National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has partnered with TerraPay to extend its international payout capabilities via Swift connectivity.
Under the partnership, NBB will use TerraPay’s digital payout infrastructure to extend its international reach, simplify its cross-border payout operations, and give customers access to a wider range of payment destinations. According to the companies, the arrangement provides access to more than 12 billion endpoints, spanning bank accounts, digital wallets, and local payment systems.
The deal pairs NBB’s existing banking infrastructure, customer base, and regional presence with TerraPay’s global payout network. For NBB, the focus is on serving clients whose payment needs increasingly extend beyond Bahrain and the surrounding region.
Swift connectivity as the integration layer
At the centre of the partnership is TerraPay’s ability to receive Swift ISO 20022 messages and deliver cross-border transactions in real time. The companies state that customers receive full transparency on transfers, with no deductions taken from the principal amount.
TerraPay’s Swift connectivity allows banks to reach its network of bank accounts, digital wallets, and local payment systems using their existing Swift infrastructure and established RMA key exchange processes. This removes the need for banks to build direct integrations into individual markets, which, according to the companies, reduces technical complexity and shortens the time required to open new markets and payout corridors. NBB can therefore keep its focus on customer relationships, banking services, and digital customer experience.
Ani Sane, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at TerraPay, said that banks are looking to expand their international payment reach without building and maintaining separate connections to every market, wallet, and local payment system. Sane added that the model allows NBB to access the network through a single connection while retaining control of the customer relationship and its core banking infrastructure, describing the arrangement as an example of banks extending traditional correspondent banking into instant payments and digital wallets.
NBB’s transaction banking focus
Vineet Munot, Group Head of Transaction Banking at NBB, noted that international connectivity is becoming more important to how the bank’s customers operate. The official described the collaboration as a step towards scaling NBB’s payments proposition, aiming to connect customers in Bahrain and the wider region to more payment destinations as their requirements become more global.
The two companies position the partnership as a link between traditional banking and digital payment ecosystems, with the stated aim of making cross-border money movement more accessible, efficient, and connected.
