Latest DevOps reports and research: Finextra Research

Impact Study

Why DevSecOps is key to navigating innovation and compliance

Explore how DevSecOps enable organisations to navigate economic uncertainties while treating innovation and compliance as complementary forces rather than competing priorities. A balancing act is underway within the financial services industry. Driven by client demand and fintech competition, institutions are increasingly obliged to innovate, while at the same time, ensure every step forward is secure and compliant. Often, it feels as though these two goals sit on either side of a seesaw – when one goes up, the other must go down. Many such challenges are born from the software delivery process, where countless organisations are struggling to source the expertise and capabilities necessary to deliver secure and compliant applications, at speed. Much of the conflict stems from fragmented DevSecOps (a software development practice that integrates security throughout the development lifecycle) strategies which are built upon outdated infrastructure. Indeed, many financial institutions (FIs) today operate with disjointed security and development workflows – sometimes patching together between five to 10 separate tools that were implemented incrementally over time. While this approach worked five years ago, better options exist today. A simplified stack is conducive to both innovation and compliance – without either being compromised. This Finextra impact study, produced in association with GitLab, explores: How the evolution to a unified software delivery platform can deliver on both innovation and compliance; reduce the risk of security incidents; supercharge operational efficiencies; amplify business agility and scalability; and even support talent acquisition.

01 May 2025 85 downloads

Event Report

AI strategies for scalable, secure and compliant banking

Delving into effective strategies and tools for secure and compliant AI integration in banking, emphasising the importance of open-source models, the role of generative AI, the advantages of synthetic data, and the influence of regulatory frameworks. Integrating AI in banking involves more than just adopting new technologies; it requires aligning these technologies with specific banking use cases to maximise benefits and mitigate risks related to data security and compliance. Open-source models facilitate this transformation by offering a collaborative platform for innovation and transparency, essential for building trust and ensuring the safe use of AI in banking. The journey from proof of concept (POC) to production in AI and machine learning is often lengthy and complex. This extended timeline highlights the challenges organisations face in integrating AI into their operations. Embracing new tools and technologies and learning to utilise them effectively is crucial for overcoming these challenges and applying AI to day-to-day operations, leading to significant benefits in efficiency and innovation. When looking at other markets, the United States has become a hub for tech giants, focusing on fostering innovation, while regions like Japan remain cautious, reflecting their unique regulatory landscapes and societal risk appetites. This diversity in regulatory approaches presents both opportunities and challenges for firms operating globally, necessitating a nuanced understanding of each market’s unique dynamics. This webinar report summarises the discussion of a Finextra webinar, hosted with Red Hat, by a panel of industry experts. Discover: How AI is enhancing innovation, efficiency, and security; Synthetic data and regulatory impact; What factors are holding organisations back from fully adoption AI-driven services; Balancing innovation and regulation; And more.

07 February 2025 335 downloads

Impact Study

Are you ready for CBPR+? Accelerating modernisation and efficiency through ISO 20022

Challenges and strategies for financial messaging professionals to be CBPR+ compliant by November 2025. Financial institutions’ ISO 20022 for CBPR+ migration timelines vary enormously, yet the deadline is the same for all financial institutions – whether they have fully adopted ISO 20022 or are yet to make significant progress. By November 2025, ISO 20022 will become the sole globally recognised standard for interbank cross-border payments, and the new MX messaging format will fully replace the old MT messaging format. Concerningly, adoption has not picked up as significantly since the co-existence period began in November 2023. In January 2024, the ISO 20022 adoption rate of the top 175 financial institutions stood at 19%. By December 2024, this number had grown to 32.9%. It’s clear that institutions need to significantly accelerate their migration efforts over the next few months – or risk the consequences of non-compliance. ISO 20022 is not just a compliance update – the data-rich format enables organisations to enhance their analytical capabilities, improve their service offering, improve straight-through processing, strengthen anti-money laundering and compliance efforts, and more. This impact study explores readiness for the impending ISO 20022 for CBPR+ deadline and features commentary from experts at Finastra and Visa. It answers: What needs to happen between today and November? What are the main challenges institutions have been facing? How can they streamline successful strategies to hit compliance by November and beyond? What happens in November 2025 for organisations that have not made the deadline? Join the Finextra webinar, 'The ISO 20022 for CBPR+ deadline is looming: Are financial organisations prepared?', hosted with Finastra, to learn more.

05 February 2025 337 downloads

Impact Study

Bank Legacy Transformation: Exploring the Solutions

Where do banks stand with legacy transformation today? What are the market factors and changing consumer demands that make transformation increasingly crucial? Legacy transformation is not a new challenge for banks. However, as technology capability continues to advance, along with it the potential for innovation and new business models serving a digital customer base, the pressure of no longer being constrained by legacy infrastructure intensifies. Despite being the central nervous system for banks’ operations for decades serving a business purpose, legacy systems have become inadequate, and those trained to use them may lack the skills needed to meet sophisticated demands for real-time and seamless experiences. Here’s how banks can decouple their systems from each other to evolve and grow, untangle technology challenges to drive digitisation, and invest in technology and employees to ensure obstacles to rapid and gradual modernisation are removed. This impact study, produced in association with Veritran, will: Consider frameworks that prioritise initiatives based on their impact; Explore specific recommendations for each of these challenges; Propose strategies on how to integrate systems that will address data silos; Highlight clear ROI examples, efficiency gains, and enhanced customer outcomes; and Emphasise that there is no need for legacy system abandonment and modernisation can be conducted gradually without disruption.

14 January 2025 449 downloads

White Paper

UK Open Banking API Performance 2023-2024

In this fourth annual report, APIContext evaluated the performance of UK Open Banking APIs from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. The UK’s Open Banking system is arguably the most advanced in the world, having been in place since at least 2018. The time in market for this ecosystem offers lessons and best practices to other countries that are looking to implement similar API-driven financial systems; as well as banks and financial institutions that seek to differentiate through quality customer experiences. In this updated report, APIContext evaluates the performance of Open Banking APIs provided by various types of financial institutions in the UK. These include the major “CMA9” banks (the nine largest banks required by UK law to provide Open Banking services), traditional High Street banks, credit card companies, building societies (similar to credit unions in the United States), and new digital banks, often called neobanks. All the data in this report are based on real API calls, having tested the APIs in real-world conditions using the same process that consumers would go through. These calls followed the FAPI (Financial-grade API) standards, which are specifically designed for securely sharing sensitive financial data. The report includes: Key analysis of the UK's Open Banking API performance 2023 - 2024 Availability and reliability of API endpoints Latency metrics (DNS, TCP connect, SSL handshake, processing, and total time) Performance by cloud provider (AWS, IBM, Azure, and Google) Comparative analysis between different bank types (CMA9, traditional, and neobanks) Cloud provider comparison and other detailed findings Key takeaways and recommendations for various players in the ecosystem

13 January 2025 492 downloads

Impact Study

Mastering the Transition to ISO 20022

Strategies for Compliance and Automated Testing in Financial Services With a regulatory storm incoming, the need for testing solutions – whether they be generic or tailored – is greater than ever before. As the financial services industry undergoes a vast amount change, particularly around the introduction of new rails on the ISO 20022 framework, these tests are proving vital for international banks and other institutions in the chain. Yet, for this sector change is not a binary phase; it is almost always underway. To tackle this challenge in a sustainable way, automation is key – giving institutions the confidence to weather the storm of regulation with ease. With the ISO 20022 standard now a prerequisite, organisations must convince their business leaders that the migration mandated for November is not just an IT project – it is fundamental to company-wide strategy. This impact study, produced in association with Unifits and featuring expert commentary from BearingPoint and Accenture, explores how institutions can master the transition to ISO 20022 and streamline compliance through automated testing. Discover: The impact and evolution of testing The benefits of testing automation The strategic role of technology and compliance Trends to watch: New rails and regulations Real-world case studies And more.

16 September 2024 500 downloads

Impact Study

Microservices Architecture: Future-Proofing Payments Technology

It is high time for banks to move away from legacy thinking and embrace modernisation to remain competitive in the industry. Financial institutions have long been threatened by innovative, tech-savvy fintech firms that do not have to maintain decades-old back-office systems. Core banking systems within banks have evolved, but with additional pressure from incoming regulation and subsequent reporting, progression and modernisation has not kept pace with industry developments. In the US alone, the real-time payments market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 31% until 2030. An institution’s success in scaling their payment processing in response to this shift will rest heavily on how their systems are set up. Cloud-native payments processing is the most viable option to keep pace with innovation demand and competition; enabling banks to build upon flexibility, at low cost and risk. These enablers also make cloud infrastructure – both public and private – attractive for banks that have struggled to streamline, maintain and upgrade their legacy infrastructures. This Finextra research paper, produced in association with Diebold Nixdorf, explores the opportunities of microservices architecture. It discusses: Then & Now: Monolithic vs. microservices architecture Overcoming microservice challenges The benefits of a micro-approach Real-world examples and cases studies And more. Click here to join the Finextra webinar, hosted in association with Diebold Nixdorf, to watch as our panel of iindustry experts explore the benefits of microservices architecture, and what needs to be done to ensure migrations are streamlined.

27 August 2024 434 downloads

Impact Study

AI and Cloud: The Proving Ground for Regulatory Resilience in 2024

The current macroeconomic landscape is marked by exceptional volatility and uncertainty, posing challenges to traditional models in the financial services sector. Despite this new challenging market context, some financial institutions continue to hit pause on using AI and cloud technology, falling behind the curve. Leveraging new technologies can no longer be a zero-sum game. This impact study explores: How can AI and cloud be leveraged to improve back-end processes, rather than just front-end experiences; How migrating to the cloud can fuel new use cases; The regulatory impact of PSD3, DORA and more; The benefits of data sovereignty and data governance; And more. Download this Finextra impact study, produced in association with Microsoft Azure, to learn more.

22 December 2023 657 downloads

Event Report

Cloud innovation paves path to the future

An open banking platform has the power to transform a bank, whether the bank is looking to modernise using technology on-premise, in the cloud or as Software-asa-Service (SaaS). In turn, banks gain access to endless opportunities to engage with customers and scale for massive demand. This event report, in association with Temenos, highlights the key takeaways from Temenos Community Forum 2023 that took place in Vienna, Austria. Bringing industry experts and partners together to explore new opportunities opened up by emerging technologies and the cloud, this year’s overarching event theme was ‘Engage and Grow in a Cloud World’. In this report, we explore the different ways that the cloud is accelerating transformation in the industry, including: Why banks are being disrupted by BaaS and embedded finance services; How agility, innovation, and customer experience are gaining momentum on the cloud; How to build resilient cloud infrastructure for sustainability; And more.

19 December 2023 183 downloads

Future of Report

The Future of Digital Banking in North America 2024

2023 was characterised by increasing amounts of uncertainty and a lack of clarity across the financial world. The collapse of banks, including Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republican Bank, in March 2023, added strain to already unsettled financial markets. While market volatility has remained relatively stable, soaring inflation and climbing interest rates slowed economic growth and this is expected to continue into 2024. While forecasts regarding the length and severity of a possible recession are speculative, experts are even more divided about stock market predictions for 2024. Optimism is strong in many investors who expect that 2024 is the year rates will stop rising and predict bullish turns that will see markets soar to new heights. Yet with many other factors affecting North American markets, the only certainty we can expect as we look towards 2024 is more uncertainty. This Finextra report on the outlook of North American banking trends, is produced in association with Money20/20 and includes key insights and commentary from industry experts at EY and Mastercard.

23 October 2023 741 downloads

White Paper

Build, Buy or Bust – Hybrid leapfrogging Legacy

The age-old Build Vs. Buy conundrum has never been brought into sharper focus than it is now. In light of unprecedented unpredictability and economic volatility in recent times, in light of converging pressure brought about as a result of myriad payments systems, real time rails, cross-border implications in a global village, standards development and heightened public awareness and expectation, financial institutions are leaping forwards by falling back on partners to bring systems in line with modern business expectations. Undoubtedly, the advent and availability of open source technology has intensified and strengthened both sides of the Build Vs. Buy argument. For one thing, it has enabled banks and financial organisations to tailor and sculpt new processes and systems around their exact needs, with the availability of non-proprietary technology. For another, it has brought about a plethora of third party ‘enablers’, as well as having inspired fintech services firms by way of creating plug-and-play or pay-as-you-go offerings. And alongside all of this, the development of cloud technology and its permeation throughout the financial services industry has oiled the wheels for the journey, facilitating the bespoke and dynamic capability that open source cloud offers, and compounding the technological know-how and prowess of both banks and fintech providers the world over. There are other influencing factors, such as the API economy, the concepts of open finance, open data; external global, market and economic drivers and events that shape the demand for improved and instant banking services in the first place, putting pressure on operations to the point that banks need to fast-track pretty much every modernisation or product development project they have going, inevitably having to outsource some of this burden. Download this Finextra report, produced in association with Cloudera, to learn more.

22 September 2023 269 downloads

Future of Report

The Future of the Global Financial Ecosystem 2024

A Sibos Special Edition. Our world has experienced several unexpected and unprecedented events over the last few years, which show no signs of slowing down. This year’s Sibos aims to connect those in the financial services community who have experienced fragmentation, in the hope that tackling this will help with some of the biggest issues facing banking. The role that financial institutions play in the global environment will continue to be placed under the microscope as situations continue to develop. In light of this, there has never been a better time for those in finance to come together and have frank and open conversations about their future. This applies to not only environmental and social goals for banks, but also the adoption of and adaptation to new technologies. No longer can these issues be placed on the side and given lip service, they need to become an integrated part of each financial institution’s core policies and practices. However, ever increasing this challenge are the continuously changing global circumstances. Due to these circumstances, communication and collaboration are essential drivers for 2024. This Finextra report, produced in association with Swift, includes commentary from BBVA, BNP Paribas, BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, ING, JP Morgan, Lloyds, McKinsey, NatWest, SEB, Standard Chartered, UniCredit, and Wells Fargo.

07 September 2023 1059 downloads

Event Report

Entering New and Niche Markets with BaaS

A Financial Cloud Series Report Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) has emerged as a prominent and steady trend in the banking sector, significantly disrupting the industry and introducing consumers to faster and more personalised services. Working hand-in-hand with embedded finance, BaaS allows third-party distributors to provide banking services, essentially integrating financial services in non-banking infrastructures. Research revealed that the BaaS market is expected to reach $11.34 billion globally by 2030, a huge jump from $2.41 billion in 2020. The rapid acceleration of the BaaS market is due to the speed of digital transformation currently occurring in the financial industry, with a sharply increasing number of banks and consumers seeking to integrate BaaS services into their offerings in order to provide quicker and more efficient experiences. The rapid growth of third-party non-bank platforms has grown exponentially in recent years to incorporate BaaS services into their offerings. The global market has embraced BaaS and new innovations are pushing the trend to become even more significant in the financial industry. BaaS opens up new opportunities for smaller businesses and for a diverse range of companies to facilitate banking operations on a wider scale. The banking sector has evolved and become more diverse and sophisticated through BaaS, which allows companies to focus on what is best for both businesses and banks. To understand how embedded finance and banking as a service can help to transform the backbone of business operations, experts came together for a Finextra webinar, hosted in association with Temenos, 'Entering new and niche markets with BaaS'. The panel explored how banks can best diversify their product offering with cloud.

16 August 2023 304 downloads

Event Report

Keeping Pace with Customer Experience Demands during Cloud Migration

A Financial Cloud Series Report It has been widely established that the cloud is the next big step for financial institutions to become more agile, flexible, and scalable. The financial industry has become a storm as more and more companies flock to the cloud for data, real-time efficiency, and broader accessibility. According to Google, by 2027 over 50% of enterprises will have shifted to the cloud to boost their businesses and create more accessible and efficient platforms for their services. Cloud is seeing massive growth from all industries, and prominently from the fintech and banking sectors as industry leaders rush to get ahead of their competitors. However the move to the cloud is no easy task, as financial institutions require funds, time, energy, and talent to support the transition. As enterprises embark on their modernisation and digital transformation journeys, they are looking to new technologies to aid as they transition such as AI-driven technology. 72% of cloud experts see digital transformation as more than a simple task of “lifting and shifting” of company data to the cloud. The complexity of restructuring a company’s infrastructure with the help of a third-party in a new space is daunting, and requires a significant amount of prior planning and decision-making. To discuss how financial institutions are adapting to consumer demand and security concerns in the cloud transition, experts came together for a Finextra webinar, hosted in association with Temenos, ‘Keeping pace with customer experience demands during cloud migration’. The panel explored how banks are approaching digitisation on the cloud and using new technologies to scale up and expand.

11 August 2023 157 downloads

Survey

From Cloud to Multicloud, Pathway to Resilience

The term multicloud has various interpretations, each offering different levels of resilience and reliability for bank payment platforms. Financial institutions may believe they have implemented a true multicloud model, but discrepancies in definitions can lead to confusion. Download this report to gain insights from an industry survey, conducted by Finextra in association with Form3, which was designed to glean the general attitude and approach multi-cloud infrastructure, perceived benefits and perceived challenges around implementation. Notably, it sought to establish the general awareness of various new and incoming regulations around resilience and systemic risk, of how cloud and cloud providers can navigate this and how much, if any, business opportunity firms see in resilience and risk compliance.

06 June 2023 373 downloads