In this episode of the Connector Podcast, host Koen Vanderhoydonk interviews Alexander, a representative of Solantech, a next‑generation modular real‑time payment processing platform. Alexander explains Solantech’s core value proposition: a cloud‑native, API‑driven, scheme‑ready engine that bridges issuing, acquiring, and multiple payment rails. He defines what “modern” and “modular” mean for payment infrastructure—scalable, experiment‑friendly, and regulation‑ready. The conversation covers how compliance can be baked into architecture, the impact of regulations such as PSD2 on data streaming and API proliferation, and the challenges legacy‑bound banks face when modernising (fragmented payment methods, legacy tails, and the need for future‑proof solutions). Alexander highlights Solantech’s multi‑rail approach, including support for emerging rails like stablecoins and DeFi, and stresses the importance of multi‑rail fraud prevention and settlement. The discussion moves to payment orchestration via a payment hub, the role of AI as an augmenting layer, and Solantech’s long‑term vision of a “payment autopilot” that makes payments invisible for consumers and merchants. The episode ends with a call‑to‑action for banks, processors, and fintechs to contact Solantech via its website or LinkedIn.
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Welcome to the Connector Podcast, an ongoing conversation connecting fintechs, banks, and regulators worldwide. Join CEO and founder Koen Vanderhoydonk as you learn more about the latest available trends and solutions in the markets.
Welcome to another podcast of DFS, and here today I am with Alex, Alexander from Solantech. Alexander, can you explain who are you and which company do you work for?
Yeah. Hello, everybody. Thank you, Koen. So I represent Solantech today. Solantech is a next-generation modular real-time payment processing platform that helps banks, acquirers, PSPs, and fintechs launch fast, scale globally, and innovate continuously. So like by, in our platform and our engine, so we bridge issuing, acquiring, and payments rails in a single API-driven platform. It's future-proof, scheme-ready, and almost effortless to integrate. I think, yeah, it's like a key component for today's innovation. So we are giving payment players the freedom to build and scale without limits.
Well, there's a lot of words in there, especially when you said there's a modern modular payment transaction platform. What do you actually mean with modern and what do you mean with modular?
Look, by like it's a current time. So where, let's say from one point of view, many players are relying on their legacy infrastructure yet. So in the middle, we have already a lot of innovations of the past which are present today. And we are still on the, like, on the events like DFS. So we are discussing the future and further innovations, right? So all of that makes like a big variety of technology we need to survive with to continue providing best and seamless payments experience to the end customers, right?
Yeah.
So from like our work, so the way we see it, so the platforms, the modern platforms means that it needs to be cloud native, right? Not locked in. So meaning that it shall provide a lot of APIs to get integrated in any existing infrastructure, including legacy and new solutions. It means that it's like while you're experimenting, the volumes are low, but as soon as experiments are successful, the volumes will rapidly grow and It means that you need to be scalable. So you need to be okay for experiments, but also as soon as they are being successful, you need to be able to scale to the sky without changing engine on the way. So straightforward. And of course, there are a lot of regulations that need to be applied and need to be regulation ready. Yeah, that's probably like what we do.
Well, since you mentioned regulations and you're an infrastructure provider, so you're core to a regulated company, how would you strike the right balance between on one hand being regulated and also playing with like modern technology?
Look like Like our experience with regulations is that, so if the architecture is proper, right? And you don't do a lot of the like cuts while trying to like bypass something. So in fact, like a good modern solution is like to a big extent already compliant with upcoming regulations, right? So like no big problem with that. But yeah, of course, like regulations are affecting the processes a lot, right? So not the architecture, but the way you need to do regular audits, the way you need to think about your security, then like anything that you may keep under the control. And yeah, that's like part of the reality. So we are in it.
Well, and regulations also sometimes push products. Well, think about instant payment, think about open data. How do you handle that? Are you a product factory also for your customers?
Yeah, indeed. So you're absolutely right. That's part of the regulations, which are, let's say, they are opening broader, so they promote integration. and so on. And yeah, exactly like PSD2 gave like a good kick for APIs to be existing everywhere, right?
Mm-hmm.
Also like a share of data, I believe. So like it's in SolarTech, in our solar platform, we do have an extensive data streaming, meaning that whatever is happening in our system within its modules, right? So The whole information is easily going out so that if you need to do some post-processing of that information, like leveraging on the data, building some extra value-added services on top of it, so it's already there. And yeah, you're absolutely right. So probably the regulations, they provoke that kind of luxury that we are living in today.
On one hand, you actually talk about scaling up, so greenfields, but you also talk about high volumes. So if you look at customers that already have a legacy system, what do you see are the biggest practical challenges that they face today when looking at modernizing their technology stack?
Yeah, so the big, Mike, you know, the big problem is that quite often they don't feel problem, right? I think that's the first. And so maybe the consumers, they do that, right? Because, and especially today, right? So if I'm even looking to Belgium, like when from one point of view we are discussing on events how seamless payments shall be, but from the other point of view, we still have end users who are using plastic cards, like Visa chips, some are using contactless, some are using tokenized cards, some of them are using QR codes, some of them, they say they still believe they're using Payconico, ViroRijk for their on any kind of in-app purchases from their banking application. So they might be a lot confused, right? Because there are so many payment methods.
Mm-hmm.
And yeah, part of them relied on some innovations which are not standard and part of them are legacy. So like, and if you, like, if you need to simplify question, would you move it more to legacy methods, like remaining with the legacy stuff or would you move to the, like, the more innovative ones? But if you decided to move to innovative part, so you need to do something with your legacy tail, right?
Mm-hmm.
And that's a problem that's, so it's not solving itself over time. So it's like, meaning that you need to do a change. You need to, like, move to the platform which provides you future-proof solution for the next 10, 20 years. And it will come. So there is like, there is no other way.
Fair enough. One of the other points that today in payments seems to be a very hot topic, which is cross-border payments. Is that something that you also handle within the platform? And what is your view on the future of cross-border payments more in general?
Yeah, exactly. Like, from today, I believe the main thing of the engine is that it is multi-rail, right? So, like, rails are changing. It means that new rails are coming, old rails are evolving, and, like, it's almost constant. So, like, on the DeFi, right? So we have a roundtable around stablecoins, for example.
Which is heavily used nowadays.
It is happening, it is coming, it is like, could be huge for Europe based on the experience of the rollout in the US, right? And it's definitely new rails which are like, from one point of view, so they give a lot of improvement on instant payments. From another point of view, they provide a lot of freedom on a cross-border, right? And like, get us rid of some like typical headaches that are present in the normal payment life, right? Right? But like, it's, again, so like from us, it's important that our module solution allows to integrate multiple rails, like even rails which do not exist for today. So we need to already be prepared that they will come and we need to adopt. And it's not only about the transactions, but it's also about fraud prevention, for example. Fraud prevention needs also to be multi-rail and any kind of settlement engines, any kind of general ledger, which is going on top. So like it's an entire stack, Need to be multi-rail, and if it is, then like okay. So whatever innovation is, so you can get it into your platform and leverage and benefits that you can be more effective than you've been a day before.
When you mention multi-rail, it also opens up the discussion about smarter orchestration, right?
Exactly. Like it's all about having payment hub. And the term of payment hub exists already for like 10 or 15 years, right? But it is there like payment hub and payment orchestration. So in a wide understanding of it, right? So meaning that some transactions are straightforward, are real-time and like very simple to handle. Some of them requires a kind of like additional steps for, I don't know, email, for example, they like would be The most interesting one. So which can be online, offline, which can be a kind of a combination. So, and yeah, so that requires an orchestration because like from one point of view, payment needs to be simple. From another point of view, we know it's not always.
And that's where you use AI. We cannot do a podcast without mentioning AI, right?
Exactly. Like, I hope, like, as our podcast is AI-driven, So it cannot avoid AI at all.
No, not this one, unfortunately. We're still real people. You can still pinch us in the hand.
Exactly. So people are real, but yeah.
Yeah, perfect imperfections. No, what I'm wondering, are you using AI within the platform?
Yeah, because like AI is a nice enhancement, right? So it cannot substitute some important steps which are still like algorithm based or like human involved or specifically like product oriented. But like AI can enhance payments and like being integrated with a real-time infrastructure provides a lot of value.
How does your future look like if you fast sort of fast forward Solantech in 2020, 2030, how does that look like?
Nice question. So like, I believe, and it's like what our mission is, like what we dream about is to make payments more invisible for the end consumers, right? And one of the ideas which we would like to implement is, so we call it payment autopilot. Meaning that the end user, the customer who is coming to pay, right? So he doesn't need to think about how this payment will be, like which instrument will be used, like what will be the interactions. So, so like I would like to just get, tap something, right?
Mm-hmm.
And get my payment done. So without my thinking which card to choose, which payment method is better in this moment. So where I have money, where I don't have money. Would this one would go better with my, my bank accounts or with my wallets or like with my stablecoins, for example? So like a kind of autopilot that simplifies life, which will do like the best for, for me, for the payment. Same from the merchant side, right? So merchant doesn't need to think a lot about like what's happening with the transactions after the purchase has been done. Shall be instant, shall be simple, like, so that we can concentrate on the pleasure of life, which, which is always something we might miss if we are, like, too, too much involved into details of what we are doing.
No, no, I agree. So I guess on this, it's, it's a perfect ending for this podcast. So I'm wondering, banks, processors, or fintechs, if they want to start modernizing their payment stack, How do they— how can they contact you?
So we do have our website and it's easy to fill in the forms there. So I'm always happy to like get connections on LinkedIn accounts. So like all the methods are there. So, and yes, you're right, the modernization is a big word and it's just coming.
All right, thank you very much, Alexander, for your insights today. Thank you to also to the audience, and please stay tuned as more fintech news will evolve on this channel. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Koen.
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