Attending the SUMMIT with Iliad’s COO Jill Pyper reinforced something we have been seeing across North America for some time now: payments modernisation is no longer a future ambition – it is happening now, and at pace.
For Iliad Solutions, the US and Canada continue to be strategically important markets and areas where we have seen significant growth over recent years. The conversations, priorities and challenges discussed at SUMMIT closely reflected what we are hearing from clients across the region. The event provided a valuable opportunity not only to engage with the industry, but also to showcase how our groundbreaking t3 payment testing platform can help organisations navigate this next phase of transformation safely, efficiently and with confidence.
Real-Time Payments move centre stage
A dominant theme throughout the conference was Canada’s continued drive to modernise its payments ecosystem in support of economic growth. The organisers framed the event around the theme of “Accelerate Economic Growth”, and much of the discussion focused on how faster, smarter and more connected payment infrastructure can support that ambition.
Particular attention was given to Canada’s forthcoming Real-Time Rail (RTR), which is expected to launch later this year. There is clear pride within the Canadian market around the development of domestic payment capabilities and infrastructure. The messaging around sovereign systems and Canadian-built technology was impossible to miss, reflecting both the current geopolitical climate and a wider desire for greater national resilience and control over critical financial infrastructure.
The launch of RTR represents a major milestone for the Canadian payments industry. Beyond improving payment speed and customer experience, real-time payments fundamentally change how financial institutions operate. The challenge now moves from planning to onboarding — ensuring banks, PSPs and ecosystem participants are fully prepared operationally, technically and from a risk perspective.
From our perspective, one of the most encouraging aspects of the conference was the level of realism in the conversations. There was widespread recognition that delivering real-time payments successfully requires far more than simply switching on new rails. Testing, operational readiness and resilience remain critical.
This is precisely where Iliad Solutions’ t3 platform generated strong interest during the event. As a groundbreaking payment testing solution, t3 enables financial institutions, central infrastructures and payment providers to simulate, test and validate payment systems under real-world conditions before they go live. In increasingly complex real-time ecosystems, this capability is becoming essential rather than optional.
Fraud prevention cannot be an afterthought
One of the clearest themes throughout the event was fraud.
As markets move towards instant payments, fraud prevention inevitably becomes more complex. Several speakers highlighted the need for the industry to learn from the experiences of other regions, particularly the UK, where fraud accelerated rapidly following the rollout of Faster Payments.
That message strongly resonated with us.
The speed of real-time payments leaves very limited opportunity to identify and stop fraudulent transactions once initiated. As a result, fraud prevention needs to be embedded into the design, testing and operational processes from day one — not added later.
Several panels were held on Confirmation of Payee (CoP) and Verification of Payee (VoP) services, which are initiatives that aim to confirm payments are being made to the right accounts. The broader theme throughout industry messaging was innovation cannot succeed without trust and security keeping pace.
One comment from the conference particularly stood out: “We have a collective responsibility to ensure payments are safe and secure to enable innovation.”
That sentiment captures the challenge facing the industry perfectly. Collaboration across banks, payment providers, regulators and technology partners will be essential if real-time ecosystems are to scale successfully and securely.
These discussions also reinforced the importance of comprehensive payment testing. With real-time payments, organisations cannot afford uncertainty around performance, fraud controls or interoperability. t3’s ability to automate complex payment testing scenarios, simulate transaction flows and validate operational resilience positions it as a key enabler for institutions preparing for RTR and broader payment modernisation programmes.
Cross-border ambitions meet sovereign priorities
Another major talking point was cross-border interoperability.
There is significant industry ambition to create more seamless international payment experiences between markets, particularly across North America. However, this sat alongside strong messaging around national payment sovereignty and the importance of Canadian-owned infrastructure.
This was especially visible in discussions surrounding Canada’s digital wallet initiative. The emphasis on home-grown technology and domestic capability reflects a broader strategic direction emerging within Canada’s payments landscape.
For organisations operating internationally, this creates an interesting balance. Financial institutions increasingly need systems and partners capable of supporting global interoperability while still aligning with local regulatory, operational and sovereignty requirements.
This is another area where t3 attracted considerable interest in our discussions at the SUMMIT. As payment ecosystems become more interconnected, testing across multiple schemes, formats and infrastructures becomes increasingly challenging. t3’s ability to support end-to-end testing across complex payment environments gives organisations greater confidence as they modernise and scale internationally.
Why events like this matter
For Iliad Solutions, attending the SUMMIT was valuable for several reasons.
Firstly, it allowed us to hear directly from the market about the challenges organisations are prioritising right now – particularly around real-time readiness, fraud mitigation and operational resilience.
Secondly, it provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships across the North American payments ecosystem at a time of significant change and investment.
Most importantly, it reinforced the growing relevance of our t3 platform within this evolving landscape.
As institutions prepare for RTR onboarding and broader payment modernisation initiatives, the need for robust testing, monitoring and simulation capabilities becomes increasingly important. Real-time payments environments leave very little room for operational failure. Financial institutions need confidence that systems will perform securely, reliably and at scale before services go live.
The conversations we had throughout the conference demonstrated that the market increasingly recognises testing as a strategic enabler rather than simply a compliance exercise. Organisations are looking for smarter, more automated and scalable approaches to payment testing. That is exactly where t3 is helping to redefine what best practice looks like.
What does the future hold?
Canada’s payments transformation is entering a critical phase.
The ambition, investment and momentum across the industry are clear, but so too are the challenges. Balancing innovation with security, enabling interoperability while maintaining sovereignty, and delivering speed without compromising resilience will define the success of the next generation of payment infrastructure.
For Iliad Solutions, the 2026 Payments Canada SUMMIT reinforced why North America remains such an important region for our business and our clients. The opportunities ahead are significant. We look forward to continuing to support organisations as they navigate this period of rapid change and modernisation with innovative solutions such as t3, helping to ensure payment systems remain resilient, secure and future-ready.
Anthony Walton, CEO, Iliad Solutions