ACI Worldwide, a global provider of real-time digital payment software and solutions, and Mastercard, the global multi-rail payments technology company, have announced that they will partner to provide a wide range of real-time payment solutions globally.

They will initially collaborate to offer best-in-class central infrastructure, payments localisation and access solutions to central banks, scheme operators, financial institutions, payment service providers, and other organizations launching real-time payments initiatives.

The real-time account-to-account payments market  is growing fast

Prime Time for Real-Time — a recent study analysing global real-time, account-to-account payment volumes and forecasts across 30 global markets — projects a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.4 percent from 2019 to 2024.

While existing schemes around the world are adding new participants and value-added services, additional country and regional schemes are launching each year, including more than 20 schemes in varying planning stages.

With a complementary real-time payments vision, the combination of Mastercard’s central infrastructure and ACI’s payments access and real-time message transformation technology delivers an unmatched end-to-end offering.

The new joint solution delivers key benefits including:

  • Flexible deployment options — Mastercard and ACI collaboration provides deployment options that range from a fully managed service in the cloud, to supporting on-premise software for government, central bank and system operator-owned platforms
  • Ability to support existing local market requirements — the joint solution reduces the amount of time to onboard participants and provides flexibility to accelerate real-time adoption
  • ISO20022-first approach — joint real-time capabilities support organizations today and tomorrow, and provide translation to and from existing standards
  • Digital services — further capabilities to support new digital services such as request to pay, proxy services and biller services
  • Global proposition, local expertise —Mastercard and ACI collaboration brings together global reach, international experience and the local market knowledge.