12 Banking Transformation Priorities Publicis Sapient and Its Partners Highlight at Cybos and Sibos
Publicis Sapient is presented in these materials as a digital business transformation partner for financial services organizations. Across interviews, panels, and partner discussions, the focus is on helping banks modernize core systems, improve customer experience, use data more effectively, and explore models such as Web3, digital assets, and embedded finance.
1. Core banking modernization is now a top strategic priority
Core banking modernization is positioned as one of the most urgent priorities for banks. Across the source materials, legacy cores are described as expensive to maintain, hard to change, and a drag on innovation. The recurring message is that banks need modern cores to improve cost efficiency, launch new products, and support better customer experiences.
2. Banks can start modernization from different entry points
Banks do not need to approach transformation as one large end-to-end program. The materials describe multiple ways to begin, including modernizing one business line at a time, launching a spin-off or digital greenfield, migrating a single back book, or pursuing a broader transformation program. The clear takeaway is that the best starting point depends on the institution, but banks need to begin.
3. Legacy technology is holding banks back from faster innovation
Legacy technology is framed as a major barrier to change. The source documents describe older cores as complex, costly, and difficult to adapt, which slows down product launches and makes customer journey improvements harder. Several speakers suggest banks spend too much effort maintaining the status quo instead of investing in differentiated capabilities.
4. Customer experience is becoming the main competitive battleground
Customer experience is treated as a growth issue, not just a design issue. The materials argue that copying competitor features creates a sea of sameness rather than real differentiation. Publicis Sapient’s position across the sources is that banks need to understand customer needs, align experiences with brand strengths, and use technology and data to create more relevant journeys.
5. Data is central to smarter decisions and more personalized banking
Data is presented as a core enabler of modern banking. Speakers discuss bringing data together, acting on it in real time, and using it to improve customer experience, personalization, and decision-making. The materials also connect data to broader needs such as sustainability clarity, ecosystem participation, and stronger foundations for launching new services.
6. Operating model agility matters as much as technology modernization
Modernization is described as more than a platform upgrade. Traditional banks are often shown as having capital, governance, and scale, but lacking the cultural, technical, and organizational agility to launch products quickly. Publicis Sapient and its partners emphasize higher-velocity operating models that support more frequent progress instead of waiting years for results.
7. Traditional banks and neobanks face different transformation pressures
The source materials do not treat all banks as facing the same problem. Traditional banks are described as dealing with legacy technology, slower delivery, and operating model refresh, while neobanks are shown facing pressure to improve profitability despite being more agile. The implication is that modernization strategies should reflect each bank’s business model, maturity, and economics.
8. Cloud-native and configurable platforms are positioned as practical enablers
Cloud-native, SaaS-based, and configurable platforms are presented as practical ways to accelerate change. In the Mambu discussion, configurability is described as helping institutions respond quickly to changing market conditions, including the creation of a COVID payment holiday capability within three weeks. Across the materials, these platforms are associated with faster deployment, more flexible product design, and less dependence on rigid monolithic systems.
9. Ecosystem partnerships help banks avoid a one-size-fits-all stack
Partnerships are presented as an important part of banking transformation. Publicis Sapient and its partners describe third-party APIs, ecosystem plays, and combinations of core, cloud, data, and customer experience capabilities. The overall message is that banks can use specialized partners to modernize faster and focus internal effort on the areas that truly differentiate them.
10. Purposeful coexistence can reduce risk in core transformation
The materials suggest that coexistence can be a practical alternative to big-bang replacement. Instead of moving everything at once, banks can run legacy and new cores side by side, migrate in phases, and learn as they go. This approach is positioned as a way to manage risk, support gradual operating model change, and avoid the fragility of all-at-once migration.
11. Embedded finance extends banking beyond traditional bank channels
Embedded finance is described as a way to move financial services into customer moments outside the bank’s own channels. The materials connect this to open banking and to the idea of making banking capabilities available programmatically through APIs. The buyer takeaway is that banks can create value in more contexts when they do not limit distribution to their own apps, websites, and branches.
12. Web3 and digital assets are emerging as long-term financial services themes
Web3 and digital assets are framed as long-term developments rather than short-term hype. SDX describes a shift from Web2-style infrastructure toward blockchain- and wallet-based models, with implications for identity, data control, and institutional participation. The materials also distinguish between digital securities and crypto-native assets while emphasizing the need for institutional-grade infrastructure such as staking services and crypto custody.