Intellect Design Arena launches AI-first payments platform as it expands in the US
Intellect Design Arena has introduced Intellect Payments, an AI-first platform built to help banks and financial institutions move faster on instant payments without ripping out existing cores. The launch supports the company's US expansion as real-time payments gain traction and head toward a projected $2 billion US market by 2030.
The pitch is simple: integrate with your current stack, modernize incrementally, and deploy new rails quickly using a low-code/no-code, composable framework. For teams under pressure to deliver RTP, FedNow, ACH, Fedwire, and SWIFT use cases, the approach trades big-bang replacements for controlled rollout.
What's in the platform
- Composable, low-code/no-code setup that slots into existing cores, channels, and operations to enable incremental modernization.
- Purple Fabric AI pre-validates and enriches payments, with real-time anomaly detection and exception prediction handled via a centralized control plane.
- Pre- and in-flight decisioning for operational intelligence at key points in the payment flow.
- Single orchestration layer across major US networks: TCH RTP, FedNow, ACH, Fedwire, and SWIFT.
- Built on eMACH.ai and Pay9 architecture for scale and quick addition of new rails and use cases.
Why it matters
Analysts expect US real-time payments to grow at roughly 40% annually through 2030, yet many banks still haven't connected to instant networks. Businesses are asking for instant options-and a growing minority is willing to switch providers to get them. This creates opportunity for banks ready to move, and risk for those that stall.
As one executive put it: "Banks face a binary choice: lead the payment transformation or risk becoming outpaced by competitors… Banks need AI-first payment platforms designed specifically for the realities of regulated banking-platforms that combine speed, resilience, and operational intelligence without adding complexity."
For product, ops, and engineering teams
- Start with orchestration: add a control layer over current payment rails to avoid core disruption and reduce time-to-market.
- Cut manual work: use pre-flight validation and anomaly detection to reduce exceptions and operational overhead.
- Ship iteratively: leverage a composable framework to roll out RTP/FedNow use cases (requests for payment, disbursements, B2B) in smaller, testable increments.
- Plan for compliance-by-design: centralize rules and monitoring so policy changes update once and apply everywhere.
Company snapshot
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Chennai, India, Intellect Design Arena serves 500+ customers across 60+ countries. The firm's solutions cover wholesale and consumer banking, treasury, capital markets, and insurance. Client roster highlights include six of the top 10 North American banks, nine of the top 10 European banks, and 13 of the top 15 Indian banks.
The company made its Finovate debut in 2025, showcasing a no-code platform for banks to build role-based digital journeys for corporate clients.
North America momentum
Alongside the US push, the company announced a multi-year partnership with Canada's Carte Financial Group. The partnership integrates Intellect's Governance, Risk & Compliance platform-powered by Purple Fabric-into Carte's regulatory, onboarding, and governance workflows to improve speed, transparency, and accuracy.
"Securing this flagship partnership with Carte Financial Group is a defining win for Intellect as we expand our footprint across North America, specifically into Canada," said Banesh Prabhu, CEO of IntellectAI; Insurance, Wealth & Capital Markets. "This milestone reflects our strong alignment with Carte's vision of transforming compliance into a strategic advantage and showcases the confidence they have placed in our technology and approach."
Bottom line
Real-time payments are moving from optional to expected. An AI-first orchestration layer that plugs into existing systems lets banks reduce risk, deliver faster, and scale across RTP, FedNow, ACH, Fedwire, and SWIFT without adding complexity.
If you're evaluating instant payments and want a primer on enabling tech, the official materials for RTP and FedNow are a useful start. You can find details on RTP via The Clearing House and the FedNow Service here.
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