The U.S. financial market has taken a significant step in the evolution of digital payments with the publication of ANSI X9.150, a new standard for interoperability of QR-code initiated payments. Developed by the Accredited Standards Committee X9, the organization responsible for the technical standards of the American financial system, the specification establishes a common technical standard for banks, financial institutions, and payment providers to initiate transactions interoperably, regardless of the financial pipeline used.
The publication of the standard comes at a time when the American market is expanding its investments in instant payments. Although it already has infrastructures such as FedNow, operated by the Federal Reserve, and the private RTP (Real-Time Payments) network, different participants in the financial ecosystem still operate with distinct experiences and integration models. ANSI X9.150 seeks precisely to reduce this fragmentation by defining a common basis for the exchange of information between different payment solutions. In practice, the standard allows payments initiated by QR Code to be processed by different financial institutions and applications, preserving a single experience for consumers and merchants. With this, different solutions begin to "talk" to each other through the same technical standard, reducing integration barriers and simplifying the payment experience.
For the Brazilian public, this challenge is nothing new. Before the consolidation of Pix, different apps and platforms used their own payment codes, which were not always accepted by each other. It was common to depend on the solution adopted by the establishment to complete a purchase. This scenario began to change with the consolidation of Pix, which made it possible to use the consumer's preferred app at any compatible establishment. Despite the differences between the two markets, ANSI X9.150 seeks to address a similar challenge in the United States by expanding interoperability between different participants in the financial system.
It was in this context that the Brazilian company Matera contributed to the development of the specification. The X9 working group responsible for drafting the standard was chaired by Sarah Hoisington, North America General Manager of Matera, bringing together representatives from banks, financial institutions, and technology companies to define a common standard for this payment method. “The American market brings together different payment infrastructures that have evolved independently over the years. ANSI X9.150 creates a common language between these systems, reducing integration barriers and allowing new solutions to interoperate from their conception. It is an important step in simplifying how different participants in the financial market connect,” says Sarah.
For Carlos Netto, CEO of Matera, the publication of the standard demonstrates that interoperability has ceased to be a localized discussion and has become one of the main pillars of the evolution of digital payments in different markets. “Brazil has shown that interoperability goes far beyond a technological issue. It simplifies the user experience, expands the possibilities for innovation, and creates a more efficient environment for consumers, financial institutions, and technology companies. Seeing the accumulated experience in the Brazilian market contribute to the construction of an international standard reinforces that this is a challenge shared by different countries and that collaboration between the market, industry, and standardization bodies will be increasingly important for the evolution of digital payments,” points out the executive.
The publication of ANSI X9.150 represents another step by the financial industry towards a more interoperable payments ecosystem. By standardizing how information is shared between different participants, the specification reduces the complexity of integrations, facilitates the development of new solutions, and creates conditions to expand innovation on a common basis. For Matera, participation in this process reinforces its international presence in developing technological solutions for the financial market and demonstrates how the experience built by the company in one of the world's most advanced payments ecosystems has contributed to strategic initiatives in other markets.
