Cloud provider’s payments modernization survey highlights the key priorities for mid-tier banks in the U.S.

NEW YORK, August 23, 2021 – Volante Technologies, the global leader in cloud payments and financial messaging, today revealed findings from its payments modernization survey aimed at mid-tier banks and credit unions in the U.S. with assets between USD 2.5B and USD 25B. The results show that real-time payments connections are expected to triple within the year, and that cloud Payments as a Service (PaaS) is a growing industry priority.

The study, conducted in Q1 of 2021, samples a sizeable portion of the mid-tier market segment. It highlights the dire need for improved productivity to support rising payment volumes and the complexity of maintaining multiple payment platforms. The challenges span all payment types, from domestic wire, real-time, and ACH to cross-border payments.

“Financial institutions are seeking to streamline their operations to prepare for the eventual prevalence of real-time 24×7 payments and the increased operational complexity this will bring,” said John Farrell, SVP Global Product Management, Volante Technologies. “There is a strong desire for capabilities related to digital transformation, ranging from increased automation to improved reporting and lower operating costs.”

Notable findings include:

• Payments as a Service is the #1 modernization initiative: of all the modernization initiatives planned by respondents in the next year, cloud and PaaS took the top spot, with replacement of wire, ACH, and other payment systems following closely behind.
• Most mid-tier banks do not use a core processor for payments: a surprisingly low 22 percent use a core processor for payment services, with the vast majority opting for a best of-breed approach, even among smaller institutions. Ease of upgrading to new payments capabilities, better pricing and reporting, and 24×7 operations were important factors in the shift away from core.
• Rising volumes are a concern: six out of 10 respondents identified significant productivity challenges due to rising wire volumes, with a similar percentage saying the same about their ACH processing operations.
• Real time payments are set to take off: 15 percent of respondents say their bank is currently connected to The Clearing House’s RTP® network, with about twice as many planning to connect within the coming year, indicating that the number of mid-tier banks with RTP capability will triple in 2022.
• Only a slim majority of banks can onboard corporate customers in under a week: of the remainder, most take multiple weeks to onboard a corporate, with 16 percent of respondents lacking visibility to onboarding performance—a significant underperformance compared to consumer onboarding efficiency.

Keith Gray, Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships, The Clearing House, said, “We are delighted that Volante’s findings confirm the trends that we have been seeing in the last year. Over 140 financial institutions are already participating in the RTP network, with more slated to go live by year end. Mid-tier banks are at the heart of the upswing in adoption, as the RTP network provides them with a compelling new service for their customers, and an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their peers.”

“While real-time payments are a long-term priority, mid-tier banks are clearly planning to modernize all their domestic and cross-border payments capabilities in the short term,” continued Farrell. “It is encouraging to see that they are increasingly aware that migration to cloud and Payments as a Service is the fastest and most cost-effective way for them to evolve beyond legacy limitations.”

For a complimentary copy of the survey, visit Payments Modernization: US Mid-Tier Banks.