Real-time payments are always on
ImPAI keeps payment intake, checks, routing, and status handling active when surrounding systems pause.
Market overview and use cases
Payment hubs are becoming real-time, composable, and AI-assisted
A practical view of the market direction, the use cases ImPAI supports, and proof from delivered work.
Market overview
The payment hub market is moving in four directions
These are the directions ImPAI is built for: always-on payments, modular change, ISO 20022 processing, and AI support for payment operations.
Payment hubs are becoming composable
ImPAI uses modular services and microservices so banks can add or change payment capabilities step by step.
ISO 20022 adds payment processing complexity
ImPAI manages validation, enrichment, format mapping, and scheme updates in the payment layer, outside the core.
Operations teams expect guided decisions
ImPAI brings AI support into investigations, repairs, routing suggestions, and daily payment operations.
8 use cases
Eight payment hub use cases
Jump to the payment capability you need to evaluate.
Modernize payment architecture
Use ImPAI as a payment layer or messaging layer between channels, APIs, clearing systems, and the core.
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Payment layer around existing systems
ImPAI sits between channels, APIs, clearing access, and the core, so new payment flows can be added without changing every surrounding system.
What to solve
- Step-by-step rollout
- Legacy coexistence
- Channel and scheme connectivity
Target need
Banks often need new payment capabilities while existing systems still process channels, APIs, and clearing connections.
Relevant capabilities
- Payment integration layer
- Messaging layer
- Configurable workflow
- Scheme adapters
Outcome: The bank can add payment capabilities step by step without replacing the full stack.
Keep instant payments available 24/7
Keep instant payment flows available at night, on weekends, during holidays, and when core systems are in maintenance.
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Always-on instant payment processing
ImPAI keeps the instant-payment flow running around the core, then reconnects status, booking, and reconciliation when the core is available again.
What to solve
- 24/7 availability
- Core downtime coverage
- Controlled reconciliation
Target need
Instant payment schemes have no cut-off time. The payment layer must keep working even when surrounding systems pause.
Relevant capabilities
- Real-time processing
- Shadow balance option
- Status updates
- Exception handling
Outcome: The bank can keep instant payments available even when the core is not always online.
Connect payment schemes and rails
Connect SEPA, Swiss, domestic, international, and API-based payment flows through one layer.
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Multi-method payment processing
ImPAI reuses the same payment services across schemes, so a new rail can use existing validation, routing, repair, and status handling patterns.
What to solve
- New scheme deadline
- Custom integration work
- Duplicated operations
Target need
Banks need to support current schemes, new instant-payment rollouts, domestic rails, and channel APIs without creating a separate setup for every rail.
Relevant capabilities
- SEPA Instant
- SIC Instant
- SIC
- SEPA CT
- SEPA DD
- SWIFT CBPR+
- Domestic Schemes
- Omnichannel APIs
Outcome: The bank can add payment rails while keeping one operating model.
Manage ISO 20022 and scheme changes
Manage message formats, validation rules, enrichment, and scheme updates in the payment layer.
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Scheme and message control
ImPAI keeps ISO 20022 mapping, enrichment, validation, and scheme rules in the payment layer, where they can be tested and changed more easily.
What to solve
- ISO 20022 data
- Scheme updates
- Testing before changeover
Target need
Payment, technology, and compliance teams need a controlled way to handle scheme releases, ISO changes, and deadlines.
Relevant capabilities
- Message validation
- Format mapping
- Scheme rule configuration
- Outbound message generation
Outcome: Scheme changes can be managed in one payment layer instead of across many systems.
Route payments by rule
Route payments by scheme, reachability, currency, value, cost, speed, and bank preference.
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Flexible route selection
ImPAI lets payment teams define routing rules once and apply them across schemes, correspondents, clearing connections, and fallback paths.
What to solve
- Route rules
- Fallback paths
- Reachability checks
Target need
Banks need routing that can adapt when a scheme is unavailable, a bank is not reachable, or another route is preferred.
Relevant capabilities
- Routing API
- Reachability checks
- Scheme availability rules
- Preferred route configuration
Outcome: Payment teams can adjust routing without changing many systems.
Expose reusable payment APIs
Connect customer channels, back-office tools, and partner portals to the same payment services.
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Reusable payment services
ImPAI exposes payment checks and initiation services through APIs, so channels and back-office tools use the same payment logic.
What to solve
- Channel consistency
- Reusable API services
- Shared payment status
Target need
Channels often rebuild their own payment checks. This creates different validation, routing, status handling, and customer behavior.
Relevant capabilities
- Validation API
- Enrichment API
- Payment Initiation API
- Reachability Check API
- Routing API
Outcome: The bank can keep payment behavior consistent across channels.
Run payment services in cloud or SaaS
Run cloud-ready payment services with controlled releases, monitoring, and clear support boundaries.
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Cloud-ready payment operations
ImPAI runs as modular payment services with separate release, scaling, monitoring, and support boundaries. It can be deployed in the bank private cloud, commonly on AWS or Azure, with managed services added where needed.
What to solve
- Cloud-ready services
- Controlled releases
- Managed support
Target need
Banks want less infrastructure work, but still need control over resilience, compliance, releases, and service quality.
Relevant capabilities
- AWS and Azure ready
- Private cloud deployment
- Managed services
- SaaS option
Outcome: The bank can reduce infrastructure work while keeping control of payment operations.
Resolve payment exceptions with agentic AI
Use an AI assistant to collect payment data, prepare analysis, and draft the next action while the operator stays in control.
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Agentic exception handling
ImPAI can turn an exception into a guided case: collect data, check the payment context, prepare the explanation, and leave the final action to the operator.
What to solve
- Case interpretation
- Automated data collection
- Operator review
Target need
One payment exception can require message reading, data collection, system searches, analysis, follow-up actions, and client communication.
Relevant capabilities
- AI agent workspace
- Transaction retrieval
- Case management updates
- Document retrieval
- Private model deployment
- Decision traceability
Outcome: Payment teams can reduce manual work and keep decisions traceable.
Case studies
Payment changes delivered in months, not years
Practical examples of instant-payment rollout, scheme implementation, and AI-assisted operations delivered around existing banking systems.
3-phase SCT/SIC Instant rollout
Delivered 3 instant-payment phases across SCT Instant and SIC Instant while the existing operating setup stayed in place.
- SCTSCT Instant incoming
- SCTSCT Instant outgoing
- SICSIC Instant incoming
Value
- 3 production phases without a big-bang cutover
- 2 instant-payment schemes expanded on the same setup
- 24/7 operations stayed controlled during rollout
SIC Instant incoming in 5 months
Prepared SIC Instant incoming with scheme readiness, operational handling, and integration around the existing banking environment.
- SICSIC Instant incoming
Value
- 5-month path from start to SIC Instant incoming readiness
- 1 delivery stream covered validation, routing, and operations
- Existing banking environment kept in place
Investigation agent POC in 2 months
A payment investigation agent POC showed how exceptions can be analyzed and drafted while the operator supervises.
- POCInvestigation agent POC
Value
- 2-month POC with a real exception workflow
- Less switching between payment systems and documents
- Operator stays in control of the final action
Partners
Partners
BottomlinePayment projects and technology cooperation
KPMGJoint advisory and implementation projects
WavestoneJoint consulting and delivery projects
DRUIDAI and implementation cooperation
GartnerAnalyst recognition
SWIFTInternational payments network
EBAEuropean payments association
ABBLBanking association in Luxembourg
AI Hub FrankfurtAI innovation network
Frankfurt Main FinanceFinancial center network
FAQ
Payments platform FAQ
Platform basics
What is ImPAI?
ImPAI is a payment operating layer for banks and regulated payment providers. It sits around existing banking systems to process payments, add schemes, route messages, handle ISO 20022 data, and support payment operations.
Does ImPAI replace core banking?
No. ImPAI is designed to work around the core. Banks can add payment capabilities, scheme connectivity, routing, and operational workflows without turning every payment change into a core replacement project.
Which payment schemes can ImPAI support?
ImPAI supports SEPA Instant, SIC Instant, SIC, SEPA CT, SEPA DD, SWIFT CBPR+, domestic schemes, and API-based payment initiation through one configurable operating layer.
How does ImPAI help with ISO 20022?
ImPAI handles ISO 20022 validation, enrichment, format conversion, scheme rules, and message generation in the payment layer, where changes can be tested and managed more easily.
Does ImPAI support omnichannel payment APIs?
Yes. ImPAI supports API-based payment initiation from mobile and web channels, corporate channels, back-office tools, partner systems, and other bank applications.
Future readiness
Where does AI fit into ImPAI payment operations?
ImPAI can support AI-assisted payment operations for internal teams first: investigation support, exception handling, payment search, reconciliation, routing analysis, and operator-supervised workflows where explainability and auditability matter.
How does ImPAI support a composable payment architecture?
ImPAI lets banks add or change payment components step by step instead of replacing the full payment stack. New schemes, routing logic, connectors, processors, and operational workflows can be introduced as modular services around existing systems.
How can ImPAI help with real-time cross-border payments?
ImPAI can support real-time cross-border readiness by routing payments across schemes, correspondent models, alternative rails, APIs, and clearing connections, with ISO 20022 message handling, validation, monitoring, and operational control.
Can ImPAI support new payment methods such as stablecoins or CBDCs?
ImPAI is designed for payment change. Its API-first, microservices-based architecture can be extended for new payment methods where banks need wallet connectivity, routing, compliance checks, monitoring, auditability, and operational workflows.
Architecture and integration
How is ImPAI deployed?
ImPAI can run in AWS, Azure, private cloud, SaaS, or on-premise environments, depending on the bank’s regulatory, security, and infrastructure requirements.
Is ImPAI microservices-based?
Yes. ImPAI is built as a modular microservices platform with separate connectors, orchestrators, processors, scheme services, APIs, and shared platform services for monitoring, audit, error handling, authentication, and configuration.
Which interfaces does ImPAI support?
ImPAI can integrate through REST APIs, REST/JSON, Swagger/OpenAPI, IBM MQ, Kafka, HTTP/HTTPS, SOAP, SFTP, file interfaces, JSON, CSV, structured files, and proprietary formats where required.
What can be configured without product code changes?
Banks can configure routing rules, priorities, scheme parameters, validation settings, message mappings, connectivity settings, limits, retry rules, timeout rules, reference data, and processing flows.
Can ImPAI be customized for bank-specific payment flows?
Yes. ImPAI supports bank-specific routing, connectors, processing steps, scheme setup, entity rules, fallback routes, and extensions while keeping the core platform modular and maintainable.
Operations and control
Can ImPAI support 24/7 instant payment operations?
Yes. ImPAI can keep instant payment intake, checks, routing, status handling, and operational workflows available around core banking windows, including planned maintenance or end-of-day processing.
How does ImPAI support security and auditability?
ImPAI supports role-based access, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, SAML, mTLS, structured audit logs, traceability, monitoring, and export of logs, metrics, and traces for operational and compliance review.
Is ImPAI ISO 27001 certified and security compliant?
ImPAI is backed by Im-Par, an ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant company. The platform supports bank security requirements through access control, audit trails, encryption patterns, monitoring, traceability, and controlled deployment options.
Next step
Request platform consultation
Start with a focused discussion about your payment landscape, regulatory drivers, scheme roadmap, and modernization constraints.