Payments Canada has launched Lynx, the country's new high-value payment system, which has been built with technology partners IBM and SIA.
Lynx will process large value, time-critical payments with real-time settlement finality and will, says Payments Canada, provide enhanced cyber security and resiliency capabilities.
Payment Canada owns and operates Lynx, with oversight by the Bank of Canada. SIA built the platform, with IBM providing hosting and system integration services.
A second release is already slated for late 2022, introducing the ISO 20022 message standard, which will bring new products and services, and the digitisation of manual and paper-based processes related to invoicing and payment reconciliation.
The ISO 20022 messages for Lynx will also support Canadian financial institutions preparing to meet Swift's migration date for cross-border payments, expected to roll out at the end of 2022.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says: “It’s essential that Canada has a modern and robust wholesale payments system, and so, after much preparation, I’m very pleased to see the arrival of Lynx. The launch of Lynx is an important step in making sure Canada’s financial system remains secure, stable and efficient in today’s rapidly evolving economy.”
Lynx is a one part of Payments Canada’s multi-year, multi-system payments modernisation initiative, that also includes a real-time payments system that is currently being built.