SWIFT

SWIFT is a global financial messaging network used by institutions to exchange standardized payment instructions.

Interview Questions (Senior Level)

1. How do you design resilient SWIFT processing for delayed acknowledgments and correspondent-bank hops?
2. What controls are essential to prevent sanctions breaches in cross-border flows?
3. How do UETR and message references support payment investigations?
4. When should a payment be repaired versus returned in SWIFT operations?

Short answer guide:

• Build robust state machines with timeout and repair workflows.
• Enforce sanctions screening and audit trails at multiple checkpoints.
• Use end-to-end identifiers for deterministic traceability.
• Repair only when compliance allows and beneficiary intent is preservable.

Interview Focus

Describe cross-border flow with correspondent banks, sanctions checks, and investigation references.

Interview Trap

Assuming SWIFT messages settle money directly.