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Insights and Expertise

innovation officer at payments consultancy TSG. "It's not
just the ongoing maintenance and labor costs—it's the In North America, one of the largest
missed opportunities to grow and adapt." To keep up,
companies require a payments back-office infrastructure debit networks modernized its
that supports growth, agility, and resilience in an increas- payments back-office operations to
ingly competitive landscape. support all payment

Benefits of a modernized payments back-office channels—point of sale, ecommerce,
First, a modern back-office environment consolidates pro- and ATM—through a single platform.
cesses and enables automation, reducing costly errors and
lowering operational expenses. Modern systems with au-
tomated workflows and a configurable, rules-based envi-
ronment also allow companies to make changes quickly Overcoming challenges of modernizing
and reduce the need for frequent coding adjustments, fos- a payments back-office
tering greater business agility.
Despite the obvious benefits, many companies face chal-
Companies are also achieving faster, more accurate trans- lenges in modernizing their payments back-office sys-
action processing with modern systems that support a tems. Resistance to change, cost concerns, and reluctance
continuous processing architecture and real-time data ac- to abandon familiar legacy systems can all stand in the
cess. way.

"Streamlining payments back-office systems is a game- For instance, a recent study by Deloitte titled Accelerating
changer, said Peter Tapling, managing director of PTAP Adoption of Instant Payments showed that nearly 70 percent
Advisory. "Companies that have embraced payments of payment processing executives believe their outdated
back-office modernization have reported improved em- payments back-office systems will negatively impact their
ployee satisfaction as well; automation allows staff to fo- ability to meet evolving customer and regulatory demands
cus on higher-value tasks, reducing repetitive, low-skill within the next five years (see https://bit.ly/3Dmn1tn). The
work and aiding in talent retention." reality is, without modernization, companies may struggle
to integrate emerging payment technologies, meet regula-
Success stories from around the world tory requirements, and maintain profitability.
Companies around the world are recognizing the benefits "To overcome these challenges, organizations should start
of modernizing the payments back-office. by thoroughly assessing their current payments back-of-
fice operations, identifying bottlenecks, and setting clear
A leading provider of ATM and EFT payments solutions goals and KPIs, suggests Anthony Serio, CEO of Serio Pay-
in Australia modernized its payments back-office infra- ments Consulting. "Next, it's crucial to prioritize continu-
structure to support the New Payments Platform (NPP), ous improvement—this means viewing payments back-
Australia's real-time payments system. Recognizing the office modernization not as a one-time project but as an
need for a versatile solution, they chose a single, adapt- ongoing commitment to operational excellence."
able platform to manage both existing and future payment
types. This approach allowed them to support Australia's Modernize your payments
PayTo initiative with minimal configuration. back-office or be left behind

A European payment service provider that facilitates Legacy systems are holding many financial institutions
payments across various devices—including kiosks, con- back. As customer expectations rise and competition in-
venience stores, and post offices—replaced its legacy sys- tensifies, the advantages of a modern payments back-office
tems with a unified payments back-office platform. This cannot be overstated. As the industry pivots toward real-
platform supports both card and non-card transaction do- time payments and other advancements, an agile, scalable,
mains simultaneously and is compatible with ISO 20022 and automated payments back-office system is critical.
and ISO 8583 standards, covering a broad spectrum of
transaction types. Financial institutions that commit to this transformation
will be positioned to stay ahead, drive innovation, and
In North America, one of the largest debit networks mod- thrive in a rapidly changing financial landscape.
ernized its payments back-office operations to support all Casey Scheer is the director of marketing at BHMI, a leading pro-
payment channels—point of sale, ecommerce, and ATM— vider of software solutions focused on the back-office processing
through a single platform. By leveraging a scalable rules- of electronic payments. The company is best known as the creator
based architecture, the network is successfully supporting of the Concourse Financial Software Suite® — a unique integrated
the rapidly growing and ever-changing requirements in collection of back-office products that allow companies to adapt to
the payments back-office.
the rapidly changing world of payments. Casey can be reached at or
402-333-3300.
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