Asia Pacific’s banking sector is at a pivotal crossroads. As digital adoption accelerates and customer expectations soar, banks across the region—from Thailand to Singapore and Australia—are under mounting pressure to modernize their core banking systems. Yet, the path to transformation is anything but uniform. Each market presents its own blend of regulatory complexity, digital maturity, and customer demands, making a one-size-fits-all approach unworkable.
At Publicis Sapient, we’ve seen firsthand how banks in APAC are not just keeping pace with global trends—they’re setting new standards for speed, compliance, and customer-centricity. Our recent work with a leading Thai retail bank, which achieved a full core transformation in just 12 weeks, is a testament to what’s possible when the right strategy, technology, and expertise converge.
Thailand’s banking sector is characterized by rapid digital adoption and a regulatory environment that demands both innovation and rigor. Our work with a major Thai retail bank illustrates how transformation can be achieved at pace without compromising compliance. The bank’s ambition was to unify all account types and empower customers with seamless control—far beyond launching a new app. In just three months, a multidisciplinary team from Publicis Sapient and Thought Machine delivered a new business model, a robust technical foundation, and a customer-first digital platform. This agile, front-to-back transformation connected a new mobile app, payment platform, and real-time data lake, all built on Thought Machine’s cloud-native Vault core banking platform. The result: the bank can now launch new products at speed, adapt to evolving market demands, and meet stringent regulatory obligations.
Singapore’s status as a global financial center brings both opportunity and complexity. Banks here face some of the world’s most advanced regulatory frameworks, with a strong emphasis on data security, open banking, and customer protection. The region’s high digital adoption rates mean customers expect seamless, omnichannel experiences and rapid product innovation. For Singaporean banks, modernization is about more than technology—it’s about orchestrating compliance, agility, and customer experience. Cloud-native platforms like Thought Machine’s Vault and Mambu’s SaaS core enable banks to launch new products quickly, integrate with fintech partners, and ensure regulatory alignment from day one.
Australia’s banking landscape is shaped by a mix of established incumbents and agile challengers. Regulatory scrutiny is high, particularly around data privacy and open banking. Many banks are burdened by legacy systems that stifle innovation and inflate costs. The imperative is clear: modernize the core to unlock agility, reduce operational risk, and deliver the digital experiences customers demand. Publicis Sapient’s proven accelerators and repeatable blueprints help Australian banks de-risk transformation, integrate with legacy systems, and embed compliance by design—enabling them to compete with digital-first rivals and meet evolving regulatory standards.
The future belongs to banks that can adapt, innovate, and deliver at speed—while navigating the region’s unique regulatory and digital challenges. With the right approach, APAC banks can break free from legacy constraints, meet regulatory demands, and create the customer experiences that drive growth.
Ready to modernize your core? Let’s build the bank of tomorrow—today.