Nacha is positioning its Preferred Partner Program to accelerate the technical evolution of the U.S. payments landscape by integrating specialized technology providers. The organization has officially named Finastra as a Preferred Partner, specifically targeting three critical operational pillars: ACH Experience, ISO 20022 readiness, and Risk and Fraud Prevention. This designation aims to support financial institutions navigating the transition toward more complex, high-velocity payment environments.
Finastra Solutions for ACH and ISO 20022
Finastra is leveraging its Global PAYplus and Payments To Go solutions to assist financial institutions in moving away from traditional batch processing. The company is positioning these cloud-native platforms as tools to support the increasing volume and velocity of ACH transactions, including the expansion of Same Day ACH. By focusing on scalability and resilience, Finastra aims to provide the infrastructure necessary for institutions to manage evolving Nacha requirements. The partnership specifically addresses the industry's need for ISO 20022 alignment, a standard essential for modern, data-rich payment messaging. This move targets institutions seeking to automate processes and maintain operational control while handling the growing complexity of real-time and same-day payment flows.
Scaling the $93 Trillion ACH Network
The strategic importance of this partnership is underscored by the massive scale of the underlying network. In 2025, the ACH Network processed 35.2 billion payments, with a total value of $93 trillion. Nacha President and CEO Jane Larimer noted that the network, including Same Day ACH, showed significant strength in the first half of 2026, suggesting further growth potential. As transaction volumes rise, the demand for modernized infrastructure increases. Finastra, backed by Vista Equity Partners, is attempting to capture this demand by offering mission-critical software to thousands of institutions globally. The partnership signals a push to ensure that the technical capabilities of individual banks can keep pace with the increasing speed and data requirements of the broader ACH ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- Finastra has been named a Nacha Preferred Partner focusing on ACH Experience, ISO 20022, and Risk and Fraud Prevention.
- The ACH Network reached a valuation of $93 trillion with 35.2 billion payments processed in 2025.
- Finastra intends to use its Global PAYplus and Payments To Go platforms to facilitate the transition from batch processing to cloud-native models.
FinanceInsyte's Take
In our view, this partnership is less about a simple vendor endorsement and more about Nacha attempting to de-risk the systemic transition to ISO 20022 and Same Day ACH. As the ACH Network grows in both velocity and value, the technical debt associated with legacy batch processing becomes a systemic vulnerability. By elevating Finastra, Nacha is signaling to the market that cloud-native, data-rich architectures are the required standard for maintaining the network's stability and meeting the increasing demands of modern digital finance.
Questions & Answers
How does this partnership impact the technical roadmap for participating financial institutions?
The designation suggests that institutions should prioritize transitioning from legacy batch processing to cloud-native, ISO 20022-compliant architectures to manage the increasing velocity of Same Day ACH.
What specific financial scale is the ACH Network currently supporting?
The network is a massive pillar of financial infrastructure, having processed 35.2 billion payments valued at $93 trillion in 2025.
Which Finastra products are central to this strategic alignment?
Finastra is utilizing its Global PAYplus and Payments To Go solutions to provide the scalable, resilient infrastructure required for modern ACH operations.
What is the primary driver behind Nacha's Preferred Partner Program?
The program is designed to align technology providers with Nacha's strategy of advancing the ACH Network through innovation, interoperability, and adherence to evolving standards.
Source: Businesswire
