FAQ
Publicis Sapient helps banks modernize core banking systems, redesign operating models, and build more customer-centric digital banking experiences. Its approach centers on cloud-native, composable architectures, coexistence migration, agile delivery, and ecosystem partnerships to help banks move faster with less risk.
What does Publicis Sapient do for banks?
Publicis Sapient helps banks modernize core systems and reinvent digital banking experiences. Its work spans strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data to help financial institutions launch new products faster, improve customer experiences, and build more adaptable operating models.
What is core modernization in banking?
Core modernization is the process of replacing or reworking outdated core banking systems so banks can operate with more agility, lower complexity, and better customer outcomes. In the source material, it is described as more than a technology upgrade because it also involves business model changes, operating model redesign, and new ways of working.
Why are banks prioritizing core modernization now?
Banks are prioritizing core modernization because legacy systems are expensive to maintain, hard to change, and limit innovation. The source content also points to rising customer expectations, regulatory pressure, growing transaction volumes, and the need for better digital experiences as major drivers.
What does “coreless” banking mean?
Coreless banking does not mean core systems disappear. It means legacy core systems no longer sit at the center of the banking ecosystem, while data and customer needs become more central to how the bank operates.
What problem does a coreless or modernized architecture solve?
A coreless or modernized architecture helps banks address siloed data, disjointed product structures, and slow product change. According to the source material, this makes it easier to deliver more seamless and personalized experiences, unify offerings, and reduce the operational drag of legacy systems.
Who is Publicis Sapient’s core modernization approach for?
Publicis Sapient’s approach is aimed at incumbent banks, mid-tier banks, challenger banks, and banks operating in highly regulated markets. Several of the source documents also highlight relevance for APAC institutions and for banks with limited resources that still need to modernize quickly.
How does Publicis Sapient approach core modernization differently?
Publicis Sapient approaches core modernization as a business and operating model transformation, not just a system replacement. The source documents emphasize customer-centric design, agile multidisciplinary teams, cloud-native and composable architecture, repeatable blueprints, and close integration of strategy, experience, engineering, and data.
What is “purposeful coexistence” in digital core banking?
Purposeful coexistence means running legacy and modern core systems side by side during transformation. Instead of trying to move everything in a single high-risk cutover, banks can migrate products, books of business, or customer groups in phases while maintaining continuity.
Why does Publicis Sapient recommend coexistence instead of a big bang migration?
Publicis Sapient recommends coexistence because big bang migrations are described in the source material as risky, expensive, and poorly suited to modern technology approaches. A coexistence model allows banks to test, learn, reduce migration risk, and scale progressively without putting customers or the bank at unnecessary risk.
How do banks typically migrate in a coexistence model?
Banks typically migrate in phases rather than all at once. The source material says banks can start with a new front-book offering, a geographic market, a specific book of business, or another targeted area, then expand based on what they learn.
What technologies make coexistence and modernization more practical today?
The source material highlights cloud infrastructure, APIs, open standards, event-driven architecture, data streaming, and real-time reconciliation as important enablers. These technologies make it easier to connect old and new environments, move incrementally, and operate with more flexibility than banks could in the past.
How does cloud support core banking modernization?
Cloud is presented as a major enabler of core modernization. In the source content, cloud supports faster deployment, greater flexibility, easier scaling, shorter procurement cycles, and quicker iteration when banks need to adjust direction.
What are the benefits of cloud-native, composable banking platforms?
Cloud-native, composable platforms give banks more flexibility than traditional monolithic systems. The source documents say these platforms can help banks launch new products faster, scale more efficiently, integrate best-of-breed components, and support local regulatory requirements more effectively.
Which platform partners are mentioned in the source material?
The source material specifically mentions Thought Machine, Mambu, Form3, Snowflake, and 10x Banking. These partners are referenced as part of a broader ecosystem used to support core banking, payments modernization, data capabilities, and cloud-based transformation.
Does Publicis Sapient offer accelerators or packaged approaches?
Yes. The source material mentions several accelerators and packaged approaches, including SPEED, XBank, repeatable blueprints, and Sapient Slingshot. These are described as ways to reduce time to market, speed up delivery, modernize legacy code, and support transformation with more consistency and lower risk.
What is Sapient Slingshot?
Sapient Slingshot is described in the source material as Publicis Sapient’s proprietary AI-powered platform for accelerating software work. It automates and speeds up activities such as prototyping, code generation, testing, deployment, and modernization of outdated code.
How does Publicis Sapient help banks improve customer experience?
Publicis Sapient helps banks improve customer experience by moving from product-centric structures to more customer-centric journeys. The source material emphasizes real-time data, personalized engagement, seamless digital journeys, and unified experiences that let banks respond more effectively to changing customer expectations.
How does data fit into Publicis Sapient’s modernization strategy?
Data is central to the strategy described in the source documents. Publicis Sapient positions accessible, normalized, and real-time data as essential for personalization, better decision-making, AI-driven insights, and more effective product and service orchestration.
Can banks modernize core systems without replacing everything at once?
Yes. The source material explicitly supports phased transformation and notes that not every product needs to move immediately. In some cases, banks may keep certain products on older systems if migration is not economically sensible, while focusing investment on higher-value modernization priorities.
What kinds of outcomes are described in the source material?
The source material points to outcomes such as faster product launches, reduced legacy costs, improved agility, more seamless customer experiences, stronger innovation capacity, and better alignment between technology and business goals. It also describes specific examples, including a leading Thai bank transformation delivered in 12 weeks and working-bank launches in as little as nine months through packaged approaches.
What should banks get right before starting a core modernization program?
Banks should start with a clear business vision and target customer outcomes. The source material also stresses the importance of prioritizing data readiness, avoiding overly rigid up-front planning, embracing coexistence, and choosing partners with industry, regulatory, and delivery expertise.
Why do mid-tier and challenger banks need a different modernization approach?
Mid-tier and challenger banks often face the same customer and regulatory pressures as larger institutions, but with leaner resources and less room for error. The source material says they need pragmatic, efficient transformation approaches that deliver measurable value quickly, without the cost and bloat of large multi-year programs.
What makes Publicis Sapient relevant for APAC banks?
Publicis Sapient’s source material highlights APAC as a region with rapid digital adoption, regulatory complexity, financial inclusion pressures, and high customer expectations. Its APAC approach emphasizes coexistence, cloud-native composable platforms, agile delivery, customer-centric design, and support for responding quickly to local regulatory and market demands.