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01-2006-Aggarwal - Roadmap To Successful Core Banking System Replacement
01-2006-Aggarwal - Roadmap To Successful Core Banking System Replacement
Roadmap to Successful
Core Banking System Replacement
Critical Success Factors and Best Practices
w w w . t h e a s i a n b a n k e r. c o m
Management Report:
Roadmap to Successful
Core Banking System Replacement
Critical Success Factors and Best Practices
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Although the author and publisher have tried to provide information
as accurately as possible, they accept no responsibility for any loss,
injury or inconveniences suffered by any person using this document.
The author and publisher have taken all reasonable care to ensure
the data and information in this report is accurate and presents a fair
representation of the subject matter.
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Contact:
THE ASIAN BANKER
10 Hoe Chiang Road
#14-06 Keppel Tower
Singapore 0899315
Tel: (65) 6236 6500
Fax: (65) 6236 6530
http://www.theasianbanker.com
ACKN O W L E D G E M E N T
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to convey our sincere thanks to Mr Hubert Knapp for sparing his
valuable time and providing us with important insights into core banking systems for
the preparation of this report.
Mr Knapp is one of our International Resource Directors. He is currently a Managing
Partner in Immacon Pte Ltd and holds a dual responsibility as Executive Partner in
Motif Technologies Bangkok.
Mr Knapp has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He specialises
in core banking enabled change, business transformation, credit risk management
and strategy development. His career in banking and consulting covers assignments
in Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey, Nepal, Sri Lanka, ASEAN and
many other parts of the world.
He has managed retail and wholesale banking operations for major global banks
in Europe and Asia. After his stint as Deputy General Manager of a joint-venture
merchant bank in Indonesia, his interest turned to financial services consulting. His
consulting assignments constitute a highly diversified portfolio that includes some of
the largest commercial banks in Asia.
Core Banking
Transformation
Critical Success Factors and Best Practices
Table of Contents
5.4.1 Branches
5.4.2 Call centres
5.4.3 ATM transactions
5.4.4 Other online interfaces
5.4.5 Batch interfaces – inward clearing
5.4.6 Batch interfaces – outward clearing
5.4.7 Other transaction implications
5.5 Data conversion and data cleansing
5.6 Product rationalisation
5.7 Process rationalisation
9. Vendor Assessment
9.1 Vendor and product assessment
9.2 Market positioning
10. Conclusions
10.1 Conclusion 1 – for bankers
10.2 Conclusion 2 – for vendors
Executive Summary
Increasing consumer demands, high costs and widespread dissatisfaction
with ageing systems are making it increasingly difficult for Asian bankers
to put off decisions to replace their core banking systems. We feel that the
banking industry worldwide is nearing a time when replacing core banking
systems would be a necessity rather than an option. However the complexity
of the task is such that it is often compared to a heart transplant, involving
huge risks, high costs and substantial time and human resources.
The critical need for replacement stems from rising customer expectations
and existing technical limitations. Banks are finding it imperative to expand
their channels and services while managing operational and technical costs
even as margins are shrinking due to stiff competition. But this is hampered
by technical limitations as many traditional financial institutions are shackled
by a series of heavily siloed non-integrated back-office legacy systems in
which customer information resides in multiple and unconnected locations.
Attempts to integrate these through layers of middleware have just made the
structure more complicated in many cases. On the other hand, abandoning the
antiquated structure itself presents a major challenge from the organisation
and financial perspectives. But competitive pressures are forcing banks
to take speedy actions, as can be seen in our analysis of trends in Asian
markets.
Analysing the Asian markets and the recent core banking replacement
decisions, we found that there has been a gradual rise in the number of core
banking deals in the last two years. Interestingly, almost half of the deals
during this period have come from state-owned Indian banks. These banks
had faltered due to competitive pressure from private banks and have found
it imperative to purchase (in most cases for the first time) new core banking
systems and upgrade themselves technically to improve product innovation,
agility in decision making and cost effectiveness. We expect the Asia-wide
trend to continue in the year 2006; but as the Indian market nears saturation,
there are likely to be fewer deals from this country in the following years.
Olympics in 2008. On the other hand, we have found that banks in countries
like Japan and Indonesia are still mulling over the wisdom of replacing.
Our research shows that banks which go ahead with replacement should
make a clear transition from their legacy system to the new system. Partially
bringing old elements such as codes, process automation and loss-making
legacy products into the new environment will lead to sub-optimal returns.
We have divided the process of core banking replacement into four phases.
The first phase is business justification and identification of business
requirements through delta analysis. We believe that the bank should, first
and foremost, determine its long-term strategic goals as these would guide
the bank towards the critical requirements for its system. With the business
objectives in mind, banks need to analyse the capabilities and deficiencies
of their existing core banking system to determine the new system’s
requirements – yet during our research, we discovered that only 70% of the
banks in our sample do so. In addition to setting the objectives, the bank
should establish the business and financial justification for the project at this
The second phase of the project is selection of the system and the vendor.
Selection of a core banking system will affect not only the growth and financials
of the organisation but also its viability and competitiveness. Hence banks
need to critically evaluate all available options and select the system that
provides the right DNA (the architecture) to meet its business and strategic
requirements. We believe that the selection process should involve business
representatives from all functional divisions owing to the pervasive nature
of these systems within the organisation. Viewing the project as just an IT
project would be a recipe for failure.
The selection process begins with the issuance of a Request for Proposal
to various vendors. Each of the bids is assessed on both qualitative and
quantitative terms across a matrix of selection criteria. The critical requirements
from a new system are flexibility and scalability to cater to future growth. We
advise banks to ensure that with the new system, they are not simply shifting
to a bigger box which may become a constraint again in a few years’ time,
as this would defeat the whole purpose of replacing the system. Equally
important is that banks should not be enamoured with “bells” and “whistles”
(which are more often than not the front-end features) and should look for
a system that has the requisite processing power rather than just a user
friendly front-end screen.
Banks need to select not the “best” system available but the one that is most
appropriate for their particular requirements. Different banks and their unique
requirements are discussed in section 8.
At each stage, the bank should undertake delta analysis to determine the
efficacy and success of the project; this would determine whether it progresses
to the next stage. Delta analysis and sign-off at each stage are essential to
ensure that deliverables and expectations match, or else the project can
easily digress from its initial plan and increase in scope through incremental
changes which will lead to schedule and cost overruns.
The next and final phase of the project is deployment. This is probably the
most critical and challenging stage, where the bank undertakes the actual
Banks can approach this transition in two ways – big bang implementation
and gradual deployment. Big bang essentially means all systems go live at
the same time. While this is quicker, it is also riskier. Instead we recommend
phased implementation, where deployment is done in small clusters, though
the bank has to tackle the tricky issue of coexistence. We believe that the
gradual step-by-step approach is appropriate in most cases as it entails lower
risks, facilitates change management and allows changes to be incorporated
in the technical framework as it is being installed (to provide a better fit with
the business).
Data conversion and data mapping are two crucial elements that the bank has
to deal with during deployment. The data migration and conversion process
is often hampered by lack of available information on the old system. Mass
migration requires a large capital investment, takes a few years to implement
and poses a significant risk of service interruptions that can reduce customer
satisfaction. The other critical challenge is to maintain smooth operations
and develop interfaces across delivery channels during transition through
coexistence of two systems.
We believe that banks should predefine the milestones at each stage of the
replacement process and ensure they are adhered to. At any stage, if the
bank finds that it cannot achieve these milestones, it may review its project
and decide whether and how it wants to continue the project.
Our research into change management during replacement shows that the
majority of banks upgrade their system or implement a new one to meet
existing users’ process and work culture requirements. Instead, however,
we recommend that banks align their products, processes and work culture
with the new system. In other words, the replacement should be undertaken
together with product and process rationalisation coupled with work culture
transformation in order to optimise the returns from the new system.
We have discovered that just 30% of recent replacement projects had active
CEO involvement. However our research shows that successful projects
require the backing of a strong leader from top management with a strategic
mindset and the duty to see the project through. Strong leadership support
and a capable steering team (which can harness the bank’s resources, take
quick decisions and motivate staff to see the project through) are critical for
success. Banks need to develop strong internal teams that have effective
communication and technical skills, to share decision-making with the service
provider to overcome problems. The complexity of the process and inevitable
hiccups will demand that banks engage in the process with thorough planning
and programme organisation.
Market Trends
1.1 Prominent recent deals in the region
1.2 Geographic dispersion of deals in recent years and 2006
estimates
1.3 Activity within countries and their vendor preferences
1.4 Estimates of system and software spending in Asia Pacific
Technical Trends
1.5 Evolution and convergence of core banking systems
1.6 Technology integration in Asian countries
1.7 Trends in platform usage among Asian countries
1.8 Trends in deployment approach
Core banking Trends in Asia Pacific
• In keeping with the worldwide trend, Asian banks have been active
in replacing and upgrading their core banking systems in the last few
years. We believe high demand and competitive pressures are forcing
many banks in the region to improve their technical base.
No vendor dominates the country but Infosys and TCS have taken a fair
share of the pie. There has been a distinct preference for local vendors
as they offer international-quality products and yet understand the unique
Indian requirements.
Core banking systems market Leading Vendors in Asian Countries in Last two Years
continued to be active in 2005
• In China, SAP clinched the core banking systems deal awarded by China
Minsheng Bank, marking the entry of this global vendor in the region.
Chinese banks are increasingly considering replacement; however
following implementation problems in a few Chinese banks, they are
now more cautious about taking the plunge. Taiwan banks did not enter
into a single deal in 2004 but showed sudden activity in 2005. I-flex has
emerged as the top vendor in this country.
• The Philippines was rather subdued with just two deals in 2005 (as
compared with five deals in 2004) – both came from smaller banks and
were won by Nucleus Software. The last major deal in the Philippines
was that of Union Bank of Philippines which replaced its system with
Finacle of Infosys. Malaysia, on the other hand, continued to witness a
flurry of activity with many small banks upgrading their ageing systems
primarily through local vendors.
No vendor emerges as a • Internationally, one of the biggest deals in the past year was for HSBC’s
clear leader in Asian region,
but some vendors have global operations, which was won by Temenos. The bank is understood
higher market share in certain to be improving further on the present solution. Within the region, DBS
countries
Bank’s core banking deal was another feather in the cap of Infosys, a
Legend
20 Number of deals in 2006(e)
10
0
a a rs an a a s re a nd
di si he in si ne na
m
po re la
In ay Ot
iw Ch ne pi et a Ko ai
al Ta o
ili
p Vi ng th Th
M I nd Si
Ph S ou
Source: Asian Banker Research
Philippines Others
5% 13%
Indonesia
5%
India
Greater China 50%
16%
Malaysia
11%
The deals include only core banking deals in the region. It does not include
other applications and systems such as treasury and trade processing.
Indian market is fast reaching • We believe that activity for core banking systems will increase steadily in
saturation; China and Taiwan
are opening up the next 2-3 years in Asia Pacific. The trend in individual countries will,
however, vary based on local market conditions.
• Malaysia has also been active with four deals in 2005, though most of
these were again from smaller banks. However we believe some big
banks like Maybank are actively considering core banking replacement.
We expect to see more core banking deals in Malaysia with Islamic banks
favouring local vendors who can meet Islamic banking requirements.
• Most other countries saw just a few small deals with the exception of
Singapore, where DBS has entered into a core banking deal for its retail
business. Thailand and Korea were noticeably absent from the scene in
2005, but we expect activity in both countries to pick up over the next
couple of years.
Vendor
Preference
Less active, international demand High activity, international demand
International
Vendors Singapore Vietnam
Thailand
Taiwan
Philippines
Indonesia South
Korea Malaysia
India
Local China Legend
Vendors
Trends
indicate likely
shift in future
Less active, unique local needs Highly active, unique local needs
% of banking
sector replacing
05 10 15 20 25 30 CBS in last 2
years
China banks have preference • Most Chinese banks have shown a strong preference for systems
for systems that cater to their
unique needs that are designed to suit their specific and unique requirements. For
this reason, smaller Chinese banks have preferred domestic vendors
while larger banks have preferred international vendors that can meet
their local needs. Similarly, many Malaysian banks have preferred local
vendors that can meet their Islamic banking requirements.
• Banks from developed markets like Singapore and Hong Kong have
first-generation technical sophistication and are undertaking a cyclical
replacement of their ageing systems. In contrast, banks in countries like
India, Pakistan and Vietnam are purchasing core banking systems for
the first time now. For obvious reasons, activity among the banks that
lack technical sophistication will increase.
• We believe that most Asian banks prefer to select vendors that either
involve local people through a setup in their country or partner local
vendors. This is because there is a perception among the bankers that
a local is more likely to understand and adapt to the unique local needs
of a particular country. However in many countries, the availability of
international-quality products from local vendors is a limiting factor which
has forced banks to look for alternatives.
($million) (%)
1,000 0.14
800 0.13
600
0.12
400
0.11
200
0 0.10
2004 2005 2006f 2007f
Legend
Estimated spending by Asian banks on purchase of CB system software and services
The estimates of investments only cover the cost of system software such
as licence fees and the service cost. It includes only core banking systems
replacement by banks and excludes other system applications such as
treasury and trade processing.
Steady increase in spending • We have discovered that the cost structure of core banking deals varies
likely to continue; no significant
jump expected in near future
considerably due to multiple factors such as the scale and complexity of
the replacement process. However, generally, we believe that the total
investment required to purchase core banking systems is made up of
software and service cost which constitutes 30%, system integration
cost of 20-25% and hardware and infrastructure cost of 45-50%.
Deal sizes have varied from • Based on our analysis of recent deals, the system and service cost for
about $5 million for small banks
to more than $50 million for
a small bank (with a size of $1 billion or less) comes to $5 million-10
large wholesale banks million. For a medium-sized bank ($1 billion-50 billion), it is $25 million-
30 million. For large global banks (more than $50 billion), the deal size
is likely to be higher depending on the extent of transformation being
undertaken.
• A critical cost item is system software cost; this includes the cost of
software licences, which varies depending on project. For example, for
FNS customers, software licence cost has varied from $1 million to over
$7 million, with an average of $1.8 million in 2005.
Taishin: FNS
HDFC: I-flex for Baroda: Finacle
HDFC: I-flex for corporate B.Shanghai:
retail OCBC: Silverlake Temenos
Parameterisation
EAI, BPM, WS
Mainframe
systems
Parameters Towards
J2EE, .NET platforms; EAI, BI, WS integration tools core banking
systems today
UNIX
systems
and scalability remain unbeaten today. In the next stage of evolution came
parameterisation of processing rules and enhancement in automation
from back- to front-offices. Here, the UNIX platform solutions have
shown high functionality, with some of them using relational database
technology to maintain accounting and administrative data.
• Banks are increasingly looking for solutions that have the technical
capability to meet their unique functional requirements while improving
their competitiveness. There is also increasing demand for component-
based modular systems that do not have integration issues.
Trends in Requirements
• Architecture that supports flexibility, growth and services such as
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• Systems capable of global deployment – multi-channel, multilingual
with high connectivity
• Customer centric focus with increased connectivity across
processes and functions. Integrated solution increasingly available
• Convergence of old and new technology with increased scalability
and flexibility
Source: Asian Banker Research
Banks need to adopt Service • Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a relatively new concept that
Oriented Architecture
has gained popularity quickly. Herein, business applications are
constructed from independent reusable interoperable services that can
be reconfigured without a vast amount of technical labour. The concept
is based on web services and components that are brought together to
perform specific business tasks. It essentially means reducing barriers in
antiquated infrastructure and creating a real-time integration of disparate
systems and a sharing of databases on a flexible and easily upgradeable
infrastructure. We discuss this in more detail in section 5.
• On the architectural front, J2EE and .NET are two architectural frameworks
that have evolved in the last few years. These are new-generation flexible
• The key attributes that banks require from their architecture are flexibility,
scalability and agility. With customer expectations increasing, banks have
moved towards centralised systems with customer-centric architecture,
where they drive the business through a single view of the customer and
the paramount consideration in all decisions is the consumer.
Asian vendors are increasing • The growth in demand for core banking systems in Asia Pacific has
their global reach
prompted many international vendors such as SAP, Temenos, Fidelity
and Misys to focus increasingly on the region. At the same time, vendors
that began their operations in Asian countries have grown to become
recognised names across the world; these include companies like
Infosys, I-flex and TCS.
Desire to become leading • Desire to become the leading player in the market has led to mergers
player has led to consolidation
in the industry and acquisitions among IT service providers. At the global level, Fidelity’s
acquisition of Sanchez broadened its reach to a larger collection of
banks. Among leading vendors in Asia, TCS acquired FNS in a leap from
their previous alliance. Another example of consolidation in the industry
is Oracle’s acquisition of a stake in I-flex. These players are developing
an increasingly strong foothold in the core banking systems market.
Hong Kong
Thailand
Singapore
Philippines
Australia
China
‘Customer centricity’
‘Account centricity’
Malaysia
Japan
Indonesia
Korea
RM e
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at ch
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Developed countries have • We tracked the technical advancement of banking sectors and
shown distinct technical
advancement architectures in several Asian countries. We discovered that the
integration of technology and the movement from account centricity to
customer centricity have varied significantly among Asian countries.
Developed countries such as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia
have shown distinct technical advancement not only on the core banking
front but also in their banking systems architecture, achieving customer
centricity through integration.
• In India, relatively new private banks have given a new direction and a
significant boost to core banking integration in the banking sector of this
country. State-owned banks are already beginning to arm themselves
with more integrated systems to face this competition.
● Pakistan ● Philippines
● Taiwan ● Thailand
● India ● Malaysia
● Vietnam ● Indonesia
● Singapore
Many countries continue to be • Traditionally, Asian banks – particularly those in Korea, Japan and China
primarily mainframe users but
there is a strong shift in favour
– use mainframe-based proprietary systems. The robustness, stability
of UNIX systems and scalability of these systems have been proven over the years and
continue to attract these banks. But in the last five years, market dynamics
have changed considerably and banks are increasingly considering the
UNIX-based systems.
see” approach. In mature countries like Singapore, there are very few
deals as well; but in the country’s most recent deal, DBS opted in favour
of a UNIX platform.
Implementation
Gradual Implementation Big Bang Implementation Approach
Bigger banks continue to prefer • The banks have two options in deployment. “Big Bang” implementation
gradual deployment while some
smaller banks choose “big
largely involves a new system which goes live at the same time that
bang” approach all the processes are shifted onto it. This is believed to be the quickest
but probably also the riskiest way to deploy the project. While the
risks are high, the integration problems are minimised as old and new
systems do not coexist. A phased approach, on the other hand, involves
gradual deployment across branches/functions generally through “big
bang” in small clusters. Here, the banks have to face the sticky issue of
coexistence of two systems.
• Our research shows that in Asia Pacific, the traditional phased deployment
approach is distinctly preferred for its reduced risks and gradual change
in processes. Though the choice of approach varies with banks’ unique
requirements, top-tier banks in general have preferred the gradual
approach. This is because their scale of operation makes “big bang” not
only extremely difficult but in some cases also unfeasible.
• Most banks with an asset size greater than $100 billion have preferred
phased deployment and the time required has stretched over many
years. For example, it is expected to take about five years for HSBC.
Similarly, ABN AMRO plans to gradually implement its system in the
Greater China region and some other Asian countries over a period of
five years. For State Bank of India and Central Bank of India, it is likely to
be around four years. We believe that it is critical to keep the rollout time
and the period that two systems coexist as short as possible.
• On the other hand, a few smaller banks have taken the quicker approach
of “big bang”. These include: Union Bank of Philippines whose system
by Infosys was implemented in just one year; Industrial Bank of Korea by
Temenos; and Cathay United Bank, Taiwan by TCS-FNS.
Flexibility
Cost
Integration
Simplification
Technology
Timing problems
Scalability
Errors in processing
Availability
Errors in data
Errors in operation
Other
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
% of executives citing area as a problem
Source: Asian Banker Research
• A survey done in Asia Pacific countries last year found that inflexibility,
high cost and difficulty of integration were the three main problems that
banks faced in legacy systems.
Cost
Short product time-to-market
Availability of third party applications
Ease of integration
Vendor reputation and track record
Ranking
Straight through processing/ real-time capability
Truly modular and integrated, single sign-on
Functionality
Scalability
Reliability/ stability
Importance
Source: Asian Banker Research
Cost remains the key • With increasing standardisation and convergence, banks believe that it
consideration when choosing
a core banking system,
is now easier for them to switch from one vendor to another for multiple
regardless of platform systems. To assess the importance that banks give to various parameters
of selection, we conducted a survey a few months back.
• The survey highlighted the importance of cost in the selection of a core
banking system in Asia. Most banks considered cost savings – through
lowering of maintenance cost or operational cost – as one of the key
benefits that was motivating them to change their core banking systems.
• Another key reason cited by many bankers was their desire to improve
competitiveness through faster rollout of products, product innovation
and differentiation. Availability of third-party applications and ease of
integration were other critical factors that the bankers looked for in system
selection. Vendor reputation and track record also came high in the list.
Trust in the vendor’s ability as well as the vendor’s reliability and fit with
the project are often cited as considerations in the selection process.
• Interestingly, architectural features such as STP, flexibility and scalability
were much lower in the list. However, we believe that these are essentially
the features that will determine the functionality of the system in future.
• The survey results indicate that many bankers tend to give undue
importance to cost and other considerations in their selection process,
which often leads to awkward consequences.
42 47
32 37 37
11
21 5
Stability Availability of Total Cost of Scalability Application
Internal Skills Ownership Instability
Availability
Old
Architecture More Vendors
Many banks in Korea and Japan vs Monopoly UNIX systems can be For operational expenses, UNIX
use internal programmers to approximately 50% cheaper systems can be 30-40% cheaper
customise their systems. than mainframe technology. than mainframes.
Interestingly, mainframe systems
are perceived as old, while UNIX
systems are perceived as new,
which is not always true.
Stability is the biggest • In a survey done some months back, we asked bankers what they saw
perceived strength for
mainframe systems, while lower as the strengths and weaknesses of UNIX and mainframe systems. We
TCO is the biggest perceived found that while there are an increasing number of banks favouring UNIX
strength for UNIX systems systems due to low cost of ownership, scalability and recent technical
advancements, stability is still perceived to be the biggest strength of
mainframe systems.
• According to one banker, keeping legacy systems running consumes 60-
70% of IT budgets, leaving little resources for technical enhancements
to gain competitive advantage. According to one bank in Korea, “When
we purchase a UNIX system, we enter a buyers market as there are
many products available and we can choose. But when we purchase
mainframe, we enter a sellers market and may have to wait.” Another
banker feels that while UNIX technology is improving, it may not match
the scalability of mainframes yet.
• Banks that have invested in their system are aware that a considerable
amount of time, money and effort is involved in customising and adapting
these systems. Replacing these systems is a painful and risky exercise.
However the fact remains that many of these legacy systems are unlikely
to give banks the innovation and technical advancement that can be
provided by solution providers who have been constantly upgrading
Weaknesses Weaknesses
Cost - Cost to acquire and maintain Reliability - Less stable than mainframe systems (but this
could be acceptable for smaller banks)
Agility - Perceived slower development and adaptations
to trends in technology Scalability - Lower level of scalability. Scalability comes at
the cost of overly complex operating environments
Hardware/Software - Fewer hardware and software
suppliers can lead to challenges in negotiating a Security - Lower level of security than mainframe
reasonable pricing if the bank does not posses sufficient systems. Viruses have been found in Unix based
bargaining power environments
Skills - Smaller and hence more expensive pool of Deployment -Not yet proven on large scale though
skilled resources available in the market becoming increasingly popular among smaller banks
Strengths and weaknesses of • Open systems have proved their ability to perform from the security and
proprietary and open systems,
as perceived by respondent technology points of view. According to one banker, “5-10 years ago a
banks large bank would go for mainframe, no questions asked. But in the last
5-10 years things have changed. Any bank today, no matter how big,
may consider switching to open system.”
• On the other hand, most big banks still favour the reliability and stability
of mainframes. Some bankers are inclined towards proprietary systems
as they are used to working on them. Switching to a new technology
would not only involve a huge amount of cost and high risks but also
require effort to get used to the new processes.
• According to one vendor, “Open systems are most appropriate for Asian
banks due to their smaller size compared to many international banks.
They don’t need the scalability of mainframes and the scalability of open
systems has really increased in recent years.” One leading bank in Korea
states that the trend in Korea today is to shift towards UNIX systems
from IBM “due to the availability of small packages that can be easily
integrated in our system [whereas] when we use mainframe we need to
code them which would be a time consuming proposition”.
- It is more reliable and keeps the system running through most upgrades.
Hence the downtime is low.
- It requires less server capacity than UNIX for the same amount of work
and has higher continuous availability (due to less downtime).
basis. Also, while making the cost comparison, banks must consider the
switching costs (shifting from existing mainframe to UNIX) and the cost
of the coexistence of two systems during the replacement process.
Please see our section on platform choices in section 4 for more details
3
There are various definitions of “core banking system” circulating
in the market. We have defined the core banking system (as we
see it) and researched on aspects that are (and also those that are
falsely believed to be) included in the replacement. This section
provides an overview of the replacement and transformation
process. We believe there should be clarity on the components
of core banking system replacement even before the process is
initiated.
- “We are losing market share. We need to replace our core banking
system now to increase our competitiveness and regain lost markets.”
- “We need to replace our core banking system to have a better
understanding of our customer.”
- “We need to replace our core banking system to be able to bring new
products to the market faster.”
- “We need a core banking-enabled product factory.”
These and similar statements are what we hear when talking to leading
bankers throughout the region.
- “Our system will transform your organisation and make your bank more
competitive.”
- “With our system, you will be able to significantly enhance your CRM
capabilities and gain market share.”
- “Our solution will automate your lending process, improve your collateral
management capabilities and make you Basel II compliant.”
• Core banking also deals with transactions such as interest and fee
calculation, pre-processing for statement printing, end-of-day processing,
and consolidation of daily individual transactions as
8
not provide you with a front end, information repository which allows ease of not provide you with an industrial-
8 8
CRM or multi-channel capabilities. integration of disparate core systems strength general ledger system,
and ERP capabilities.
Core Banking System
Application Integration
Channel Integration
Reporting
Deposits Loans
Common Services
9
Core Banking replacement gives you raw
Replacing the Front End is a power. It provides you with a highly efficient Replacing the General Ledger is a
separate system and a separate engine for all your transaction processing separate system and a separate
project needs project
• Core banking systems do not deal with the customer-facing front end
of the bank. Core banking systems also do not deal with the analytics
embedded in an industrial-strength data warehouse design.
Channels
Physical
with relevant data marts
bank’s delivery channels.
Integrates into the customer
relationship management Workflow Management
Document Imaging Capability Relationship & Risk
and core systems Management Infrastructure
Common customer view and
Data Warehouse
Imaging and Workflow central customer liability. “The
Channel Integration
Imaging and workflow Core Banking customer belongs to the bank”
capabilities e.g. for the and not a booking unit
Application Integration
commercial lending process
Channel Integration
Reporting
Middleware Infrastructure
Deposits Loans Data Mining
Virtual Channels
Integration infrastructure to
Utilise existing information in
link the bank’s systems. A
the data warehouse e.g. to find
modern architecture is built
customer behaviour pattern
around an enterprise service
Common Services
bus utilising an SOA
Product Definition & Management
• The irony here is that the user will not get what he sees. We have
discovered that it is a common and understandable misconception of
business users that front-end screens relate to core banking. This more
often than not leads to sub-optimal results for the core banking project.
• It is crucial to recognise that what the user sees is the front end of a
banking application architecture (a teller system, an advisor workstation,
a kiosk or an internet front-end) but not the “core banking system”. Core
• To deploy a front-end solution for a new core banking project, there are
three options:
• During package selection, the bank will typically need to choose from
the following scenarios:
- Same vendor for front end and core banking: Here, front-end and
core banking replacement solutions, though separate systems, come
We recommend that banks
choose the same vendor for
from the same vendor and the vendor is responsible for integrating the
core banking and front end front- and back-office applications. This, we believe, is a sound option
as the bank deals with only one party and the integration between the
two systems is taken care of. However, not many core banking vendors
offer this option. In addition, problems could arise if the integration has
been done through the traditional approach of tight coupling and does
not utilise the benefits of an SOA or enterprise bus.
Project Stages
Core banking replacement is • Replacing or even upgrading the core banking system is a complex
almost like a heart transplant
involving high cost, high risk, and high-risk proposition requiring substantial resources and time. Most
and substantial effort and time banks prefer to defer the decision till the change becomes imperative.
The decision making process includes providing financial and business
justification to the management and evaluating the risks and returns; it
is a time consuming process that requires the involvement of not just the
IT people but also decision makers across functions. We believe that
opportunity costs are high and hence a successful bank is one which
can take fast decisions and has adequate management support to carry
them through.
Continuous
Masters of the Improvements
World
"We made it"
Efficiency/ Performance
Euphoric
Project "We will change
start the world"
Disillusioned
"This is hard but we
have passed the
point of no return" The Emperor’s New Clothes
"We got the old systems in
new clothes"
Reality Strike
"The honeymoon
is over"
Scapegoating
"It’s somebody else's mistake"
"How can we get out of this"
• Many projects in the past have failed to meet their intended objectives.
While there can be numerous causes for failure, the key reasons include
inadequate planning, lack of risk mitigation and inability to make the
right decisions at the right time. The mismatch between deliverables and
expectations often arises from inaccurate estimation of requirements and
scope of project and corresponding unplanned changes in the proposed
project.
Bank’s approach to core • Our research shows that banks can choose from multiple approaches for
banking replacement depends
on the availability of financial upgrading or replacing their core banking systems. The most appropriate
and human resources approach would vary with the availability of technical skills, complexity of
the task, availability of products and costs involved.
Buy vs. Build • Many banks, particularly large banks, have preferred to develop systems
in-house to suit their business requirements (as can be seen in many
banks in Japan, Korea and China). This is primarily due to the complexity
of their operations and their desire for flexibility in developing a system to
meet the unique requirements. However this requires extensive capital
investment and channels substantial resources away from the banks’
core business.
• The debate on ‘Build’ versus ‘Buy’ continues among a few top-tier banks
that have the ability to build their own systems. But increasingly, banks
are awakening to their shortcomings as an IT developer and becoming
more inclined to focus on their core business instead.
Increasing shift towards • The substantial cost, resources and expertise involved in building a
packaged solutions among
smaller- and medium-sized
new system has forced many banks (particularly medium- and smaller-
banks sized banks) to turn to purchasing packaged systems from vendors and
thereafter customising to suit their requirements (either by themselves
or asking a system integrator to customise). For example, State Bank
of India hired TCS as its system integrator; TCS purchased the system
from FNS and customised it to meet the bank’s needs, and then the
bank itself implemented the final system.
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Dependent on Chosen
4 - 6 Months 4 - 6 Months 18 - 24 Months
Deployment Approach
Understand Business Imperatives Develop “Long List” for Vendor & Delta Definition Training & Change Programme
Integrator
Achieve Consensus on Business Delta Resolution External & Internal Communication
Driver & Approach for Core Request for Information
Banking Replacement Design Logistics
Finalise Platform Choice, Refine
Define Core Banking Requirements and Develop Build & Test Rollout Schedule
Transformation Strategy eg. “Short List”
Replacement or Transformation Pilot Big Bang or Phased Deployment
Agree on Selection Process
Develop “Delta” Transformation - Delta or Traditional GAP
Blueprint - Scoring or Judgement
- Business Scope & Objective
- Reference Technical & Business Prepare Request for Proposal
..Architecture
- Platform Preference Update / Refine Business Case
- Process Transformation Scope
- Organisation Alignment Bidding & Contracting Process
- Visualisation of “New World”
- Business Case / Financial Impact Award Contract
..Analysis
- Risk-Return Analysis
• The Business Justification and Blueprint Phase sets the stage for the
core banking replacement project. During this phase, a bank takes stock
of its current environment, revisits its business strategy and establishes
business drivers for its future technology and process infrastructure.
• The Deployment Phase is the final stage of any core banking project.
In this phase, the enterprise-wide deployment of the new core banking
system is conducted. To be successful, it is important that both bank and
vendor have agreed at the outset on one deployment approach. The
most debated options are the big bang and the phased deployment. In
addition, there are a number of variations to these two popular options.
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Dependent on Chosen
4 - 6 Months 4 - 6 Months 18 - 24 Months
Deployment Approach
Source: Immacon SOBIT Methodology
A typical core banking • As time management guru Alan Lakein has taught us, “failing to plan is
replacement project takes 18-
24 months though the duration
planning to fail”. Thus the first phase of the core banking replacement
varies with the extent of change project provides an overall plan for the initiative. It is important for business
and size of bank decision-markers to agree on the business objectives and justification
for the replacement, followed by detailed planning of what should be
achieved with the new core banking solution. At this stage, we believe
that it is also important to decide if the core banking replacement project
should be approached as a transformation or as a replacement project.
Wavering in the objective of the project would be a costly mistake.
Phase 4: Deployment
Logistics
Training
Change Management & Communication
Go Live
Fine Tune
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Sign Off
Banks need to initiate the • While banks are awakening to the need of advanced and more flexible
process by developing clear
business goals
systems to meet the requirements of banking industry today, we believe
that each bank needs to initiate the process by developing clear business
goals and objectives of core banking replacement to meet its own unique
requirements. These objectives would facilitate involvement of business
into the project (which would otherwise have the risk of being seen as an
IT project) and also would give clear directions to the selection process.
Key Concept 1:
New World / Old World
Key Concept 2:
Delta Analysis
Key Concept 3:
Go / No Go Milestones
• We believe it is crucial that the project stops after the completion of each
milestone until the milestone is signed off. This may sound draconian but
the temptation to start the next phase while sign-offs are debated must
be avoided at all costs for a project of this magnitude. Ultimately, this
approach can save the bank a lot of time and money. It will also ensure
that milestones are taken very seriously.
• Because each milestone forms the basis upon which the following phase
will be built, this approach ensures that the next layer is not built on an
incomplete foundation. This can result in fewer changes and reworking in
subsequent phases and a more adaptable system as it is easier to make
changes to a solution built up consistently. The remainder of this chapter
will explore the best practices in this methodology in more detail.
New World / Old World
Key Concept 1:
New World / Old World
Bank Transformation Stage 1
“Leaving the Legacy Behind”
New World
Do Not
Cross
Old World
Source: Immacon SOBIT Methodology
Delta Analysis
Key Concept 2:
Delta Analysis
Mainframe
New
UNIX Core Banking
System
Delta
AS 400
Analysis
SOBIT Core Banking Implementation Methodology
The Delta not “A Gap” will drive the development of the Delta Definition Documents
Go / No Go Milestones
Key Concept 3:
Phase
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
Go / No Go Milestones
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
“Put A Stake in the Ground”
Phase 0: Setup and Initiation Before Proceeding
System Selection
Programme Initiation
Phase 2: Selection
Build
Business Realignment
Integration
Test
Phase 4: Deployment
Logistics
Training
Milestone:
Next phase will be kicked
off once previous phase’s
sign-off is completed
Design Design Pilot Deployment
Go / No Go Sign-Off Go / No Go Go / No Go
Go / No Go Decision
Milestones
Go Project will continue to the next phase
8
Project Flow
a blueprint for the future and a roadmap on how to reach the target
– all developed in the first phase of the project. This is followed by an
initial delta analysis in the selection and implementation phases of the
project and the conscious sign-off of project-embedded milestones in
each phase. If one of these milestones is not signed off, the project
stops. This disciplined approach can save the bank a lot of money and
agony.
Delta methodology would • Key activities to consider for the business justification stage of the project
facilitate business justification
are:
- Define the business objectives and desired outcome of the project
Project Stages
Develop Invite
Identify key Develop Initial filter to Financial
selection presentation
deliverables to Request for eliminate assessment
matrix. Identify from
meet long-term Proposal and unsuitable and final
‘Go’ / ‘No Go’ short-listed
needs invite bids vendors selection
criteria vendors
Consider Develop a Invite bids from Eliminate the Final selection Financial
long-term strategic rating system vendors that products and should assessment is
goals of the bank detailed to have strong vendors that do comprise important but
provide experience in not meet the detailed decision should
objective & similar projects, essential analysis of be based on
subjective reputation and criteria vendor and its product and
assessment track record partners in the vendor
project capability
• The bank needs to consider its objectives and conduct a delta analysis
to guide its development of selection criteria for the new system.
• Many banks have decades-old legacy systems that either fail to support
the latest products or do so with complex and time-consuming effort. The
operational and maintenance costs are steep and available manpower
for maintaining them is dwindling. According to one vendor, ”Just keeping
these systems running can often consume more than 70% of the IT
budget, leaving little money to gain advantage over competitors.”
• While these systems have been stable, they are highly inflexible and
hence largely unsuitable in today’s competitive environment. Many of
these systems were implemented at a time when banks did not engage
in fee-based transactions. Rather than being customer centric, they are
largely account centric.
Business Direction/Goals
5
4 Scale and Complexity of
Existing System/
Operations
Technical Capacities 3
2
1
Legend
Ideal Bank
The bank needs to develop • Selection of the system is a strategic decision which can impact not
selection criteria based on
its unique requirements and
just the growth and financials of the organisation but even its viability
business objectives and competitiveness. Therefore it is essential that banks select the
system that provides the right components and architecture to meet their
objectives.
• The architectural components that can meet the functional requirements
of the bank, given its business goals, must first be mapped out. This
would also determine whether the bank should replace the core banking
system in a few functional segments (or geographic locations) or go for
a complete replacement, and whether it needs to replace just the core
banking system or the front end and GL as well.
• We believe existing system and technical capabilities would be a decisive
factor in evaluating whether to upgrade the existing system or replace.
Gap analysis for features such as scalability, flexibility, availability of
human resource, costs and processes of the existing system would
determine the technical capabilities and type of architecture required
of a new system. Integration of the new and existing systems within
the bank and the problems therein would also determine the system
architecture required and the risks involved in the change process.
• The complexity and scale of the bank’s operations would shape its
scalability and flexibility requirements for the architecture and platform.
For example, a large retail bank may prefer mainframes due to reliability
Track Record
5
4 Product Functionality
Ongoing Support
3
2
1
Legend
Ideal Bank
Evaluating vendor track record • Banks cannot bring about transformation in their systems alone. Most
and financial viability is a must,
but equally important is for the
banks see a core banking project as a highly risky proposition, so they
bank to assess its comfort level would invariably like to partner a vendor whom they can trust and believe
with the vendor’s ability to have the ability to handle a project of that size and nature. The vendors
are generally solution providers and, in most cases, service providers
who implement the solution within the banks. The two often join hands
with a hardware supplier to form a consortium to bid for the project.
Where there are multiple vendors, banks need to decide who would be
the prime vendor.
• The evaluation of vendors involves multiple assessment criteria, foremost
being delivery track record, financial viability, technical capability, product
features and cost.
• Banks need partners that have the proven track record to provide them
with the right product and service mix. There are relatively few vendors
that have successfully completed core banking projects of the size and
complexity of tier 1 banks. But for tier 2 and tier 3 markets, there is
more competition. The IT partners’ track record and reputation should be
evaluated in the context of the banks’ unique requirements. For example,
banks in China look for customisation and localisation capability. Similarly,
Indian banks have shown a preference for local vendors.
Vital to assess vendor’s • In addition, the IT partner’s financial strength (to ensure long-term
financial strength for long- viability), ability to continually upgrade products and track record in post-
term viability and technical
enhancement implementation services are critical factors for lasting success. Investing
a huge amount of resources on a product is useless if the vendor who
provided it is no longer around to service it a few years later.
• Banks have to select the right architecture for the banking system in
general and the core banking system specifically to suit their unique
The functionality and requirements. Most banks today are shifting their systems to attain more
architecture of the system
along with its suitability to meet flexibility and scalability, similar to moving out of the confines of a small
business goals would be the box. What they need to ensure is that the new system is not like a bigger
key concerns box which quickly becomes a constraint again in a few years’ time.
• Straight Through Processing (STP) – One key feature which has led
to the success of core banking systems today is front- to back-office
straight through processing. While this is essentially the ability to have
a series of underlying business events generate multiple accounting
events without having to physically transfer the data from point to point,
this translates into a substantial decline in cost of ownership and control
because of the need for less reconciliation. Further, it allows banks to
reduce manual intervention and redeploy their existing resources.
Integration of core banking • The architecture of the banking system should integrate the core
system within the banking
system architecture equally banking system such that there is customer centricity with a single view
important of customers across functions. In a customer-centric environment, the
• Other mid-range solutions were initially built for the wholesale market
and then repackaged as “Integrated Universal Banking Solutions” for
the broader banking market. Some of those integrated solutions are
impressive in terms of functions and features, extending beyond deposits
and loans to include treasury and trade finance products and providing
a common customer information system across the package. However,
these solutions need to be carefully assessed with regard to their support
for the bank’s branch network, which differentiates a universal bank from
the traditional wholesale banking operations for which these systems
were initially designed.
• However, for those banks that intend to shift from mainframe to UNIX, or
vice versa, the switching cost and the cost of coexistence of two systems
need to be added to the total replacement cost.
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Project Stages
Sign Off
• Selection of the right core banking solution is critical for the success of a
project. We have seen retail banks selecting a wholesale core banking
solution and wholesale banks selecting a core banking solution meant
for retail banks. We are also seeing more and more bankers attempting
to make technology decisions, deliberating about Java versus Cobol,
UNIX versus mainframe, SOA, etc. Needless to say, the outcome of
such decisions is often sub-optimal.
• Issue RFI / refine vision – If time allows, the selection process should
start with a Request for Information (RFI). The RFI should be kept
simple, concise and open-ended. As the name implies, the objective of
the RFI is to obtain information for deciding on the final shortlist to kick
off the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. If the RFI contains too much
detail, it can render the RFP process obsolete and make the preliminary
analysis in the RFI stage very laborious. As the bank has to analyse
and weigh the RFI responses, it is important to keep the workload of the
reviewer to a manageable level.
• A brief, well-written RFI (and RFP) addressing the critical points the
bank is interested in would be more worthwhile for the bank’s reviewers
and management, than a long “laundry list” of functions and features
which describes more or less the existing system of the bank and not
the future. The RFI process should focus on the essential requirements
for the future, bearing in mind that quantity never replaces quality. At the
end of the process, 2-3 finalists should have been shortlisted for an in-
depth review during the RFP stage.
• Issue RFP – An RFP is issued after a shortlist has been prepared. At this
stage, the choice of platform should already have been made. The RFP
should concentrate on the requirements for the new world, and should
demand full compliance with the bank’s visualisation or at least a brief
description of what requirements cannot be met by the core banking
solution and for what reason. The RFP should not be sent to more than
three vendors for a major component such as trade services, multi-
channel delivery and core banking. By now, the bank should also have
an understanding of how the selection would be conducted and know if
it is necessary to obtain a proof of concept. Ultimately, the key drivers
here are cost and timing. Where a bank can afford the money and time,
a pilot of the new solution is recommended. To achieve an objective
assessment, many banks are using a scoring method to document and
tabulate the results. See Appendix 2 for more on RFP.
• There can be various problems in the process. For example, the old
system may have been account-based and not customer-based,
requiring information to be collected from multiple systems and migrated
to a centralised location. Some banks put in their system more than 15
years ago and the people who implemented it are no longer with the
banks – such systems are undocumented and hence make the project
more challenging.
• The project at some stages may just seem too big in scope and magnitude.
But ensuring that any changes do not lead to unnecessary delays and
cost overruns is essential. Motivation will decline while resistance will
increase day by day. Managing these emotions and ensuring that the
project is not viewed as just an IT project would be a big challenge.
Testing at all levels is the most • The most critical success factor in implementation is thus to test at
critical means of risk reduction
every stage. Banks should develop pilot projects, divide large projects
into phases, and conduct user acceptance tests or, rather, business
acceptance tests to ensure a match between deliverables and
expectations. Also critical is having strong internal teams with good
communication skills and decision-making capability. There should be
• In many such projects, trained manpower for new systems may not be
readily available within the bank. It is for this reason that some banks
have resorted to outsourcing their manpower. But the banks need to
remember that a few experts with the right experience and knowledge
may prove to be more useful than an army of staff.
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Project Stages
Detailed Pilot
Delta Analysis Build & Test
Design Implementation
Sign Off
Identify Organisational Change - Business Realignment Design - Business Realignment - Align the Training Preparation - Prepare
Determine the changes needed to fit Define the reengineered products bank’s products and services to the training plan, materials and course
the organisation to the new System. and services and business new System. Also align the bank’s trainers.
processes aligned to the new processes and procedures to the
Identify Essential Modifications to System. new System. Pilot Preparation - Identify and
the new System - Every effort should prepare the pilot site, train the pilot
be made to avoid changes to the new System Design - Prepare the Configure & Customise - users and conduct rehearsals to
System but rather to align the design for system configuration. Configure the system as needed, prepare for the actual cutover.
business to the new system. Changes Also design the unavoidable effect the necessary changes to the
to the new Core Banking System modifications identified during the organisation, and make changes to Pilot Go/No Go - Confirm the
should be limited to those essential in Delta Analysis. the system, where absolutely completion of Pilot Preparation
order to meet regulatory necessary. In addition, the interfaces activities and readiness for cutover
requirements. Integration Design - Prepare the between the new System and the of the new System to the Pilot
technical design for the Interfaces, many linked systems are created. community.
Identify Integration Delta - Data Conversion Modules and
Determine the interfaces, conversion Coexistence Modules. Testing - Perform various levels and Pilot & Fine-tune - Cutover the Pilot
modules and coexistence types of testing to the new system site and users to the new System.
development required to integrate the and processes etc. in preparation Identify and fix problems that did not
new System into the bank’s for correct functioning in the live arise in the testing environments.
environment. environment.
• The core banking implementation phase can be divided into four distinct
stages. We came across an interesting concept of delta analysis.
Implementation process • Delta Analysis – A delta analysis is the identification of differences (the
involves delta analysis,
detailed designs and product
“delta”) between the desired state and the selected package, and ways
modification to meet the bank’s to resolve these differences. One objective of the delta analysis is to
requirements identify the package modifications required to address country-specific
regulatory requirements. The package modifications are necessary if
configuration through package-embedded parameters is not possible.
For the remaining delta, there are a number of resolution options
available, such as:
b. Rationalise process
c. Rationalise product
New World
Accept Package
Operations
New Core Banking Regulatory New Core Bank Delta Change Bank
Resolution Product / Process
Solution Procured Modification Capabilities to Match Package
Modify Package
Delta
Input on Package
Regulatory
Modifications Delta
Customisation
Regulatory Regulatory Regulatory Regulatory Regulatory
Customisation Customisation Customisation Customisation Customisation
Core Package Core Package Core Package Core Package Core Package Core Package
A detailed design done right • Detailed Design – A detailed design of the future solution is needed for
can save the bank substantial
time the subsequent Build & Test stage of the project. A detailed design done
right can save a bank a lot of time and money by avoiding unnecessary
rework and change requests. Many projects run into difficulties because
the design is never stable. In those projects, coding starts even before
the detailed design is approved. In our analysis, this is one of the major
causes of project failure, i.e. the inability to complete and sign off detailed
design documentation. The detailed design documentation should
include the following, among other things: business design, systems
design, interface design, data conversion design and coexistence design
(assuming no big bang deployment).
For this stage of the project, the initial project blueprint needs to be
expanded and some of the recommended activities to consider are:
At this point, we would like to caution that the term “user acceptance test”
should not be taken literally. The real end-user should not be responsible
for “acceptance”. What the bank needs is a trained test team of, perhaps,
former users who understand and appreciate the need for thorough
testing and know how to conduct systems testing. Generally the real
end-user does not have these skills. Hence, we prefer to use the term
“business acceptance testing” or “business solution testing” over “user
acceptance testing” to avoid confusion.
• Pilot – A live pilot is the final “acceptance” test. No matter how hard
we try, we will never be able to fully recreate and test a system in a
lab environment. But during a live pilot, the system can truly be tested
for real-life usability. Of course, the pilot should be representative of
the bank’s core operations. We have seen projects with well-executed
testing run into trouble as the test and production environments were
different, and even in cases where the production environment itself
was used for bank-wide testing by the actual end-users reposting real
business transactions prior to a big bang deployment. The lesson learnt:
the final test is the live environment.
- Plan and prepare for the pilot deployment, including training of the pilot
users and dress rehearsals of the pilot cutover and operations
Delta Analysis Business Change Business Design Business Build Training Pilot
Preparation
Product Update Procedure
Product Designs Manual Pilot
Rationalisation
Prepare Planning
Process Training Plan
Process Designs Prepare User
Rationalisation Guides
Conduct Train Pilot Users
Gap Resolution Prepare & IT Ops
Analysis System Change Training
System Design System Build Materials
System Pilot Site
Customisation Local Customisation Local Preparation
Designs Customisation Train-the-
System Trainers
Configuration
Core Customisation Core Dress Rehearsal
Designs Customisation
Configuration Analysis Testing
Pilot
Configuration Definition Configuration Designs
System 3 Go/No Go
Configuration System
Integration
Testing
Convert
Integration Integration Design Integration Build Pilot Data
Operations
Interfaces Interfaces Designs Interfaces Testing Pilot End-user
Support
Business
“Delta Driven”
Justification & Selection Deployment
Implementation
Blueprint
Project Stages
Change
Logistics Training Mgmt & Go Live Fine Tune
Comm
Sign Off
• After the successful completion of the pilot, the bank is ready to execute
the roadmap for deployment of the pilot operation to the whole enterprise.
To do this, a number of important planning tasks need to be updated and
finalised:
• Training – We have discovered that once the new core banking system is
ready for rollout, training is one of the most important activities required
to successfully deploy the new world on an enterprise-wide scale. To
do this, the bank’s project team must fine-tune and update the training
plans and materials taking into account the lessons learnt from the pilot
deployment.
• Fine tune – The final activity in the deployment stage is the fine-tuning
of the operation based on feedback received during deployment.
Successful organisations have gradually turned this fine-tuning activity
into a continuous improvement programme managed and led by former
members of the rollout team.
The replacement approach • The replacement approach is actually dealt with by the bank during
the project planning stage, but we discuss it here as it has a direct
bearing on the mode of deployment. The question foremost in the mind
of bankers as they decide to replace their banking system is: should
systems be upgraded piecemeal or through an integrated end-to-end
solution? Banks vary in their choices. Some want to replace the core
banking system of all geographic locations along with other operations
such as treasury through a universal or end-to-end integrated solution.
Others adopt the best-of-breed approach by selecting separate software
systems and vendors for different operations or geographic locations.
The selected replacement approach then determines the choice of
vendor and systems and thereafter the deployment approach.
We believe focused, rather than • We strongly believe that for core banking systems, there should be only
integrated, projects are more
suitable for bigger banks one vendor or else there would be immense integration issues. For
the front end and back office, there should also be a single vendor if
possible, though the project may be divided into smaller parts. However
when it comes to replacing banking systems across geographic locations
or across operations (retail, wholesale, treasury, etc), we suggest the
focused approach for bigger (tier 1) banks primarily because of the
complexity of the process. The banks would be able to reduce the
complexity and mitigate the risk by breaking down the process into
smaller projects, provided integration issues can be resolved.
• The choice of approach may vary depending on the complexity and scale
of the project. “Big bang” is the quickest but also riskiest due to its low
error-tolerance level. If the bank favours this option, then it has chosen
to go live with its new core banking system and auxiliary solutions (if
any, e.g. multi-channel delivery) at the same time. The advantage of
this approach is that it is fast and does not require any coexistence
planning.
• The justification for big bang comes from the fact that it is difficult for
two separate systems to coexist and from it being a faster approach.
The disadvantage is that it requires extensive training and plenty of full-
scale dress rehearsals for the entire organisation. Should any serious
problem occur, the bank has only one option: to fall back on the old core
banking solution. If such a problem occurs more than a week into the
cutover, the bank will have serious trouble as the fallback option most
likely does not exist anymore.
• For smaller banks, this approach is possible and even feasible. But for
bigger banks, particularly for banks spread across countries, we believe
that a total big bang approach is not only high risk but also rather difficult
to implement. Examples of recent big bang deals include Union Bank of
Philippines and Industrial Bank of Korea.
Gradual implementation should • We believe the gradual approach, which is essentially step-by-step
be the preferred mode among
bigger banks
replacement, should be the preferred mode of implementation among
large banks as the complexity and risks in the process are lower. A
phased implementation also deploys the entire core banking solution in
one big bang similar to the enterprise-wide big bang.
• In conclusion, the big bang approach is the most risky option a bank can
choose. Big Bang is only recommended for small banks, or for cases
where the bank is implementing a solution which has already been
customised for its country and implemented here many times. Solutions
which have not been customised for a specific country or which are
implemented as part of a core banking enabled transformation are, in
our opinion, not a good choice for a big bang implementation.
• Assessing the technical • Financial viability to • Evaluation of • Ensuring smooth, • Commitment of vendor
and functional provide long term technical capabilities timely and cost effective to provide long term
requirements of the bank relationship and of solution to meet the implementation of new support
technical support business goals system
• Ensuring adequate • Technical advancements
financial, business and • Experience in • Flexibility and • Ensuring adaptation in and their compatibility
management support for successfully adaptability to new the work culture and with the new system
the change implementing similar developments post-implementation
project smooth operations
Banks need to tread carefully • Risks and potential losses in replacing a core banking system are very
as there are hurdles at each
step of the change process high, making it imperative that banks tread with caution at each step.
We have identified five broad stages in the replacement process and
inherent risk characteristics of each.
Project needs business support • Lack of management commitment is one of the primary causes for
in totality
project failure. We believe that a core banking replacement project needs
business and management support in totality and the project should not
be perceived as an IT project. Management commitment should not be
limited to simply business and managerial involvement at all stages of
the project but extend to strong leadership support that sees the project
through.
Evaluation at each stage has to • The evaluation of business needs and objectives must be comprehensive,
be comprehensive
as inadequate assessment of technical and functional requirements will
lead to improper selection and possibly expectation/deliverable mismatch
at a later stage. It is critical for the bank to understand the type and depth
of functionality provided by the core banking solution in the context of its
own requirements and replacement objectives.
Improper selection of vendor • Availability of multiple solutions with varying technology and comparable
and system can lead to project
failure functionalities has made this task more difficult. We believe that while an
improper selection of solution could lead to short-term benefits, it may
act as a constraint in the longer term.
• Analysing various risk elements in the planning stage of the project would
help ensure the adequacy of selection criteria and lower the likelihood of
expectation/deliverable mismatch at a later stage.
Cost Analysis
Core Banking
Planned Unplanned
Replacing core banking • Ownership of the core banking system is very costly and requires
system has high risks and
huge costs and thus requires
strong commitment and business justification in most cases. It is for this
strong business and financial reason that most banks take considerable time in coming to a decision
justification to replace or even upgrade their system. The cost components of the
total capital expenditure are software and service cost which constitutes
30%, system integration cost of 20-25% and hardware and infrastructure
cost of 45-50%.
• The software and service cost is highly dependent on the scale and
complexity of the project. For example, it could be $100 million or more
in large global banks but it has generally been much lower for smaller
Asia Pacific banks. In Asia, the cost of software and services has been
in the range of $5 million to $10 million for small banks and $20 million
to $25 million for mid-sized banks, while for large banks it can go much
higher. The investment is substantial and it is normally amortised over a
period of 5-7 years.
• For many vendors, the pricing may be different when they venture
into new or more competitive markets. Involvement of a local partner
generally helps to lower the costs of the project. Our research shows
that many large banks prefer to hire consultants to guide this complex
process and they often have a team of vendors and system integrators.
All these add to the total cost of the project.
• However these may not be the only costs involved. In many cases, there
are also hidden costs in the process. These unplanned costs may come
from service disruptions, system downtimes or other system problems
during the course of implementation or from unexpected delays in project
implementation.
• While the banks strive to keep these costs in check, there is another
type of cost that gives critical business justification for such a steep
investment. For most banks, the replacement decision is taken only when
the “opportunity cost” of not changing a system (such as loss of market
share, reduced competitiveness and lower growth) becomes too high
and, in many cases, when their survival is at stake. Some other banks
find it easier to justify the replacement citing regulatory requirements
such as those under BASEL II. Nonetheless, the substantial cost savings
(post replacement) – both tangible and intangible – coupled with revenue
growth in the long term are definite motivations. We discuss these further
in the following section.
Financial justification through Financial Justification of New System
cost savings and revenue
growth Project Stages
Expected deliverables of the new system
Lower
Lower Innovative New
Integrated, operational, Customer
opportunity products, initiatives,
flexible system maintenance centric, STP
costs bundling services
cost
Indirect benefits
While investment is substantial, • While there is clear business justification in the form of intangible
benefits from cost savings, ROI
and business growth could be benefits such as market growth, retaining of competitiveness and long-
more term success, many bankers mull over cost effectiveness and return on
investment (ROI) in order to find financial justification for the project.
• Though varying with individual projects, cost savings primarily come from
lower maintenance costs, lower operating costs and time savings. Many
legacy systems demand a large pool of IT-trained manpower, which
is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. Reduced manpower
requirements after replacement would therefore lower the maintenance
costs. In addition, systems that provide front-end and back-office
integration improve efficiency in data collection, enhance operational
processes and allow the keeping of consolidated customer information,
thereby helping the banks to meet customer requirements more quickly,
which in turn lowers the operating costs.
• As the banks go for STP, the rollout time for products declines. This,
coupled with faster response times, provides considerable time savings
for the banks. For many banks, these cost savings have led to a shorter
payback period and an improved ROI. Industrial Bank of Korea claims
that with its legacy system, it used to take almost a month to roll out
a product. But since implementing a new core banking solution (by
Temenos), the rollout time has reduced to 2-3 days and the time for
batch end-of-day settlement has reduced by 30%.
• The bank would achieve faster growth (and in many cases greater market
share) with its ability to make quick decisions and its agility in rolling out
new products. Banks like ICICI and HDFC in India have managed to
capture a large share of the Indian market (which was earlier monopolised
by state-owned banks) through improved service quality and innovative
products due to their advanced core banking systems.
• The cost savings and revenue growth will vary between banks depending
on the unique features of individual projects. Some big banks claim that
they have benefited through a distinct improvement in efficiencies and
the retention of a substantial number of customers that they would have
certainly lost otherwise. Most banks also agree that there has been
drastic reduction in end-of-day processing time and product development
time (e.g. some banks can set parameters of products within a couple of
days). Most banks have extended their hours of operation to nights and
weekends as well. These tangible and intangible benefits often provide
substantial financial justification for the banks to take the plunge.
Process Interfaces
Rationalisation
Deployment
Strategy
Product Coexistence
Rationalisation
Data
Conversion
Project
Organisation & Change
Programme Management
Management
• Coexistence – How will the old and new worlds coexist during the
deployment period?
• Banks need to answer these and other questions for a successful core
banking replacement project. This chapter will examine some of these
core banking building blocks in more detail and explain their purpose in
the overall programme of core banking enabled transformation.
Big bang is quick but has no • Big Bang is a deployment strategy which assumes that all systems will
margin for error
be deployed at the same time in one big bang. As a result, banks do not
need to worry about coexistence or the more complex rollout logistics
of a phased approach. The disadvantage of the big bang is that there
is little or no margin for error. If a large bank is considering big bang
deployment, it should conduct massive training and repeated conversion
rehearsals over some period of time. The transition planning also has to
ensure that all conversion logistics are in place, i.e. hardware, systems
software, network, etc. Analysing best practices, we have found that
conversion rehearsals should always include a month end. We see the
big bang option as the most risky approach, only worth considering for
small banks.
Phased approach has • Phased Approach is the deployment of the new core banking solution by
manageable risk
branch or regional cluster. It is recommended that the phased deployment
is conducted as a “big bang” for each deployment cluster. This means
that, as in the big bang approach, the entire solution is deployed in one
go – but only for a manageable cluster and not for the entire enterprise.
The advantage of this approach is that banks receive the benefits of
the big bang for all deployment clusters while keeping risks within a
manageable level. For instance, if deployment problems occur, they can
be confined to the cluster and will not affect the entire enterprise. On
the down side, a phased rollout will take longer and will require massive
logistical planning for each deployment cluster. Nevertheless, we believe
that the benefits of this approach, especially risk mitigation, more than
compensates for its higher cost and longer deployment period.
• Herein the services are “loosely coupled”, i.e. not tightly integrated as that
would limit its flexibility. Specifically, each “service” has a corresponding
“contract” which defines what the service does and how it can be used.
We understand that there should ideally be no restriction on how a service
operates internally in order to deliver on its contracted capabilities. This
can enable each service to be altered internally without necessitating
changes to the client applications (which can include other services) so
long as the changes do not alter the contracted definition of the service
and how to use it. If this is achieved, the advantage is clear – one can
modify the internal operations or even replace a given service without
having to modify every programme that uses the same service so long
as the contract is not changed.
• Those who advocate SOA believe that it is not about the internal workings
of the application but about how the application exposes its “services”
to the outside world. Thus, although the selected core banking system
may not have been constructed with SOA environments in mind (many
were not), it can fit into an SOA environment by exposing its services
through well-defined interface contracts (e.g. for withdrawals, transfers,
clearing, and the like). This would enable the bank to loosely couple their
existing applications with the new core banking system and avoid the
disadvantages of tight coupling.
• According to the definition of Dirk Krafzig, Karl Banke and Dirk Slama
in their book Enterprise SOA (Prentice Hall ISBN 0-13-146575-9), an
1
The application front-end 1 2 3 4
is the owner of the Application Business Service Service
business processes Front-end Service Repository Bus
2
Services provide business
functionality that the a b c
application front-end and
Contract Implementation Interface
other services can use
3
The service repository
stores the service
Business Logic b1 Data b2
contracts of the individual
services of an SOA
A service consists of...
4
The service bus intercon- a) a service contract that specifies the functionality, usage, and constraints for a client of the service
nects the application b) an implementation that provides business logic and data
front-end and the c) a service interface that physically exposes the functionality
services
A client can be either an application front-end or another service
Credit
Application Integration
Channel Integration
Deposits Loans
etc.
ATM
External
Interfaces
Internet
Clearing
Collateral Information House
etc.
Common Services
BahtNet
Authorised
Signature Credit Card
Online Online
Old
Data
Agent Service Core Banking Warehouse
Online Batch
System
Financial Donation
Planning
Batch Batch
Human
Resources EAI
Batch Online
Online/
Batch Online Online Batch Batch Online
• Transition from the old core banking system to the new core banking
system can be conducted in three steps:
Transtition Phase
Step 2:
Phased migration to Step 3:
Step 1: All accounts
new Core Banking
Implement switching converted to new
System and
layer Core Banking System
coexisting with
Legacy
• The end result is a smooth transition from old to new core banking
system, as illustrated below:
New Core Banking System
Authorised
Signature Credit Card
Online Online
Audit and
Control Custodian
Batch Batch
New
Data
Agent Service Core Banking Warehouse
Online Batch
System
Financial
Planning Donation
Batch Batch
Human
W EAI
M
S
Resources
ITC S
NI
Batch Online
H ING ME C HA
Online/
Batch Online Online Batch Batch Online
5.4 Coexistence
Coexistence poses
• Our research indicates that as the bank replaces the system using
considerable challenges phased implementation, it often faces the critical issue of coexistence.
demanding complex and Coexistence is the strategy and process taken to operate two core
strategic planning
banking systems concurrently for a limited period of time. Coexistence
describes in detail which methods, such as switches, merges and manual
processes, are used to process transactions between the old and new
worlds.
Call Other
Centre Online
ATM Systems Interfaces
Old New
Core Banking Core Banking
System Coexistence System
Switches /
Merge
Clearing
House
Other
Unconverted Branches Batch Converted Branches
Interfaces
Coexistence Implications
Coexistence Implications
how does the bank operate how will inter-branch how will the call centre
while accounts are transactions be handled service requests during
progressively converted to the during coexistence? coexistence?
new core banking system?
how will ATM transactions how will other online how will incoming batch
be processed during interfaces be processed interfaces be processed
coexistence? during coexistence? during coexistence?
Batch Interfaces
Other Implications
(Outward Clearing)
5.4.1 Branches
For intra-branch transactions,
business should make the • In most banks, the branches account for the bulk of customer-facing
decision on coexistence transactions. A key question to be answered here is how the bank wants
approach
to treat the different types of possible intra-branch transactions. As most
affect the customer and the bank’s relationship with him, we believe
that it is important to have business involved in all of these discussions
and let business make the final decision on how to proceed. After all,
business will know its customer better than IT does. There are a number
of options:
Branches During Coexistence
Coexistence Options
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Feature 2-way Support 1-way Support No Support
• At first glance, the two-way option may look like the best choice. However
we understand that it comes with a high cost for building the coexistence
interfaces. After analysing transaction volumes, banks may find it
worthwhile to consider option 3, “No Support”, as a feasible alternative.
In our review, we learnt that business usually understands and supports
this approach for standard branch services (e.g. deposits, withdrawals
and transfers). The business rationale is that the potential inconvenience
is only for a limited time and can be managed through good customer
communication, especially where there is low to moderate transaction
volume. Our research indicates that if the bank is replacing its front-end
system and core banking system at the same time, option 3 is preferable
because it reduces the need for temporary integration between the old
front end and the new core banking system and between the new front
end and the old core banking system.
New
Core Banking
System
Call Centre
System
Online Transaction
Switch
Old
Core Banking
System
New
Core Banking
System
Old
Core Banking
System
New
Core Banking
System
Online Transaction
Switch
External
System
Old
Core Banking
System
New
Core Banking
h
Batc
System
Batch
Splitter
Switch
External
System
h
New Batc
Core Banking
System
Batch
Combiner
External
System
A ‘Combiner’ will
therefore be needed
Old Core Banking System
Coexistence Implications
Inter-Branch
Standing Orders Others
Sweeping
Amend the systems to Amend the systems to Each situation will have to
pass the transactions out pass the transactions out be judged on
Create an external system Create an external system Criticality
for inter-branch sweeps for inter-branch standing orders Volume
Complexity
Manual processes Manual processes A decision is then made on
the best solution available
Data Data
Step 2: Data Conversion
Customers Extracts Customers
Accounts Accounts
Standing Instructions Standing Instructions
Transaction History Step 3: Data Conversion Transaction History
Etc… Loads Etc…
Data Cleansing
• Data mapping – Our research shows that banks start the data conversion
process with data mapping. This essentially entails mapping the old-
world data elements to the new-world data elements and can be used to
identify areas for product and process rationalisation. There are a number
of considerations for data mapping, as illustrated in the chart below:
Data Mapping
Current
Acc Account
Branch Code Should our account number structure
continue to have meaning?
Acc Product Code
When will we run out of account numbers?
Acc Sequence No. What should be the length of the account
Acc Check Digit
number? What are the implications for the
new system, cheques, passbooks, ATM
transaction records, etc. ?
Domicile Branch Code Domicile Branch Code
Is there a one-to-one mapping of fields for
this product (i.e. Current Accounts)?
Account Open Date Account Open Date
Is there a one-to-one mapping of field values
(e.g. are our interest rate methods supported
Interest Rate Method Interest Rate Method by corresponding methods in the new CBS)?
"Old" World
Step 2 : Data
Conversion Extracts
Old
Core Banking
Extract Modules
System Conversion
Data
• Data conversion loads – This is the final stage where customer and
account information is loaded into the new core banking system and
reconciliation reports are automatically generated.
Old New
Load Modules
Core Banking Core Banking
Extract Modules
System Conversion System
Data
Report Generator
Conversion
reconciliation
Reports
and verification.
a. products/services to be discontinued,
Project Organisation
Steering Committee
Programme Director
Transformation Technology
Others
Common Activities Deployment
Teller
Core Banking New World
Architecture & Data Cluster
Testing Pilot
Integration Migration
Functional Technical
Conversion &
Interface Analysis and Coexistence Design
Delta Analysis Team
Design Team Team
Product Realignment
Process Realignment
Customer Train-the-
Online Business
Application Trainers
Interfaces Testing Team
Team Training Team
Deposits User
Batch Integration
Application Procedures
Interfaces Testing Team
Team Team
Loans Coexistence
Operations
Application Development
Testing Team
Team Team
Online
Application
Team
Accounting & Legacy Systems Conversions Pilot Site
Other Apps Teams Data Extracts Selection Prep.
Team Teams
Data 3rd Party Go /No Go
Conversion Interface Assessment (ext.
Load Team Systems Teams Accountants)
Conversion Data
Legacy System Fix
Extracts Support
Team
Teams
Selection Process
Goals Managerial and Existing Required
financial system, size of system
commitment bank, business architecture
goals and platform
Establish Establish
Set Business Take Strategic System
Functional Technical
Direction Decision Selection
Requirement Requirement
Selection of a system requires • The impact of core banking system transformation would be visible over
managerial and business
support from all sections and a the long term in the performance of the organisation. A bank replaces its
clear focus on business goals system once every 10-15 years (sometimes even longer), and thus it is
essential that the bank develops clear objectives and its expectations
are detailed to ensure suitability of the system and to avoid a mismatch
between deliverables and expectations. The bank should be clear
whether it needs to replace the core banking system, the front end, or
both. It must not be enamoured with “bells” and “whistles” as these only
represent the front end and not the real core banking system.
Ensure involvement of business • The rapid pace of change in the banking business makes it extremely
representatives and develop a
matrix for evaluation difficult to picture the banking landscape in the years to come. For this
reason, the right selection would be one with a forward-looking flexible
architecture that has the ability to respond to the business dynamics and
adapt to newer products and services as well as the scalability to meet
future growth. This calls for a delta analysis.
• The bank must ensure that the project involves business and management
executives with leadership skills along with the IT people. Involvement
of the CEO and second-order decision makers will ensure long-term
Project Stages
Evaluating service providers
Evaluate
Identify Evaluate Evaluate Evaluate post-
commitment
vendors with financial experience implementation
to business &
track record strength and with similar support and
technical
and reputation viability projects services
enhancement
Track record and Ability to tide Ability to meet Financial ability Reputation and
technical ability of over the unique local and long term
the product to downtrends and requirements commitment commitment to
meet the sustain and yet provide towards long provide ongoing
functional technical the requisite term technical support and
requirement advancements quality advancement future
standards and services integrations
Suitability of IT partner for • System selection and vendor selection go hand in hand. Vendors and
unique requirements of the
project and its commitment to service providers can no longer be viewed as just IT suppliers. Instead,
provide long-term technical they are partners in the long-term success of a bank. The selection, in
support are crucial many cases, is based primarily on cost savings, which ironically may
prove to be a costly mistake in future. The basis of decisions should be
the vendor’s capabilities and not pricing.
Select the right mix of product • It is imperative that banks ensure the vendor provides the right mix of
and services
product and services required to meet the objectives and ambitions of
the business and the unique requirements of the project. The relationship
between system provider and system integrator should also be evaluated
and their track record in managing projects as a team needs to be
analysed.
• Equally important is that the bank has to evaluate its own comfort level
with regard to the vendor’s reliability and suitability for the particular
project. If the bank has an existing system from the vendor, there could
be a distinct benefit from having fewer integration issues. Using the
same vendor for both the front end and the core banking system can
also reduce integration and interface issues considerably.
Select vendors that involve • We have seen projects of even leading international vendors fail despite
local people in customisation
excellent track record and strong technical capability. The main cause was
lack of local knowledge and ability to cater to the unique conditions of the
banking environment in that country. Cost aside, the bank should select
those vendors that involve local people in the process of customisation
and localisation, and ensure that they provide international quality while
meeting the local standards. Vendors that have already customised a
product for a particular country are likely to be more suitable to undertake
future projects in that country.
• Finally, the bank should select a vendor that has the commitment and
ability to continually enhance the product so that future upgrading of the
system would be easier. The IT partner should be one with whom the
bank can maintain a long-term relationship, both through ongoing post-
implementation technical services and through future products.
Project Stages
Successful Implementation
Understand the business needs • What can vendors do (besides providing a good product) to successfully
implement a project of this scale? Successful implementation involves
not only timely completion but also seamless integration, zero error and
smooth transition.
Ensure strong business • We believe the basic ingredient for success is the ability of the vendor
ownership for project within the
bank to understand the business requirements. Clarity of banks and vendors
on both the requirements from the new system and the requisite
deliverables would lessen the risk of expectation/deliverable mismatch
and help the vendors to customise and localise the system as per the
unique requirements of individual projects.
Develop empathy with working • Vendors should ensure that within the bank, there is strong business
environment
ownership, management involvement and a business environment
conducive for implementing the project. There must be a common ground
for decision making, where the banks and service providers can interact
to find solutions for inevitable hiccups. The aim is to meet the objectives
and achieve timely completion coupled with high quality, but balanced
Begin user training even before with the costs involved. It is important that the right mix of people within
deployment of system
the bank is involved in the process.
Redesign processes within the • Vendors need to ensure optimum utilisation of communication channels.
bank for optimum returns
Besides having domain knowledge, the service provider has to develop
empathy with the working environment and culture to meet the unique
local requirements. Allocation of the right expertise is crucial. Equally
essential is that the vendor selects its partner carefully and chooses
one that has the requisite expertise. In addition, when there are multiple
Conduct testing and user vendors in a team, the accountabilities, responsibilities and decision-
acceptance tests at all levels
making process must be clear and a ”prime vendor” must be identified.
Key Challenges
• Business process restructuring and change management are
difficult propositions in old organisations with deeply-ingrained work
culture and processes
• Data migration tends to be more difficult due to geographic
dispersion and high volume of business
• User training is generally more time consuming
• Coexistence of two systems during transformation process
• Multiple application systems and software across the organisation
need to be integrated
• Single product may not suit complex requirements and may
demand significant customisation
• Most off-the-shelf systems are not suitable for the volume and unique
requirements of a large multinational bank, and hence substantial
customisation of the packaged solution is necessary during
implementation. However, a better approach would be to customise the
front end rather than the core processing system. This would make it
imperative for the bank to either utilise the services of an experienced
system integrator (e.g. SBI) or undertake further development on existing
Banks need a scalable and
robust system to handle high systems to meet its complex needs (as in the case of HSBC).
volumes
• The platform of choice for large banks should be mainframe, which has
proven its ability to meet scalability needs and handle large transaction
volumes. As most large banks have legacy systems that are based on
mainframes, this would make transition more feasible and lower the
switching costs.
• We believe that past experience with similar large projects and reliability
would be critical considerations in vendor selection. Long-term support
Vital requirement is seamless
connectivity across functions would be essential, whereas pricing is not likely to be a key issue.
and locations
• Many large banks have systems that were developed in-house. But often,
the people who developed these systems (or know the software codes)
are no longer with the organisation. This makes the tasks of deployment,
data conversion and data migration extremely difficult for the vendor.
• Having strong management support to see the project through and strong
internal teams to coordinate with vendors and communicate within the
organisation would be essential for a project of this scale.
• We recommend that banks look for packaged solutions that have the
capability to meet their future needs. The customisation requirements
for small banks are generally less complex and hence customisation of
the front end may suffice. The focus of these banks is likely to be the
completion of the replacement project not only in minimum time but also
at a low cost.
Recent spurt in number of • Over the last two decades, hundreds of Islamic banks have mushroomed
Islamic banks has forced
the banking sector to look
across the world to cater to the unique requirements of Islamic finance.
for systems that provide Islamic banks are common in the Middle East but have sprung up as
compliance with Islamic law far away as London and the Philippines. Within the Asia Pacific region,
Malaysia and Indonesia are two countries that have shown rapid growth
in Islamic banking.
• Challenges are plenty as there are no standard rules and there are
unique market requirements which need to be considered while offering
products in different markets. Additionally, pooling of assets and liabilities
and calculation of profits can be difficult. Thus the system should have
flexible accounting structure and banking processes peculiar to Islamic
banking.
Cost effectiveness with • “Internet only” banks, a relatively new concept, are specialised banks
flexibility for innovative products
is essential for “internet only”
that compete with brick-and-mortar banks (conventional banks) on the
banks basis of convenience, lack of locational constraint and lower costs. These
banks offer innovative products and services online round the clock and
seek to do it cost effectively. As they have lower fixed, operational and
maintenance costs and the cost benefits are passed on to customers,
the fees are generally lower and the interest rates competitive.
• Most of these banks are small and do not have adequate manpower to
customise and implement the core banking systems. For this reason,
they prefer packaged solutions, with cost being a major consideration
in selection. The transaction volumes are not as high as those of
conventional banks and multi-channel delivery capability is not necessary.
The front end, however, may need customisation to suit the unique user
needs for this type of bank.
• Many of these banks are probably acquiring a core banking system for
the first time. Implementation is likely to be less complex and faster to
roll out than in conventional banks. Most internet banks are new and
small, making integration and data migration easier.
Problems
• Duplicate systems impede growth
• Difficult for banks to deliver integrated, customer-centric services
• Maintenance and operational costs increase
• Difficult for two systems to coexist unless restructured
Migration Integration
• Systems of pre-merger entities • Linking the core banking systems
are migrated onto one platform so that they effectively function as
one platform
• Data migration has high risks
• Difficult for two systems to coexist
• Time consuming
• Time consuming and costs can be
• May be followed by core banking high
replacement after a few years
• May be followed by core banking
Source: Asian Banker Research
replacement after a few years
M&A requires system migration • Mergers and acquisitions can be nightmares for IT professionals of the
or integration, either of which is
risky and challenging banks involved as they are invariably followed by restructuring of the
core banking systems. This is largely because the duplicate systems
impede growth due to their high maintenance and operational costs.
Further, running two separate systems makes it difficult for the banks to
have an integrated view of the customer. Thus banks have to ultimately
consolidate the two systems, resulting in integrated databases and core
banking.
• At the end of it all, the banks must have a system that is suitable for the
transaction volumes and processing needs of the combined bank and
meets the objectives of the merger.
8
This section analyses the trends in core banking system re-
placement in a few leading countries within Asia. The market
trends, demand characteristics and unique requirements of
each country are explored.
8.1 India
8.2 China
8.3 Japan, Korea and Taiwan
8.4 South East Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Country Tre n d A n a lyses
8.1 India
After active spell in last 3-4 • India is a unique country from the core banking perspective. Till five
years, Indian core banking
market may be reaching years back, most banks in the country were working on mere branch
saturation soon automation and most state-owned banks did not even have a core
banking system owing to lack of infrastructure and network readiness to
provide a centralised system. New private-sector banks then came into
the market with a distinct technical advantage which led to substantial
customer attrition in state-owned banks.
• Prominent deals in the last few years include State Bank of India with
TCS, Canara Bank with I-flex (for a $49 million project), Central Bank
of India with TCS (for a project costing 150 crore rupees or about $33
million) and Bank of Baroda with HP. As the trend indicates, most of the
major banks in the country have already entered into core banking deals.
Most of them would be completing their rollout in 2007. We understand
that those who have not yet entered into deals are actively evaluating
vendors. For this reason, we believe that the Indian market is nearing
saturation.
8.2 China
IT Infrastructure development of Chinese banks
Only a few banks have Bank, China Development Bank and CITIC Bank have upgraded to an
upgraded to an integrated core
banking system integrated core banking system.
• We have discovered that the uptake of core banking systems has been
slow in the country as a whole because the banks have been very
cautious. Additionally, we have observed that tier 1 banks (and now
Smaller banks continue to
prefer local vendors
increasingly tier 2 banks) prefer international vendors for the quality of
their solutions and services, whereas many smaller banks continue to
prefer local vendors due to the lower cost and higher level of trust and
reliability. There continues to be a certain level of doubt in the market
about the ability of foreign vendors to meet the local requirements of
Chinese banks. Deal implementation problems have also been reported
in cases like CITIC Bank, whose replacement project was done by
Fiserv.
• Many banks in China are looking at point solutions in, for example, trade
finance and treasury rather than at core banking system replacement.
We believe this reflects their short-term objective of attracting foreign
funds.
• However the banks are increasingly acknowledging the need to reduce the
high maintenance cost of these systems as the manpower for managing
them is dwindling. In Japan, this is known as the “2007 problem” as that
is the year when Cobol-trained manpower starts retiring. Another factor
that is likely to move the market is the increasing foreign share in the
Japanese banking sector.
• Various mergers in the Japanese banking sector have also led to complex
Taiwan offers a good • Taiwan is one of the few countries where there was a sudden surge
opportunity to IT companies of activity in 2005, with four banks going for core banking deals as
with its increasing shift towards compared with 2004 when there were none. We believe that most banks
open-end technology
still lack the confidence to change from legacy systems, but competitive
pressures are forcing them to look for newer-generation technology.
about every 15 years. They are [returning] to that; it is time to look and
replace again. There is no economic pressure; it is just retirement and
renewal strategy.”
Many Malaysian banks look for
capability to adapt to Islamic
banking • In Malaysia, in the last three years, we have seen many small and
medium banks coming to the market to replace their systems. Many of
them have chosen vendors that can provide them with Islamic banking
capability. For this reason, local vendors such as Microlink and Silverlake
are popular in the country. We understand that the leading bank of
Malaysia, Maybank, is also in the process of evaluating vendors for
changing its core banking system. Given the small size of the country’s
banking sector, the change is noticeable. The aim of the banks is to have
integrated core banking systems.
Singapore is a saturated market
• Many experts consider Singapore a rather mature and saturated market.
Banks in the country have already achieved technical sophistication in
their banking systems. Since there is no urgency to change, the banks
take considerable time in making a decision.
• We have seen very few deals from this country lately. The only prominent
one in recent times is DBS Bank – in 2005, the bank appointed Infosys
to provide an integrated system for its domestic retail operations.
Many banks in Indonesia
continue to operate on high-
cost legacy systems • Technical advancement among smaller banks in Indonesia leaves much
to be desired, with some of them still working on branch computerisation.
Some technically advanced banks have set up a centralised data system.
We believe that many smaller banks in Indonesia continue to operate on
inefficient legacy systems and are spending a lot of money and time to
maintain them. The skills to operate these systems are disappearing
as most young graduates prefer to work on an open system while the
older people are retiring. Hence maintaining these systems is becoming
more problematic. The platform of choice has mostly been mainframe,
but there are indications now that banks are considering UNIX systems
as well.
• However change has not been easy to come by. We have not seen
many prominent deals from Indonesia in recent years. But we expect the
market to open up in the next 2-3 years owing to increasing inefficiency
and competitive pressures.
9
This section examines the current standing of vendors in the
Asian markets and ranks them. A survey across banks in Asia
coupled with our in-depth analysis of the products and the deals
implemented by the vendors in Asia have assisted us in rating
them, both on their abilities and on their product’s capabilities.
Besides this, we have analysed their market positioning based
on their success and architecture.
Vendor Assessment
The key vendors in the region and their core banking products have been
analysed based on a survey done across banks in Asia. This has been
complemented with our research into their products, track record and
financial strength and a quantitative analysis of the recent decisions.
We have divided our assessment into two parts. First is vendor assessment
based on four parameters and second is product assessment based
on five parameters. The analysis has been done for only core banking
systems and not other solutions.
their growth over the last three years. The analysis has included key
indicators such as revenue, operating profit, net income and net worth,
among others.
• Ability to meet unique needs – The assessment of this quality has been
based on a market survey where banks were asked to rate the product on
its ability to meet their unique and specific requirements while providing
international quality. We have further analysed the local presence of the
product in individual countries and the success of customisation.
• Deals with small banks – The presence of vendors among small banks
has been assessed on the number of deals won by the vendors for small
and mid-size banks in Asia.
Architectural
Advancement
A = Silverlake U = I-flex
U = TCS Bancs U = Infosys
U = Fidelity Sanchez
A = Fiserv X = Fidelity Systematics
U = Temenos Globus
Traditional/
Flat-file DB Niche Players Ageing Architecture
Market Penetration
Low
High
10
Our research leads us to certain conclusions on success in core
banking which we discuss here in two sections. The first is for
banks where we identify the critical requirements to achieve
success with the core banking systems project. The second is for
IT service providers and delineates essential factors to achieve
long-term success in the core banking systems market.
Conclusion
Have clear business goals • We believe that the following elements are essential for a successful
core banking project.
• The bank must have clear business direction and goals, which would
be the guiding principles for all stages of the project from selection
to implementation. This would also ensure that the project has
adequate justification and support from the business perspective and
the implementation does not stray from requirements because of
enamouredness with technical enhancements.
Ensure total business • To ensure that the project has management commitment at all times,
commitment at all times
there should be adequate business ownership and decision making
should involve people from business functions. We believe that strong
project sponsorship from top management is critical for its success.
Viewing the project as just an IT project would be a recipe for failure.
The bank should also develop strong internal teams to communicate
and coordinate with the service providers to ensure deliverables match
the business objectives.
Effective communication • There is bound to be resistance to change and employee dissatisfaction,
is essential for change
management
which can only be countered through effective communication and
Reputation, track
record
Technical enhancements
View project as long-term • For long-term success, it is essential that service providers see each
relationship
project as a long-term relationship. Besides maintaining high technical
standards, they need a track record of successful implementation. Every
project has its unique characteristics and requirements which need to be
addressed with utmost diligence.
Employ right people with • Having the right people with domain and business knowledge to suit
domain knowledge
the local requirements of individual projects is essential for successful
implementation. An army of men cannot replace a few critical people.
Needless to say, the technical ability and track record of the vendor
are most critical in the selection process. Service providers must invest
continually in technical advancements. Equally important is catering to
the local conditions while providing international quality in the product
and services.
Ensure deliverables and • Ensuring that deliverables are in line with the expectations of the bank
expectations match through
effective communication
requires clear communication at all levels. This would involve user
training and the challenging task of managing process and work-culture
change within the bank.
• There should be fool-proof testing at each step in addition to other
strategies for risk minimisation. Successful implementation of each
project is a step in building the market presence and reputation of the
service provider.
Case Studies
Strengths Weaknesses
In-house IT capability to implement the Highly complex task with almost 8,000
project. Strong internal teams branches
Vendor has previous experience in country Large human resource requirement for
and strong alliance with system integrator in-house implementation
Opportunities Threats
Core banking replacement project Difficult to change processes and work
extended to 4 associated banks culture in a 200-year-old organisation with
branches extending to remote areas
Increased competitiveness and improved
efficiency Lack of ownership of data at the user level
Centralised system that gives single view 10 million transactions per day. Scale of
of customer and frees resources for better data migration huge with zero margin for
service error
Largest commercial bank of • State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest commercial bank of India with
India found it necessary to
purchase new system to face
8,000 branches across India and a global presence in 20 countries. This
competition and reduce attrition two-century-old organisation has not only a wide spread but also a deep
rate reach into the interiors of the country. Till a few years back, it was working
on basic branch automation and a rudimentary legacy system. However,
competitive pressures from private sector banks and the opening up of
the economy made it necessary for the bank to purchase technically-
advanced and cost-efficient systems that could meet its functional and
technical requirements.
The old system • Under the old system, the bank had computerised 2,050 branches on a
standalone basis. Thus each branch had its own independent system,
which it maintained and managed. The system was Bankmaster (now
under Misys) and it was used in 75% of the bank’s branches. However,
as each branch was independent, consistency and integration of systems
within the bank was not possible and customers could not freely approach
other branches of the bank.
• Inherent problems with the existing system and the competitive climate
in the industry thus forced the bank to undertake the massive project of
revamping its core banking system. It initiated the plan with transformation
in 3,300 branches in year 2000. But thereafter, the change process was
extended to include 5,000 branches of four associate banks as well.
• The key motivation for the bank to purchase a new system was the
desire to have a local framework in which IT could serve as an “enabling
force” and relieve the local branches of back-office operations thereby
allowing them to focus on delivery and marketing. And this was possible
only if the bank had a centralised core banking system and made its
branches a service and delivery channel. Multi-channel delivery without
core banking was not practical.
The Timeline of the Transformation Project
The selection process • However, when the bank started to consider replacing its system, there
were very few examples. It wanted proven technology for its system
but there was none. Not even Bank of America and other big global
banks had undertaken such a change. Its size was the key issue and
it needed a system that could cater to its growing needs. (Together
with its associate banks, SBI now has 15,000 branches and 140 million
accounts in total.)
• FNS Bancs was considered the most suitable to meet the bank’s
requirements. TCS was chosen as system integrator as it had the distinct
advantage of being aware of local business practices, work culture and
regulations and thus was well-placed to understand the requirements
of the bank. Strong alliance between FNS and TCS was another factor
that contributed to the selection of FNS as the vendor. This, however,
meant moving to the UNIX platform which was relatively less proven
than mainframe for a bank of this size.
Customisation and • Owing to the size of the organisation, the customisation of software and
implementation process
the user training and training for implementation were, in that order, the
two most difficult tasks faced by the bank and the service providers.
Unique requirements of the bank such as having to maintain branch
individuality while centralising the systems posed significant challenges
in customisation. Its validation and process-adaptation requirements
forced further customisation.
• The original product from FNS which had about one million software
codes was customised into a more complex hybrid product with almost
two million codes. This extensive addition to the software code of the
product was done by TCS and the system now covers 4,000 transaction
types.
Strengths Weaknesses
Relatively small bank with 111 branches, Data migration from multiple existing
making replacement less complex systems and integration was complex
Opportunities Threats
Centralised the back-office operations with Shifting from legacy to open system
the new system required change in processes and
business culture
Growing economy. Acquisition of new
customers and markets possible through New system required extensive user
differentiation of products and services training and acceptance at all levels
Availability of multiple vendors for open Big bang approach has higher risks. Tried
technology made choice easier for first time in the country
The old system • Union Bank of Philippines (UBP) is a relatively small bank with an asset
base of $1.98 billion and 111 branches in the country. However it is among
the top ten banks in the Philippines, with a history of fast growth thanks
to its tech-savvy approach. True to its reputation, UBP has become the
first bank in the country to shift from mainframe to open platform.
• The change was also prompted by the need to acquire business agility
coupled with improved efficiency and to have the ability to differentiate
its products and services. Being in a competitive environment, the bank
worked on a tight margin hence cost was an essential consideration.
With these issues in mind, the bank started exploring the possibility of
Cost a critical consideration shifting to a newer technology platform in 2002.
Explores
possibility of Selection
shifting from Requests for process Implementation
mainframe to proposal completed. begins with user Implementation
open platform from vendors Finalises Infosys training is completed
The selection process • In 2003, the bank invited proposals from leading vendors that could
meet its technical requirements. The process of selection took six
months, during which the bank analysed all the proposals and bids and
visited two Infosys project sites in India. The bank viewed the venture
as the beginning of a long-term partnership and made the selection
accordingly.
• The selection criteria included the functional features of the system, the
quality of the team and the track record of the vendor company. While
technical capability of the system to meet the objectives was essential,
cost was also considered to be a critical factor. Infosys presented a
strong business case following a Gap analysis.
The new system • The bank finally selected Infosys to provide the system Finacle for
its retail operations (CASA, loans, deposits and GL). Local firm Total
Information Management Corporation (with whom the bank has a long-
term relationship) was also hired to provide consultation and assistance
in implementation. The project involved replacing its mainframe-based
legacy system with a new-generation open-ended system which runs
on Sun infrastructure. For Infosys, this was its first big project in the
Philippines. For this reason, involvement of a local partner was an asset
for the bank as well as the vendor.
• The project cost was about $4 million. One of the key considerations for
the bank while selecting a system was the financial impact. It wanted
a system whose cost could be met through the operating profits of the
bank over a period of five years. In addition, the new system should have
lower operational costs, thus leading to better returns for the bank.
The implementation and • Implementation took approximately one year and the system went
deployment process
live in April 2005. The implementation posed many challenges such
as localisation and customisation to unique business conditions of the
Philippines. In addition, data stored in multiple mainframe-based systems
had to be cleaned, migrated and consolidated. Some of the items that
Finacle needed were not found in the old system, making the task more
difficult.
• The project was significant for the Philippine banking sector because it
was the first time a local bank shifted from a mainframe-based system to
open technology. For this reason – coupled with the fact that it used ”big
bang” implementation – it was keenly watched by many in the industry.
• The bank took an aggressive approach by adopting big bang, which was
less time-consuming but came with high risk. Most banks, especially
larger ones, prefer a traditional step-by-step rollout due to lower risks.
However owing to the relatively small size of the bank, big bang was
considered achievable and more feasible. The advantage in this approach
is the avoidance of integration issues that arise from having two separate
systems co-existing within the bank during rollout. The implementation
is fast and would not slow the bank’s transformation process. The bank
felt confident that it could implement the project according to schedule
and it succeeded.
• One of the strengths of Union Bank of Philippines has been its adaptability
towards new-generation technology. It is considered a tech-savvy bank
and has proven so by being among the initial few in the country to step
out to replace their entire system. The bank developed an in-house core
team which worked with the Infosys team to fulfil the implementation
plan and to train users for the change in processes.
Lessons learnt • The success of Union Bank of Philippines in its core banking
transformation has some lessons for other banks undertaking similar
projects. The management should be committed from conception to final
implementation. This is required of both the bank and the vendor and
was one of the critical success factors for the bank. The bank developed
strong teams with good banking knowledge and got them trained for
the new system to ensure optimum utilisation. The bank faced a certain
amount of resistance and “getting everybody on board” was a challenge.
Most banks in the Philippines continue to operate on legacy mainframes.
For these banks, UBP has been an example to look up to.
The outlook • With the new system, the bank aims to reduce its cost by 15% over five
years. If achieved, this would give it substantial competitive advantage.
Moving from account centricity to customer centricity should help it
provide better customer service and improve its market presence. The
bank has discovered that with the parameterisation of the system, it can
launch new products much faster and with ease. The cost of interfacing
is also lower. In addition, the bank did away with the branch IT network
following core banking replacement. With the new centralised system, the
bank freed up resources previously engaged in branch IT infrastructure.
Additionally, the centralisation of back-office functions should give a
boost to its competitiveness
An average RFP runs into 70-80 pages, with the bank requiring
vendors to submit a whole range of information which would
assist the bank in evaluating the suitability of the system for its
requirements. While some in-depth information is essential to
analyse the product and the vendor, we believe that unnecessary
information simply increases the complexity of the process. Banks
often forget that somebody with the right breath and depth of
knowledge needs to read and analyse all the responses to an RFI
or RFP. For a vendor providing this extent of information, it usually
becomes an unwarranted exercise. For this reason, we believe
that banks should ask for only relevant detailed information. In-
depth critical information gained through a few questions may be
more useful than a “laundry list” of non-essential information.
Table of contents
A. Introduction
1 Bank profile
1.1 Vision
1.2 Mission
1.3 History and background
2 Bank products and services
3 Purpose
4 Eligibility requirements
4.1 Eligible vendors
4.2 Eligible products and services
4.3 Cost of this request for proposal
5 Definition of terms
1 Overview
2 Price
3 Payment terms and conditions
3.1 Payment milestones
G. Attachments
1 Glossary of terms
2 RFP forms
2.1 Performance security
3 Standard terms and conditions