Overview

As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 push toward a digitally empowered financial system, two leading banks embarked on a journey to modernize their payments infrastructure. Their objective: to meet rising customer demand for real-time transactions, operate on a 24/7 basis, and support national goals for reducing cash dependency. By partnering with Volante Technologies, both institutions delivered transformative improvements to their payments operations—establishing new benchmarks for speed, scalability, and digital-first customer experience.

About the Saudi banks

The two financial institutions featured in this case study are among Saudi Arabia’s most respected banks, with strong roots in corporate and retail banking. Since their founding in the late 20th century, they’ve contributed to the Kingdom’s economic growth by financing infrastructure, industry, and trade. With extensive branch and digital networks, they serve a wide range of clients, including government entities, large enterprises, and SMEs. Eager to stay ahead of evolving expectations, both banks prioritized payment modernization as a strategic imperative.

The challenges that these banks faced

Despite their strong market positions, both banks faced similar roadblocks in delivering real-time payment capabilities. Their legacy systems, built for batch-based processing, lacked the agility to support 24/7 transaction volumes or modern compliance standards like ISO 20022. Integration complexity was another concern—new technologies had to be introduced without disrupting existing mission-critical operations. Against this backdrop, each institution needed to accelerate delivery timelines, meet regulatory expectations, and respond to growing competition from digital-first players.

How Volante helped

To enable a smooth transition, the banks turned to Volante Technologies and its Payments as a Service (PaaS) platform. Volante’s solution provided a cloud-native infrastructure that could support high-speed, real-time processing while maintaining compatibility with legacy systems. With ISO 20022-native capabilities built in, compliance with regulatory mandates was simplified. Volante’s integration approach allowed each bank to roll out modern payment services quickly, with phased deployment strategies that minimized disruption and maximized operational continuity.

Achieving remarkable results

Each bank achieved full go-live with SARIE instant payments within just a few months of project initiation. Customers gained access to 24/7 real-time payment capabilities, significantly improving user satisfaction and trust. Operationally, the banks unlocked cost efficiencies and reduced reliance on manual processes, allowing internal teams to focus on higher-value initiatives. These results reinforced the banks’ reputations as forward-thinking institutions within the region’s increasingly digital financial landscape.

Building for the future

Now equipped with a modernized, API-first infrastructure, both banks are poised to introduce new payment services with speed and confidence. Whether expanding to cross-border rails or integrating advanced data and analytics, the underlying Volante platform provides the flexibility needed to adapt to a rapidly shifting market. Just as importantly, the transformation directly supports Saudi Arabia’s national goal to double non-cash transactions by 2030—helping shape the next generation of financial services in the region.

The Volante difference

What set Volante apart was not just its technology but its strategic collaboration model. The team delivered a highly configurable platform tailored to each bank’s operational environment and regulatory landscape. From initial planning through final deployment, Volante offered deep expertise, agile implementation, and an unwavering focus on long-term value. As a result, both banks were able to modernize faster, with lower risk and greater confidence in their ability to scale.