Di Payment Infrastructure 2020: sneak preview with Lars Sjögren

P27 CEO Lars Sjögren shares his expectations ahead of the 2020 Di Payment Infrastructure conference, one of the most important gatherings of payments experts in the Nordics.

On December 3rd, 2020, some of the biggest names in finance and payments will gather digitally for this year’s Di Payment Infrastructure conference.

A lot has happened since the 2019 installment of the event, arranged annually by Dagens industri (Di), Sweden’s leading finance daily. Last year, Sjögren first presented P27’s plans to build the world’s first real-time, cross-border payment system for multiple currencies.

With the 2020 conference now just days away, real-time and cross-border payments are even higher on the agenda. In April, the Riksbank unveiled an agreement with the European Central Bank (ECB) that will pave the way for the launch of RIX-INST in 2022. Since then banks, P27, the mobile payments solution Swish, and other stakeholders have been working on figuring out how best to benefit from RIX-INST.

As he prepares to take center stage at Di Payment Infrastructure next week, P27 CEO Lars Sjögren offers his thoughts on some of the key topics and insights he expects will be addressed at this year’s conference.

Why are you participating in Di Payment Infrastructure?

As head of a payments infrastructure company in the Nordics, I’ve had this event on my calendar ever since it was announced. It’s truly one of the most important payments gatherings of the year and I welcome the opportunity to participate as a speaker.

Even if this year’s event will be digital rather than in person, that doesn’t diminish it’s importance for the industry. In addition to giving attendees an update on the progress of P27, I’m also looking forward to hearing what other speakers have to say about the potential impact of real-time payments.

Which sessions look particularly interesting?

I expect to be able to learn something from every session, but I’m really looking forward to hearing what the Riksbank has to say about the status of RIKS-INST and their testing of the e-krona.

And with P27’s expected launch drawing closer, it will also be quite interesting to hear what the Dutch Payments Association has to say about the rollout of instant payments in the Netherlands. I’m also looking forward to what representatives from Nordea and Danske Bank have to say about how the transition to real-time payments will affect banks’ future customer offerings.

What message do you hope to deliver to conference attendees?

If there’s one thing I hope people take away from my presentation it’s that real-time, cross-border payments across the Nordics is moving from a question of “if” to a question of “when”. It will be a big and exciting change for everyone in the region. Having one clearing solution will make it easier to standardize and harmonize payment products, resulting in lower costs, increased efficiency and security, as well as more innovation.

P27 aims to be a major factor in helping Nordic financial services companies remain at the forefront of global trends. We want to help the Nordics maintain their lead by enabling the delivery of the best, safest, and most resilient payments infrastructure on the planet.

Click here for more information (in Swedish) about the 2020 Di Payments Infrastructure conference.

NOTE: The official launch of P27 services is subject to regulatory approvals and therefore P27 will not conduct any business activities until required regulatory approvals are obtained