The arrival of open banking marked a seismic shift in the financial services landscape. Regulatory mandates such as PSD2 and the UK’s CMA initiative compelled banks to expose APIs, enabling secure data sharing and payment initiation by trusted third parties. For many institutions, the initial focus was on compliance—meeting technical standards, securing data, and ensuring interoperability. But as the dust settles, a new imperative emerges: how can banks move beyond compliance to create differentiated, monetizable API ecosystems that drive strategic value?
Open banking has democratized access to financial data, lowering barriers for fintechs and enabling a wave of aggregation and personal finance management tools. Yet, the true potential of API-driven ecosystems remains largely untapped. Most open banking activity to date has centered on basic data aggregation, with limited impact on customer experience or bank revenue. The next phase—what we call the “post-open” era—demands a shift from generic, regulatory APIs to targeted, value-creating API products and partnerships.
In this new landscape, banks must reimagine their role. Rather than simply exposing data, they have the opportunity to become orchestrators of digital ecosystems, forging partnerships that extend their reach, deepen customer engagement, and unlock new revenue streams. This is not about abandoning openness, but about supplementing regulatory APIs with differentiated offerings that address specific market needs and create competitive advantage.
Transitioning from compliance to strategic value requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach:
Start by understanding your customers’ evolving needs and the broader market context. What problems can you solve that others cannot? How can your APIs enable new business models, products, or experiences? This vision should guide your ecosystem strategy and inform the selection of partners and API products.
Move beyond generic data access to create APIs that deliver unique value. For example, APIs that enable real-time payments, credit decisioning, or personalized financial insights. These products should be designed with monetization in mind—whether through direct fees, revenue sharing, or by driving usage of core banking products.
Identify and engage with fintechs, technology providers, and non-traditional players (such as retailers or energy companies) that can help you reach new customer segments or deliver enhanced experiences. Successful partnerships are built on shared goals, mutual trust, and a commitment to innovation.
A robust API management platform is essential for scaling your ecosystem. This includes capabilities for developer onboarding, security, analytics, and lifecycle management. Modern platforms enable banks to deliver high-quality, reliable APIs while maintaining control and compliance.
Legacy systems can stifle innovation. By adopting cloud-native, composable architectures, banks can accelerate the development and deployment of new API products, integrate seamlessly with partners, and scale efficiently as ecosystem demand grows.
Success in the post-open world is measured by business outcomes, not just technical metrics. Track adoption, usage, and revenue generated by your API products. Use data-driven insights to refine your offerings and identify new opportunities for growth.
Banks that have embraced this approach are already seeing tangible benefits. For example, by building a greenfield, cloud-native banking platform, one leading UK specialist lender was able to launch new digital products at speed, boost customer satisfaction, and establish a scalable foundation for future ecosystem growth. Similarly, global banks leveraging API-first strategies have introduced innovative transaction banking platforms, enabling new products and services for corporate clients and driving operational efficiency.
These transformations are underpinned by a holistic approach—combining strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data—to deliver customer-centric solutions at scale. The result is not just compliance, but a platform for sustained innovation and competitive differentiation.
With over 30 years of digital innovation experience and deep expertise in financial services, Publicis Sapient is uniquely positioned to help banks navigate the transition to post-open banking. Our SPEED framework—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—enables us to deliver end-to-end transformation, from ecosystem strategy and API management to platform modernization and partnership enablement.
We partner with leading banks to break down silos, connect with the right technology and fintech partners, and create everything needed to transform business models and customer experiences. Our proven track record includes building digital banks in record time, modernizing core systems, and delivering industry-first API platforms that unlock new value streams.
The winners in the post-open banking world will be those who move beyond compliance to build differentiated, monetizable API ecosystems. By articulating a clear ecosystem strategy, developing targeted API products, and forging strategic partnerships, banks can unlock new revenue, deepen customer engagement, and secure a lasting competitive edge.
Now is the time to capitalize on your API investments and lead the next wave of digital transformation. Publicis Sapient stands ready to help you shape and realize your ecosystem vision—delivering not just compliance, but true strategic value in the evolving world of financial services.