Modernising Payments: How Are Banks in EMEA Shaping Up? | Part 1 | Volante Technologies

Oscar Musat, Director of Sales for EMEA at Volante Technologies, discusses the key drivers behind banks’ investment in real-time and instant payments.

Musat explains that although regulatory deadlines such as ISO 20022 and SEPA instant payments are certainly pushing compliance efforts across the industry, it’s actually the need for operational resilience and cost efficiency that’s influencing long-term investment decisions. 

In fact, recent research from Volante shows that 29% of banks cite these internal drivers as their main motivators.

Musat goes on to highlight that customer expectations are also evolving quickly. Real-time payments are becoming the new norm, with banks needing to match the service levels now offered by fintech competitors. Approximately 20% of institutions specifically point to rising customer demand for real-time services as a top priority.

Volante positions itself as an enabler for financial institutions navigating this complex landscape. Instead of forcing banks to overhaul legacy systems, Volante simplifies the ISO 20022 migration and helps integrate, validate and enrich financial messages efficiently. 

According to Volante’s report, it states around 80% of banks already believe they deliver domestic instant payments effectively, but many still face challenges when scaling internationally across schemes like FedNow, RTP or SEPA Instant.

Ultimately, as Volante’s report points out, banks that can’t keep up with real-time expectations risk losing customers and competitiveness and solutions that enable flexibility and adaptation will be key for future success.

In The Big Survey 2025, senior bankers across EMEA told us that the biggest challenge in payments modernisation isn’t cost or cybersecurity – it’s selecting the right vendor.

In a crowded landscape of tech providers, banks are asking:

• Who can deliver speed and scale?
• Can we trust their roadmap?
• Will their solution fit our infrastructure?

The Big Survey 2025 offers a detailed look at how banks are navigating these choices—and the frameworks they’re using to guide decisions.