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ESAS

RTGS

Exchange Settlement Account System - New Zealand's RTGS operated by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Settles high-value NZD interbank transfers and net obligations from retail clearing in real time with finality. RBNZ expanded access criteria in March 2025 to include non-bank deposit takers. ESAS v7 upgrade went live October 2025 with full ISO 20022 compliance.

NowHours: computing from the published schedule…Service condition: not monitored details

ClearingPost does not assess whether ESAS is running normally.

Next

Dated items ClearingPost holds, each with its source and whether the date is confirmed

No supported upcoming items in ClearingPost's records for ESAS.

ClearingPost holds sourced upcoming items for 10 of 150 systems; an empty list is a statement about ClearingPost's records, not about a system's plans.

Changed

All recorded changes →

Material, sourced changes ClearingPost recorded; corrections to its own record are labelled as such

  • ChangedESAS migrated to ISO 20022

    RBNZ's ESAS v7 upgrade went live October 2025, achieving full ISO 20022 compliance ahead of SWIFT November 2025 deadline. Four-year migration project.

    recorded 13 Mar 2026source ↗

Sources No status page recorded · 10 of 14 fields carry a source and a recorded date · latest sourced entry recorded 28 Sep 2026 · evidence details ↓

Record · ESAS

Country
New Zealand (NZ)
Currency
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
Operator
RBNZ
Type
RTGS
Operating Window
20:00–08:00 UTC · Mon–Fri
Year Established
1998
Tier?
Tier 2
ISO 20022?
Native
Region
Asia-Pacific
Settlement Type?
Gross
Participants
Registered banks and select non-bank institutions
Avg Daily Value
NZ$35.0B/day (year to 30 June 2026)
Avg Daily Value period
year ended 30 June 2026
Notes

Exchange Settlement Account System - RBNZ's settlement system for NZD. Settles large-value transfers and obligations from SBI (Settlement Before Interchange) clearing system. New Zealand also operates the NZD clearing system for retail payments via Payments NZ. Upgraded to ESAS v7 in July 2025 (Nexi partnership), achieving ISO 20022 compliance and latest SWIFT messaging standards. Access expanded March 2025 (Phase 1): licensed non-bank deposit takers eligible. September 2025 (Phase 2): RBNZ opened final phase for payment service providers, overseas deposit takers, and FMI operators.

RBNZ official website →
See all RTGS systems →See all systems in New Zealand →ISO 20022 migration status →Payment rails by country →
Other systems in the same country or region
BOJ-NETRTGS
Japan · JPY · Bank of Japan
ZenginACH
Japan · JPY · Zengin-Net (JBA)
HVPS (CNAPS)RTGS
China · CNY · CNCC (China National Clearing Center) / PBoC
CIPSHybrid
China · CNY · CIPS Co.
BEPS (CNAPS)ACH
China · CNY · CNCC (China National Clearing Center) / PBoC
IBPSFPS
China · CNY · CNCC (China National Clearing Center) / PBoC

Operations · ESAS

Operational monitoring: not configured. ClearingPost does not monitor operational sources for this system and does not assess its current service condition.

Operations lists the systems ClearingPost monitors and the operational events it has recorded.

Intelligence for ESAS (1)

Coverage whose headline or summary names ESAS, or names its operator or country together with its system type. Each item quotes that evidence and says whether the source is the ESAS operator or external.

AnalysisMar 25, 2026Headline names “ESAS”
New Zealand's ESAS Completes Version 7 Upgrade and Opens Direct Access to Non-Bank Institutions
The RBNZ completed two landmark changes to New Zealand's core settlement infrastructure in 2025: an upgrade to ESAS version 7 with ISO 20022 compliance, and an expansion of direct participation eligibility to non-bank deposit takers. These reforms position the NZ$24.8 billion-per-day system for broader competition and international interoperability.
Operator source · Reserve Bank of New Zealand