Can you explain your role as Product Manager for payment software?
My main role is to bring our Payments products to market. I’m the link between the R&D delivery and everything that needs to happen to make the product sellable, understandable, and usable.
I often compare it to the automotive world. When a car leaves the factory, it’s not ready to sell just yet: you need to set a price, get approvals, write the manual, inform sales teams, launch advertising, and so on.
It’s the same for banking software. And in SaaS, the job doesn’t stop once the product is launched: we continuously monitor adoption, gather feedback, and adjust the product accordingly.
What kinds of projects are you working on daily?
Right now, I’m focusing heavily on instant payments in SaaS mode, a project we kicked off in early 2024. We started by defining the offer and testing it with prospects. Their feedback helped us fine-tune it and officially launch the product: over 15 clients joined us in 2024.
Since then, we’ve been supporting initial implementations, running workshops with the Professional Services team, updating documentation… and now we’re entering a new phase: tracking usage, measuring impact, and identifying areas for improvement. It’s exciting to see the product evolve in real-life conditions.
Fun fact: based on current projections, SBS will process over one million instant payments this year through this new SaaS offer.
You also work on the VoP solution. What is it, and why is it important for banks?
VoP stands for Verification of Payee, a new mandatory service for both regular and instant SEPA credit transfers. It’s designed to fight fraud, like phishing scams or CEO fraud.
Before executing a transfer, the bank checks that the entered name and IBAN match the real beneficiary’s details. It’s like a double check between the sending and receiving banks.
Here’s an example: you get a fake email from your electricity provider asking you to pay a new IBAN. You enter the details… but thanks to VoP, your app can detect that the name doesn’t match the IBAN and alert you. It’s a real anti-fraud shield.
From your point of view, what are the biggest technical or regulatory challenges with VoP?
It may seem simple on the surface, but the challenge is huge: every bank in Europe needs to be able to query each other in real-time using shared protocols.
And of course, all of this has to happen without slowing down the user experience. No one wants to wait 30 seconds to confirm a transfer. It has to be almost instantaneous.
Side note: the service has already gone live in Belgium since the end of June. I tested it on my own mobile app, it works beautifully. Smooth experience, challenge met!
Since January 2025, instant transfers have become free in all French banks. What impact has that had on your work?
This free pricing is part of new European regulation: IPR (Instant Payment Regulation). The goal is to make instant payments as competitive as regular SEPA transfers.
In this context, we ran a major campaign around our Instant Payments SaaS offer. One of the biggest challenges was helping clients fully understand the regulation and determine if they were impacted (spoiler: most of them were!).
But since instant payments can no longer be more expensive than standard ones, many banks struggled to build a business case. So we worked with them to identify new value levers beyond just the cost per transaction.
Sweden is accelerating its move toward a cashless society. Do you think we’re heading toward the end of cash?
I think we’ll get there, but not overnight. Attitudes vary a lot between countries and even between generations.
In Belgium, for example, we still use paper service vouchers to pay for home services. My mother-in-law is now switching to the digital version, and it’s not that easy for her. It just shows that changing deeply ingrained habits takes time.
Initiatives like the Digital Euro are heading in that direction, but adoption remains a challenge. For younger generations, it’ll probably feel natural. For us, it’s a cultural shift.
As a PM, you interact with a lot of different teams, developers, testers, compliance, clients… How do you manage all that collaboration?
That’s actually what I love most about the PM role: moving between very different worlds. I can go from a technical meeting with R&D, to a client-facing business workshop, to a strategic discussion with management. Each type of interaction requires a different approach.
It’s also one of the most challenging parts, especially on the client side, because I naturally feel more at ease in technical conversations.
Over time, one thing I’ve really learned is the importance of adapting your message to your audience. Sounds obvious, but in practice it’s not always easy. With management, for example, you need to get straight to the point, whereas I tend to want to go into detail. It’s a real balancing act… but also what makes the job so stimulating.
You also work as a freelance full-stack engineer outside of SBS. How does that experience help you as a PM?
It helps me stay connected to the code. I’ve been developing since I was 15, it’s a true passion. I like to keep up with new tech, languages, and frameworks. It helps me have precise, hands-on discussions with tech teams, better understand their needs, anticipate potential blockers… and avoid overlooking important details.
Finally, do you have a story or standout moment to share?
A little personal story: I’m going to Denmark this summer with my wife. Since they don’t use the euro, we were wondering how to handle payments. I suggested using a digital account with a virtual card, zero fees for payments in kroner.
She said: “Sure, but we’ll have to remember to top up the account in advance.” And I replied: “No need. If we hit the limit, we can transfer money in real time. Ten seconds later, it’s available.”
She looked at me, a bit surprised, then said: “Oh right… we can actually do that now.”
That moment perfectly captures how instant payments are becoming the new normal. Soon, we won’t even imagine waiting a day for a transfer, even between individuals. And that’s why I’m sure hitting one million transactions is just the beginning. If we check back in a year, we’ll have far exceeded it.
Would you like to join the SBS (ex-Sopra Banking Software) adventure? Discover all our job offers on our Careers page by clicking on this link.