One month on, Matt Piper, Head of Solution Consulting at Icon Solutions, reflects on EBAday and insights gained on the state of payments in Europe. EBAday 2025 came at a significant juncture…

“Legacy” is a term often applied to IT, and it brings up connotations of complexity, fragility, rigidity. Architects need to remediate this situation, whilst actively supporting the delivery of cost savings, rationalization,…

Shifting geopolitical dynamics and the demands of the always-on digital economy have reshaped the European payments landscape – driving the need for instant, secure and accessible transactions across the bloc.  This transformation…

The client, a global tier 1 bank, needed to define a target architecture and roadmap for its Commercial Lending domain. The goal was to develop an architecture strategy that encompassed all Commercial…

To ensure global and local regulations and policies are covered, our client operates a Centre of Excellence with hundreds of Risk Stewards providing advice on compliance-related enquiries. Recognising Generative AI (GenAI) as…

In an interview with Interface Magazine, Ian Povey, Head of Payments Services & Technology, discusses the strategic transformation taking place at NatWest and how that journey of change is benefitting both the…

As part of a wider business transformation, our client had initiated an ambitious programme of work to modernise and future-proof their technology architecture for Asset Finance. Fill in the form to download…

Our client’s existing payments platform hosted packaged business applications for multiple payment types. However, the platform was hosted on legacy on-premise technology that was becoming increasingly expensive to operate and maintain, due…

Icon Solutions have developed “Ask Ada”, a Generative AI solution that enables Consultants to use natural language queries to search our vast knowledge store. As a result, Icon’s Consultants can deliver high…

To streamline and enhance their enterprise architecture strategy on a global scale, our client sought to adopt the Banking Industry Architecture Network (BIAN) framework. Our client required strategic guidance and leadership to…

Our client’s ageing technology estate was constraining its ability to provide a highly resilient, scalable and “always on” payments solution. Change costs were also high, making it difficult to offer new product…

Currently, only 38 participants are directly connected to CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System), with most connecting through indirect agreements. Many prospective participants choose not to pursue direct participation due to strict…

Our client needed an agile and holistic technology architecture fit for a modern digital financial institution. They engaged Icon’s Architecture team to recommend a new model for wider adoption, one that put…

Driving the mainstream growth of Open Banking payments continues to be a key talking point for the UK government, regulators and wider banking industry. With more than 10% of the UK adult…

Last month, Icon brought together payments professionals from across Europe and the US for our 3rd IPF Day. Amid regulatory pressures, increasing competition and evolving business needs, the event served as an…

In 2024, Sibos is opening its doors in Beijing, marking the first time that China’s capital is hosting the event. Taking place 21-24 October, the event will bring together thousands of senior leaders…

Our client’s legacy payments platform was not able to support the ISO 20022 data format, and with the impending Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus (CBPR+) transition to ISO 20022, they needed a…

Our client, a Tier 1 UK bank needed to migrate its FATCA and CRS applications to Google Cloud Platform. Icon Solutions was selected to assess the current state of their technology platform…

Financial crime is on the rise, and it is costing billions. New research shows UK financial services organisations are collectively spending £34.2 billion each year on financial crime compliance, up 19% since…

Our client, a Tier 1 UK bank, approached Icon for support with developing a payments and payment card strategy for its Commercial Banking division. Alongside upgrading its payments product strategies, the bank…

As banks look towards their priorities for the coming year, instant payments – particularly the new European Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) – loom large in the minds of many. A poll of…

The client had selected a new strategic transactional fraud detection capability – comprising a fraud detection engine, alert management application and model development environment – and wanted to integrate various bank channels…

Instant payments, characterised by their speed and availability, are transforming the financial landscape across the globe. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in particular, has emerged as a leader in adopting and innovating in…

Icon recently released IPF 2024.1, which included upgrading all of our components to Java 17 and required Java 17 as a minimum. I was the lead engineer on this piece of work,…

Matt Piper, Head of Pre-Sales at Icon Solutions, explains why flexibility is key when it comes to future-proofing payments but, to understand the steps that must be taken, there are fundamental questions…

Following NACHA’s annual Smart Faster Payments Conference in Miami, Arjeh van Oijen, Head of Product Management for Icon Solutions, explores the key trends shaping the rollout and adoption of real-time payments in…

This global Tier 1 bank’s payments architecture of the WPB function was constraining their ability to defend its market share, attack new growth opportunities and deliver a consistent customer engagement. They engaged…

In the run up to NACHA’s annual Smart Faster Payments Conference in Miami, Arjeh van Oijen, Head of Product Management for Icon Solutions, explains why real-time payments are top of the agenda…

In this blog, Jamie Packham, shares his own experiences deploying generative artificial intelligence (AI) models and explores the potential for AI to help accelerate banks’ migration to the ISO 20022 messaging standard….

It is critical for financial institutions to have an efficient Reconciliation and Investigation (R&I) capability to minimise financial risk by identifying potential payment errors, discrepancies, or irregularities promptly and fixing them early…

With SWIFT beginning its migration to ISO 20022, our client needed a solution to implement the new messaging standards in line with strict industry timelines. This case study describes how Icon, with…

A recent independent survey conducted by Celent found that 73% of corporate banks have reported clear revenue benefits from investment in advanced data analytics. Looking ahead, analytics, intelligent automation, and artificial intelligence…

The banking industry is going through significant transformation across its various business domains and core banking has been one of the key areas of focus for many banks in recent years. Most…

For this bank Icon delivered a target Payments Reference Architecture that met the client’s strategic objectives in terms of resilience, performance, simplification and agility. Icon’s consultants worked within a closely integrated team,…

Back before Christmas, at the same time as the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, a new report by HM Treasury was released – the Future of Payments Review report [1]. This report proposes a set…

In the first blog of our two-part predictions series, we explored the key technological and regulatory trends shaping the payments landscape in 2024. In this second blog, we explore the practical strategies…

2023 put the traditional processing model for account-based payments to the test, as evolving customer demands, intensifying competition from fintechs and shifting regulatory requirements continued to intensify margin pressures. And although 2024…

This case study is about Icon helping a Tier 1 UK bank onboard a Payment Service Provider to expand the number of currencies available for customers to make international payments. We provided…

Last month Icon hosted its final IPF Client Day of 2023. The event brought our clients together in London to explore the latest business trends in the payments market and technologies shaping…

Icon’s expertise was needed when a Tier 1 global bank wanted to introduce an automated self-service customer journey for account closures. We did not only bring our strong architecture capabilities and banking…

Where is your bank on the order management (or pre-processing, or initiation management – whichever you prefer) maturity scale? Are you running your order management on legacy technology as a routing/integration layer…

This case study is about Icon providing a Tier 1 UK bank with expert solution and data architecture capabilities to augment the bank’s own teams across three areas: 1 Payments – Creating…

This case study is about a South Africa-headquartered pan-Africa bank that engaged Icon to determine the bank’s overall capability to deliver their target architecture and make prioritised recommendations for transforming the bank’s…

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) being part of the Zeitgeist and almost every newspaper containing an article on AI, it is reasonable to want to ensure that your business can gain competitive advantage…

This Tier 1 bank was looking for a payments infrastructure that would allow them greater flexibility, speed and innovation. The bank recognised Icon’s proven track record in delivering payments transformation strategies for…

When a Tier 1 UK bank was facing numerous challenges with its core banking system, typical to monolithic and legacy platforms, the bank turned to Icon. This case study describes how we…

This case study demonstrates Icon’s expertise and understanding of how enterprise architecture supports effective transformation and that it must encompass people, processes and technology. It’s about work we recently did for a…

Icon Solutions was founded in 2009 with the desire to be different and simplify banking transformation, using technological expertise and deep experience to fight complexity, promote transparency and put the needs of…

With the Payments IT landscape frequently changing due to regulations, customer needs, and innovations, Financial Institutions (FIs) face challenges of high cost, slow pace of change, operational complexities, and a constant struggle…

This Tier 1 UK bank was keen to benefit from a more efficient use of its fraud and financial crime technology and data, while decreasing operating costs. Read about Icon’s work to…

By all measures, Sibos 2023 in Toronto was a great success. The event brought together more than 9,000 attendees to discuss this edition’s theme – ‘Collaborative finance in a fragmented world’. Rich…

When this Tier 1 UK bank was facing a strict industry timeline for compliance with ISO20022 messaging standards, Icon helped the bank in a number of ways. One was that we proposed…

Icon’s consultants are recognised New Payments Architecture (NPA) experts and this case study details the work our team has done for a leading UK challenger bank. Specifically, we helped with the implementation…

Traditional banking has evolved over centuries into what we have today: digitalized products and services that keep the worldwide economic cogs turning. In pursuit of automation and digitalization banks have accrued sizeable…

As banks continue to grapple with the account-based payments processing model amid seemingly interminable margin pressures, the wider commercial implications of software developer capacity limitations are coming into much sharper focus. In…

The traditional payments processing model for account-based payments is under unprecedented strain amid diminishing profit margins, increasing competition from fintechs, and rising costs. These challenges are only set to compound in a…

This case study describes Icon’s work for a specialist provider of premium finance solutions to the insurance industry. The business wanted to transform its operations and technology estate because the existing Core…

This is a case study about Icon’s work for a Tier 1 bank which was looking to derive greater business value from its Customer Due Diligence (CDD) solution. The legacy CDD solution…

This Tier 1 UK bank lacked comprehensive and real-time visibility into customers’ needs and transactions and therefore couldn’t provide on-time responses. Additionally, the bank was planning to provide more of-the-moment insights to…

This Tier 1 UK bank needed to accelerate change to its payments platforms to be more competitive and deliver value sooner. Read what Icon Solutions did to help the bank transition to…

Discover how Icon Solutions enabled BNP Paribas to meet their first challenge on the transformation journey through the fast track deployment of IPF for instant payments, and how the impact of our…

Icon Solutions was engaged by the bank to assist them with evolving their current payments technology estate. The bank needed to enhance and refine their current payments technology estate in order to…

Icon Solutions was engaged by the bank to propose an enhanced payments proposition for small and medium business customers and to recommend the best technical approach for deployment. The project was co-sponsored…

The bank’s reaction to major changes in the global Payments industry was a new Payments Platform Reference Architecture. Icon Solutions was asked to assess both current and target states, and overall delivery…

Our client is a Tier 1 bank with £750+ billion of assets and 19 million customers across UK and Ireland. Icon had proven experience at the bank from previous engagements, and were…

Our client wanted their in-house payments platform to be used for processing all types of payments and needed to migrate legacy systems to the platform. As part of this programme, they needed…

Our client, a major Swiss bank operating in a number of countries across the globe, selected Icon Solutions to assist them on their payments transformation journey and chose Icon’s payments platform, IPF,…

Our client needed to transform their current payments architecture to ensure scalability and resilience, moving to an event-driven architecture approach. Faced with this significant strategic challenge, the bank needed a trusted third…

Icon Solutions was engaged by the wholesale banking division, co-sponsored by the Global CIO and the Chief Architect for Payments, Liquidity and Cash Management. In commissioning Icon, the Wholesale division’s business and…

  Icon Solutions, the specialist provider of global payment technology solutions and consultancy services, has confirmed its sponsorship of this year’s Annual Payments Forum in London. Toine van Beusekom, Icon’s Global Head…

  Welcome back! The past two posts in our series on building reactive systems have dealt with the topics of performance and fault-tolerance. In this post I’m going to talk about resilience,…

In Germany, many of the smaller banks (for example Sparkasse banks) have opted to use payments as a service via a Technical Service Provider (TSP) in order to deliver Instant Payments.  This…

  In the previous post in this series, we talked about the performance and scalability benefits that we get from actors and the actor system. I also briefly mentioned fault tolerance and…

  Caught between two regulatory juggernauts I’ve been really enjoying the recent Six Nations rugby: there is some phenomenal skill on show, and some very astute tactics, but you can’t beat the…

  London, 9th March 2018 – Icon Solutions, the leading provider of technology solutions and real-time payments expertise, today announced the appointment of Toine van Beusekom as Head of Payments Architecture. With…

  Much of what we write about on the Icon blog is instant payments and instant payment adoption around the world. This blog is part of a series, which aims to bring…