Payment Processing & Settlement is a systemically important critical business service for AmBank, underpinning retail, corporate, and interbank financial transactions.
Mapping dependencies for CBS-2 enables the bank to identify single points of failure, concentration risks, and critical interconnections across internal functions and external ecosystems, such as payment schemes, clearinghouses, and regulators.
This exercise supports AmBank’s ability to remain within impact tolerances during operational disruptions and aligns with regulatory expectations on operational resilience.
The dependency mapping below decomposes each Sub-CBS into its people, process, technology, and third-party dependencies, showing how these components connect across the payment lifecycle—from initiation to settlement, reconciliation, and reporting.
This structured view provides a foundation for scenario testing, substitution planning, and recovery strategies.
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Sub-CBS Code |
Sub-CBS |
Dependency Type |
Dependency Detail (What / Who is involved) |
Connectivity (How it connects / interacts) |
|
2.1 |
Payment Initiation & Capture |
People |
Branch staff, corporate relationship managers, digital banking support teams |
Capture payment instructions via branch systems, corporate portals, ATM/CDM, and digital channels |
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Process |
Payment instruction validation, cut-off checks, channel routing |
Feeds validated instructions into authorisation and verification workflows |
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Technology |
Core Banking System (CBS), Internet & Mobile Banking platforms, ATM/CDM systems |
Interfaces with authorisation engines and fraud monitoring systems |
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Third Party |
Merchant acquiring partners, billers, fintech payment initiators |
External payment requests transmitted via secure APIs or payment gateways |
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2.2 |
Authorisation & Verification |
People |
Operations analysts, fraud risk teams, and cybersecurity analysts |
Review exceptions, override decisions, and fraud alerts |
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Process |
AML/CFT screening, sanctions screening, transaction limit checks |
Gatekeeper process before clearing and message exchange |
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Technology |
Fraud monitoring tools, AML systems, authentication services (OTP, biometrics) |
Real-time integration with payment channels and clearing systems |
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Third Party |
National sanctions lists, identity verification providers |
External data sources enrich authorisation decisions |
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2.3 |
Clearing & Message Exchange |
People |
Payment operations team, SWIFT administrators |
Monitor message queues and clear statuses |
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Process |
Message formatting (ISO 20022), clearing cycle management |
Converts authorised payments into clearing-ready messages |
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Technology |
SWIFT interface, RENTAS gateway, payment hub middleware |
Transmits messages to domestic and cross-border clearing systems |
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Third Party |
Bank Negara Malaysia (RENTAS), SWIFT network, PayNet |
Central clearing infrastructure for interbank payments |
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2.4 |
Settlement Execution |
People |
Treasury operations, liquidity management teams |
Monitor settlement positions and funding sufficiency |
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Process |
Settlement finality checks, liquidity allocation |
Executes final fund transfers between banks |
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Technology |
Core banking ledger, settlement accounts, treasury systems |
Post settlement entries and confirm finality |
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Third Party |
Bank Negara Malaysia, correspondent banks |
Settlement occurs via central bank or nostro/vostro accounts |
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2.5 |
Reconciliation & Exception Handling |
People |
Reconciliation analysts, finance operations |
Investigate mismatches and resolve breaks |
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Process |
End-of-day reconciliation, exception management workflows |
Compares internal records with clearing and settlement confirmations |
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Technology |
Reconciliation tools, data warehouses |
Pulls transaction data from CBS, payment hubs, and clearing systems |
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Third Party |
Clearing houses, correspondent banks |
External statements used for reconciliation matching |
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2.6 |
Fees, Charges & Accounting Posting |
People |
Finance team, product controllers |
Review fee calculations and accounting accuracy |
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Process |
Fee computation, GL posting, accruals |
Converts transaction activity into financial records |
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Technology |
General Ledger, pricing engines, and accounting modules |
Automated posting linked to payment transaction IDs |
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Third Party |
External auditors (periodic) |
Validation of accounting integrity and controls |
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2.7 |
Reporting & Regulatory Compliance |
People |
Compliance officers, regulatory reporting teams |
Prepare and validate regulatory submissions |
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Process |
Regulatory reporting, management, MIS, and audit trails |
Aggregates payment data for internal and external reporting |
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Technology |
Regulatory reporting systems, data analytics platforms |
Extracts data from CBS, payment hubs, and GL systems |
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Third Party |
Bank Negara Malaysia, external auditors |
Submission and review of regulatory reports |
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2.8 |
Customer Notification & Statement Updating |
People |
Customer service officers, digital support teams |
Handle customer enquiries and disputes |
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Process |
Notification triggers, statement generation |
Updates customers on payment status and balances |
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Technology |
SMS/email gateways, mobile app notifications, statement engines |
Pulls confirmed transaction data from CBS and payment systems |
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Third Party |
Telecom providers, email service providers |
Delivery of customer notifications |
The dependency mapping for CBS-2 Payment Processing & Settlement highlights the highly interconnected and time-critical nature of payment services at AmBank.
Each Sub-CBS relies on a tightly coupled network of internal teams, core banking platforms, payment hubs, and external financial market infrastructures, making resilience dependent on both internal controls and third-party stability.
Disruption at any point—particularly in clearing, settlement, or fraud controls—can rapidly cascade across the payment value chain.
By documenting these interdependencies, AmBank is better positioned to identify critical nodes, design effective substitution and recovery strategies, and conduct meaningful scenario testing.
This mapping serves as a foundational artefact for operational resilience, supporting compliance with regulatory expectations while ensuring customers and the wider financial system continue to receive safe, timely, and reliable payment services, even under severe but plausible disruption scenarios.
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Operational Resilience Framework: A Case Study of AmBank Malaysia |
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| eBook 3: Starting Your OR Implementation |
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| CBS-2 Payment Processing & Settlement | |||||
| CBS-2 DP | CBS-2 MD | CBS-2 MPR | CBS-2 ITo | CBS-2 SuPS | CBS-2 ST |
To learn more about the course and schedule, click the buttons below for the OR-300 Operational Resilience Implementer course and the OR-5000 Operational Resilience Expert Implementer course.
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