Dec 30 2025
Management

A Simpler Path to Core Modernization in Finance

A Fiserv leader shares his perspective for a more streamlined approach to core modernization for financial institutions.

To stay competitive, meet end-user demands and operate efficiently, more financial institutions are considering upgrading their core platform

Several decades ago, financial institutions established core infrastructure to essentially serve as a virtual vault. Today, however, trends such as embedded finance, seamless omnichannel banking and the demand for hyperpersonalized offerings require new capabilities. 

Financial institutions are increasingly seeing the value in replacing the closed-system vault with technology that supports real-time transaction flow, flexible orchestration of third-party systems and exceptional speed to market. According to the World Economic Forum, embedded finance is now a “force FIs can no longer ignore,” with its market size expected to hit $7.2 trillion by 2030. 

Fortunately, modern banking cores with flexible, open architecture are well suited to support embedded finance and other growth strategies. As core modernization has risen in priority, it’s become essential for core providers to simplify the migration path to an agile technology foundation.

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How Financial Institutions Can Think Like a Serial Acquirer 

Despite the advantages of upgrading to a more modern core, many institutions continue to postpone this critical project because the process has traditionally been costly, risky and complex. Fortunately, intelligent automation and other new technologies can ease many of these concerns. 

The role of the core technology provider is to partner closely with institutions to understand when an upgrade is right, based on institutional goals, and then leverage artificial intelligence and other innovations to streamline the journey. Financial institutions will want to be sure their partner prioritizes communication and offers a variety of support services and training options. 

Within their own organizations, financial institutions can prepare by learning best practices from their peers that have become proficient at mergers and acquisitions — a landscape that institutions navigate regularly under tight timelines. M&As are multidimensional projects that involve data migration and system integration

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By applying the best practices and skill sets from M&As, financial institutions can reduce operational risk, boost confidence and ensure project success. And similar to M&A activity, core modernization holds the excitement of positioning the financial institution for accelerated growth and better service. In many ways, embracing core modernization is as much about an institutional mindset shift as it is about the technology itself. 

The Benefits of Intelligent Automation in Finance 

With modern tooling and application programming interfaces, core migrations can be efficiently scaled while maintaining high quality. The path for core modernization can be further simplified when upgrading to a modern core from the same provider as the existing core. 

Savvy core providers can deconstruct the upgrade path because they own both systems and automate up to 90% of the data conversion. If most fields are mapped in an automated, repeatable manner, core migration becomes more of a validation exercise than a traditional conversion. 

What’s more, this model only grows in intelligence over time, as rules are continuously refined. The large number of financial institutions that have already undergone core modernization in recent years have led to more streamlined and intelligent migration processes. Key to this is the layering of AI, which can convert technical data mappings into plain English, enhancing understanding for nontechnical stakeholders. 

When specially trained with core-specific information, agentic AI and virtual assistants also support a more satisfying implementation experience. A recent PwC report found that fully embracing AI can drive improvement of up to 15 percentage points in financial institutions’ efficiency ratios.

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Moving Toward Always-On Modernization 

The most significant and beneficial side effect of using modern, adaptive tooling when updating the core is that it supports an open technological ecosystem, enabling seamless data flow and integration with other systems and third-party applications. 

This architectural flexibility means that not only can information be readily accessed to achieve a 360-degree view of customers and members, enhanced front-end services and cross-selling that bridges physical and digital channels, but also state-of-the-art technologies can be easily absorbed into core infrastructure at any point. McKinsey analyses found that with the right architecture, financial institutions can cut their data implementation times in half and lower costs by 20%. This strategy lays the foundation for always-on innovation. 

A Foundation for Continual Change in Finance 

A halo benefit of modern technology architecture is that it supports an adaptable ecosystem, within which future updates can be made without technological upheaval. Because agile technology is ever evolving, solutions that are properly supported with continual investments never become out of date. The means the move to a modern core can propel a financial institution forward for years to come. 

Given today’s unpredictable financial landscape, technology modernization is one of the few ways to create reliable, systemic resilience. As demand mounts for hyperpersonalized, real-time experiences, core modernization is a strategic imperative, ensuring sustained relevance, expanded offerings and operational efficiency in a competitive, fast-moving market.

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