The more things change, the more they stay the same. Looking back at 2021 – which promised to be the year that the industry realised the full potential of data-driven transactions, instant…

When I was at school, nobody came in from the outside working world to explain what all this learning would lead to. We didn’t know how the subjects we studied would influence…

As global trade, investment and commerce have boomed over recent decades, cross-border payments have become foundational to the world economy. The Economist reports that some $140 trillion moved across borders in the…

Market forces are driving banking innovations which promise significant downstream benefits for corporates. Banks are facing intense competition, with 8% of corporates already reporting that they are using non-bank specialists for credit…

This is fifth part of our series exploring the motivations, architecture and principles driving the development of IPF. Volodymyr Prokopyuk, Senior Payments Architect at Icon Solutions, discusses the benefits of Language Orientated…

The number of banks identifying payments data monetisation as a key strategic priority has doubled in the past two years. The growth of real-time payments (RTP), ISO 20022 migration and open banking…

At a recent payments forum hosted by the Bank of Finland, ECB board member Fabio Panetta signalled commercial banks must make instant payments ‘cheap and easy to use’. While on the operational…

How many people have heard of Kathleen Booth or Margaret Hamilton? Chances are not many. But why not? These two women achieved two significant firsts. Kathleen invented the first assembly language and Margaret,…

Music, books and films for our mental wellbeing – Icon’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ According to research carried out by Mind in 2011, researchers found that music releases dopamine, the feel-good chemical in…