Customer obsessed: Driving innovation and trust in financial services 

In today’s financial landscape, standing still is not an option (insights from Sibos 2025)

Customer expectations are rising fast. Regulations are tightening. And technological disruption – particularly from AI – is starting to reshape everyone’s lives at work and home. At the same time, economic headwinds, geopolitical volatility, and new digital-first competitors are putting traditional financial institutions under unprecedented pressure.

Yet within this complexity lies opportunity. For banks willing to rethink the role of technology, there is a path to create smarter and more efficient operations, deeper customer loyalty, and sustainable growth.

This path begins with obsession for the customer and the relentless pursuit of software that is reliable, secure, trusted, and co-innovated with users in mind, both internal and external. When we asked our clients what matters most in a technology partner, they were clear: deliver secure and reliable platforms, deeply understand our needs, help us modernize, and co-create the future with us.

Here’s why each of these areas matter.

Customer-Centricity: The Key to Real Success.

Financial institutions consistently highlight the importance of working with software partners that understand their business, their customers, and their needs. Success today requires placing them at the heart of every decision. It’s not enough to simply deliver products – solutions must drive operational efficiency, meet evolving customer needs, and help institutions stay ahead of the market and regulatory changes.

Customer-centricity isn’t just a buzzword – it's essential. Nearly half of the financial institutions surveyed in the 2025 Activate/Finastra Financial Institution Research Study listed it as the most critical factor when selecting third-party partners.

The most valuable software today is built not just for function, but for outcomes. It improves customer experiences, streamlines operations, and delivers measurable business results.

When fintech solutions are rooted in real-world challenges – and supported post-implementation to ensure full realization of value – meaningful business results are delivered.

Security, Trust, and Reliability: Non-Negotiables

In today’s hyper-connected world, trust is the cornerstone of every financial transaction. Customers expect secure, reliable, and always-available services, and financial institutions must rise to meet these demands. With cyber threats escalating rapidly in volume and sophistication as well as regulators’ expectations increasing, securing data, and ensuring business continuity are more crucial than ever. Technology must be part of the solution, not a liability.

In the same study, 58% of financial institutions said these are among their top concerns - and rightly so. Security should be seen as an integral part of every solution. Institutions need robust systems designed to protect against evolving threats while ensuring they can continue operations without disruption. Continuous monitoring, advanced fraud detection tools, and failover systems ensure that financial institutions are ready, no matter the challenges.

A secure, reliable foundation is not just a benefit – it's a prerequisite for earning customer loyalty and staying resilient in a fast-paced, uncertain market.

Co-Innovation: Collaborating to Drive Future Growth

Innovation is essential for many in the financial sector to thrive. It has never been more important, or more misunderstood. Innovation without purpose is wasted effort and investment. Financial institutions must adopt a thoughtful, strategic approach to new technologies.

AI is a perfect example. While it offers enormous potential, its true value lies in how it’s applied. When used effectively, AI can unlock untapped insights from unstructured data, enabling banks to offer personalized customer experiences, streamline operations, and improve risk management. It’s a powerful tool, but it must be deployed in the right context, paired with human judgment and the right objectives in mind.

Co-innovation with trusted partners is essential. Financial institutions need partners who can help them rapidly test new ideas, build on successes, and scale innovations quickly and efficiently, all while having a solid understanding of current technology solutions and the ever-evolving regulatory environment.

Three-quarters of institutions cite innovation gaps as a reason to switch providers. With the right partner, they don’t have to. Co-innovation empowers financial institutions to modernize without disruption – moving intelligently, rather than ripping and replacing systems wholesale.

A Mission Bigger Than Software

The global financial system is the lifeblood of economies and the individuals and businesses that drive them. For economies to thrive, financial institutions must be empowered with solutions that not only meet today’s demands but anticipate tomorrow’s challenges. The stakes are too high for technology that can’t keep up.

At Finastra, we understand that being a trusted partner in this ecosystem is a responsibility we must take seriously.

Our solutions are designed to evolve with customer needs, helping them stay ahead in a dynamic landscape. Whether through customer-centric service, secure and reliable software, or cutting-edge innovation, we are committed to helping our customers succeed.

We are proud to be part of the solution.

We’re even prouder to do so in a way that reflects what they’ve told us matters most: customer-centricity, trust, and co-creation.

This article was originally published in German by Handelsblatt: HandelsblattDer Kunde im Fokus: Innovation und Vertrauen in Finanzdienstleistungen.