This case study documents Projective Group’s end‑to‑end support of a payment hub re‑platforming programme at a European bank, covering implementation, future proofing, go‑live and aftercare.
From ambition to delivery: the project and our role
Projective Group supported a financial services client with the implementation of a new central payment platform, replacing an existing legacy solution. The platform was designed to act as a single hub for processing payments from multiple systems through a standardised product, supporting the long‑term modernisation of payment services.
As part of the implementation, the ISO 20022 messaging standard was introduced and payment operations were further strengthened. Projective Group supported the programme through functional design, the planning and execution of testing activities, and the migration of existing transaction data.
Over a period of approximately 2.5 years, a large multidisciplinary team of over a 100 people worked together to deliver the implementation and achieve a successful go‑live.
Why the existing landscape no longer met the client’s needs
Like many financial institutions, the client relied on a long‑standing legacy system as its central payment hub. Over time, this solution had grown organically and was supported by multiple internal teams. Together with several partly outdated applications, this resulted in a fragmented and highly interdependent technology landscape.
Many payment processes still relied on manual steps, leading to long lead times, stalled workflows and high internal costs. At the same time, rapid change across the payments industry increased pressure to handle growing transaction volumes while improving operational efficiency.
The upcoming introduction of ISO 20022 would have required a major overhaul of the existing in‑house solution, tying up significant internal capacity and relying heavily on scarce specialised knowledge.
Standardisation reduced internal effort, but it also required a conscious shift away from bespoke processes towards shared ways of working.
The strategic goals behind the new payment hub?
The re‑platforming focused on standardisation, automation and interoperability. The target architecture established a central payment hub as the single processing layer for all transaction types, designed with open interfaces to support adaptability.
This approach enables seamless integration of new internal solutions as well as external overlay services, such as a digital euro or EUDI Wallet, without requiring fundamental architectural changes. To accommodate continuously growing transaction volumes, the platform was designed to scale both horizontally and vertically.
Automation was increased across the payments lifecycle, enabling incoming and outgoing transactions to be processed with minimal manual intervention and maximum speed. This significantly improved operational efficiency while strengthening control and consistency.
Creating the right setup for a complex delivery
Given the scale and complexity of the programme, the client complemented its internal workforce with external experts across multiple disciplines. Dedicated teams were formed with clearly defined responsibilities, structured along application boundaries.
With a fixed go‑live deadline linked to the ISO 20022 migration, the programme was delivered over nearly two years, covering implementation, testing, go‑live and post go‑live stabilisation.
Implementation phases and the logic behind them
Delivery was structured into two overlapping phases aligned with different payment types. Individual payments were migrated first, followed by SEPA retail payments. This reflected the fundamentally different processing workflows involved and enabled risks to be managed more effectively.
An agile delivery model was applied, with work organised into time‑boxed increments and sprints. This allowed for early validation, close collaboration and timely issue resolution throughout the programme.
Phasing the implementation allowed risk to be distributed and managed without disrupting live payment operations.
Go-Live, hypercare and transition to operations
Setting the foundations for a controlled go‑live
Both go‑lives were supported by detailed runbooks, clear ownership and extensive preparation. The transitions proceeded largely in line with plan, without major incidents or unplanned downtime.
A structured hypercare phase provided focused support in the weeks following go‑live. Dedicated points of contact, clear escalation paths and close collaboration ensured rapid resolution of any issues that arose.
As the programme moved into steady‑state operations, external consultants were gradually offboarded. Internal team members transitioned into newly formed operational teams, taking full ownership of the platform and ensuring long‑term sustainability.
From delivery to long‑term impact
The client replaced a complex legacy payments landscape with a scalable, standardised platform designed to support growth and regulatory change. With end‑to‑end support from Projective Group, the programme moved from design through to go‑live with control and confidence, creating a strong foundation for future development.
Über Projective Group
Projective Group wurde in 2006 gegründet und hat sich seitdem als eine führende Unternehmensberatung im Bereich Finanzdienstleistungen etabliert.
Wir sind in der europäischen Branche dafür bekannt, komplexe Herausforderungen und neue Themen in klare, pragmatische Lösungen umzusetzen. Dank unserer tiefen Verankerung und vertrauensvollen Beziehungen im Finanzdienstleistungssektor verfügen wir über fundiertes Fachwissen in allen Schlüsselbereichen. Wir begleiten den gesamten Veränderungsprozess: von der Strategieentwicklung über die Umsetzung komplexer Transformationen bis hin zum langfristigen Aufbau von Kompetenzen durch Managed Services, Personalvermittlung und Schulungen. Unser Anspruch ist einfach: Finanzdienstleister zu befähigen, die Zukunft von Wohlbefinden, Wachstum und Innovation aktiv mitzugestalten.
