Banking · Africa
Modernizing a tier-1 bank's IT
Target architecture redesign and program leadership for an 18-month migration.
This scenario is illustrative. It describes how we'd run this type of engagement — not a past one.
Scenario context
A tier-1 retail bank runs a core banking system that has been in place for over twenty years, surrounded by a constellation of systems bolted on over time. Digital channels are growing fast, regulatory pressure is rising, and every change takes longer and carries more risk than the last.
The challenge
No shared target architecture exists. Coupling between systems is such that a local change propagates unpredictable effects. The temptation of a big-bang rewrite is strong, but unacceptable given operational risk — and compliance deadlines leave no slack.
Our approach
We'd begin by mapping business capabilities and the application portfolio to establish a factual view of the estate and its fragilities. From there, we'd co-build an explicit target architecture and a wave-based migration path, each wave delivering value without circular dependencies.
Migration would follow a progressive strangler pattern rather than a frontal replacement, under an Architecture Review Board that arbitrates structuring choices and keeps the decision record.
Expected outcomes
For this kind of engagement, the target is reduced coupling, controlled incremental delivery, end-to-end compliance traceability, and decision governance that outlives the engagement itself. The goal isn't only to modernize a system — but to leave the bank able to steer its own architecture.