Around three-quarters of banks expect to integrate their retail and wholesale payment systems in the next five years, according to research released by payments technology vendor ACI Worldwide.
The survey of 387 payment executives found that about 75% of banks expect to implement enterprise payment systems in order to cut processing costs, enhance service levels and 1:1 marketing and improve risk management.
ACI says payments are a logical target for consolidation since they account for an estimated 40% of cost, revenues and operating income at many banks, according to industry observers.
The vendor says some banks may integrate systems by deploying a common authentication service across the enterprise, while for others it may involve an enterprise-wide routing function, or a service that electronically notifies retail and wholesale customers when particular events such as deposits or transfers impact their accounts.
The research also found that three quarters of banks expect to operate mission-critical applications on open systems platforms in an effort to lower costs through the reuse of existing technology and skill sets within the organisation.