INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY: BANKING

IGM spoke to Sanjida Gafur, CIO Technical Lead, TSB, at WSO2’ s

Oxygenate event on blending transparency, upskilling and AI innovation to modernise banking services without missing a beat.

Banking has so much legacy technology. What has been the biggest challenge in modernising TSB’ s systems?

The biggest challenge is keeping the business running while upgrading our systems. We can’ t afford 24 hours of downtime; it would directly impact customers, and our mission is to serve them. So, the challenge is less about implementing new technology and more about maintaining stability while modernising.

How does AI impact you and your team on a day-to-day basis?

We use AI to inform and accelerate modernisation. We’ re re-platforming our old system, which is based on SOA services – now almost obsolete. To migrate these to newer technology, we analyse and assess them using AI-generated reports. We rely on the Claude 3 AI engine for its safety and alignment with financial compliance.

A major challenge is data sovereignty: Amazon Bedrock runs in the US, but our data must stay in the UK. This limits how we can process certain analyses. To counter this, our teams use GitHub Copilot daily for code conversion and optimisation within compliant boundaries.

What does open-source technology bring to TSB?

I’ m a huge advocate of open-source technology, having come from a Java background. Financial institutions are accountable for every action, so they’ re cautious about adopting open-source solutions. However, we have governance processes and perform rigorous due diligence before using any tool. Our teams – supported by the CISO, their team and engineers – evaluate products thoroughly. We employ industry-standard scanning and filtration processes to ensure compliance and security.

My approach is to engage the team from day one with openness and transparency. We test multiple products, explain our reasoning and ensure everyone understands the transformation’ s purpose. Clear, simple communication builds trust. For example, we say,“ We’ re introducing this new technology – please familiarise yourself with it.”

Next, we assess confidence levels. If team members aren’ t comfortable, we bring in SMEs to provide professional training, helping them upskill. I guide and support them throughout the development process, so they know I’ m invested in helping them grow and succeed.

What excites you most about recent innovations in the financial sector?

Open banking is an incredibly dynamic space, especially with evolving security frameworks. Banks are exposing public APIs that third-party providers integrate with under OBIE security standards. Before Brexit, we followed PSD2, the European regulation; now, Open Banking UK enforces similar requirements. Implementations like SSA( software statement assertion) are technically complex but represent exciting innovations we’ re actively using.

What is the biggest shift you’ re expecting to see in banking?

The most significant shift will be AI-driven automation. Mundane, human-led tasks – such as customer verification( KYC) and static policy checks – will move to AI-powered systems. Leveraging AI for these routine functions will redefine efficiency, accuracy and scalability across the entire banking sector. p

I trust open-source because I understand it inside out. Proprietary products often appear sleek but lack transparency. Open-source tools, however, can be customised to meet our specific needs and provide flexibility that licensed software can’ t.

When going through a tech transformation, how do you ensure your team embraces new technologies?

32 INTELLIGENTCIO EUROPE www. intelligentcio. com