“We are building the payment infrastructure of the future for Sweden”

Bankgirot has been a central part of Sweden's financial ecosystem for over 60 years. Now, the organization is embarking on a major transformation journey that will impact both payment flows and the infrastructure of tomorrow. Anna Maria Nyström, Chief Product Officer at Bankgirot, discusses the challenges and opportunities Bankgirot faces as it shapes the future of payments, in collaboration with HiQ.

A Historic Foundation to Build Upon

“Bankgirot has been a cornerstone of the Swedish payments landscape for decades,” says Anna Maria Nyström, Chief Product Officer at Bankgirot. “We are proud to have enabled everything from mass payments in the 1960s to today’s modern solutions.”

On average, around 9 million transactions, equivalent to 84 billion SEK, flow through Bankgirot’s payment systems every day. These systems handle a wide range of societal payments. Many people are familiar with key services like Autogiro (direct debit) and e-invoicing, which impact almost every company and individual in the country.

Bankgirot’s customers are banks and financial institutions operating in Sweden. To ensure the stability of Sweden’s payment market, Bankgirot is regulated and authorized by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

Transforming for the Future

The company is now facing one of its biggest transformations to date. Increased security requirements, stricter regulations, and global standards are driving the need for a modernization of Bankgirot’s platform and services—at a time when society is more dependent on payment systems than ever before.

“Our goal is to continue providing a secure infrastructure while adapting to new market demands,” explains Anna Maria. “The payments landscape is evolving, and we need to be prepared for the future.”

Collaboration with HiQ

At the heart of this modernization effort is the development of a new payment system that will offer greater flexibility. The system is being designed with scalability in mind and built on a modern architecture based on microservices and API-first principles. To achieve this, Bankgirot has chosen HiQ as its technical partner.

“HiQ is a key partner in this work. Their consultants bring deep technical expertise and an innovative mindset that is essential for building the infrastructure of the future,” says Anna Maria.

The goal is to create a platform that is faster, more secure, and fully compliant with regulatory requirements.

Challenges and Opportunities

However, the path to the new system is not without its challenges. Bankgirot must develop the new infrastructure while ensuring the existing system continues to operate seamlessly—a balancing act that requires meticulous precision.

“This is no small task. We are undergoing a major transition where we must decommission old systems while building an entirely new payment infrastructure—all without compromising the daily operations of millions of transactions,” says Anna Maria.

Regulatory requirements have also added complexity. Adapting to new standards, such as ISO 20022, requires significant changes in how payment information is processed and transferred.

Bankgirot is now focused on delivering a state-of-the-art system that will serve Sweden for decades to come.

Want to know how HiQ can support your business in banking, finance and payments? Read more and get in touch here.

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Region HiQ Group

Karolina Israelsson

Hi 👋 I’m Karolina and I work with PR & Communications at HiQ. Do you want to know more about all the cool things we do at HiQ, or have any other questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me!

karolina.israelsson@hiq.se +46 73 338 86 24

karolina.israelsson@hiq.se +46 73 338 86 24