SWIFT gpi (global payments innovation) is SWIFT's transparency overlay on cross-border payments. Every gpi payment carries a UETR (Unique End-to-end Transaction Reference) — a UUIDv4 set by the originating bank — that is preserved through every intermediary hop and lets the originator track status, fees, and timing in real time.
The UETR is carried in pain.001 inside <PmtId>/<UETR> and is mandatory under SWIFT gpi-enabled corridors. The originating bank sets it (or the corporate does, when the bank-channel agreement permits) and intermediaries echo it back through pacs.008 and pacs.002 MX flows. The tracker UI / API at api.swift.com/swift-tracker consumes the UETR to assemble an end-to-end status timeline.
The customer-side value of gpi is two-fold: (1) a credible "where is my money?" answer at any point in the multi-hop cross-border flow, with intermediary names and timestamps, and (2) fee transparency — each intermediary records its deduction on the tracker, so the beneficiary knows in advance what will arrive.
gpi is required on all CBPR+ cross-border MX flows by Nov 14, 2026 (same date as the structured-address cutover). The UETR is the load-bearing field; structured addresses are the load-bearing fields; both are non-negotiable.
iso-compliant emits a UETR on every cross-border pain.001 build (UUID v4, deterministically derived from the idempotency key + tenant ID for replay-stability). See apps/api/src/lib/uetr.ts for the derivation. Customer override via the uetr request field is supported.