Author: Gayathri

Introduction: The Core Problem No Bank Can Ignore It’s 2025, and core banking systems are under fire. Legacy platforms that once powered the industry are now dragging banks down, crippling innovation, delaying product launches, and frustrating customers. A recent BCG report found that over 70% of banking leaders say their core systems can’t keep up with modern demands. At the same time, digital-native banks are scaling fast. They’re launching products in weeks, integrating with fintechs, and leveraging cloud-native platforms. Traditional banks are watching, but not all are acting fast enough. This blog explores how banks like JPMorgan, ING, and HDFC…

Once viewed as compliance-first engines powering scorecards and reporting, today’s credit risk platforms are stepping into a new role, as intelligent command centers for real-time decisioning, portfolio-level risk mitigation, and proactive regulation alignment. And if there’s one thing the SPARK Matrix evaluations from 2023 and 2024 make clear, it’s this: the pace of transformation has quickened. Vendors aren’t just enhancing features. They’re reimagining the very purpose of credit risk tools, from minimizing exposure to enabling strategy. The Consistent: Holding Leadership With Intelligence Some vendors didn’t just keep up, they led the charge. Moody’s Analytics retained its pole position in both…

Introduction Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) is no longer just a case of box-ticking. It’s a complex operation involving Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Know Your Customer (KYC), sanctions screening, and fraud detection. Just as financial crime is evolving to become more complex, so too must the tools and methods used to combat it. In 2025, the cost of compliance has risen not only financially but also in disruption to business, tech fatigue, and reputational damage. Banks struggle with increasingly intricate networks of regulations, increased financial crime, and pressures to anticipate risks before they spiral out of control.…

Introduction: Embedded, Empowered, and Everywhere Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the building blocks of the economic structure of nations around the world. In developing economies in particular, these businesses are responsible for creating jobs, fostering innovation, and driving industrialization in cities and rural regions alike. However, they are neglected by mainstream financial systems. But this is rapidly changing, all thanks to embedded finance. Embedded finance is the effortless integration of financial services like lending, payments, or insurance directly into non-financial platforms. It has gone quietly to change how MSMEs get capital and run their operations. Rather than approach…

In a world where customers expect everything on demand and are constantly online, traditional banks are really feeling the pressure. Most consumers expect their banks to know them as well as Netflix or Spotify, offering the right advice, at the right moment, via the right channel. What is enabling this shift? Artificial Intelligence (AI). Far from just being a backend automation tool, AI is now the strategic brain powering hyper-personalized experiences across retail banking. This blog discusses how AI is revolutionizing personalization, dissecting its revolutionary role, applications, advantages, and ethical implications framing the future of financial services. Personalization: The New…

In an era where every trade can trigger a ripple across global markets, Trade Surveillance & Monitoring has become a core pillar of financial integrity. What was once a regulatory formality has now matured into a strategic enabler, one that can define a firm’s agility, foresight, and trustworthiness. And as compliance challenges grow more complex, so too does the urgency to adopt platforms that are not just reactive but predictive. The SPARK Matrix™ comparison between 2023 and 2024 reveals a market in flux, vendors doubling down on AI, expanding asset class coverage, and reimagining user interfaces for faster, smarter, and…

Introduction KYC has long been an important function in the financial industry for a very long time. Although KYC is considered a regulatory requirement to verify customer identity, its scope has evolved significantly. What started as a checkpoint for compliance has now developed into a front-line defense against fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. In 2025, the stakes are higher, and so are the expectations. With growing digital adoption, rising fraud threats, and changing regulatory requirements, KYC is no longer just about onboarding; it’s about lifecycle identity assurance. This blog discusses how identity technologies are reshaping KYC across the fintech…

Financial Crime is Changing. Are We? Money laundering is no longer a background risk; it’s a frontline threat. In 2025, criminals move faster, hide deeper, and use more sophisticated techniques. According to FATF estimates, as much as $2 trillion is laundered globally each year. Regulatory authorities across the world are responding by tightening compliance mandates, from beneficial ownership disclosure laws in the U.S. to real-time KYC regulations in Europe and APAC. Therefore, with these developments, anti-money laundering (AML) is no longer just about staying compliant; it’s about staying ahead.  The QKS SPARK Matrix™: Anti-Money Laundering Solutions 2025 serves as a…

The financial services landscape is changing at an unprecedented pace. Open finance, an emerging model built on the principles of open banking, promises to redefine how consumers and businesses interact with financial products and services. However, while the potential for innovation is vast, the question remains: are we ready for this next phase of financial evolution? What Open Finance Really Means Open finance goes beyond the initial scope of open banking. Open Banking largely focuses on payments and account information. Whereas open finance expands this ecosystem. This includes a broader range of financial products, credit scoring, lending, pensions, insurance, and…

The regulatory landscape in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) is rapidly evolving. Simultaneously, the technologies that are designed to keep financial institutions compliant are also evolving. What was once seen as a back-office administration has now become a front and center in boardroom strategy. Regulatory Technology is no longer a niche. It’s a critical enabler of trust in digital finance, and APAC is quickly becoming a proving ground for its global potential. From Singapore’s vibrant sandbox ecosystem to India’s digitally integrated KYC framework, the APAC region offers a fascinating patchwork of innovation, urgency, and structural diversity. In this blog, we explore what’s…