Contingency

When primary systems fail, your operations must continue. We build all three contingency modes required by regulation so you're never offline.

Why contingency is non-negotiable

The central bank requires every SPEI and SPID participant to operate all three contingency modes (COA, POA, ASA), with documented activation procedures and annual testing. Contingency isn’t a “nice to have”: without it, a regulated institution can’t obtain or keep its participation licence. And when a primary system fails mid-operation, money movement must continue — customer impact compounds in minutes.

The three modes — in detail

COA

Participant-Level Contingency

Participant-level fallback via batch file processing in tilde-delimited (~) format. Every transaction requires operator approval. Automatic activation when primary connection failure is detected.

We deliver: COA file generator, operator approval flow, activation playbook, integration with the official central-bank submission, and COA operations reports for audit.
POA

Alternate Operations Procedure

System-level alternate operation, used for corrections, reversals, and post-operation settlement adjustments when the primary system is unavailable.

We deliver: POA operations console, dual-control reversal and adjustment flow, complete auditable record, and closing reports.
ASA

Advanced Alternate System

Full backup system that replicates primary-system functionality. Automatic failover with minimal data loss.

We deliver: hot-standby with continuous replication, automated failover, RPO ≈ 0 and RTO < 5 min depending on target infrastructure, and catch-up reconciliation upon primary restoration.

Failover sequence

  1. Automatic incident detection (heartbeat, protocol timeout, connection error).
  2. Activation of the configured contingency — COA, POA, or ASA — without manual intervention where applicable.
  3. Operator validation to confirm the mode and scope of activation.
  4. Traffic resumes via the alternate channel.
  5. Primary system restored, catch-up reconciliation for operations processed in contingency.
  6. Post-incident report generated with timeline, decisions, and affected transactions.

Audit and regulatory reporting

Every activation, every operation processed in contingency, and every operator decision is recorded immutably. We automatically generate the artifacts required by the regulator:

Mandatory annual drills

The regulator requires periodic contingency drills. Without a test environment, drills happen against production — risky and unworkable. Every project includes our multi-bank simulator server and a scripted drill harness, so your institution validates each mode without affecting real traffic.

Compliance checklist

Frequently asked questions

What are COA, POA, and ASA?

They are the three contingency modes the central bank requires every SPEI/SPID participant to operate. COA is participant-level fallback via tilde-delimited batch files with operator approval. POA is system-level alternate operation for corrections and reversals. ASA is a full hot-standby backup system with automated failover.

Is contingency a separate system from SPEI or SPID?

No. Contingency is a backup layer that activates when the primary fails. It applies to SPEI, SPID, or both depending on configuration, and covers MXN and USD.

When does contingency activate?

Activation is triggered by failover scenarios — heartbeat loss, protocol timeout, or connection failure — not on demand. The configured mode (COA, POA, or ASA) starts automatically where applicable and the operator confirms scope.

Are contingency drills mandatory?

Yes. The regulator requires periodic contingency drills. Every project includes a multi-bank simulator and a scripted drill harness so your team validates each mode without affecting real traffic.

What recovery objectives can ASA hit?

RPO ≈ 0 and RTO under 5 minutes, depending on the target infrastructure. ASA replicates primary-system state continuously and fails over automatically.

Ready to modernize your payment operations?

Whether you're starting from scratch or modernizing a legacy system, we'll help you get there — securely, on schedule, and with no obligation until you're ready.

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