Disruption and innovation continue apace in payments, with its influence as a driver likely to go into overdrive. For card issuers there is an array of new challenges fed by rapid technology innovation, the entry of new players and a growing adoption of real-time payments and alternate payment mechanisms. Alongside this, cardholder expectations have become more demanding. To keep pace with emerging trends, it is crucial that forward-looking issuers adapt their technology to better align with customer preferences, enable the rapid rollout of innovations at scale and achieve processing efficiencies.