Q1. Why does regulatory risk intelligence matter for global payment systems in 2025—and what happens when firms get it wrong?

Payment networks like SWIFT, SEPA, and FedNow span dozens of jurisdictions. A single rule change in one country can freeze corridors across the globe within hours. In 2024, several European banks overlooked an ECB sanctions update and scrambled for days—absorbing remediation costs, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational damage. Regulatory intelligence is not a support function; it is infrastructure. Firms that treat it as optional discover that the cost of a miss far exceeds the cost of a system.