Better Health for All

ACI Worldwide's partnership with NationsBenefits aims to expand access to healthy food and essential medical products for millions of health plan members

, facilitating the purchase of eligible groceries, meal delivery, over-the-counter products, fresh produce, dairy, and essential medical supplies . ACI's Speedpay solutions offer full HIPAA compliance , ensuring responsible use and protection of health data.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

ACI Worldwide faced regulatory actions and fines totaling $45 million.

This included a $25 million fine from the CFPB for violating federal consumer protection laws (Consumer Financial Protection Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act). , a $10 million settlement with 44 state money transmitter regulators , and a separate $10 million settlement with attorneys general from 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico . These actions stemmed from an inadvertent transmission of ACH files during a Speedpay platform test in April 2021 , which led to a $2 billion payment error . The incident involved 1.7 million faulty transactions and $2.3 billion in unauthorized withdrawal attempts , affecting 477,000 consumers . Approximately 7,300 accounts experienced a reduction of over $10,000 due to these unauthorized debits. The CFPB ordered ACI to implement reasonable information security practices and obtain permission before initiating withdrawals.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 142:1 for fiscal year 2024, based on a CEO compensation of $12,152,420 and median employee pay of $85,513.

This ratio was 66:1 for fiscal year 2023. For ACI Worldwide (EMEA) Limited in 2019, women's median hourly pay was 17.8% lower than men's, meaning women earned 82p for every £1 earned by men, and their median bonus pay was 5% lower than men's. Employee engagement is reflected by an average Glassdoor rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars from 1,348 reviews, with 76% of employees recommending the company. ACI Worldwide also received recognition as a 'Best Company to Work For' by U.S. News & World Report and 'America's Greatest Workplaces' by Newsweek for 2024, including awards for diversity, women, and mental wellbeing. No regulatory actions, violations, fines, or compliance issues related to labor laws or human rights are mentioned in the provided articles.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

ACI Worldwide (EMEA) Limited did not conduct any social audits for the period of January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020.

The company's 2023 modern slavery statement, covering the 2022 financial year, also lacks data regarding social audits. No data is reported for the percentage of suppliers with traceable provenance. While some ethical policies are in place for 2020, they explicitly do not include crucial provisions such as freedom of movement, freedom of association, prohibitions on worker-paid recruitment fees, compulsory overtime, child labor, confiscation of worker identification documents, or access to remedy for victims of modern slavery. No data is reported for ethical clause coverage in 2022. Additionally, no data is provided for the percentage of procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers. As a provider of real-time payment software and solutions, the organization does not procure or trade physical commodities, making fair-trade certification not applicable. The company's modern slavery statements for 2021 and 2023, and its sustainability report, consistently lack specific quantitative data for many key fair trade and ethical sourcing metrics.

Honest & Fair Business

ACI Worldwide maintains a very low ESG Controversy Level of 0.7, as reported by Sustainalytics.

The company's board demonstrates a high degree of independence, with all directors except the President and CEO determined to be independent, and all Audit and Compensation Committee members meeting independence requirements. Corporate Governance Guidelines mandate at least two-thirds independent directors. There is no evidence of financial restatements in the past five years, though a clawback policy exists for executive compensation in case of restatements due to misconduct. A minor compliance issue involved a late filing of a Form 4 statement by an executive, which was subsequently filed. ACI has an "ACI Helpline Report Protection Policy" that establishes protection for employees reporting wrongdoing to prevent retaliation, with an anonymous reporting option available via an ACI Helpline email address; however, there is no evidence of independent investigation processes. Its Anti-Corruption Policy prohibits unlawful business interactions, bribery, and improper payments, explicitly complying with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act, and extends these expectations to third parties, but information on training frequency or effectiveness metrics is not provided. Deloitte & Touche LLP serves as the independent registered public accounting firm, with all audit and audit-related services pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

Kind to Animals

ACI Worldwide is a software and solutions provider, and its core business does not involve animal testing, animal-derived products, or animal agriculture. Consequently, most animal welfare KPIs are not applicable. However, ACI is actively engaged in public policy related to animal welfare. The company is part of the United for Wildlife Task Force Declaration, signed in 2016, and is committed to developing a framework to fight wildlife trafficking and encouraging a zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal wildlife trade.

ACI also published the "Combatting Wildlife Trafficking Handbook, First Edition" in 2021 and has an ACI Wildlife Trafficking Task Force that discusses emerging issues and develops responses. While these initiatives aim to positively impact wildlife conservation, the articles do not provide measurable biodiversity impact metrics or the percentage of revenue allocated to these efforts.

No War, No Weapons

The company being assessed is ACI Worldwide, Inc., a global provider of real-time payment software and solutions. The provided articles do not contain any information linking ACI Worldwide, Inc. to arms manufacturing, military contracts, conflict facilitation, or any other activities relevant to the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. While some articles mention military contracts for 'ACIW.US (Augustine Consulting Inc.)'

and government initiatives like the 'Advanced Concepts Initiative (ACI)', these are not attributed to ACI Worldwide, Inc. The sustainability reports for ACI Worldwide, Inc. , discuss general ethical business practices but do not address war or weapons-related issues.

Planet-Friendly Business

ACI Worldwide publishes a Sustainability Report, which utilizes Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.

The company states a commitment to operating in compliance with all relevant environmental regulations and adheres to a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which includes compliance with laws and regulations worldwide. While Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are mentioned as being assessed and reported regularly, no specific figures are provided. The available articles consistently indicate a lack of specific quantitative data for key environmental metrics, including renewable energy use, water use per revenue, waste diversion rates, percentage of green-certified buildings, biodiversity efforts, deforestation policy implementation, environmental compliance violations, and environmental impact assessments. Furthermore, no net-zero target year or details on TCFD alignment are provided.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The provided articles offer no quantitative data or specific details for any of the requested KPIs related to Respect for Cultures & Communities. Articles discussing cultural diversity focus on internal workplace dynamics and employee perspectives on navigating cultural differences in a global workplace

, rather than external community engagement or cultural preservation initiatives. While the publication of a 2023 Sustainability Report is announced , and it is referenced as addressing ESG topics , the content of this report, which might contain relevant data, is not provided. Consequently, no specific information is available to assess performance against any of the defined metrics.

Safe & Smart Tech

ACI Worldwide provides and utilizes AI-powered fraud prevention services but lacks a formal AI ethics policy, audit processes, or mechanisms for algorithmic harm remediation. Algorithmic transparency is minimal, as ACI directs users to its customers for information on automated decision-making.

User data control has limitations, with data access requests processed within 45-90 days and limited to twice in a 12-month period. Conversely, ACI demonstrates strong regulatory compliance, adhering to PCI DSS v4.0, AML/KYC, PSD2, and the EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks. , , It is subject to FFIEC oversight, USA Patriot Act, Bank Secrecy Act, and OFAC regulations, and undergoes annual independent audits. ACI is a participant in TRUSTe's Data Privacy Framework Verification program and displays its Privacy Verified seal. The company implements good data minimization practices, collecting and processing personal data for specific, legitimate purposes, disclosing only the minimum necessary, and retaining it only as long as required. ACI encrypts personal data in transit and storage, regularly monitors and updates security measures, has a cybersecurity incident response plan, and undergoes regular external security audits. , Annual cybersecurity training is provided to employees. No incidents of unauthorized data use or data breaches are documented. ACI recognizes and respects personal data rights and states it collects data for specific purposes, aligning with privacy by design principles. However, no bug bounty program is mentioned, and specific metrics for cybersecurity investment, security testing coverage, encryption strength, vulnerability patching timeframes, or training effectiveness are not provided.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

ACI Worldwide, Inc. publishes an annual sustainability report, with reports available for 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024

, reporting according to Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards for IT and Software Services . The company's digital payments software eliminates the need for paper-based bills and payments , integrating waste reduction into its core product design. ACI has an Environmental Policy outlining its commitment to operating in compliance with all relevant environmental regulations , and no waste disposal violations are reported. The company states it works to minimize impacts by reducing solid waste generation . However, ACI only vaguely states it continues to monitor its environmental footprint and look for practical ways to improve , without providing formal waste reduction targets with specific metrics or timelines.