AFFIN Group has announced a partnership with ACI Worldwide to modernise the bank’s real-time payment capabilities. The new enterprise payments platform aims to streamline and enhance the efficiency of payment processes for enterprises, providing a centralised system that consolidates payment instructions from various channels.

This includes high-value and low-value payments, Affin Delivery System (ADS), AffinAlways Retail Internet Banking and Mobile Internet Banking, AFFINMAX (Corporate Internet Banking platform), and ATMs. The partnership targets a 75% efficiency boost through process automation and the elimination of manual actions, which is expected to reduce errors. AFFIN aims to handle over 20% more transactions, supporting growth and scalability.

The platform will enable interoperability among PayNet, RENTAS, and SWIFT using ISO 20022 standards, aligning with global regulatory mandates and improving system resilience. The Group’s representatives stated that a robust payment infrastructure is crucial for innovation and scalable growth, allowing AFFIN to deliver integrated payment solutions that meet diverse business needs and customer demands. They emphasised that this partnership is a significant step in AFFIN's digital transformation, improving operational efficiency and customer payment experiences.

The initiative aligns with the AFFIN Axelerate 2028 (AX28) plan's strategic pillar of Digital Leadership. Real-time payments in Asia ACI Worldwide has experience in powering payment solutions for major banks across Asia Pacific. Malaysia’s Real-time Retail Payments Platform (RPP) was introduced by the national payments network and central infrastructure provider PayNet in collaboration with ACI to establish ISO 20022 real-time payments across financial institutions and communities.

ACI also provides the central infrastructure for Indonesia’s BI-FAST, a major real-time payment initiative that includes 135 banks, multi-tenant aggregators, and non-bank participants. Representatives of ACI Worldwide noted that payments modernisation is a strategic transformation that supports business growth and competitive advantage. They commended AFFIN BANK for its initiative in embracing payment modernisation and expressed pride in supporting the bank with advanced digital real-time payment solutions.

Focus on Malaysia According to ACI Worldwide’s Prime-Time for Real-Time 2024 report, Malaysia is a leader in the ASEAN region for real-time payment transactions, with volumes expected to grow from 1.9 billion in 2023 to 4.1 billion by 2028, a compound annual growth rate of 16.9%. Malaysia is also among the top 10 countries globally for mobile wallet adoption. The successful harmonisation of Malaysia’s real-time payments ecosystem on ISO 20022 has enabled a wide range of stakeholders to maximise the value from real-time payment rails.

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