In today’s digital-first financial landscape, the ability to deliver always-on, seamless customer experiences is not just a competitive advantage—it’s a regulatory and operational necessity. Yet, many financial institutions remain tethered to legacy systems that limit agility, slow product development, and hinder real-time data access. The answer lies in modernizing the data layer itself, leveraging cloud-powered platforms and real-time data streaming to unlock new levels of resiliency, speed, and business value. At the heart of this transformation is Publicis Sapient’s Speed Layer—a proven accelerator for 24/7 availability, rapid innovation, and operational excellence.
Legacy mainframes and siloed data architectures have long been the backbone of financial services. However, as customer expectations for 24/7 access and personalized experiences rise, these systems become a barrier to growth. They struggle to support real-time analytics, rapid product launches, and the integration of emerging technologies such as AI and advanced fraud detection. The result? Slower growth, missed opportunities, and increased operational risk.
Modern data platforms, built on cloud-native principles, are transforming how financial institutions operate. Speed Layer is a resilient, scalable data streaming platform designed to unlock data trapped in legacy systems and enable real-time engagement across digital channels. Acting as a near real-time cache, Speed Layer collects changes from core systems of record using change data capture and streaming technologies. This data is then made instantly available to digital applications via microservices and APIs, allowing for:
By offloading read workloads from core systems and standardizing data access, Speed Layer not only boosts resilience but also drives significant cost savings and operational efficiency.
Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, partnered with Publicis Sapient to transform its technological foundation and ensure 24/7 data availability for digital product services. By implementing Speed Layer, Nationwide created a robust ecosystem of digital services resilient to outages and downtime. Key outcomes included:
Speed Layer enabled Nationwide to decouple customer-facing digital capabilities from slower-moving legacy systems, standardize data access, and launch more customer-focused products. The platform’s resilience and scalability empowered Nationwide to innovate rapidly, delivering richer experiences to members and supporting future use cases such as real-time notifications and fraud monitoring.
Lloyds Banking Group, one of the UK’s largest banks, undertook a major transformation with Publicis Sapient as a key partner. By integrating Speed Layer and adopting agile engineering, Lloyds achieved:
Initiatives included core banking modernization, cloud foundation, and the creation of data platforms. The result was faster product releases, improved customer experiences, and a foundation for ongoing innovation—such as reducing business account opening times from 30 days to 48 hours and launching pioneering journeys on cloud platforms.
Real-time data streaming platforms like Speed Layer deliver a host of technical and business benefits:
Successful integration of real-time data streaming platforms into legacy environments requires a strategic, incremental approach:
Modernization is not a one-time event—it’s a journey of continuous improvement. By embedding engineering excellence, cloud-native platforms, and data-driven strategies at the core, financial institutions can adapt, innovate, and create value continuously. Speed Layer is the catalyst that accelerates this journey, enabling organizations to unlock their data potential, future-proof their operations, and deliver on the promise of digital financial services.
Ready to accelerate your data modernization journey? Connect with Publicis Sapient to discover how Speed Layer and real-time data streaming can help your organization thrive in the digital age.