Today, with the rapidly evolving global finance and payments world, one would anticipate leadership as seasoned as it has to be visionary, strong, and able to innovate through complexity. Dome Scaffidi, CEO and Founder of DS Payments Ltd, possesses all these in abundance following a 30-year career demonstrated by way of banking, central banks, payment service providers, and market infrastructure advisory. His efforts helped to redefined payment systems worldwide, driving real-time cross-border payment and liquidity management innovations that have further lifted the standards of efficiency, interoperability, and sustainability even higher.
Early Foundations: From Italian Shores to Financial Innovation
Dome’s rise to fame began a long way from the corridors of international finance, however, and more in the rugged terrain of Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean where he spent his childhood. His interest in scuba diving, the ability that would become a metaphor for his business style—penetrating deep into uncharted soil, examining things intently under the surface, and returning with maps whereby to guide himself through territory safely—was fostered during his time on the island.
After his formal schooling, Dome Scaffidi was most profoundly affected by his maternal grandfather, a wine producer who instilled in him the value of sustainability and encouraged him to assist medium and small-sized enterprises. These early influences set the stage for a career that would marry technological progress with moral and ethical stewardship.
He began his banking career at the Italian Cooperative Banks Central Infrastructure as Head of the Applications Settlements Office and RTGS Operative Desk. It was a turbulent period for treasury departments: disorganized, decentralized, reliant on ad hoc communication infrastructure like phone, fax, and passing of notes. Having seen with his own eyes the inefficiency and frustration in the treasury’s work, Dome Scaffidi spent hours and weeks thinking hard about how he could instill order and sense in this ramshackle world.
This first exposure sparked a love of payment systems that would shape his professional life for the next few decades. His commitment to building sustainable, scalable solutions revolutionise how Italian banks—and eventually European institutions—processed payments and managed liquidity, constructing systems that combined innovative technologies with regulatory acceptance and operational usability.
Pioneering Payment Systems and European Integration
Dome’s influence extended well beyond national boundaries. Italian banks designated him as their representative to the European Central Bank (ECB) for RTGS system TARGET2, one of the main infrastructures for settlement in the Eurozone. Meanwhile, he headed the European Step1 community at European Banking Authority (EBA) Clearing, an experience that further enhanced his expertise in European financial interoperability.
These years allowed Dome Scaffidi to explore the intricacies of cross border payment systems with a view to moving past fragmentation and cost and enhancing resilience and speed. He was a powerful system designer who facilitated more integrated corporate, retail, and private client payment and liquidity management experiences. His strategic emphasis was on co-operation between financial institutions for creating low-cost, interoperable services, which reiterated the greater European vision of financial integration.
Realising the need to complement his technical expertise with more powerful leadership skills, Dome completed his studies at the London School of Business and Finance. There, he successfully completed his finance and management studies, obtaining his executive skills and preparing himself to lead complex innovation projects within the Middle East and Europe.
Building UK Payments Infrastructure and Advisory
Dome’s expertise as a market infrastructure specialist made him one of the most sought-after individuals to be selected by the Bank of England in 2019 to serve on the Standard Advisory Panel (SAP) of the new UK RTGS system refresh. He is one of the leaders in the payment modernisation in the UK, his advice shaping the digitalisation of financial infrastructures.
In this capacity, Dome Scaffidi advocated modernising of how payments infrastructures deal with interoperability problems and mitigating chronological issues like timing, cost, and resiliency typical of the SWIFT infrastructure. He advocated giving top priority to all parties concerned— corporates, individuals et al.—in a more client-centric strategy, necessitating innovation outside the familiar silos.
Advisory contributions of his include the European Payments Council (EPC), to whom he pitched PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) design and adoption, covering interoperability problems, real-time clearing and settlement mechanisms, and look-up services. Advisory by Dome Scaffidi also serves on international initiatives, e.g., G20 efforts towards developing cross-border payment standards like ISO 20022, reflecting his dedication to international harmonisation.
Entrepreneurial Vision: Establishing DS Payments Ltd
With experience spanning decades in institutions behind him, Dome realised that there was a distinct opportunity to extend his reach. This was by launching DS Payments Ltd from a London and Dubai headquartered company going out to the world. This is a reflection of his helicopter perspective of the payment industry, utilising diversity of knowledge, and strategic thinking to enable financial institutions driving innovation programs worldwide.DS Payments Ltd does not sell technology but is a strategic partner that guides banks through new standards adoption, regulation change, and market expansion. Dome’s approach is realist and client-led, helping banks to identify tangible business opportunities from future market opportunity or future regulation and construct strategic but realistic plans that achieve tangible results within achievable timescales.
His leadership is based on teamwork, believing that payments innovation is more than technology, but market needs awareness, client segmentation, and efficient team work. Dome Scaffidi never fails to believe successful payments innovation a harmony of technology-regulation- human insight.
Commitment to African Payments Integration and Prosperity
Dome’s focus in recent years has been on growth markets, specifically Africa, where financial inclusion and economic development are challenged by payment fragmentation. His expertise with European payment integration infrastructures such as SEPA and PSD2 has been applied directly to the development of solutions for the African market.
Supported by legal professionals and organizations like the African Prosperity Network and ALPi, Dome helped as a Co-founder, establishing the Single African Payment Area (SAPA), a path-breaking platform focused on facilitating cross-border interoperability and autonomy in the payment systems of the continent. Having pilot banks to be rolled out later in 2025 on the African Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, SAPA is a giant leap towards enabling African economies to realise their enormous natural resources through efficient, inclusive payment infrastructure.
The book is the realization of Dome’s dream of ethics: equipping individuals to be owners of their own economic futures by learning from anywhere and rendering them local, sustainable success. This endeavor he takes not merely as a professional milestone but as a life-altering service to a continent standing on the cusp of revolutionary change.
The Philosophy of Innovation: Courage, Collaboration, and Sustainability
Dome Scaffidi has preached throughout his career an innovation philosophy of courage—being willing to act boldly on new ideas—and cross-disciplinary and border collaboration. He rejects technology- driven, single-dimensional solutions that disregard overall market trends and societal imperatives.
Dome’s methodology puts a focus on establishing well defined work scopes (SOW) to drive innovation journeys. It serves to guarantee that new implementations are truly beneficial to the client and stakeholders, rather than costly regulatory regimes for which there is no practical payback. His creating balance between tactical delivery and long-term strategic vision has allowed numerous organizations to navigate the quickly evolving payments landscape with confidence and resilience.
Moreover, Dome Scaffidi advocates cloud-based, scalable technologies such as Platform as a Service (PaaS), Banking as a Service (BaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) that ease the technology load on financial institutions while also making systems more resilient and anti-fraud. He is frank in recognition of the shortcomings of current interoperability solutions with an appeal for a world where any financial institution can interoperate easily with any counterparty anywhere in the world—not depending on shared platforms.
Legacy and Influence: Payment Success Reconsidered
Dome’s career life is a perfect example of what it takes to be an international payments visionary—not an executive or technologist, but a visionary leader who serves to build ecosystems where regulation, innovation, and client demand converge.
He is always happy to say that success in this sector is not simply defined by technology development or regulation but by prosperity generated for communities, institutions, and economies alike. This balance in action is a perfect example of his DS Payments Ltd experience and advisory practice, because he guides clients through complexity so they emerge better, more effective, and more inclusive.
Dome’s narrative is not just about payments—it is about bridging gaps between people, technology, and markets; about diving deeply into challenges and surfacing with transformative solutions; and about harnessing innovation as a catalyst for societal good.
A Leader Who Navigates Complexity with Vision and Integrity
The trajectory of Dome Scaffidi from Italy’s vibrant treasury floors to the global payment innovation limelight attests to a unique combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and people- centric leadership. His work on European and UK payment infrastructures, his entrepreneurial endeavours with DS Payments Ltd, and his efforts to promote African financial independence demonstrate a professional acutely aware that payments today are not just transactional channels but arteries of economic potential.
In an era of need for flexibility, sustainability, and inclusion, Dome Scaffidi has been a pioneer—shaking up the financial system to transcend time-honoured limitations, work together, and innovate freely. His story is a lesson of hope in the potential of visionary leadership to revolutionize industries and raise up communities, reminding us that amidst financial innovation lies deep care for people and forward-thinking progress.
To connect with Dome Scaffidi and explore how his leadership and insights can empower your financial initiatives or collaborative ventures,
Reach out at dome@dome-scaffidi.co.uk, visit his website dome-scaffidi.co.uk, or connect with him on LinkedIn.
