Senior bank architect joins BIAN board to support future proofing of banks

BIAN, the member organization enabling collaboration between banks, tech entities and academics, is today launching its latest release of its service landscape.

Termed SL 6.0, the collaboratively-defined banking technology framework is designed to provide globally standardized and simplified banking architecture structure, using a service-based architecture. With this purpose, traditionally, BIAN members including Microsoft and PNC Financial, UBS and Bangkok Bank have focused on defining the individual business capabilities that make up a bank – grouped into Service Domains, and subsequently identifying the information dependencies (known as Service Operations) between these business building blocks.

Alongside continuing to build this out, specific attention has been given to building additional architectural layers and providing extensive detail to the model in SL 6.0. According to BIAN’s research, a bank is split into three key layers. The infrastructure layer encompasses generic services and functions; the application layer represents the Information Technology landscape, with all its applications and connections; the business layer grasps the bank’s business direction and the business capabilities. Expanding  the framework in this way, in the following months, will enable consistent interpretation in implementation for banks, enabling them to be completely vendor agnostic, while also supporting API development and cloud enabling.

“The industry often focuses on how developing and opening APIs will empower collaboration between banks and FinTech or broader tech enterprises. While this is one benefit, on top of this banks will be able to move to the cloud and finally embrace cloud-based solutions that will enable them to operate a leaner tech model. Identifying the standard model for API development, as we have done, is crucial to taking this wave of innovation forward. Without this fundamental planning, banks risk developing APIs that fail to fulfil their full potential,” explained Hans Tesselaar, executive director BIAN.

With the framework in place, the next step for BIAN is to define the individual APIs for banks, with the aim of completing over a hundred  of definitions over the next year. In line with this, BIAN members have elected a new board member Santhosh Pillai, Chief Architect and Data Management at Dutch bank ABN AMRO. With over 20 years’ experience in banking technology transformation, he will play a key role in supporting the initiative.

SanthoshPillai, Chief Architect and Data Management, ABN AMRO, commented on joining: “ABN AMRO has been a BIAN member for over five years, as we believe that it’s crucial for banks and technology providers from across the globe to unite to form a standardized IT infrastructure. By collaborating on the core background technology, the industry can compete healthily in the areas that matter – namely providing a competitive service to customers. I’m excited to become a member of the BIAN board as it embarks on the next stage of its journey, supporting API development to future-proof banks.”