IVMS-101
Open inter-industry data standard for exchanging Travel Rule information between VASPs. Specifies the structure of messages carrying originator and beneficiary data for a crypto transfer.
Aliases: intervasp messaging standard, ivms 101, ivms101
IVMS-101 (InterVASP Messaging Standard) is an open industry data-schema standard for exchanging information between VASPs in the course of executing the Travel Rule. It does not describe a transport — only the structure of the message: which fields, in what format, the originating VASP must send to the beneficiary VASP alongside a crypto transfer. The standard was first published in May 2020 by the Joint Working Group of three industry associations: GDF (Global Digital Finance), IDAXA, and the Chamber of Digital Commerce.
What the standard defines
IVMS-101 is a JSON Schema with two key blocks:
- Originator: persona type (natural / legal), name, account number (wallet address), identifying document or physical address, sometimes date and place of birth.
- Beneficiary: name, wallet address, and where available a verified account at the receiving VASP.
In addition, the message carries fields about the originating and beneficiary VASPs themselves: legal name, country, registration number, contact address.
An IVMS-101 message is not published on-chain — it flows through a separate secured channel between the two VASPs, in parallel with the on-chain transaction.
Who uses it
By 2026 IVMS-101 is the de facto industry standard. All major Travel Rule providers support it:
- TRP (Travel Rule Protocol) — consortium of large exchanges and custodians;
- Notabene, Sumsub Travel Rule, Sygna Bridge, VerifyVASP, TRISA — commercial and open-source providers;
- the earlier OpenVASP standard has practically fallen out of use as the market consolidated around IVMS-101.
The standard is referenced in FATF guidance, ESMA notes on MiCA / TFR implementation, and the local requirements of regulators in Singapore (MAS), Switzerland (FINMA), the UK (FCA), the UAE (VARA), and others.
Relevance to the TON ecosystem
When TON or USDT-jetton moves between two exchanges above the Travel Rule threshold, the exchanges exchange an IVMS message in the background. The user only sees “enter recipient name” and “confirm this is your account” prompts — these inputs become the IVMS-101 payload pushed via the Travel Rule provider.
For non-custodial flows IVMS-101 itself is not strictly required; the question of “how to prove that a non-custodial address belongs to a specific person” is solved by a separate ownership-verification procedure (signing-check, satoshi-test, etc.).
Versions
- IVMS-101 (2020) — original release.
- IVMS-101.2023 — update removing ambiguities in identification fields, adding LEI codes, refining address structures.
- Subsequent minor revisions are published on intervasp.org.
This is not legal advice; the specific mandatory fields depend on the jurisdiction and the regulation under which the Travel Rule is being executed.