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ACI Worldwide has secured its first UK deployment of its ACI Connetic payments platform after a leading UK retail bank selected the cloud-based system.
The deal comes as the UK's payments modernisation programme gathers pace, with banks and regulators pushing changes across domestic and international payment rails. The bank was not named.
Unified processing
ACI Connetic is positioned as a single software-as-a-service platform that can handle multiple payment schemes. The UK implementation brings SWIFT, CHAPS and Faster Payments onto one cloud-native platform.
UK banks typically operate separate systems for different schemes, with distinct operational processes and technology stacks. ACI said consolidation can reduce fragmentation, cutting operating cost, risk and complexity.
The platform runs on Microsoft Azure. ACI said the deployment reflects growing industry confidence in using cloud for core payments workloads.
Product scope
ACI Connetic combines account-to-account payments processing with card payments and fraud prevention. ACI said it uses artificial intelligence for fraud prevention and includes open application programming interfaces and a modular design.
Those features are intended to streamline integration and shorten implementation timelines. ACI also said the platform is built on a cloud-native architecture.
The announcement comes as UK banks continue to invest in resilience and compliance for payment services, while facing pressure to update systems for faster payments, cross-border messaging and evolving oversight.
Bank pressure
Richard Albery, Head of Banking, UK and Ireland at ACI Worldwide, described the deployment as a sign of broader momentum for the product.
"ACI Connetic is gaining real global traction - and the UK deployment is a major milestone," said Richard Albery, head of banking, UK and Ireland, ACI Worldwide. "Banks are facing unprecedented pressure to modernize quickly as payments grow more complex. ACI Connetic is more than a new payments product - it's an operating model built for the digital economy, giving institutions the agility and scale they need to grow."
Microsoft also pointed to increased cloud use for payments infrastructure in financial services across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
"Microsoft Azure is increasingly becoming a foundational platform for high‐performance enterprise payments," said Christian Sarafidis, Chief Executive EMEA Financial Services, Microsoft.
"Our collaboration with ACI Worldwide helps banks access a cloud‐native approach that supports security, compliance, resilience and scalability, while enabling continuous innovation. As payments continue to evolve, cloud technology is playing an important role in helping institutions respond to digital commerce, regulatory change and rising customer expectations," Sarafidis said.
Wider adoption
Outside the UK, ACI said banks in Europe and the US are adopting ACI Connetic as they reassess their payments operating models, driven by regulatory change, competition and shifting customer expectations.
ACI said cloud modernisation has moved beyond IT strategy into board-level planning for banks trying to keep pace with real-time payments and cross-border change, and argued Azure provides the scale and resilience those operating demands require.
ACI Worldwide sells payments software to banks, billers and merchants and says it has nearly 50 years of experience in payments technology. The UK deployment adds to competition among payments technology providers and hyperscale cloud platforms to become the underlying infrastructure for bank payment processing, as institutions consolidate systems and prepare for the next round of scheme and messaging changes.