The Central Bank of Belize has announced that its Automated Payments and Securities Settlement System (APSSS) will be temporarily offline from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 20 June 2025, until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, 23 June 2025 to facilitate a major system upgrade.
In a release, the Central Bank explained that during this period, “domestic financial institutions will not be able to access APSSS services.” However, the public will still have access to some payment options. “Instant Funds Transfer (IFT) services will be available starting Saturday afternoon and will remain active throughout the remainder of the weekend,” the Bank stated.
This scheduled maintenance is part of a broader initiative to modernise Belize’s National Payment System. The Central Bank, in partnership with the Government of Belize and domestic financial institutions, is upgrading APSSS to implement “the ISO 20022 international standard for financial messaging.” The new standard is expected to “improve the efficiency, security, and interoperability of payment processing across Belize’s financial system.”
The Central Bank is advising customers to “check with their respective financial institutions for updates and for information on available payment options during the temporary disruption.”