Convert CSV to MT940 — Step by Step

What is MT940?

MT940 is an international bank statement format developed by SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication). It is supported by virtually all Dutch banks and accounting packages. An MT940 file contains structured transaction data with metadata such as IBAN, opening and closing balance, statement number and transaction details.

MT940 files typically have the extension .sta, .940 or .mt940 and consist of plain text with fixed field codes (such as :60F: for opening balance, :61: for transactions and :62F: for closing balance).

Why convert CSV to MT940?

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a widely used file format for transaction data, but most accounting packages cannot directly import CSV files as bank statements. Reasons to convert CSV to MT940:

• Your accounting software does not accept CSV — packages such as Exact Online, Twinfield and AFAS expect MT940 or CAMT.053.
• Bank export in CSV — some banks (especially foreign ones) only offer CSV exports.
• Payment providers — PayPal, Stripe, Mollie and AMEX provide transaction statements as CSV.
• ERP systems — transaction data from ERP or POS systems is often available as CSV.
• Manual transaction lists — cash books or personal accounts maintained in Excel/CSV.

Common CSV sources

Source	Typical columns	Notes
Dutch banks (ING, ABN AMRO, Rabobank)	Date, Name/Description, Account, Counterparty account, Amount, Transaction type	Comma as decimal separator, semicolon-delimited
PayPal	Date, Name, Gross, Fee, Net, Transaction ID	Period as decimal separator, comma-delimited, multiple currencies possible
Stripe	Created (UTC), Amount, Fee, Description, Customer Email	Amounts in cents, UTC timezone
Mollie	Date, Amount, Status, Description, Reference	Payouts may be grouped
Foreign banks	Varies greatly per bank	Watch out for date format (MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY) and currency

Convert CSV to MT940 with StatementBridge

With StatementBridge you convert any CSV file to MT940 in five simple steps:

1. Upload your CSV file — go to StatementBridge and upload your CSV file. StatementBridge automatically detects the delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab).
2. Check the preview — verify that the columns are correctly recognised and that the data looks correct.
3. Map the columns — assign the columns to the correct fields:

   StatementBridge field	Description	Required
   Date	Transaction date (DD-MM-YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.)	Yes
   Amount	Transaction amount (positive/negative or separate debit/credit columns)	Yes
   Description	Payment description or reference	Yes
   Counterparty name	Name of the sender/recipient	No
   Counterparty account	IBAN of the counterparty	No

4. Enter account details — enter the IBAN of the bank account for which the statement applies. Choose the currency (default EUR).
5. Export as MT940 — click Convert and download the MT940 file. The file is ready to import into your accounting software.

Tips for column mapping

• Date: StatementBridge recognises most date formats automatically. Check in the preview whether dates are correctly interpreted.
• Amount: if your CSV has separate columns for debit and credit, you can assign both. StatementBridge combines them automatically.
• Description: you can combine multiple columns into a single description (e.g. "Name" + "Description").
• Empty rows: StatementBridge automatically skips empty rows and summary rows.

Common problems and solutions

Problem	Cause	Solution
Dates are incorrectly interpreted	Confusion between DD/MM/YYYY and MM/DD/YYYY	Check the preview and set the correct date format. Tip: use a file where the day > 12 to verify the format
Amounts are wrong (debit/credit reversed)	CSV uses positive amounts for expenses	Use the "Reverse amounts" option in StatementBridge
Decimal separator not recognised	CSV uses comma as decimal separator, but delimiter is also comma	StatementBridge detects this automatically. Check the preview
Special characters not displayed correctly	Wrong character encoding of the CSV file	Save the CSV file as UTF-8. StatementBridge also supports Latin-1 and Windows-1252
"Bank account not found" during import	The IBAN in the MT940 file does not match your accounting software	Add the bank account in your accounting software with the correct IBAN
Empty descriptions	The selected description column contains no data	Combine multiple columns or choose a different column as description

Compatible accounting software

The MT940 file generated by StatementBridge is compatible with all common Dutch accounting packages:

• Exact Online — import via Boekhouding > Bank en kas > Afschriften > Import
• Twinfield — import via Kas/Bank > Afschriften importeren
• AFAS — import via Financieel > Bankafschriften
• SnelStart — import via Bank > Importeren
• Moneybird — import via Bankzaken > Transacties importeren
• e-Boekhouden — import via Boekhouden > Invoeren > Importeren
• Yuki — upload via the Postbus or by email
• Visma eAccounting — import via Kas- en banktransacties > Lees bankbestand in

Convert CSV to MT940

With StatementBridge you convert any CSV file to a valid MT940 file in just a few clicks. Upload your CSV, map the columns, enter the IBAN and download the result — ready to import into your accounting software.