Case Study: Bank of Finland achieves high-performance, low-cost payment and settlement simulation adopted by 50+ central banks with MySQL

Central Banks Worldwide Rely on Bank of Finland’s MySQL Based Simulator

The Bank of Finland, Finland’s central bank, developed the Payment and Settlement System Simulator (BoF‑PSS2) to model liquidity needs, settlement algorithms and risk across payment systems. Because the simulator handles large datasets and was intended for use by other central banks and researchers, BoF required a low‑cost, high‑performance, scalable and easy‑to‑manage database foundation.

In 2003 BoF embedded MySQL in its Java‑based simulator and worked with MySQL consultants to optimize performance, purchasing OEM licenses to distribute the mixed open/closed software. The result was a turnkey, reliable tool—used by over 50 central banks and many research institutions by 2010—with broad adoption and an active annual user seminar in Helsinki.

Bank of Finland

Matti Hellqvist

Bank of Finland