MT536 Statement of Transactions

When MT536 is used

The account servicer (a CSD, sub-custodian or custodian) sends the MT536 to the account owner or its agent for one safekeeping account and one period, given in :69A::STAT as a from and to date (or 69B with times). It can be sent daily, intraday or at another agreed frequency (:22F::SFRE), as a complete or delta report (:22F::CODE), and it answers an MT549 request for a statement. If nothing moved, it says so with :17B::ACTI//N.

The statement can be built on two bases, given in the mandatory :22F::STBA: SETT lists movements by actual settlement (what really moved on the account) and TRAD lists them by trade date. A settlement-based MT536 is the one to use when you reconcile two settled-basis MT535 statements.

Movements are grouped by instrument. Each instrument (sequence B1, ISIN in 35B) can carry the opening and closing balances of the period (:93B::FIOP first opening, FICL final closing, or INOP and INCL on intermediate pages), followed by one sequence B1a per movement. Each movement carries its references in B1a1 Linkages and its details in B1a2: the posted quantity in :36B::PSTA, the cash amount in :19A::PSTA for movements against payment, the direction (:22H::REDE//RECE or DELI), payment type (:22H::PAYM//APMT or FREE), the activity in :22F::TRAN and the effective settlement date in :98A::ESET.

:22F::TRAN says what kind of activity caused the posting: SETT settlement and clearing, CORP corporate action, CLAI market claim, COLL collateral, BOLE securities borrowing and lending. A settlement can then carry the transaction type in :22F::SETR (for example TRAD or REPU) and a corporate action posting the event in :22F::CAEV (for example BONU or DVSE).

Every movement must quote the account owner’s reference in :20C::RELA, exactly once per transaction. For movements the owner did not instruct, such as corporate action credits, account servicers commonly send NONREF and give their own reference in :20C::ASRF or the event reference in :20C::CORP. A posting that reverses an earlier one carries :25D::MOVE//REVE.

How it differs from the confirmations: the MT544, MT545, MT546 and MT547 each confirm one settled instruction, in real time, in reply to the owner’s own MT540-MT543. The MT536 is a periodic list of all movements on the account, including ones the owner never instructed (corporate actions, claims, collateral moves), and it adds opening and closing balances. Operations teams use the confirmations to close their instructions and the MT536 to prove that the account moved as expected.

MT536 format: sequences and fields

Rules worth knowing

• If 17B::ACTI in sequence A is N, sequence B must be absent; otherwise it is mandatory (E66). If 17B::ACTI in a sequence B is N, no B1 may follow; otherwise B1 is mandatory (E69).
• When 22H::PAYM is APMT, 19A::PSTA (posting amount) is mandatory in that B1a2 (E83).
• In one transaction, each party qualifier (BUYR, DEAG, DECU, DEI1, DEI2, PSET, REAG, RECU, REI1, REI2, SELL) may appear only once (E84). The chain must be complete: DEI2 needs DEI1, DEI1 needs DECU, DECU needs SELL; on the receiving side REI2 needs REI1, REI1 needs RECU, RECU needs BUYR (E86).
• A cancellation (23G CANC) needs A1 with exactly one 20C::PREV (E08). With 17B::CONS//Y, every sequence B needs 97a::SAFE and 17B::ACTI (E56).
• In a settlement party occurrence with 95a::PSET, 97a::SAFE is not allowed (E52).
• 36B::PSTA may appear at most twice per transaction, once as FAMT and once as AMOR (C71). Each transaction must carry 20C::RELA in exactly one of its B1a1 linkages (C73).
• If 95L::ALTE is present, 95a::ACOW must be too (E98). 94a::SAFE, CLEA and TRAD may each appear at most twice, one of them in option L (E99).

MT536 example

ZagTrader Test Bank (ZAGTAEADXXX), as custodian, reports the movements of 22 October 2026 on account ZAG-SAFE-0001 to the asset manager FUNDGB2LXXX. Two instruments moved: a purchase of 50,000 shares settled against payment, and a bonus issue credited 5,000 shares free of payment. The closing balances equal the aggregates in the MT535 example for the same evening.

{1:F01ZAGTAEADAXXX0000000000}{2:I536FUNDGB2LXXXXN}{4:
:16R:GENL
:28E:1/ONLY
:13A::STAT//112
:20C::SEME//ZT536S2610220001
:23G:NEWM
:98C::PREP//20261022183000
:69A::STAT//20261022/20261022
:22F::SFRE//DAIL
:22F::CODE//COMP
:22F::STBA//SETT
:97A::SAFE//ZAG-SAFE-0001
:17B::ACTI//Y
:17B::CONS//N
:16S:GENL
:16R:SUBSAFE
:16R:FIN
:35B:ISIN AEZAGT000016
ZAG TEST HOLDINGS PJSC ORD
:93B::FIOP//UNIT/100000,
:93B::FICL//UNIT/150000,
:16R:TRAN
:16R:LINK
:13A::LINK//541
:20C::RELA//ZTBUY20261020A01
:16S:LINK
:16R:LINK
:20C::ASRF//CUST7781234
:16S:LINK
:16R:TRANSDET
:36B::PSTA//UNIT/50000,
:19A::PSTA//AED620000,
:22F::TRAN//SETT
:22H::REDE//RECE
:22H::PAYM//APMT
:22F::SETR//TRAD
:98A::ESET//20261022
:98A::SETT//20261022
:98A::TRAD//20261020
:16R:SETPRTY
:95P::DEAG//BRKRAEADXXX
:16S:SETPRTY
:16R:SETPRTY
:95P::PSET//CSDXAEADXXX
:16S:SETPRTY
:16S:TRANSDET
:16S:TRAN
:16S:FIN
:16R:FIN
:35B:ISIN AEZAGT000024
ZAG TEST CEMENT PJSC ORD
:93B::FIOP//UNIT/45000,
:93B::FICL//UNIT/50000,
:16R:TRAN
:16R:LINK
:20C::RELA//NONREF
:16S:LINK
:16R:LINK
:20C::CORP//ZTCA2026BONU07
:16S:LINK
:16R:TRANSDET
:36B::PSTA//UNIT/5000,
:22F::TRAN//CORP
:22H::REDE//RECE
:22H::PAYM//FREE
:22F::CAEV//BONU
:98A::ESET//20261022
:16S:TRANSDET
:16S:TRAN
:16S:FIN
:16S:SUBSAFE
-}

Line by line

All BICs, ISINs, names and references are made up. The ISINs carry valid check digits.

The third instrument held on the account (AEZAGT000032) did not move, so it does not appear in the MT536.

Common errors and rejects

1. Opening plus movements does not equal closing

   Check whether the statement continues on further pages (28E MORE, with INCL and INOP balances) and whether it is a delta statement. A reversal (:25D::MOVE//REVE) must be netted against the original posting, not added as a new movement.

   How to fix it

2. A movement cannot be matched to your instruction

   Match on :20C::RELA first. NONREF means the custodian did not receive the movement from you: look at :22F::TRAN (CORP, CLAI, COLL, BOLE) and the CORP or ASRF reference to find the cause, for example a corporate action or a market claim.

3. Posting amount missing for an against-payment movement (E83)

   With :22H::PAYM//APMT, :19A::PSTA is mandatory. Statement generators that drop zero or unknown amounts are rejected by the network.

4. RELA missing or repeated in a transaction (C73)

   Each B1a must carry exactly one :20C::RELA. Put other references (ASRF, TRRF, COMM) in separate linkage blocks.

5. Incomplete settlement chain (E86)

   If a deliverer’s custodian or intermediary is reported, the parties further down the chain must be present too: DECU needs SELL, DEI1 needs DECU. Report the full chain or only the agents.

6. Trade-date versus settlement-date statement

   An MT536 with STBA//TRAD lists trades by trade date, including ones that have not settled. Use a SETT statement to explain the change between two settled-basis MT535 statements.

   How to fix it

MT536 in ISO 20022

The ISO 20022 equivalent is semt.017 (Securities Transaction Posting Report). It has the same layout: statement details, then per instrument the opening balance, the transactions and the closing balance. The account owner’s reference becomes a mandatory element of every transaction, and the cash posting carries an explicit credit or debit indicator.

Category 5 messages were not part of the November 2025 payments deadline. The MT536 stays in use on FIN, while T2S and its directly connected participants use semt.017. See ISO 20022 migration in securities versus payments.

Related messages

• MT535Statement of Holdings
• MT537Statement of Pending Transactions
• MT540Receive Free
• MT541Receive Against Payment
• MT542Deliver Free
• MT543Deliver Against Payment
• MT544Receive Free Confirmation
• MT545Receive Against Payment Confirmation
• MT546Deliver Free Confirmation
• MT547Deliver Against Payment Confirmation
• MT548Settlement Status and Processing Advice
• MT564Corporate Action Notification
• MT566Corporate Action Confirmation
• semt.017Securities Transaction Posting Report
• semt.002Securities Balance Custody Report
• sese.025Securities Settlement Transaction Confirmation

• MT535 reconciliation breaks
• Header, account, holdings, balances, prices, transactions and pending items, and how to reconcile them.

Codes used in MT536

• TRAD
• REPU
• BONU
• DVSE

MT536 questions

What is an MT536 used for?

It lists every securities movement booked on an account over a period, so the account owner can check that its positions moved as expected and find movements it did not instruct, such as corporate action credits.

What is the difference between MT536 and MT544, MT545, MT546 and MT547?

The MT544 to MT547 confirm one settled instruction each, as soon as it settles, in reply to your MT540 to MT543. The MT536 is a periodic list of all movements on the account, including ones you did not instruct, with opening and closing balances.

What is the difference between MT535 and MT536?

The MT535 gives the holdings at a point in time. The MT536 gives the movements during a period. Opening balance plus MT536 movements should equal the next MT535 position.

What does 22F::TRAN mean in an MT536?

It says what caused the posting: SETT settlement and clearing, CORP corporate action, CLAI market claim, COLL collateral or BOLE securities lending and borrowing.

What does NONREF in 20C::RELA mean?

That the movement has no instruction reference from the account owner, because the owner did not instruct it. Look at the CORP or ASRF reference and at 22F::TRAN to identify it.

What is the ISO 20022 equivalent of MT536?

semt.017, the Securities Transaction Posting Report.