ACI Worldwide and Philippines-based Security Bank Corporation have modernised fragmented payment systems into a unified ISO 20022 real-time processing platform in the Asia Pacific region.
The two organisations have been recognised with the Best Payment Technology Initiative in Asia Pacific award at the Asian Banker Global Financial Technology Innovation Awards 2026. This was based on the two organisations' joint transformation of Security Bank's payment infrastructure, consolidating fragmented systems into a unified platform covering ISO 20022 real-time payment processing across all channels.
The initiative replaced Security Bank's fragmented payment layers with a single orchestration environment integrating transaction processing, monitoring, investigation, and reporting. The platform is built on a microservices-based architecture, deployed in a cloud-native environment, and is ISO 20022-native, supporting interoperability and compatibility with evolving regulatory requirements while maintaining connectivity with legacy systems.
Implementation and operational results
The programme was delivered through a phased rollout approach. InstaPay, the Philippines' real-time payment rail, went live within ten months and scaled to more than ten million transactions per month shortly after launch. Transaction volumes across domestic payment rails increased 35% year-on-year, the platform tripled its transaction processing capacity, and uptime reached 99.99%.
ACI Worldwide's senior vice president and managing director for Asia Pacific, Leslie Choo, said the initiative moved beyond infrastructure modernisation to create a competitive advantage for the bank. In partnership with Security Bank, the company transformed the payments system, replacing fragmented layers with a unified, intelligent orchestration layer.
Platform capabilities and strategic context
The unified platform supports standardised workflows, greater automation, and full operational visibility across the payment lifecycle. By converging low and high-value payment processing across all business lines into a single environment, Security Bank reduced manual intervention and improved straight-through processing rates. The architecture is designed to support continuous innovation and regulatory compliance as payment ecosystem requirements evolve.
The initiative reflects a broader challenge facing banks across Asia Pacific and other high-growth digital markets, where accelerating transaction volumes and rising customer expectations for speed, reliability, and security have exposed the limitations of legacy payment infrastructure built around fragmented, point-to-point integrations. For banks of Security Bank's scale and profile, the ability to process real-time payments at volume while maintaining operational resilience has become a prerequisite for competing in a market where digital commerce growth continues to outpace infrastructure investment.
The ISO 20022 migration, which is progressing across payment systems globally, adds a further dimension to the initiative. Building a platform that is ISO 20022-native from the outset positions Security Bank to meet evolving interoperability requirements without the additional migration work that banks running older message formats will eventually face.
