BDO Unibank upgrades payments platform with Finastra

BDO Unibank has upgraded its payments infrastructure with Finastra's Global PAYplus platform, which it is now using for Swift and inbound PESONet processing.

The move expands BDO's use of a platform designed to handle both high-value and mass payments, as the lender responds to rising transaction volumes and changing payment standards. The upgrade is intended to improve operational resilience and support interoperability across the wider payments market.

One of the Philippines' largest banks, BDO serves retail, commercial, and institutional customers. It also provides payment distribution services for correspondent banking relationships and fintech partners entering the local market. According to Finastra, BDO is the country's largest commercial bank using Global PAYplus.

The platform supports Swift transactions and inbound processing for PESONet, one of the Philippines' electronic fund transfer systems. Finastra said the deployment gives BDO a foundation for current and future payment requirements through a single platform that handles different payment types.

According to the companies, the system adds more automation and rule-based payment processing while helping the bank prepare for standards such as ISO 20022. Banks globally have been updating payments systems to align with ISO 20022 as clearing networks and financial institutions adopt the messaging standard for domestic and cross-border transactions.

Payments shift

The upgrade comes as banks face pressure to process larger transaction volumes while maintaining reliability across multiple payment rails. In many markets, lenders are replacing fragmented legacy payments systems with centralised platforms that connect to domestic schemes, international networks, and corporate banking channels.

The shift has become more pronounced as banks seek to reduce operational complexity and manage a broader mix of instant, batch, and high-value payments. It also reflects a wider move towards architectures built around application programming interfaces, cloud-based deployment models, and standardised messaging frameworks.

Finastra said this market direction also includes the rise of unified payment hubs that consolidate and orchestrate multiple rails. The company also pointed to AI-enabled operations and ISO 20022 support as part of the technology base many banks now want in upgraded payments estates.

For BDO, the investment comes as banks in the Philippines face pressure to serve both consumer and corporate clients with faster, more consistent transaction processing. Digital payments adoption has continued to grow in recent years, pushing financial institutions to review the resilience and scale of back-end systems.

Bank response

Carlo B. Nazareno outlined the bank's rationale for the change.

"Payments are a critical enabler of commerce and economic activity, making resilient and scalable infrastructure increasingly important," said Carlo B. Nazareno, Head of Cash Management Services, BDO. "By enhancing our payments architecture with Finastra's Global PAYplus, we have strengthened our ability to support growing transaction volumes, improve operational efficiency, and adapt to evolving market requirements. This provides a strong foundation for delivering a seamless client experience today while supporting future innovation across the payments ecosystem."

Finastra framed the project as part of a broader effort by banks to simplify operations while supporting a wider range of customer demands. The vendor said combining high-value and mass-payments processing on one platform can reduce the burden of managing separate systems.

"Banks around the world are under growing pressure to deliver payment experiences that are immediate, reliable, and tailored to increasingly diverse customer needs," said Radha Suvarna, Chief Product Officer, Payments, Finastra. "By bringing high-value and mass-payments processing together on Global PAYplus, BDO is reducing complexity while creating a more flexible foundation for innovation. We are proud to support the bank as it advances its payments capabilities and expands the services it can provide to customers. Our partnership demonstrates both the international capabilities of our solution and our commitment to supporting banks with complex requirements, including multiple clearing systems and nuanced corporate client needs."