Why most core banking modernization programs fail — and how to avoid it
EDFC,Amsterdam - March 5, 2026
John Mason, Senior Vice President – Client Strategy
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Zafin’s AI powered platform compliments your tech stack
Zafin Overview
Our platform integrates with key ecosystem providers, to enable banks to rapidly deploy capabilities that will deepen customer relationships and drive personalized experiences, improved decision-making, and optimized operations across the organization.
Who we complement
Core Banking System:
HOGAN
SYSTEMATICS
Customer Engagement and Marketing Channels
Collaboration or Workflow Application
Connectors & Accelerators
Integrate with an ecosystem of partnerships that speed up your time to business value.
Product Catalog
Rates & Fees
Proposition Manager
Product & Pricing Manager
Analytics
Signals
Tiering
Dynamic Cohorts
Zafin Core Capabilities
Disclosures
Promocodes
Zafin Enablers
Integrate and Orchestrate (zIO)
AI Integration
Doc Canvas
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PRE INTERNET ERA
Traditional banking
WEB & MOBILE FIRST ERA
Digital banking revolution
FUTURE ERA
The future of banking is upon us
The eras of modern banking
PRESENT ERA
Customer driven banking revolution
Branch distribution of static products
Community driven client relationships
Digital distribution of static products
Commodity driven client relationships
Hyper-personalized propositions distributed digitally
Dynamic product designs that adapt to customers
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Moving from customer awareness to customer obsession
In a recent study by Bain & Company, 81% of respondents say that the higher the bank’s ability to personalize, the more positive is their customer NPS.
81%
Of customers want personalization from their bank*
* Used with permission from Bain & Company
Offering hyper-personalized products and services is imperative to build lasting customer relationships
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The different modernization journeys
Incremental modernization is the only approach a bank can take that delivers meaningful benefits at each step
Chart on left with bullets on right
Big-Bang
Digital Face-Lift
Incremental Modernization
Big Bang: Solely focusing on the transformation (or replacement) of the bank’s tech ecosystem
Digital Face-Lift: Bank focuses solely on the digital experience to customers
Incremental Modernization: recognizing ROI at each step
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Product innovation and the future of banking
Leverage the full ecosystem of strategic partners, working together to build the future of banking
Customer value: Deliver hyper personalized propositions consisting of banking and nonbanking products and services to meet and exceed customer demands. Resulting in customers realizing the true value of their relationship with their bank
A banks’ competitive advantage requires change to underlying platforms that enable product and product structures, pricing and propositions
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Four messages about the future of banking you should remember …
Banking does not have a future proof business model, and the markets expect it �will continue destroying value
A new, promising pattern is emerging – banks will need to become open platforms and participate in broader ecosystems
Current and future core banking systems are unlikely to support such magnitude of change; most practical path could be to focus the evolution outside of the core
To get there, the banking IT stack will have to undergo a magnitude-level improvement in terms of interoperability, distribution and speed to market
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Through a multi-thin core model, banks will unlock several key benefits crucial �to modern banking …
Increased business agility
Create market-leading products and pricing strategies faster than ever
Thin core
Modernize core systems by hollowing out marketable attributes
Tailored customer engagement
Deliver hyper-personalized value propositions to drive customer loyalty
Analytics & AI
Leverage advanced analytics and generative AI to create “out-of-the-box” value propositions
Go beyond banking
Enable seamless integration �with third-party solution providers �to expand beyond traditional �banking services
Orchestrated API ecosystem
Centrally managed with unified data �flows and standardized integration protocols
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Relationship-focused banks are investing in technology transformation
EDFC
How Zafin helps
Simplification: bringing the right products to market, at the right price, with speed
Personalization: personalized propositions & driving member behaviour
Platformization: 1:1 member-obsessed loyalty across the Financial Institution
Product Bank
Ecosystem Bank
Relationship Bank
Bank Personas
Product-first, operationally efficient, limited personalization
Customer-focused with personalized engagement and loyalty
Embedded, AI-driven, and ecosystem-enabled
Maturity
Today
2-3 years
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Over the next 12-18 months, banks will encounter the moment of choice
Remain a product-centric bank and face the growing risk of:
WAIT
Remain a product-centric bank and face the growing risk of:
ACT
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Thank you!��www.zafin.com
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