Set against the timeless backdrop of Athens, Greece, Finacle Conclave 2025 convened global banking leaders, technology partners, transformation executives, and thought leaders to chart the future of banking in an AI-led, platform-powered economy. Once the cradle of democracy and innovation, Athens — now a thriving commercial hub — served as a fitting metaphor for the event’s theme: “Next-Gen Now: Reimagine. Recompose. Realize.” Over two immersive days, the event underscored both the urgency and the opportunity for banks to evolve boldly in the face of rapid disruption.
Finacle Conclave inspired participants to:
- Reimagine their role in a digitally redefined economy.
- Recompose business and technology architectures with AI, cloud, and APIs.
- Realize measurable outcomes in customer engagement, operational excellence, and innovation-led growth.
Rajsri Rengan (Infosys Finacle), Geoff Wenborn (Bank of Sydney), and Ian Truran (Clarien Bank) shared strategic insights on digital banking transformation.
Through compelling transformation stories and actionable insights, the event showcased how legacy systems can be reimagined through composability, innovation, and strategic collaboration. Four key themes emerged.
Reimagining Banking In An AI-Led World
Keynotes from Sajit Vijayakumar (CEO of Infosys Finacle) and Salil Parekh (CEO of Infosys) set the tone: AI is no longer optional — it’s foundational. Banks must move beyond adoption to becoming AI-native, embedding intelligence into every layer of operations.
- DBS Bank demonstrated its AI-first model with over 1,500 models and 370 use cases. Innovations like DBS-GPT and DevAI are driving impact across revenue, experience, and efficiency.
- Emirates NBD addressed the “genAI paradox,” moving from generic chatbots to workflow-integrated AI agents. This pivot cut SME onboarding time by 30x and automated 80% of level-one service incidents.
- Bangkok Bank stressed secure, purposeful AI adoption through infrastructure readiness, governance, and employee training.
- mBank shared its risk-aware approach, avoiding high-stakes use cases such as credit decisions while investing in academic partnerships and internal capabilities.
Rearchitecting For Agility, Intelligence, And Resilience
Banks are shifting from surface-level digitization to deep recomposition of business and technology architectures. Platformization emerged as a key enabler, moving from scale to intelligent, modular platforms that support rapid innovation. Co-innovation with technology partners was a recurring theme.
- National Bank of Greece leapfrogged by replacing legacy systems, simplifying its product suite from 4,000 to 200 offerings, and launching Sofia, an AI assistant for customer queries.
- Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank detailed modernization journeys, from API enablement to agile DevOps. Alpha Bank has undergone five major transformations since 2016, underscoring the scale and speed required to stay competitive.
Realizing Outcomes In Engagement, Efficiency, And Growth
Transformation must deliver tangible results. Unified AI-powered data platforms turn insights into impact — enabling smarter decisions and measurable outcomes. Banks showcased how innovation drives real-world impact.
- Rabobank leveraged embedded finance to offer SME loans via APIs with real-time decisioning, reducing approval times to 48 hours.
- CaixaBank introduced Facilitea Coches, a digital financing portal for preowned vehicles, combining competitive rates with a virtual showroom.
- Scotiabank modernized deposit platforms and embraced ecosystem-driven models for real-time decisioning and hyperpersonalized offerings.
- Punjab National Bank, Khan Bank, and UNI Financial Cooperation explored how genAI and embedded finance enable seamless, personalized experiences across channels.
Building Trust And Resilience In A Platform Economy
As banks innovate, trust and resilience remain central. Modernizing core infrastructure with cloud, APIs, and next-gen silicon is key to agility and compliance. Discussions on quantum computing, hybrid cloud, and agentic AI highlighted the urgency of building secure, future-proof platforms.
- DBS Bank shared its responsible data usage framework, built on the principles of purposeful, unsurprising, respectful, and explainable AI.
- Emirates NBD emphasized CEO-led transformation and robust governance to unlock genAI’s potential.
Closing Note
A heartfelt thank you to the organizers and attendees of Finacle Conclave 2025 for an inspiring and thought-provoking event! As highlighted in our recent report, Predictions 2026: Banking And Investing, “In 2026, AI will continue to transform financial services, reshaping how consumers engage, how firms operate, and how competition unfolds.” Clients interested in exploring these themes further can schedule an inquiry or guidance session with us.