Payments are becoming the infrastructure of the digital economy, but control of flows, monetisation and the ability to compete are increasingly shifting away from banks. This roundtable examines how institutions can reposition payments as a strategic growth driver and build the capabilities required to operate in a real-time, platform-driven environment.
Payments are no longer a standalone banking function; they have become the infrastructure through which value moves across platforms, marketplaces and ecosystems. Across ASEAN, the rapid expansion of real-time payment systems, account-to-account rails and cross-border linkages is reshaping how flows are created, initiated, processed and monetised. Increasingly, payments are embedded within digital platforms and commercial ecosystems, often originating outside the traditional control of banks. At the same time, revenue pools are being redistributed across schemes, fintechs and platform players, while banks face margin compression and growing challenges in translating scale into sustainable value.
This shift is also driving convergence between payments, lending and commerce through models such as embedded finance, BNPL and platform-based distribution. These models require a different set of capabilities: real-time processing, flexible product design, seamless integration, API-driven connectivity and the ability to participate in ecosystems rather than operate in isolation.
For many banks, legacy cores, fragmented architectures and integration constraints continue to limit speed to market and innovation. The issue is no longer about improving payments efficiency, but about how institutions reposition payments as a strategic driver of growth — shaping flows, capturing value and building the infrastructure and capabilities required to compete in a real-time, platform-driven economy.
This roundtable will bring together Heads of Transaction Banking, Payments and Technology to examine how banks can reposition payments at the centre of their strategy. The discussion will focus on how institutions can move beyond processing transactions to shaping flows, capturing value and building the capabilities required to compete in a platform-driven, real-time economy.
1. Control of flows in a platform-driven economy
2. Monetisation in a real-time, account-to-account environment
3. Architecture and capability — what needs to change
4. Conclusion — From participation to ownership
