Banks are turning payment patterns into real-time signals of customers’ financial wellbeing, opening the door to earlier support and more responsive lending decisions.
Payments are becoming far more than a back-office utility for banks. In the view set out by Kartik Taneja, head of payments and consumer lending at Mashreq, they now give lenders a continuous read on how customers earn, spend, save and cope with change. That shift, he argues, could move banking away from episodic checks and towards a steadier, more responsive relationship built on live financial behaviour.
The idea is straightforward: instead of relying mainly on application forms, credit files and occasional reviews, banks can study patterns in salary deposits, regular bills, subscriptions and day-to-day spending to understand whether a customer is building resilience or coming under strain. That does not just help institutions market products more accurately. It also gives them a better chance of recognising major life changes, such as a move, a growing family or a business that is expanding quickly, and responding with services that fit the moment rather than a generic offer.
Several payments and fintech platforms are already pushing in that direction. GrailPay says its network is built around pre-emptive screening, account checks and real-time risk signals designed to make faster payments safer, while Paymentus markets an artificial intelligence-led billing and payments system that aims to improve bill presentation, engagement and on-time settlement for utilities, insurers, government bodies and financial institutions. Other providers are focusing on the plumbing beneath the experience: SiloraPay says it connects banks and corporates to multiple payment and stablecoin networks through a single integration, and Veem is pitching cross-border and real-time payment access to financial institutions without the need to build new rails in-house.
Taneja’s argument is that the real prize is not data collection for its own sake, but using payment intelligence to support better decisions and better outcomes. If a customer’s cash flow starts to deteriorate, he says banks may be able to spot the warning signs earlier and offer temporary repayment relief, restructuring or other support before arrears build. If a customer’s finances strengthen, the same data can justify a different conversation about saving, investing or borrowing. That approach, he suggests, is more consistent with financial wellbeing than waiting for problems to become visible only after they have worsened.
The same logic applies to business customers. Proactive cash-flow tools, such as those offered by ProactiveCash, show how account aggregation, forecasting and automated collections can help firms see upcoming pressures and manage payments with more certainty. For banks, that matters because the next phase of relationship banking may depend less on one-off product sales and more on whether institutions can keep pace with customers as their circumstances change. Taneja’s broader point is that payments are no longer just the route money takes; they are becoming one of the clearest signals of financial health, and banks that use that signal responsibly may be best placed to build lasting trust.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
