BNP Paribas executive sees faster future for established payment rails

BNP Paribas’s Amedeo Gallina said established payment rails remain central to the future of payments, particularly for high-volume transactions such as payroll, in a FinextraTV interview at EBADay 2026 in Copenhagen. Gallina, global head of international payment offer for cash management at BNP Paribas, said the sector must improve speed and client experience if those rails are to meet client expectations and the ambitions associated with the G20 payments agenda.

Finextra described the interview, published on 2 July 2026, as sponsored content created by its editorial team with input from subject matter experts at the funding sponsor. The discussion focused on how bank payment infrastructure that has long underpinned corporate and institutional flows can remain relevant as clients demand faster execution and more transparent service.

Modernising existing infrastructure

Gallina referred to a “second generation” of payment rails that continues to rely on established foundations while placing greater emphasis on speed, according to Finextra. In payments, rails are the networks and operating arrangements that allow money to move between accounts and institutions. Traditional rails have been used for large batches of transactions and corporate cash-management needs, where reliability, reach and operational scale are central considerations.

His comments point to an incremental model of modernisation: improving the performance and client-facing experience of existing infrastructure rather than treating newer payment networks as the only route to faster payments. Finextra reported that Gallina sees traditional rails as retaining a vital role in large-volume use cases, including payroll processing.

The G20 has made payments a policy focus through work aimed at improving the performance of cross-border payments. Gallina said traditional rails need to be capable of matching those ambitions, Finextra reported, while still serving the transaction volumes that large companies and banks require.

Client expectations set the benchmark

The interview places client experience alongside speed as a condition for continued relevance. For corporate treasurers and banks, payment infrastructure is assessed not only by whether a payment is completed, but also by how quickly it is processed and how well the service fits operational requirements.

Gallina’s position, as reported by Finextra, is that traditional payment systems are not being displaced from core corporate uses, provided they adapt. The “second generation” framing suggests a market in which legacy networks keep their institutional base while adopting features that respond to expectations set by faster digital payment services.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.