North America’s banking sector stands at a pivotal crossroads. The region’s financial institutions face mounting pressure from digitally native competitors, rapidly evolving customer expectations, and a complex regulatory environment. Yet, these challenges also present a unique opportunity: to leapfrog legacy constraints and deliver the next generation of digital banking experiences. At Publicis Sapient, we understand that success in North America requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Our XBank solution and rapid neobank launch methodology are designed to address the region’s distinct needs—enabling banks to transform at speed, scale, and with confidence.
Many North American banks are built on decades-old core systems. These legacy platforms, while robust, often stifle innovation and make it difficult to deliver the seamless, omnichannel experiences today’s customers demand. Maintaining and patching these systems is costly, and the technical debt can slow down the launch of new products and services. The imperative is clear: modernize the core, or risk being left behind by more agile, cloud-native challengers.
The regulatory landscape in the US and Canada is among the most intricate in the world. From data residency and privacy requirements to anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations, banks must ensure that every digital initiative is compliant from day one. This complexity can slow transformation efforts, but it also creates an opportunity for banks that can embed compliance and security by design—turning regulatory rigor into a competitive advantage.
North America’s fintech sector is vibrant and highly competitive. Neobanks, digital lenders, and payment innovators are redefining what customers expect from their financial institutions. To stay relevant, traditional banks must not only keep pace with these disruptors but also leverage partnerships to accelerate their own digital journeys.
XBank is Publicis Sapient’s packaged solution for building a neobank or launching new digital products—delivering a working bank in as little as nine months. By fusing ready-made strategies, operating models, accelerators, and architectures, XBank enables North American banks to:
Our proven, four-step approach ensures that transformation is both rapid and sustainable:
North American consumers expect seamless, personalized, and secure digital experiences. Hyper-personalization, real-time insights, and omnichannel engagement are no longer differentiators—they are table stakes. Banks must harness data and AI to deliver relevant products and services at the right moment, across every touchpoint.
The path to digital banking success in North America is paved with collaboration. By partnering with fintechs, banks can access cutting-edge technologies, accelerate time-to-market, and unlock new business models. Publicis Sapient’s deep relationships with leading fintechs ensure that our clients benefit from the latest innovations—without the risk and complexity of going it alone.
Operational agility is critical in a region where customer preferences and regulatory requirements can shift rapidly. Our approach emphasizes the importance of agile, cross-functional teams and a culture of continuous improvement—enabling banks to adapt quickly and deliver value at every stage of the transformation journey.
A leading bank needed more than a new app—they required a new business model and a robust technical foundation to deliver on their future goals. In just three months, Publicis Sapient delivered a front-to-back banking platform, connecting a new mobile app, payment platform, and real-time data lake. The result: the bank can now launch new products at speed, adapt to changing market demands, and meet regulatory obligations—all while delivering experiences customers love.
For a global investment firm operating in North America, Publicis Sapient modernized mission-critical workloads from on-premises to a cloud-native environment. This transformation sharpened the firm’s competitive edge, enabling greater resilience, scalability, and innovation.
By integrating cloud-native platforms like Thought Machine and Mambu, banks have been able to assemble tailored, composable architectures that meet local needs and regulatory requirements—launching new digital propositions in record time.
With over 30 years of digital innovation experience, a network of 40+ technology partners, and a proven track record in North America, Publicis Sapient is uniquely positioned to help banks:
The future of banking in North America belongs to those who can adapt, innovate, and put the customer at the center of everything they do. Whether you’re looking to modernize your core, launch a new digital bank, or build a data-driven organization, Publicis Sapient is your partner for what’s next. Connect with our experts to discover how we can help you build the bank of the future—faster, smarter, and tailored to the North American market.