Last reviewed: · Curated by Ohmyfin Organisation editorial.
Field 72 is the Sender to Receiver Information — bank-to-bank operational instructions, invisible to customers. See Field 70 for the customer-facing remittance info →
Format: up to 6 lines of 35 characters each (210 characters total), using the SWIFT X character set. Lines typically begin with a structured code in the format /CODE/ to identify the type of instruction. Common structured codes used in field 72: /ACC/ (account details — additional account routing information); /BNF/ (beneficiary information — supplementary beneficiary details not fitting elsewhere); /INS/ (instructing party — identifies the institution that originally instructed the payment, similar to field 52A); /INT/ (intermediary — an additional intermediary routing instruction); /HOLD/ (hold for pick-up — the beneficiary must collect in person); /RETN/ (return of funds — used in return messages to provide reason codes).
Field 72 is strictly bank-to-bank — it is not passed to the beneficiary's bank statement and is not visible to the end customer. This is what distinguishes it from field 70 (Remittance Information), which is the customer-facing payment narrative that does appear on the beneficiary's bank statement. A common mistake is using field 72 for invoice references or payment descriptions intended for the beneficiary — these belong in field 70, not field 72.
The most important practical use of field 72 is for routing instructions and compliance narratives. For example, a bank processing a payment to a jurisdiction with additional compliance requirements may add field 72 instructions telling the next correspondent to apply additional screening or obtain additional documentation. Field 72 is also used in return messages (MT103R) to carry the reason code for the return — e.g. /RETN//AC01 (account incorrect) or /RETN//MD01 (no mandate, used in direct debit returns).
Field 72 is also used in NOSTRO reconciliation: when a correspondent bank needs to provide additional account reconciliation information to the receiver (beyond what is in field 32A and field 70), it can include this in field 72. For example, /ACC/CUST123456 tells the receiver that this payment is being made from a specific customer sub-account in a pooled nostro arrangement.
In ISO 20022 pacs.008, there is no single equivalent of field 72 — the diverse functions it serves are split across multiple purpose-specific elements: InstrForCdtrAgt (Instructions for Creditor Agent) handles routing instructions; Purp (Purpose) carries the payment purpose code; InstrForNxtAgt (Instructions for Next Agent) passes hop-by-hop operational notes. This explicit separation improves machine-readability and reduces the risk of misinterpretation that can occur with free-format field 72 text.
| Example value | :72:/ACC/INV-2025-12345 |
|---|---|
| Valid characters / format | 6 lines x 35 chars structured codes |
| Required on MT103 | Optional |
| Required on MT202 | Optional |
| Required on pacs.008 | Optional |
| Notes | Sender-to-receiver information (free-format codes). |
No — invoice numbers, payment references, and any text intended for the beneficiary belong in field 70 (Remittance Information). Field 72 is for bank-to-bank operational instructions only. Content in field 72 is not shown to the beneficiary on their bank statement.
/HOLD/ in field 72 is an instruction to the beneficiary bank to hold the funds for collection — the beneficiary must physically collect the payment at a bank branch rather than having it credited automatically to their account. This is used in some correspondent banking arrangements in countries where account-to-account credit is not standard or available.
Field 70 (Remittance Information) is the customer-facing narrative — it appears on the beneficiary's bank statement. Field 72 (Sender to Receiver Information) is bank-to-bank instructions — it is processed and discarded by the banks and never appears on customer statements.
Yes — field 72 in return messages (MT103R) commonly carries /RETN/ followed by the ISO 20022 reason code explaining why the payment is being returned. For example, /RETN//AC01 means the account number in field 59 was incorrect. This is how the returning bank communicates the reason for the return to the originating bank.
Yes — correspondent banks scan field 72 content as part of their overall payment screening. If field 72 contains references to sanctioned entities, controlled goods, or prohibited activities, the payment may be held for compliance review even though field 72 is intended for bank-to-bank purposes only.
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