ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leader in real-time payments software, has entered into a decade-long strategic partnership with Arab Financial Services (AFS), the premier digital payment solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). This collaboration aims to revolutionize digital payment systems for banks, fintechs, and merchants throughout the region.

“Arab Financial Services is thrilled to embark on a strategic partnership with ACI Worldwide,” said Samer Soliman, CEO, Arab Financial Services.

“As the payments landscape becomes ever more intricate and prone to disruption, a reliable technology partner offering industry-leading solutions is crucial. Together, AFS and ACI Worldwide are committed to empower our customers with cutting-edge technology that streamlines operations, fosters growth and unlocks new levels of profitability.”

AFS, regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain and owned by 37 banks and financial institutions, caters to over 60 clients across more than 20 countries. The company is renowned for its innovative digital payment services, including card processing, merchant acquiring, and fintech solutions.

The partnership will leverage ACI’s Enterprise Payments Platform to modernize retail banking for AFS’s clientele, offering a unified transaction processing platform with advanced security and flexible, cloud-ready technology. Additionally, AFS will implement ACI’s Payments Orchestration Platform to enable merchants to streamline payments through a single integrated solution, enhancing customer experiences while reducing operational costs.

“ACI’s partnership with Arab Financial Services is an important milestone in our strategy to support banks and merchants in the Middle East in their quest for digital payments modernization,” commented Santhosh Rao, senior vice president, MEASA, ACI Worldwide.

Our flexible, agile and innovative payment software solutions will now be available to banks, financial institutions and merchants across the region. AFS is now in a strong position to support all customers in the region on their quest for digital transformation and innovation, while enabling the resiliency and service quality required by next-generation payment systems.”