Latest reports and research: Finextra Research

Impact Study

How can businesses bridge the gaps in their cashflow?

Macroeconomic forces are ratcheting up the cashflow pressures of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large middle market (LMM) enterprises. How can they optimise cashflow? While the consumer space has experienced a wave of digitisation – with credit initiatives thriving, such as embedded finance and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes – the equivalent trend has been slower to advance within the business world. This may be for several reasons, such as structural, regulatory and governance delays – particularly in Central Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, given the increasingly debit-heavy market in Europe, the need for cashflow solutions remains. More than ever, businesses stand to benefit from revolving credit facilities (RFC) to bridge gaps in their working capital, boost liquidity and sharpen their short-term financial health. Such solutions offer a means to weather the unpredictability of global market forces and get behind new projects that require upfront investment, like expansions or productivity hikes. Some SMB markets, however, show more receptiveness than others. In France, Italy and Germany, there has been strong adoption of deferred debit, along with overdrafts and loans – with less enthusiasm for classic RCFs. The United Kingdom (UK)’s SMB sector, meanwhile, has welcomed credit cards to bolster its books. Yet across the board there is a need for solutions that are tailored to each vertical and cover the full gamut of businesses’ modern-day requirements, including transparent e-invoicing, dynamic discounting, chargebacks, factoring, interest-free credit, digitisation, and so on. Historically, banks have been good at serving the large corporate space vertically, though not so good in the SMB space; typically viewing it from a one-size-fits-all perspective. This approach is no longer tenable, as evidenced by the success of newer entrants. SMBs and LMMs are not just looking to hand down instant and embedded credit services to their customers, they are looking to pass it on to the organisations they transact with – ensuring their sales journey and purchasing experience is cutting-edge and flexible. This Finextra impact study, in association with Visa, explores: New market pressures and the evolving needs of SMBs and LMMs; How organisations can bridge cashflow gaps with working capital solutions; The benefits of tailoring solutions by vertical; and Real-life case studies to showcase the options available.

11 July 2025 1 download

Impact Study

Exploring the rise of originate-to-distribute (OTD) models

Opportunities and challenges for banks in the secondary loan trading market The lending market has markedly evolved in the last couple of decades. One of the most significant aspects has been the shift from originate-to-hold to originate-to-distribute (OTD) models. Whereas historically, lenders used to originate loans and hold them through maturity, several market factors have necessitated a diversification of risk. Diversification of funds, optimisation of asset management, risk optimisation, as well as a need for increased profitability have catalysed the OTD model— particularly when banks retain the right to service the loans. However, barriers to adoption remain as banks grapple with infrastructure and data concerns, and regulatory updates in the space are further affecting how banks approach and optimise their OTD models. On top of that, increasing interest rates over the last four years have meant increased risk for banks that are already struggling with regulatory and capital cost. Add to this the rise of private credit institutions that offer direct lending (and face lower regulatory and capital cost), and banks are starting to feel the pressure of decreasing margins. This Finextra impact study, produced in association with FIS, explores: The growth of OTD models and the secondary loan trading market; The challenges banks face in the lending space, including: Increased competition, Inadequate data structures, and Regulatory requirements; The opportunity that OTD models— combined with artificial intelligence (AI)—offer to help optimise banks’ portfolios and balance sheets. Register to watch the related Finextra webinar, hosted in association with FIS – Entering the Originate-To-Distribute era: Exploring commercial lending and portfolio diversification

08 July 2025 42 downloads

Impact Study

Case Management: The key to revolutionising cross-border payments

While the challenges of case management and inefficient E&I processes are not new, the need to address them is more pressing than ever – especially given the G20’s roadmap deadline and the impending global migration to ISO 20022. In today’s digital era, end-users expect payments to be faster, cheaper and more convenient than ever before – whether domestic or cross-border. As global payment barriers are overcome, banks are tasked not only with meeting customer demands, but business and regulatory ones too. Enhanced cross-border payments – as supported by the G20’s roadmap and the richer data that ISO 20022 provides – are becoming a real differentiator, with the capability to unlock tremendous value for institutions. However, while a lot of attention is paid to seamless transactions, one area has historically been overlooked: exceptions and investigations (E&I). This continues to present a significant challenge for both payment providers and corporates, and is impacting numerous networks and technologies. Yet, if harnessed effectively, E&I tools can help institutions significantly reduce costs, speed up processing times, improve transparency and, by extension, satisfy the G20’s targets. This Finextra impact study, in partnership with Swift, explores: The advantages of effective E&I processes; Why solutions are needed to reach the next level; and How banks can effectively embed them in their infrastructures.

25 June 2025 133 downloads

Future of Report

The future of payments in major global markets: A mid-decade review

2025 is a significant year for the global payments industry. Marking the midpoint of the decade, and witnessing pivotal trends like the rise of real-time payments, advanced fraud detection and prevention, data portability, and open finance—these interlinked developments will set the stage for innovation through to 2030 and beyond. The payments industry is now at the tipping point of global innovation, especially with global e-commerce market revenue projected to reach over $4.3 billion in 2025 and grow by 8% (CAGR 2025-2029). Further, by 2026, 5.2 billion people, or more than 60% of the global population, are expected to use digital wallets. The value of global transactions through account-to-account (A2A) payments is also predicted to rise from $1.7 trillion in 2024 to $5.7 trillion by 2029 – an increase of 230%. This will also pave the way for real-time payments to boom, with an expected CAGR of over 35% from 2024 to 2032. Looking at major global markets, the UK has continued to be at the forefront of the global payments revolution, quickly emerging as a hub for open banking as a result of the PSD2 directive and the UK’s pioneering standard. In October 2024, the Data Use and Access Bill was introduced to the House of Lords, signalling the UK’s commitment to bolstering open banking’s data sharing principles. Similarly, a month later, the National Payments Vision was unveiled, charting a clear path for the entire ecosystem to leverage technologies such as AI and DLT. The payments revolution is also taking over Europe. The Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) is rolling out instant payments by amending SEPA and adding specific provisions on instant credit transfers in euro to existing cross-border regulation: the Settlement Finality Directive (SFD) and the Payment Services Directive (PSD2). IPR also demands for Verification of Payee (VoP), confirming a recipient's account details before a payment is made and bringing down increasing numbers of fraud, particularly in the instant payments space. Similar to other regions, the US has made significant steps toward the innovation and interoperability of real-time payments – most recently through the launch of FedNow in 2023, the Federal Reserve’s real-time payment rail. Predictions show a total value of $95 billion in-app social commerce payments by 2030 in the US alone, meaning the integration of open banking is pivotal to maximising the value to be gained from e-commerce. However, the impact of the Trump administration’s strains on the CFPB and how that will effect Section 1033 and open banking in the US will be seen. This Finextra report, in association with Form3, examines the impact of these crucial advancements on the future of global payment schemes in the UK, Europe and the US, highlighting insights from experts at Bank of America, Crédit Agricole, ING, J.P. Morgan Payments, Lloyds, Santander, and Truist.

23 June 2025 310 downloads

Impact Study

Reimagining customer journeys: How can banks upscale experience and boost retention?

To stay competitive and better serve their customer base, financial institutions (FIs) must urgently reimagine their customer journeys — from onboarding to the broader lifetime experience — or risk facing a hit to their market share. Technology has significantly transformed the financial services industry, particularly over the last five years. Challenger banks and fintech firms have rapidly gained popularity thanks to their ability to offer fast, simple, digital services. According to data from Plaid, nearly nine out of 10 consumers were using a fintech application in 2023. This percentage will continue to grow. Financial institutions (FIs) must urgently reimagine their customer journeys or risk facing a hit to their market share. Indeed, today’s customers are more likely than ever to switch primary banking relationships if they do not receive the services they are looking for. Young, digital natives continue to shape this market, with research revealing that 44% of Gen Z customers have changed their primary banking relationship in the last 12 months. The call to competition cannot be ignored. But how can FIs innovate to meet these demands, while simultaneously running legacy systems? This Finextra impact study, in association with Hyland, explores how financial institutions can: Reinvent onboarding and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) processes; Upscale the overall customer journey; Look to artificial intelligence (AI) for product enhancement and integration; and Present real-world case studies for each of these objectives.

16 June 2025 135 downloads

Report

PaaS, cloud and instant payments: Navigating the outsourcing question

Today’s institutions are in some ways faced with far greater challenges than ever before. Be it from the demand for ever-faster services; the pressure of always-on compliance; or the need to remain agile and competitive. Is PaaS the holy grail FIs have been looking for? Outsourcing payments is an increasingly irresistible proposition for FIs. With end-user demand constantly evolving; real-time requirements on the rise; macro-economic trends becoming ever more unpredictable; and the pressure of regulatory compliance ratcheting up, the provision of proprietary payments has become a thorny pursuit. Enter the stage: cloud technology. By leveraging modern tools and techniques to build, deploy, run, and manage software in a cloud-computing environment, FIs of all kinds can take advantage of scalability, elasticity, and automation. But the benefits of Payments-as-a-Service (PaaS) can extend beyond these practicalities – serving to revolutionise bank operations, unlock broader efficiencies, and enrich the end-user experience. Mining this potential, however, obliges institutions to navigate some challenges. First, FIs must understand the potential of cloud-native technology as an engine for modernisation and embrace the cultural shift that is triggered by cuttingedge technologies. It may involve training, testing and concerted integration efforts. Another key challenge is delegation: which tasks should be handed to third parties, and which should remain in-house? Indeed, when systems evolve, FIs must always keep one eye on compliance. As ever, approach and growth potential are directly impacted by the type and size of the institution in question, so approaches should be tailored. This Finextra whitepaper, produced in association with FIS, evaluates: The key considerations when placing client transaction data in the public cloud; The art of delegation: Determining which tasks to offload; The role of regulation and compliance; and A PaaS checklist for finding the right solutions and partnerships. Register to watch the related Finextra webinar, hosted in association with FIS – PaaS, cloud and instant payments in the spotlight: Overcoming outsourcing challenges

09 June 2025 265 downloads

Impact Study

Surviving digital fallout: Operational resilience in 2025 and beyond

Almost every financial institution loses money each year to outages. What does an optimal resilience strategy look like in 2025? The financial sector is increasingly dependent on technology to deliver its offering. Notwithstanding all the benefits this brings for productivity, reach, and customer satisfaction, its side effect is that the sector is increasingly vulnerable to network and software issues, third-party service slip-ups, cyberattacks, and capacity problems. If not managed correctly, a compromised IT system can spark knock-on disruptions to financial institutions, the firms they trade with, their supply chains, and even the economy-at-large. To mitigate such risks, the global marketplace has been flooded with regulations aimed at bolstering operational resilience. Most recently, Europe’s answer has been the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) – the deadline for which passed on 17 January 2025. However, these regulations are only guidelines; they mandate a minimum level for compliance, instead of an ideal strategy to holistically handle outages. In this Finextra impact study, produced in association with Cockroach Labs, we speak with leading firms in the space to understand the best-in-class strategies they have adopted to achieve operational resilience. In the most effective cases, firms go beyond compliance, and exploit regulations as a business opportunity to stimulate productivity, increase competitiveness, and reduce costs. In today’s increasingly digital marketplaces, architectures must be operationally simple and flexible, as well as global and robust. We explore: The growing challenge of outages; Regulation, DORA, and resilience requirements; What an optimal resilience strategy should look like in 2025 and beyond; How organisations can future proof their operations while staying agile for future regulatory requirements.

05 June 2025 160 downloads

Future of Report

The Future of European Fintech 2025: A Money20/20 Special Edition

A special edition for Money20/20 Europe 2025. The European fintech space is seeing leaps and bounds in digital innovation, financial technology, and operational resilience. With incoming regulation focused on standarising the sector and disruptive fintech firms challenging banks - the ecosystem is in a transitional period. Among these challenges, the fintech boom is sweeping the continent. New developments in AI, tokenisation, digital identity, open banking, and more is redefining the banking sector. Europe is primed to act as the epicentre for global fintech innovation. This Finextra report dives into industry sentiment on what the future holds for European fintech, featuring key insights from NatWest Group, Standard Chartered, BNY Mellon, Magnetiq Bank, GoCardless, Moore Kingston Smith, Stripe, and Augmentum Fintech. It explores: AI and predictive analytics integration in payments; Enabling financial inclusion and accessibility in emerging markets; The role of digital identity and behavioural biometrics in financial services; Innovation in regulatory practices; The revolutionary power of smart data and decentralised finance.

03 June 2025 238 downloads

Impact Study

NextGen retail banking: A roadmap to successful modernisation

Learn why retail banks must transition to modern, composable, future-ready infrastructures today – and how they can devise journeys that are tailored as well as cost-effective. A significant portion of the retail banking landscape still relies on legacy systems, some of which can be costly and hamper innovation. According to a report from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), 58% of the UK’s financial services firms use legacy infrastructure for some operations, while 33% depend on it for most of their activities. In North America, the picture is similar, with around 40% of US banks still using the Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) – a coding language dating back to 1959. Some surveys indicate that up to 70% of bank IT budgets are spent on maintaining these legacy systems. Today, with rapidly evolving consumer demands, technological advancements, stiff competition, and regulatory upheaval, outdated infrastructures are no longer tenable – and risk negatively impacting banks’ efficiency, agility, and customer experiences. So, how can retail banks modernise, while controlling costs and ensuring minimal impact on day-to-day business applications? This Finextra impact study, produced in association with Oracle, analyses: The key challenges of legacy banking systems How to draw up a tailored roadmap for modernisation How to quantify progress and measure success

29 May 2025 358 downloads

Event Report

Business@EBAday 2025

Your Essential Guide to Payments Innovation: Business@EBAday 2025 is Here! Business@EBAday 2025 is your exclusive digital companion to this year's premier payments and transaction banking event. This comprehensive supplement provides the latest insights from the leading companies exhibiting and sponsoring EBAday, offering a unique perspective into the innovations driving our industry forward. What's Inside? Inside, you'll find articles and thought leadership pieces covering the most critical topics in payments today, including: The Road Ahead for ISO 20022 Migration: Understand the challenges, opportunities, and strategic implications as the industry moves towards richer data. Strengthening Defenses with Verification of Payee (VoP): Explore the latest strategies and technologies in fraud prevention. The Transformative Power of AI in Payments: Discover how artificial intelligence is reshaping operations, enhancing security, and creating new possibilities. Unlocking Efficiency with Virtual Accounts and Instant Payments: Dive into cutting-edge solutions for streamlined liquidity management and real-time processing. And much more! Hear diverse perspectives on cross-border payments, regulatory shifts, building robust ecosystems, and achieving operational excellence. This supplement is an invaluable resource for: Payments professionals seeking strategic foresight. Financial institutions looking for actionable insights. Fintech innovators exploring collaborative opportunities. Anyone keen to understand the future trajectory of the payments industry. Get a head start on the EBAday experience and equip yourself with knowledge from the industry's thought leaders. Have a look inside! Business@EBAday 2025 is produced jointly by EBA and Finextra Research.

19 May 2025 296 downloads

Impact Study

Why DevSecOps is key to navigating innovation and compliance

Explore how DevSecOps enable organisations to navigate economic uncertainties while treating innovation and compliance as complementary forces rather than competing priorities. A balancing act is underway within the financial services industry. Driven by client demand and fintech competition, institutions are increasingly obliged to innovate, while at the same time, ensure every step forward is secure and compliant. Often, it feels as though these two goals sit on either side of a seesaw – when one goes up, the other must go down. Many such challenges are born from the software delivery process, where countless organisations are struggling to source the expertise and capabilities necessary to deliver secure and compliant applications, at speed. Much of the conflict stems from fragmented DevSecOps (a software development practice that integrates security throughout the development lifecycle) strategies which are built upon outdated infrastructure. Indeed, many financial institutions (FIs) today operate with disjointed security and development workflows – sometimes patching together between five to 10 separate tools that were implemented incrementally over time. While this approach worked five years ago, better options exist today. A simplified stack is conducive to both innovation and compliance – without either being compromised. This Finextra impact study, produced in association with GitLab, explores: How the evolution to a unified software delivery platform can deliver on both innovation and compliance; reduce the risk of security incidents; supercharge operational efficiencies; amplify business agility and scalability; and even support talent acquisition.

01 May 2025 147 downloads

Survey

Navigating the Nordic financial landscape: 2025 challenges and priorities

As the Nordic financial sector faces new hurdles and opportunities, a variety of issues are front and centre for financial institutions, technology providers, and fintechs. Our latest survey of 150 responses reveals how Nordic institutions across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are navigating the current landscape and their strategic priorities for 2025. Providing valuable insights into areas such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), Verification of Payee (VoP), AI’s growing role in financial services, perspectives on central bank digital currency (CBDC) and stablecoin, and evolving payment trends such as Account-to-Account (A2A) and instant payments.  Analysis of our survey responses provides a comprehensive overview on how Nordic institutions are navigating transformation shaped by innovation, regulation, and evolving customer expectations, with progress and priorities varying by country. We explore regional specific views towards: Key priorities for 2025 Readiness for Verification of Payee (VoP) Strategic AI integration for real impact The rise of A2A, instant, and mobile payments Attitudes towards central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and stablecoin The impact of DORA

28 April 2025 337 downloads

Future of Report

The Future of US Digital Payments 2025: ACH & Beyond

A special edition for Nacha's Smarter Faster Payments 2025. The US digital payments landscape stands at a transformative crossroads. With the launch of RTP in 2016 and FedNow in 2023, the foundational infrastructure for instant payments is finally in place - poised to revolutionise the speed, efficiency, and security of transactions across the economy. Yet despite these advancements, the path to widespread adoption remains complex and cautious. Entrenched systems like ACH and Wire, with their deep integration and long-standing reliability, continue to dominate due to their established utility and the significant investment required to pivot toward newer rails. It’s not just a question of technological readiness, but of mindset, cost, and strategy. The advantages of instant payments—real-time access to funds, reduced credit risk, and improved liquidity—are clear. However, to truly unlock these benefits, banks and institutions must overcome the inertia of legacy systems and embrace modernisation, often with the support of flexible, cloud-native solutions that can de-risk and streamline the transition. This Finextra report, in association with Form 3, explores industry sentiment on the future of US digital payments and showcases the views of BNY, Citizens, Green Dot, J.P. Morgan, U.S. Bank, and the US Faster Payments Council. It explores: Evolving ACH infrastructure; Enhancing RPT and FedNow capabilities; How new rails interact with existing rails; Redefining transactional architecture through emerging technologies; Recognising risk as a strategic advantage in fraud prevention; Prioritising innovation and compliance at the same time.

25 April 2025 384 downloads

Event Report

ISO 20022 for CBPR+: Driving Efficiency and Innovation in Financial Messaging

How far is the industry along its ISO 20022 for CBPR+ journey? The financial industry is on the brink of a significant transformation with the implementation of ISO 20022 for cross-border payments and reporting (CBPR+). This new standard promises to revolutionise transaction handling by offering enhanced data quality, improved compliance, and greater operational efficiency. The shift from the current MT format, which is becoming insufficient in today’s data-driven and regulatory-focused environment, to ISO 20022 addresses these challenges with a more structured and comprehensive framework for financial messaging. This transition is crucial for banks and non-bank financial institutions to understand and prepare for as it enables more effective communication across borders and systems. The reconciliation of payments, especially for corporate and SME sectors, demands accuracy in linking all related data. ISO 20022 significantly streamlines this process by enhancing data richness and interoperability across various payment systems. This report highlights the key takeaways of a Finextra webinar, hosted in association with Finastra, by a panel of industry experts. Discover: How far the industry has come in the transition, the challenges organisations are facing, and the strategic importance of ISO 20022 for CBPR+ adoption.

15 April 2025 315 downloads

Survey

US Regulation Survey 2025: Compliance at a Crossroads

Assessing financial industry preparedness in a shifting US regulatory landscape as organisations struggle with deadlines, cost, and technology. In an environment of rapidly evolving regulations, driven by legislative and policy shifts at the federal and state levels, the US regulatory landscape is marked by complexity and uncertainty. Understanding the level of preparedness across industries is crucial for ensuring compliance, mitigating risk, and enhancing operational efficiency. This survey was conducted at the beginning of 2025, gathering financial services industry sentiment as the Trump Administration took office and began pivoting on key regulatory elements. With the US financial regulation regime also somewhat in limbo, that uncertainty was – and is – increasingly impacting the views of the 200 organisations surveyed. Analysis of our survey responses provides a comprehensive overview of the state of regulation readiness in the US, differences in reporting obligations, the impacts of automation for compliance, the roles of technology and data, and industry plans for modernisation. We explore: Which regulations will have the biggest impact on US financial services in 2025; Regulatory effects on organisational frameworks, budgets and staffing; How organisations are leveraging technology and partnerships to streamline regulatory compliance.

26 March 2025 285 downloads