ISO20022 payments
Unicorn Cross River's ISO20022 payment channel provides you with a way to send all your instructions in one single file format (XML).
The Unicorn system processes input files from you, records financial movements, and sends Payment Status Reports (PSRs) as output files to update you about payment processing, rejections, and returns. The input files must conform to the ISO 20022 PAIN.001.001.03 and PAIN.008.001.02 standards, and the PSRs conform to the ISO 20022 PAIN002.001.03 standard.
Unicorn supports these payment methods (rails):
The rails that you use for payment processing depend on your agreement with CR. The client support team sets up the rails during your onboarding process.
In this guide we'll explain how to create the files correctly and how to send them to CR. We've included examples of input files and PSRs, together with explanations of their blocks and elements. We've also included return statuses and error codes so you can understand what's happening with your files.
You can find detailed information about the ISO 20022 message definitions on the ISO site here.
Reach out to Unicorn support with any questions.
Acknowledgment files containing initial processing information are normally available within minutes. After that, Unicorn checks for updates based on rail type:
- Unicorn checks COS for returns and NOCs once on the effective date provided in the response, then once a day for an additional 3 business days, and then once a week for up to 6 months.
- Unicorn checks COS for Processed, Rejected and OnHold statuses once on the effective date provided in the response, and then once a day for an additional three business days.
The checks happen at 20:00 for ACH.
Effective date is the day the payment came in, or the next business day if the payment came in after the cutoff time set in COS.
Unicorn checks COS for status updates at 18:00 on the business day that the payment was supposed to be processed, and also at 18:00 on the business day after that.
Unicorn checks COS for status updates every 30 minutes.

