Payments Modernisation: Gap Between Confidence and Readiness Among Industry Leaders Widens, ACI Worldwide Study Finds

Key Terms

ai-driven automation technical

AI-driven automation uses computer programs that learn patterns from data to perform routine business tasks without constant human direction, such as sorting documents, predicting demand, or controlling machines. Investors care because it can lower operating costs, speed up work, and reduce errors—like replacing a slow, repetitive assembly line with a smart one that adjusts itself—potentially boosting profits and competitive advantage, though it also involves upfront investment and implementation risk.

agentic commerce technical

Agentic commerce is buying and selling driven by autonomous digital agents — such as smart apps, bots, or AI assistants — that act on a person’s or business’s behalf to find, compare, negotiate and execute transactions. Investors should care because these agents can change who controls customer relationships, cut costs and speed up sales like a personal shopper that never sleeps, but they also shift competitive dynamics, data value and regulatory risk for platforms and retailers.

payment orchestration technical

A centralized software layer that routes and manages a company’s customer payments across multiple banks, card networks and payment services, like an air-traffic controller directing flights to the best available runway. It matters to investors because it can raise the share of successful transactions, lower fees and downtime, speed expansion into new markets, and produce clearer payment data — all of which can boost revenue, margins and operational resilience.

iso 20022 regulatory

A global messaging standard for financial transactions that creates a common “language” banks and payment systems use to send payments, securities, and other money-related messages. It matters to investors because it improves speed, transparency and accuracy of transfers—like switching from many dialects to a single language—affecting settlement times, operational costs and the reliability of moving cash and data across markets.

open banking regulatory

Open banking is a system that lets customers securely share their bank account and payment information with trusted third-party apps and services, like allowing a finance app to view transactions or initiate payments on their behalf. For investors, it matters because it can reshape how financial services compete and make money—enabling new business models, faster customer acquisition, and fee or margin pressure for traditional banks, as well as creating regulatory and execution risks.

borda count technical

A Borda count is a voting method where voters rank options and each position on a ballot is worth a set number of points, so lower-ranked choices still contribute to the total; the option with the highest point total wins. For investors this matters because it can change which corporate proposals or director candidates prevail by favoring broadly acceptable choices over those with only strong minority support — like choosing a restaurant by tallying everyone’s ranked preferences rather than just counting first-place votes.

principal component regression technical

Principal component regression is a statistical method that first combines many related input variables into a few uncorrelated summary factors, then uses those summaries to estimate how a target number (like returns or risk) depends on inputs. For investors, it helps separate meaningful signals from noisy, overlapping data—think of boiling many recipe ingredients down to the main flavors so you can judge their effect on the final dish—reducing misleading results when variables move together.

69% of payments executives see their organisations as leaders, yet fewer than half prioritise innovation as legacy systems and internal resistance slow progress

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Payments leaders remain confident about the pace of industry innovation, but many risk falling behind as expectations accelerate. New global research from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) and Globant reveals a widening gap between confidence and readiness that could define industry leadership in 2026 and beyond.

The report Payments in Transition: Leadership in an era of transformation, based on a survey of 500 industry leaders across North America, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific, shows that while 69% of executives consider their organisations to be payments leaders, fewer than half (44%) say payments innovation is a C-suite priority.

This disconnect is driven by barriers that will become increasingly costly in the year ahead. More than half (55%) of executives admit they are not fully using the technology already available, and 44% cite legacy platforms as the biggest obstacle to innovation. Internal resistance compounds the challenge, with 53% pointing to cultural hurdles as a key factor slowing transformation.

The result is a modernisation gap, where ambition outpaces execution and organisations risk falling behind as technological and regulatory demands accelerate. By 2026, secure, instant, and seamless transactions will be the baseline, as rising customer and consumer expectations add even more pressure. In fact, 79% of respondents cite customer demand as the top catalyst for change, with payments expected to be instant, secure, and reliable.

Key findings at a glance:

• Modernisation roadmaps lag behind: Only 36% of payments executives say their organisation has a clear long-term roadmap for payments and investment modernisation, leaving many without a strategic vision for transformation.
• Legacy infrastructure slows progress: Just 25% of organisations are actively phasing out ageing payments platforms, despite widespread recognition that outdated systems limit agility and delay new product rollouts.
• Fraud and cybersecurity concerns dominate: 77% of executives cite fraud and cybersecurity risks as the top barriers to innovation.
• Regulatory complexity adds pressure: 63% point to regulatory requirements as slowing progress, creating additional hurdles for organisations seeking to modernise quickly.
• Talent and cost challenges persist: 14% cite cost pressures as a barrier, while another 14% highlight talent shortages. Only 25% believe their organisation attracts, develops, and retains top payments and technology talent.
• AI-driven automation will redefine performance: By 2026, AI will move beyond fraud detection to power dynamic routing, real-time anomaly detection, and self-improving models. Agentic commerce and AI-driven payment orchestration will dominate, requiring businesses to embed intelligence into every transaction to remain competitive.

The research highlights an urgent need for payments leaders to align ambition with action, modernising infrastructure, embedding intelligence and preparing for regulatory changes in 2026, such as ISO 20022 migration and open banking compliance. Platforms that offer scalable, real-time solutions will help organisations modernise legacy systems, improve agility, and accelerate innovation, without compromising on security or compliance.

“It’s time for payments leaders to turn confidence into action,” said Philip Bruno, chief strategy and growth officer, ACI Worldwide. “Modernisation is no longer a long-term goal. It’s an immediate need. Those who retire legacy systems and embed intelligence and agility into their platforms now will set the standard for 2026 and beyond.”

You can access the full report here: Payments in transition: Leadership in an era of transformation.

Methodology

The analysis drew on survey data from 500 executives across financial institutions, merchants, and service providers using three primary approaches:

• Borda count ranking to weight responses on barriers, drivers, and priorities.
• Agree - disagree scales (1–7) for attitudes, with Top 2 Box ratings used for clarity in charts.
• Principal component regression (PCR) to link organisational attributes - such as modernisation roadmaps and real-time payment investments to leadership outcomes, identifying eight key predictors grouped into three pillars.

About ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers, and retailers can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.

© Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2025

ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties' trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

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Media

Katrin Boettger,

Communications and Corporate Affairs Director

katrin.boettger@aciworldwide.com

Source: ACI Worldwide