UBL UK has selected Aqua Global's Aquila platform to replace manual Swift processes as part of a broader core banking transformation.
The UK-based bank is undergoing a core banking migration to Essence, an API-first platform, and identified payments and reconciliation modernisation as a central component of the programme. Processing approximately 100.000 payments annually, UBL UK required infrastructure capable of supporting increased automation, resilience, and operational control as the bank pursues growth across its personal and business banking services.
Replacing legacy processes with automated infrastructure
Aquila's multi-channel messaging solution will consolidate messaging, payments, and reconciliation onto a single platform. The deployment introduces API-driven connectivity alongside automated validation of IBANs and BICs, replacing processes that previously relied on manual, file-based Swift operations. The shift is intended to reduce errors, minimise missed cut-off times, and lower the risk of associated penalties.
During the first year of operation, UBL UK will have access to Aqua Global's Proactive Infrastructure Managed Service, which provides monitoring and support through the transition period. The bank's technology change programme involves not only the core banking migration but also the broader surrounding infrastructure required to make an API-first environment fully operational.
Long-standing relationship and ISO 20022 background
The selection of Aquila follows over a decade of collaboration between UBL UK and Aqua Global, which previously supported the bank through its migration to ISO 20022, a messaging standard that has become central to cross-border and domestic payment modernisation across the industry. That prior experience, including the transition away from Aqua's earlier E2Gen platform, informed the decision to proceed with Aquila for the current transformation phase.
UBL UK's service offering includes savings, mortgages, and international money transfers, with clients spanning personal banking, business banking, real estate lending, treasury, and money transmission. Given the volume of international transfers within its customer base, robust and efficient Swift connectivity is a core operational requirement for the bank.
UBL UK noted that the bank's existing familiarity with Aqua Global's team and its industry knowledge were factors in the decision, alongside the operational reassurance provided by the proactive monitoring service during a period of significant change.
From Aqua Global's perspective, the deployment reflects a broader point about core banking transformation: updating the core system alone does not fully modernise a bank's payments capability. Payments, messaging, and reconciliation infrastructure must be aligned with the pace and architecture of the new core environment to deliver the expected operational benefits.
The Aquila platform is positioned to provide UBL UK with a scalable foundation as the bank expands its digital banking capabilities, with the API-first connectivity layer intended to support future improvements to information flows between systems.
