OMAHA, Nebraska — March 4, 2026
Executive Summary
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a provider of global payments technology solutions, has announced the launch of ACI Connetic for Cards, a next-generation card payments suite integrated within the company’s ACI Connetic platform. The new offering extends the capabilities of ACI Connetic, described by the company as the industry’s first unified cloud-native payments hub, which brings together account-to-account (A2A) payments, card payments, and AI-driven fraud prevention on a single platform.
The launch expands ACI Worldwide’s card processing capabilities by combining its acquiring, issuing, ATM and self-service banking technologies within a unified cloud-native architecture. According to the company, ACI Connetic for Cards supports the full lifecycle of card transactions while enabling financial institutions to modernize their card payment infrastructure through modular deployment and API-driven integration.
The introduction of ACI Connetic for Cards follows the release of ACI Connetic in 2025. The company stated that the platform continues to evolve through new deployments and expanded capabilities across the payments ecosystem.
Announcement Overview
ACI Worldwide announced the launch of ACI Connetic for Cards, a modernized card payments suite built within its ACI Connetic unified payments platform. The new solution is designed to bring together card processing operations and account-to-account payments within a single cloud-native infrastructure.
The company stated that the suite incorporates its existing acquiring, issuing, ATM, and self-service banking technologies into a unified architecture designed to support modern payment operations. According to ACI Worldwide, these technologies collectively process more than 300 billion card transactions annually.
ACI Connetic for Cards is intended to support the entire transaction lifecycle of a payment. This includes capturing and authenticating transaction data across channels, routing transactions to the appropriate hosts or payment networks, and securely authorizing and clearing transactions to enable settlement between financial institutions.
The company stated that integrating these functions within a unified platform provides financial institutions with operational scale, resilience, and the ability to support modern payment experiences. The modular architecture allows institutions to adopt modernization initiatives at their own pace while maintaining continuity in existing payment processing operations.
The launch builds on the introduction of ACI Connetic in 2025, which combined account-to-account payments, card processing, and AI-driven fraud prevention into a single platform architecture.
Key Announcement Details
- Announcement Type: Product launch
- Product Name: ACI Connetic for Cards
- Parent Platform: ACI Connetic unified cloud-native payments hub
- Company Announcing: ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW)
- Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
- Launch Date: March 4, 2026
- Platform Architecture: Cloud-native, unified payments platform
- Platform Design: API-first architecture
- Platform Structure: Enterprise-grade modular suite
- Primary Function: Modernization of card payment processing infrastructure
- Payment Types Integrated:
- Card payments
- Account-to-account (A2A) payments
- AI-driven fraud prevention
- Processing Capabilities Included:
- Card issuing
- Card acquiring
- ATM processing
- Self-service banking
- Transaction Lifecycle Coverage:
- Data capture across channels
- Transaction authentication
- Transaction routing to payment networks or hosts
- Payment authorization
- Clearing of transactions
- Settlement support between financial institutions
- Existing Processing Scale:
- ACI’s acquiring, issuing, ATM, and self-service banking solutions process more than 300 billion card transactions annually
- Platform Objectives:
- Unify global card payment capabilities
- Modernize payment processing infrastructure
- Support operational scalability
- Improve payment system resilience
- Enable modernization of card platforms
- Operational Benefits Identified by the Company:
- Unified payments operations
- Improved operational efficiency
- Greater platform resilience
- Continuous innovation across payment ecosystems
- Embedded Platform Capabilities:
- Fraud management functionality
- Digital identity capabilities
- Integration with account-to-account payment infrastructure
- Industry Context Referenced:
- Global card transactions totaled 776 billion in 2024
- Global card transactions projected to reach 1.1 trillion annually by 2029
- Projected growth represents 43% increase compared with 2024
- Drivers of Global Card Growth Identified:
- Contactless payment adoption
- Growth in e-commerce transactions
- Digitization of business-to-business payments
- Platform Introduction History:
- ACI Connetic originally introduced in 2025
- Platform Evolution:
- Expanded capabilities and deployments continued through 2026
- Industry Adoption Trend Identified:
- Financial institutions increasingly adopting unified cloud-native payments architectures
- Example Customer Referenced:
- Solaris SE
- Executive Commentary Included:
- Thomas Warsop, CEO and President, ACI Worldwide
- Bill Farris, Head of Issuing and Acquiring, ACI Worldwide
- Customer Commentary Included:
- Peter Hüftlein, Head of Product Accounts, Solaris SE
- Supporting Industry Data Source:
- Nilson Report, January 2025
Strategic Context: Continued Growth in Global Card Payments
The launch of ACI Connetic for Cards takes place amid continued expansion in global card payment activity. According to data referenced by the company from the Nilson Report (January 2025), global card transactions totaled 776 billion in 2024 and are projected to reach 1.1 trillion transactions annually by 2029, representing a 43 percent increase compared with 2024 levels.
Several factors have contributed to the continued growth in card usage globally. These include the expansion of contactless payments, increasing adoption of e-commerce transactions, and the ongoing digitization of business-to-business payment flows.
Despite the rise of real-time payment systems in various markets, cards continue to represent a dominant payment method globally. As transaction volumes increase, financial institutions are evaluating how existing card processing infrastructure can support growing demand while maintaining reliability and operational stability.
According to ACI Worldwide, many institutions are developing modernization strategies designed to support future payment volumes while maintaining operational continuity. The company stated that a flexible modernization approach allows institutions to transition their payment infrastructure at a pace aligned with their operational and regulatory requirements.
ACI Connetic for Cards is designed to provide a modern architecture that can support these modernization strategies while integrating with existing card processing environments.
Platform Architecture and Transaction Processing Capabilities
ACI Worldwide stated that the ACI Connetic for Cards suite supports the full lifecycle of card payments within a unified infrastructure environment.
The platform captures transaction data from multiple payment channels and performs authentication processes before routing transactions to the appropriate host systems or payment networks. Once routing is completed, the platform enables authorization and clearing processes that support settlement between financial institutions involved in the transaction.
According to the company, integrating these capabilities within a single platform enables financial institutions to manage card payment operations through a unified infrastructure rather than separate systems for issuing, acquiring, and ATM transactions.
ACI Connetic for Cards is designed as an enterprise-grade modular suite that can integrate with existing banking and payments environments through API-based connectivity. The platform architecture is intended to support operational scalability while enabling institutions to introduce new payment services and transaction types.
The platform also integrates with ACI Connetic’s broader functionality, including account-to-account payment capabilities and AI-driven fraud detection technologies.
According to the company, this unified approach allows financial institutions to operate multiple payment types within a single platform environment while maintaining consistent security and operational controls.
Leadership Perspectives on the Launch
Executives at ACI Worldwide stated that the launch represents an expansion of the ACI Connetic platform into the core infrastructure used for retail card payments.
“When we introduced ACI Connetic, we set a new benchmark for how banks operate in the digital economy,” said Thomas Warsop, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACI Worldwide. “With ACI Connetic for Cards, we’re bringing that standard to the heart of retail payments — modernizing the issuing, acquiring and ATM capabilities banks depend on. It gives institutions a future-ready foundation that improves flexibility and agility by opening a low-risk path to new services, new payment types and continuous innovation.”
The company indicated that the platform is designed to support modernization initiatives while maintaining stability in existing card processing environments.
“Banks need payments infrastructure that can evolve without elevating risk,” said Bill Farris, head of issuing and acquiring at ACI Worldwide. “ACI Connetic for Cards brings card processing and account-to-account payments together on a single, cloud-native platform, enhanced with advanced fraud and identity intelligence to deliver stronger resilience and operational efficiency. This is modern payments infrastructure built to evolve at the pace our customers require without risking stability.”
ACI Worldwide stated that the platform’s architecture is designed to support financial institutions that are transitioning to modern payment systems while maintaining operational continuity.
Industry Adoption of Unified Payments Platforms
Financial institutions are increasingly adopting unified payments platforms that integrate multiple payment types into a single operational environment. These platforms allow banks and payment providers to manage card transactions, account-to-account payments, and fraud detection through integrated infrastructure.
According to ACI Worldwide, cloud-native architectures are becoming a key component of these modernization initiatives. Such architectures allow institutions to deploy modular capabilities and integrate payment services through API-driven connectivity while maintaining centralized operational oversight.
Unified payment platforms also enable institutions to support multiple payment channels through a consistent infrastructure framework. This approach can help streamline operational processes while enabling the introduction of new payment services.
ACI Worldwide stated that ACI Connetic was introduced in 2025 to address these industry developments by bringing together account-to-account payments, card payments, and AI-driven fraud prevention within a single cloud-native platform.
The company noted that the platform has continued to expand through new deployments and additional capabilities introduced through 2026. The launch of ACI Connetic for Cards extends this platform by incorporating card payment processing into the unified architecture.
Customer Perspective
Financial institutions and fintech companies implementing unified payment platforms have indicated that integrated architectures can support operational simplification and faster product innovation.
“At Solaris, we value both the innovation and the depth of capability delivered through ACI Connetic,” said Peter Hüftlein, head of product accounts at Solaris SE. “The unified, cloud-native approach supports us to simplify operations, accelerate change and innovate across payment types with far greater control. ACI Connetic for our instant payments capabilities gives us a resilient, modern foundation that supports our growth and lets us deliver new customer experiences at speed.”
According to the company, ACI Connetic is designed to provide institutions with a unified platform for managing multiple payment types while enabling the introduction of new services through modular deployment.
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide is a global payments technology company providing software solutions designed to enable real-time payments orchestration for banks, billers, and merchants.
The company delivers technology platforms that support payment processing, fraud management, and payment infrastructure modernization across financial institutions and payment providers. ACI Worldwide stated that its solutions are designed to help organizations manage and process payments securely while supporting the development of new payment experiences.
ACI Worldwide reports nearly 50 years of experience in payments technology, providing payment infrastructure used by financial institutions and organizations worldwide. The company combines a global presence with localized operational support in multiple markets.
Through its payments orchestration platforms and payment infrastructure solutions, ACI Worldwide supports institutions seeking to modernize their payment systems while maintaining operational security and reliability.
Media Contact
For additional information, visit aciworldwide.com.
Source Attribution
Source: Company announcement