Driving real world impact through AI, platform modernization, and industry-wide collaboration

SYDNEY, June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra brought together leading voices from across the financial services ecosystem at its Innovating Finance Together Summit in Sydney, highlighting how banks, fintechs, and technology partners are turning strategy into execution and delivering tangible results. The Summit reflected a clear shift underway across the industry, from ambition to action. Conversations centered on how institutions are applying AI in practical ways, modernizing core platforms, and working more closely across the ecosystem to accelerate innovation and improve customer outcomes. The central theme was the power of collaboration. As complexity grows and expectations rise, institutions are moving beyond siloed innovation towards more connected, partner-driven models. Speakers emphasized that meaningful transformation increasingly depends on open platforms, shared capabilities, and the ability to innovate together.

Artificial intelligence featured prominently as a catalyst for progress, not as a standalone solution, but as a core capability. Leaders highlighted how AI is already improving efficiency, enhancing decision-making, and elevated customer experiences, while reinforcing that modern, resilient core platform remains critical to delivering at scale. Across both payments and lending, leaders pointed to more agile, scalable architectures built for speed and adaptability. Financial institutions are increasingly adopting cloud-native technologies, open APIs, and microservices to improve agility, reduce complexity, and accelerate time to market.

• In payments: conversations highlighted the continued evolution toward real-time, always-on infrastructures, alongside growing demand for faster, more transparent cross-border transactions. Emerging models, including digital assets and tokenization, are reshaping how money moves globally.
• In lending: institutions are leveraging data, AI, and automation to streamline processes, improve decision accuracy, and deliver more seamless client experiences; while preparing for the longer-term impact of tokenization on transaction speed and transparency.

As innovation accelerates, speakers also emphasized the importance of strong governance, data oversight, and regulatory alignment - ensuring progress is delivered responsibly and sustainably.

The message from Sydney was consistent: the institutions that can lead are those that can combine technology, collaboration, and discipline responsibly and sustainably. The Sydney Summit is part of Finastra's global Innovating Finance Together series, bringing together the industry to move faster, work smarter, and turn innovation into measurable impact.

About Finastra

Finastra is a global leader in financial services software, trusted by 7,000+ customers - including 40 of the world's top 50 banks - in over 110 countries. With expertise in Lending, Payments, and Universal Banking, we deliver reliable, scalable, mission-critical solutions such as Loan IQ, LaserPro, Trade Innovation, Essence, Global PAYplus, Payments To Go, and Financial Messaging. Backed by Vista Equity Partners, we co-innovate with customers to build modern technology that helps financial institutions grow with confidence. Visit www.finastra.com or follow Finastra on LinkedIn.