Africa
A public Algerian bank, Banque de l’Agriculture et du Développement Rural (BADR Bank), has successfully gone live with ISO 20022, becoming the first financial institution in Algeria to comply with the global standard for financial messaging. This milestone marks a major step in BADR’s digital and regulatory modernization journey and was achieved in partnership with Eastnets, a global leader in financial messaging, compliance, and payments solutions.
The go-live took place on October 17, 2025, following a successful testing, UAT, and implementation phase jointly carried out by BADR Bank and Eastnets’ teams. This success aligns with Algeria’s national strategy for the digital transformation of its public financial sector, aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and security in the national payments ecosystem.
Led by Chief Executive Officer of BADR Bank and Chairman of the Association of Banks and Financial Institutions (ABEF), Mohand Bourai this project demonstrates BADR’s institutional commitment to innovation, compliance, and operational excellence within Algeria’s banking sector.
The project also benefited from the close participation of Head of the International Operations Division at BADR Bank, whose coordination and expertise were instrumental in the successful migration to ISO 20022 Mrs. Amina Bensmaine.
“This achievement reflects BADR Bank’s ongoing commitment to innovation, compliance, and operational excellence,” said CEO of BADR Bank Mohand Bourai. “As a public Algerian bank, we have a responsibility to lead the modernization of the national banking sector. Our successful migration to ISO 20022 strengthens our position as a key player in Algeria’s financial modernization and enables us to deliver faster, more transparent, and more efficient cross-border transactions for our customers.”
ISO 20022 is the international standard for financial messaging, enabling richer, faster, and more secure data exchanges between financial institutions.
As part of the global migration from legacy MT messages to the new MX format, all financial institutions connected to SWIFT are required to adopt ISO 20022 to enhance interoperability, transparency, and efficiency across payment systems.
PaymentSafe, Eastnets’ comprehensive payments platform, provided the technical foundation for BADR Bank’s ISO 20022 migration.
With its modular and flexible architecture, the platform is designed to integrate, through dedicated connectors, various payment streams, including local systems (ACH, RTGS), international networks such as SWIFT, and regional platforms like Buna while interfacing seamlessly with the bank’s core or back-office systems.
Eastnets’ team worked closely with BADR Bank, using PaymentSafe’s ISO Converter to ensure full alignment with SWIFT’s global standards and a smooth migration process.
“We’re proud to support BADR Bank in achieving this important milestone,” said Customer Success Director at Eastnets Raja Said,. “This successful go-live demonstrates the technological maturity of BADR Bank and the shared commitment of both institutions to advance payment modernization in Algeria and across the region.”
This collaboration between BADR Bank, a public Algerian institution, and Eastnets highlights how strategic partnerships can drive national financial transformation and strengthen Algeria’s position in the international banking ecosystem.
