Available for opportunities

Sakir
Ahmed

"Shaping the future of cross-border payments in emerging markets."

I'm a cross-border payments specialist at Southeast Bank PLC, Bangladesh — with hands-on experience leading ISO 20022 / CBPR+ migration, SWIFT operations, and payment system innovation across emerging markets. I write to make complex payment infrastructure understandable for practitioners and decision-makers worldwide.

3+
Years in Banking
ISO
20022 Lead
SWIFT
CBPR+ Certified
Sakir Ahmed at a SWIFT international conference, standing in front of SWIFT branding
Southeast Bank PLC Dhaka, Bangladesh
SWIFT Conference International Speaker

Expert Analysis & Insights

Deep-dive articles on ISO 20022, cross-border payments, and Fintech innovation in emerging markets.

All Articles
End-to-end payment tracking across correspondent banking chain illustration
Cross-Border Payments
9 min read

SWIFT GPI and the UETR Explained: How Cross-Border Payments Finally Became Trackable

How GPI added accountability to the correspondent banking network — and why protecting the UETR's integrity at every hop is the discipline that makes it work.

Read Article Technical
Parallel payment flows — pacs.009 architecture illustration
ISO 20022
7 min read

PACS.009 Core, ADV, and COV: The Architecture Behind Interbank Cross-Border Payments

How Core, ADV, and COV differ — and why the distinction between information and settlement is the most important architectural shift in interbank messaging.

Read Article Technical
ISO 20022 migration guide illustration
ISO 20022
12 min read

What I Learned Leading an ISO 20022 CBPR+ Migration: A Practitioner's Guide

From project kick-off to live cutover — a frank account of the challenges, decisions, and hard-won lessons from leading Bangladesh's first ISO 20022 CBPR+ implementation.

Read Article Flagship

Domain Knowledge & Skills

ISO 20022 / CBPR+
End-to-end migration leadership, message structure expertise, and compliance implementation
SWIFT Operations
SWIFT gpi, correspondent banking, MT/MX message formats, and operational workflows
Cross-Border Payments
FX settlement, nostro/vostro management, real-time payment rails, and liquidity management
RTGS & Payment Systems
Real-Time Gross Settlement, Bangladesh Bank infrastructure, and payment system design
Compliance & AML/CFT
Regulatory frameworks, BIS standards, Bangladesh Bank guidelines, and sanctions screening
Fintech & Innovation
CBDC research, open banking, digital payment rails, and emerging market Fintech trends

Key Projects & Initiatives

Real work, real outcomes — framed around methodology and results.

All Projects
ISO 20022 CBPR+ Migration Program

Led Southeast Bank PLC's end-to-end transition from SWIFT MT messaging to ISO 20022 CBPR+ — Bangladesh's most comprehensive bank-level implementation to date.

Successfully migrated all cross-border payment message types to MX format
Implemented structured data enrichment for enhanced transaction transparency
Trained 30+ operations staff across multiple departments
Zero service disruption during live cutover phase
View Case Study →
Payment Systems Training Program

Designed and delivered a comprehensive training curriculum on SWIFT operations and cross-border payment systems for banking professionals across Southeast Bank PLC.

Developed modular training content covering MT/MX formats and SWIFT gpi
Delivered workshops to operations, trade finance, and treasury teams
Created reference guides now used as institutional onboarding materials
Measurable improvement in operational accuracy post-training
View Case Study →

Interested in payment systems expertise?

Whether you're exploring a collaboration, building on emerging market payment rails, or want to discuss ISO 20022 — I'd love to connect.

Get in Touch LinkedIn