On-demand Webinar

Solving banking’s toughest challenges: Practical paths to rapid core modernization in 2026

Why attend?

As banks prepare for 2026, executive leaders face mounting pressure to modernize core systems and operations – enabling innovation and accelerating growth, without compromising stability.

Cover slide for the "Solving banking’s toughest challenges: Practical paths to rapid core modernization in 2026" webinar

The challenge is no longer just internal. Customers now expect greater value, faster service, and seamless digital experiences, often at a lower cost. Meanwhile, competition is intensifying, with digital-first players and new market entrants reshaping the landscape.

From fragmented data and slow product development cycles to GenAI governance and cost efficiency, the message is clear: strategic, focused modernization is no longer optional - it’s essential.

This webinar brings together Finastra and Celent to explore how banks can address these pain points with practical, product-driven strategies.

We’ll dive into Celent’s latest industry insights on banking agility, the operationalization of GenAI and agentic AI. We’ll showcase how Finastra Essence helps banks modernizing with agility avoiding a risky “core transplant.”

Learn how the combination of rich, broad and deep banking functionality with advanced technology – such as cloud-native deployment, no-code product design, embedded analytics, and open APIs – can help your bank:

  • accelerate time-to-market
  • optimize operational costs
  • and deliver differentiated customer experiences.

Whether you're a CIO, COO, Head of Retail, this session will offer actionable solutions tailored to your priorities.

The key take-aways

  • Understand the top challenges facing banking leaders in 2025-2026 – and how to solve them.
  • Learn how Finastra Essence enables rapid product innovation, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
  • Discover how to modernize without replacing your core system, using phased migration and modular architecture.
  • See how GenAI, embedded analytics, and cloud-native SaaS can transform customer experience and reduce TCO.

Speakers

Anshu Sharma Raja
Proven expertise in leading large-scale technology modernization, on application and infrastructure - delivered in Banking across 30+ markets, operational optimization, and lead business expansion.
Daniel Mayo
Daniel's coverage areas focuses on the banking platform market. Complementary coverage areas include cloud, SaaS, analytics, digital transformation and platform transformation and modernization. His advisory engagements have included banking system vendor selection for financial institutions, IT benchmarking for financial institutions, and market feasibility and go-to market assessments for technology vendors.
Lucose Eralil
Together with Security Bank's senior leadership, Lucose defines and champions the short- and long-term technology-driven strategic initiatives, in relation to the Bank's strategic plan.
Mahmoud Abdawi
I helped launch and scale E20, the UAE’s first micro-SME digital bank, recognized among the Top-10 Challenger Banks globally, and I led the creation of EI+, Emirates Islamic’s next-gen digital platform — achieving 90%+ mobile adoption, onboarding 50K+ new customers in 10 months, and driving double-digit growth in digital revenues.
Margus Simson
Komercni Banka, member of Societe Generale Group, has been my latest challenge in the long list. We rebuilt the whole bank from the scratch. Technologically it is one of the most modern banks in Europe, massive simplification of products and processes (99% products out), customer centric development according to service design principles, complete redesign of the way of working according to agile rules. Business results speak for themselves.
Narendra Mistry
Narendra has been in the financial software industry for more than 25 years and his career with Finastra spans more than 13 years in various leadership roles, including running product for International Retail. He has experience building new SaaS businesses in Digital Essence cloud banking, whilst ensuring a robust product and go-to-market strategy. Narendra was instrumental in the very successful Equation N-2 program and the Midas Service Pack program that have made the Midas and Equation business extremely stable over the years.