ACI Worldwide, a global leader in mission-critical, real-time payments software, has announced a transformative 10-year strategic partnership with Arab Financial Services (AFS), the leading digital payments solutions provider and fintech enabler in the Middle East and Africa region. This landmark collaboration aims to spearhead digital payments modernization initiatives for banks, fintechs, and merchants across the region.

Regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, AFS boasts ownership by 37 banks and financial institutions, serving over 60 clients in more than 20 countries across the Middle East and Africa. The company has garnered acclaim for its groundbreaking end-to-end digital payment products, services, and solutions, which encompass card processing services, merchant acquiring, fintech solutions, and value-added services.

Through this strategic alliance, AFS will leverage ACI’s Enterprise Payments Platform, renowned for its comprehensive suite of payment solutions encompassing all payment types. Supported by state-of-the-art security features, flexible cloud-ready technology, and multi-language, multi-currency, multi-institution capabilities, this platform will drive retail banking modernization for AFS’s banking and fintech clientele.

Additionally, AFS will deploy ACI’s Payments Orchestration Platform, enabling its merchant customers to orchestrate payments seamlessly through a unified solution. By offering a single platform and one API integration, merchants and payment service providers (PSPs) can enhance conversion rates while minimizing operational costs, thereby facilitating more seamless and secure customer journeys.

“Arab Financial Services is thrilled to embark on a strategic partnership with ACI Worldwide,” said Samer Soliman, CEO, Arab Financial Services. “As the payments landscape becomes ever more intricate and prone to disruption, a reliable technology partner offering industry-leading solutions is crucial. Together, AFS and ACI Worldwide are committed to empower our customers with cutting-edge technology that streamlines operations, fosters growth, and unlocks new levels of profitability.”
 
“ACI’s partnership with Arab Financial Services is an important milestone in our strategy to support banks and merchants in the Middle East in their quest for digital payments modernization,” commented Santhosh Rao, senior vice president, MEASA, ACI Worldwide. Our flexible, agile and innovative payment software solutions will now be available to banks, financial institutions and merchants across the region. AFS is now in a strong position to support all customers in the region on their quest for digital transformation and innovation, while enabling the resiliency and service quality required by next-generation payment systems.”

The ACI-AFS partnership heralds a new era of digital payments innovation, poised to redefine the landscape of financial services in the Middle East and Africa. By leveraging ACI’s cutting-edge technology and AFS’s market expertise, the collaboration aims to deliver unparalleled value to customers, fueling economic growth and fostering technological resilience in the region’s payment ecosystem.