Finastra has launched OperatorAssist, an artificial intelligence feature embedded in the user interface of its payments hub. It targets errors and exception handling in bank payment operations.
Finastra positions the product as a way for banks to reduce manual effort during payment investigations and repairs. Early results suggest efficiency gains of more than 20%.
Exception handling remains a persistent cost and service challenge for banks as payment volumes rise and message formats evolve. Investigations can require multiple hand-offs across operations teams and often depend on specialist knowledge of payment rules, cut-off times and internal processes.
OperatorAssist automates parts of the investigation workflow by analysing payment data, generating recommended repairs and guiding users through resolution steps. Finastra says the feature reduces errors, speeds completion and lowers operational costs across the payments lifecycle.
Barry Rodrigues, EVP, Payments at Finastra, described the launch as part of a broader shift in how operations teams work with modern payment platforms.
"OperatorAssist is revolutionizing how banks around the world handle payments," said Barry Rodrigues, EVP, Payments at Finastra. By combining AI with a cloud-native, ISO 20022-native platform, we're removing friction from daily operations and empowering institutions with faster, smarter ways to resolve issues. Delivering speed, accuracy, and superior customer experience, this isn't just an incremental improvement but a step-change in how payments teams work."
Operational impact
Finastra expects the new feature to deliver faster exception handling, improved accuracy, less manual effort, quicker onboarding of new users and simpler day-to-day operations.
It says OperatorAssist can cut manual investigation time by 20% to 30%, saving users more than 1.5 hours a day. Finastra did not provide details on the number of users included in the early results, the types of bank deployments, or the time period used to calculate the savings.
Finastra also highlighted AI-generated repair recommendations, which it says reduce errors and shorten resolution times. The product includes guided steps for users, described as a form of virtual expertise for new staff.
Payments operations teams have come under pressure as banks move towards richer data in payment messages. ISO 20022 has become a central standard for many domestic and cross-border payment schemes. The additional data fields and structured formats can improve automation, but they can also introduce new failure points when upstream systems mis-populate fields or when banks inconsistently apply scheme-specific rules.
As a result, automation tools focused on exceptions have become a competitive differentiator among payments software providers. Banks also face cost constraints and operational skills shortages, increasing demand for software that reduces reliance on experienced investigators.
Product availability
OperatorAssist is available as an add-on for Finastra customers using Global PAYplus and Payments To Go. It extends the payment hub interface with optional AI functionality, according to Finastra.
Global PAYplus is Finastra's payments processing platform used for functions such as clearing, settlement and exceptions management. Payments To Go is a cloud-based offering aimed at payment processing and connectivity. Finastra did not disclose pricing, regional deployment timelines, or whether the feature is available across all payment types and schemes supported by the two products.
Industry view
Gareth Lodge, Principal Analyst, Global Payments at Celent, pointed to the link between exception volumes and the cost of payment processing.
"The rate at which a bank can do straight-through processing is critical. Complex inquiries and exception processing can take a significant amount of capacity from bank operations, resulting in higher transaction costs and payment delivery delays, and a poorer customer experience. AI based tools that enhance the productivity of operations have potential to address these problems," said Lodge.
Finastra says OperatorAssist is part of its approach to modern payments operations, built on cloud-native and ISO 20022-native foundations. It did not name early customers using the feature or provide third-party validation of the efficiency figures, but expects measurable operational impact as deployments expand.