Aquila is the ISO 20022 native financial messaging, payments and reconciliation platform built by Aqua Global. It sits between a bank's core banking platform and the payment networks, giving operations teams a single place to control the flow of messages across SWIFT and local clearing. Because it works alongside the existing core rather than replacing it, banks gain native ISO 20022 processing and automated reconciliation without a disruptive core migration.

What solutions does Aqua Global provide?

Aqua Global delivers a robust suite of financial messaging and transaction automation solutions across payments, treasury and securities processing, integrating a bank's internal systems with the external services and networks around them. It is delivered through Aquila, a modular platform that brings straight through processing, incident management, reconciliation, matching and reporting together on a single shared database, with a messaging hub at its heart controlling all inward and outward Swift and ISO 20022 traffic. Because every module is built to the same standard, a bank can start with the area of greatest need and extend into the others as it grows, which helps it simplify complexity, enhance compliance, reduce operational risk and accelerate change.

Does Aqua Global replace our core banking system?

No, Aquila works alongside your existing core banking system rather than replacing it. It sits as a messaging and reconciliation layer between the core and the payment networks, which means a bank can adopt native ISO 20022 processing and automation without the cost, risk and timeline of a full core replacement. This decoupled approach is one of the main reasons foreign bank branches and mid tier banks choose Aqua Global.

Which core banking systems does Aquila work with?

Aquila integrates with any core banking platform through the core's own interfaces, and it is regularly deployed alongside systems such as Finastra, Oracle Flexcube and Temenos. Because the integration happens at the messaging layer, there is no need to modify or upgrade the underlying core in order to add ISO 20022 processing, payments automation or reconciliation. This makes Aquila a practical fit for banks running legacy cores that would otherwise be expensive or slow to change.

What deployment options does Aquila support?

Aquila can be deployed in the cloud, on premises, or as a hybrid of the two, so a bank can choose the model that suits its security and infrastructure requirements. The platform is built for cloud environments including Azure and AWS while still supporting institutions that need to keep processing within their own data centres. Whichever option a bank selects, the same modular suite and round the clock processing apply.

Can Aqua Global help with ISO 20022 migration?

Yes, supporting banks through ISO 20022 migration is one of Aqua Global's core specialisms. Aquila can consume and produce both ISO 20022 (MX) and the older SWIFT MT (FIN) formats, so a bank can run the two in parallel during the coexistence period and move to full native processing at its own pace. Having already helped many banks meet earlier deadlines, Aqua Global understands in detail what full adoption requires rather than treating it as a one off translation exercise.

How does Aqua Global help banks meet the ISO 20022 structured address deadline?

From 14 November 2026, payment messages will need to carry structured address data, and messages that still rely on unstructured addresses will begin to be rejected. Aquila validates and structures address information as messages pass through the hub, which helps banks stay compliant without reworking their core systems. This gives operations teams a clear route to meeting the deadline even where the underlying data is still held in older formats.

What is the difference between native ISO 20022 processing and a translation tool?

A translation tool converts messages between the older MT format and ISO 20022 MX at the edge, which meets a deadline but leaves the richer ISO 20022 data underused. Native processing means the platform understands and works with ISO 20022 messages in full, unlocking the improved data quality, screening and straight through processing that the standard was designed to deliver. Aquila offers both a native MX messaging hub and a transformation option, so a bank can begin with translation and progress to full native adoption when it is ready.

Which banks does Aqua Global work with?

Aqua Global works with banks in 23 countries, ranging from UK foreign banks to large tier 1 banks. Its customer base includes internationally recognised names such as Banco do Brasil, ING, Nomura and Citadele, reflecting a track record in high volume, mission critical transaction processing.

How long has Aqua Global been in business?

Aqua Global was founded in 1983 and has spent more than four decades focused on financial messaging and transaction processing for banks. That long history means the team has worked through successive generations of Swift standards and regulatory change, which is a significant advantage when guiding banks through programmes such as ISO 20022. Few providers in this space can point to the same depth of continuous experience.

Where is Aqua Global based?

Aqua Global is headquartered in London, at 84 Stafford Road, Wallington, and also operates a support and development hub in Poland. This gives the company a UK base close to its foreign bank branch customers alongside a wider European delivery capability. It also works with a network of global business partners to support customers in other regions.

Does Aqua Global offer round the clock support?

Yes, Aqua Global provides 24/7 processing and support, reflecting the reality that payment and messaging operations never truly stop. Banks running Aquila can rely on continuous processing and access to support whenever it is needed, including well outside standard office hours. This matters in particular for institutions operating across multiple time zones.

What certifications does Aqua Global hold?

Aqua Global holds the Cyber Essentials Plus certification and aligns its practices with the ISO 27001 information security standard. These commitments give banks confidence that their messaging and payments data is handled to a recognised security benchmark. Security and resilience are treated as foundational rather than optional, given the sensitivity of the information Aquila processes.

How can I book a demo?

You can book a demo of any Aquila solution by emailing info@aqua-global-solutions.com, completing the demo request form on this site, or calling +44 (0)20 8544 3200. A member of the team will arrange a session tailored to the areas most relevant to your bank, whether that is payments, reconciliations or ISO 20022. Demonstrations are usually arranged quickly and shaped around your own use cases.

Powering the flow of financial messaging

Over 43 years of experience has built the foundations of Aquila’s orchestration and integration framework, covering payments, securities processing, reconciliations, matching and reporting. Built to sit alongside the core banking system you already run, and designed for the banks of today with tomorrow in mind.

The Aquila Suite

Aquila brings messaging, payments, treasury, securities, reconciliation and reporting into a single modular suite running on one shared database, so the whole transaction lifecycle is visible and controlled in one place.

Do you need to replace your core?

No. Aquila sits between your existing core banking system and the payment networks, connecting through the core’s APIs. It adds native ISO 20022 processing, automated payments, real time reconciliation and exception handling around the core you already run, so you modernise the transaction lifecycle without a core replacement programme and without the cost, risk and timescale that comes with one.

The flexible orchestration tools let you configure processing to match how your bank actually works, rather than changing your processes to fit the software. Additional modules can be added as your needs grow, each one running on the same shared database as the rest of the suite.

Core Modules.

Messaging Hub

Payments Hub

Securities Hub

Reconciliations, Matching & Reporting

Treasury Hub

Cash and Liquidity Management

Aquila Fort

Modernise your financial messaging with Aqua Global

Aquila’s Messaging Hub centralises and automates financial message processing across Swift FIN and MX, local clearing, bespoke formats and electronic banking, with routing, STP configuration, duplicate detection and exception handling built into a single control plane.

Payments processing without replacing your core

Our Payments Hub automates outward and inward payments across Swift, SEPA and SEPA Instant, CHAPS, Bacs, Fedwire, FedNow, T2, TIPS and local clearing, with automated duplicate, sanctions, AML and Confirmation of Payee checks built into the flow. It connects to the core banking system you already run, so payments modernise without a migration.

Securities processing built around the message types you run

Aqua Global automates the full securities lifecycle, with positional and transactional reconciliation across MT535, MT536 and MT537, two and three way matching between your institution, custodians and brokers, and automatic monitoring of the 25D status code in inbound MT548. As T+1 settlement compresses the window, the exceptions become the work, which is where the matching engine earns its place.

Reconciliation in real time, across every format you hold

Our reconciliations solution matches in real time across Swift cash and securities, internal and bespoke formats, card, point of sale, ATM and precious metals, with proposed matching, referral management and exception processing built in. AI assisted matching proposes likely pairs for unmatched items, each with a confidence score and the shared reference text highlighted, so an analyst can see why a match was suggested before accepting it or turning it into a reusable rule.

Treasury confirmations matched as they arrive

Aquila matches inbound and outbound treasury confirmations in real time, with anomaly detection, SWIFTRef support and alternate details learning, so settlement release becomes an exceptions process rather than a manual check on every trade.

Know your position, intraday and at close

Aquila monitors cash positions continuously through the day and at close, with automated sweeping under four eyes approval, outward settlement via pacs.009, posting back to the core, and liquidity stress testing across
idiosyncratic, market wide and combined scenarios for ILAAP.

High-level overview of Aquila’s system architecture

Client Testimonials

We are customer-driven and are proud of the outstanding levels of support that we provide. Our solutions are intuitive and empower people to perform their work more efficiently. Read real client comments below.

“‘The implementation of Aqua Global’s Aquila Reconciliation Solution has provided us with the tools to centralize and automate our reconciliation processes across eight entities, resulting in significant reductions in IT overhead while ensuring compliance with the latest ISO 20022 standards. The streamlined platform has improved efficiency, reduced complexity, and enhanced accuracy through AI-driven automation.”

Bruno Pereira Carneiro

Deputy Head of IT - Europe, Banco do Brasil

“Since integrating Aquila Message Management and Aquila Payments, we have seen remarkable improvements in payment automation, operational efficiency, and risk mitigation. The platform’s seamless multi-channel messaging capabilities have significantly reduced manual intervention, strengthened internal controls, and enhanced real-time transaction processing.”

Inayat Kashif

CEO, iFast Global Bank

“ Having worked with Aqua for more than a decade, we did not need to look any further. Moving from E2Gen to Aquila was the natural choice.”

Sayful Ahmed

Head of IT, UBL UK

“Partnering enables us to provide enhanced digital banking automation to financial institutions. The integration between dotConnect and Aquila provides financial institutions with the ability to automate the accounting and settlement of payments initiated within our application, strengthening the digital banking experience for their customers.”

Mohamed Gamil

CEO & Co-founder, dotConnect

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