On the closing day of Sibos Frankfurt 2025, Finastra’s managing director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (Lending), Manish Joshi, reflected on a “fantastic” week of meeting customers, prospects and fintech partners. He said Finastra used the event to launch its new Trade Innovation Nexus integration layer and to gather client feedback on how to make trade finance platforms more open, efficient and compliant. Trade Innovation Nexus and API connectivity Joshi said interoperability is “one of the main areas of discussion” in trade finance. The new Trade Innovation Nexus layer “allows our clients to make much better use of the fintech space” by providing consistent application programming interfaces (APIs) on top of Finastra’s Trade Innovation platform. Banks and partners can build internal components or connect external workflows, making the ecosystem more open. He explained that by separating the integration layer from the core platform, banks can innovate without compromising stability. This modular approach mirrors what has happened in payments, where orchestration layers allow institutions to add new services and partners quickly. Tackling paper, errors and fraud Joshi identified two main challenges: persistent paper use and the risk of fraud in supply chain finance. By digitising documents and automating processes through the Nexus layer, Finastra aims to “maximise operational efficiency” and reduce errors and fraud potential. This not only improves customer experience but also strengthens banks’ ability to meet regulatory obligations. He added that platform providers must “work with our clients to make sure we are easing the regulatory burden for them” as supervisors demand more data and reporting. The Nexus layer therefore includes features to capture, structure and share data securely with compliance teams. Cloud deployment and AI integration Cloud, Joshi said, is now “pretty much a given” — platform providers must be cloud ready. The next frontier is artificial intelligence (AI). “AI is not just a buzzword anymore,” he said. Finastra is investing cautiously in AI because “data accuracy in this space is really important,” but sees strong interest from clients and partners in using AI to automate routine tasks, improve decision-making and personalise services. He noted that Finastra’s roadmap includes AI-enabled document checking and workflow optimisation to help banks process trade finance transactions faster and with fewer manual interventions. These pilots align with the industry’s broader move to embed AI into middle- and back-office processes. Co-innovation with clients and fintech partners Joshi emphasised that “we need to work with the larger ecosystem” so clients can use Finastra’s platform alongside other workflows and engines from fintech providers. Through the Nexus layer, Finastra also enables clients themselves to build new functions on top of Trade Innovation, fostering an ecosystem where “everybody can flourish.” This approach reflects the growing consensus at Sibos that no single platform can cover the full trade finance lifecycle. Interoperability and co-innovation are necessary to reduce fragmentation and enable digitisation at scale. Transformation as a journey Joshi said transformation is “just the starting point of what is going to happen.” The trade finance industry is moving quickly, with new experiments under way in AI, agentic AI and distributed ledger technology. Finastra plans to keep investing in these areas over the next 12 to 24 months to support clients’ digitisation and risk-management goals. He sees Trade Innovation Nexus as a way to future-proof banks’ technology stacks so they can plug in emerging solutions without having to rebuild their core systems every time. An open, compliant and innovative trade finance ecosystem Joshi’s remarks show Finastra positioning its Trade Innovation Nexus as more than an integration layer: it is a platform for banks and fintechs to collaborate on reducing paper, improving compliance and embedding AI and cloud capabilities into trade finance. By making interoperability easier at both the bank and ecosystem level, Finastra is tackling one of the biggest obstacles to digitisation. He also emphasised that innovation must be responsible and client-driven. Regulatory reporting, fraud prevention and operational stability are as important as speed and flexibility. For Joshi, Sibos was an opportunity to demonstrate that Finastra is ready to help banks and partners co-create the next generation of trade finance technology rather than waiting for it to emerge piecemeal.
