Two expert panels at EBAday 2025 examined effective implementation plans, ongoing global and regional challenges, and the increasing advantages of instant payments.
### Future-Proofing Instant Payment Adoption
In the session titled “Instant Payment Adoption: Future-Proofing Our Business,” speakers included Antoine Cuypers from Intix, Daniel Stanton from Bank of America, Jonny Keir from NatWest Group, Kevin Flood from FIS, and Sophie Giorgi from Crédit Agricole, moderated by Jude Pinto from Payments Canada.
Pinto initiated the discussion by addressing the barriers to adoption. Cuypers noted the regional disparities, stating, “There’s a discrepancy in adoption across regions, differing interpretations, and various rulebooks. Some areas are focusing on cross-border issues, while others prioritize domestic payments.”
Flood emphasized the role of regulations in driving innovation in Europe: “I don’t want to wait for my transactions to clear. Regulations can help push these advancements and open up new opportunities.”
Giorgi added that following the success of SEPA, regulators are now focused on enabling real-time payments: “With new regulations coming in, we will see success next year.”
Keir highlighted the need for consumer trust, explaining, “From a national payments perspective, there’s a strong focus on customer choice. Even the best technology won’t succeed without a user-friendly proposition.”
Stanton underscored the influence of customer expectations, describing it as the “consumerisation of client expectations,” where instant access has become the norm for consumers.
The panel concluded by stressing the importance of data sharing to enhance collaboration among financial institutions, ensuring secure and relevant payment processes.
### The Advantages of Instant Payments
The second panel, moderated by Christophe Vergne from Capgemini, featured speakers including Andrea Pennacchia from Nexi, Conor Colleary from Oracle Financial Services, Elena Gomez from Citi Services, Helena Forest from Mastercard, and Martin Runow from Goldman Sachs Bank Europe.
Vergne began the session by discussing successful stories from emerging markets. Forest cited Thailand as an example, noting strong government support and the introduction of digital IDs for better interoperability.
She further commented, “Our experience across 12 markets shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each country is at a different stage, with varying agendas and regulatory ecosystems that impact their growth.”
From a European standpoint, Gomez pointed out the necessity for networks to support continuous, reliable volumes, highlighting that the demands of instant payments differ significantly from those of batch payments.
Pennacchia viewed the challenges banks face as opportunities for system upgrades, suggesting that regulations can be a catalyst for market evolution: “This is a chance for banks to enhance their payment systems.”
Vergne then addressed the critical nature of merchant adoption and the seamless integration of instant payments with existing frameworks.
Colleary stressed the importance of embedding instant payments within ERP systems to facilitate direct transactions where businesses operate.
Runow spoke about the difficulties in overhauling legacy systems: “If receiving better service requires changing core systems, it becomes challenging. For corporate treasurers, resources and budgets are limited, leading to inertia in change.”
In conclusion, Vergne emphasized the need for understanding specific market contexts: “There is no universal solution; it’s about grasping the distinct nuances of different markets and finding appropriate value propositions.”