SKU-P08GCC · North America1 weekNew · first step
Payments deadline snapshot
One deadline, one week, one page: whether you’re ready, what’s missing, and what it will cost.
The outcome you can measure
Three numbers at the end of the week
01 · A dateYour ready-by dateSet against the regulator’s or scheme’s date, with the critical path.
02 · A gap countYour top 10 gapsRanked by severity, each with an owner.
03 · A money figureA cost range to close themBuild, buy and run, so you know what to ask the board for.
Why now
- Pick oneAani · Jaywan · SAMA payment initiation · ISO 20022 phase 2 · AlTareq · Canada’s Real-Time Rail · FedNow
- Nov 2026Swift starts rejecting unstructured-only addresses. The first ISO 20022 phase-2 milestone is weeks away.
- Under wayJaywan’s later issuers and SAMA’s payment initiation stage are both moving now.
- Why a weekA small, fixed first step is easy to approve, and it tells you whether a sprint is needed at all.
Sources: Swift timeline; WAM on Jaywan (July 2026); SAMA Open Banking Forum (September 2026).
Who it’s for
A good fit
- Heads of payments, COOs and CIOs with one named deadline
- Exchange houses and PSPs deciding whether to act now or wait
- Banks preparing next year’s budget request
Not the right start
- Programmes already in build: see the fractional architect
- Several mandates at once: see target architecture
What you get, and how it runs
- A one-page readiness view your board can read in five minutes
- Your top 10 gaps, ranked, each with an owner
- A ready-by date and the critical path to it
- A cost range to close the gaps
- A fixed quote for the matching sprint, if you want one
- Day 1Kick-off, document request and interview plan
- Days 2–3Interviews across payments, operations, compliance and IT
- Day 4Gaps ranked; date and cost range built
- Day 5Readout with your sponsor; the one-pager is yours to keep
What I need from you
- One sponsor who owns the deadline
- 4–6 hours of interviews across four or five people
- Current architecture, scheme and vendor documents
Where it leads
The matching sprint: Aani, Jaywan, SAMA payment initiation or ISO 20022.
How we’d work
Fixed feeHalf on signing. Priced so a head of payments can approve it without a tender.
Remote-firstRun from Dubai across GCC and North American hours.
IndependentI don’t resell software. fazeZERO, which I contract through, won’t bid on build work from my advice without your written consent.
Numbers agreed up frontThe date, gap count and money figure are written into the statement of work.
Next step
Tell me the deadline you’re working to.
A 30-minute call is enough to confirm the fit, the fee and a start date.