How Network Infrastructure Powers Modern Banking

The way financial services operate has changed dramatically. Applications that once sat comfortably in on-premise data centres are now distributed across a mixture of private clouds, public clouds and third-party platforms. Distributed networks have opened up extraordinary possibilities, such as better agility and more personalised services. But it also demands a network fabric that can hold these environments together and keep them performing as one.

Artificial intelligence is pushing this reality even further. Financial organisations are using AI to detect fraud, model risk and create new customer experiences. But behind every smart algorithm lies an infrastructure challenge. Compute may sit in one place, data in another, and the customer somewhere else entirely.

Moving workloads quickly and securely between these points is what will turn AI from an experiment into an advantage. Networks must be built with the intelligence and resilience to handle AI’s insatiable demand for data. Those that are not ready will struggle to capture the opportunities that AI brings.

Resilience is too often framed as a defensive measure, as something that prevents disruption. In my view, true resilience is a source of strength. It gives financial services the confidence to embrace change, to innovate boldly, and to deliver services customers can depend on every single time.

The average cost of a major breach in financial services now stands at £4.5 million, while 92% of financial services firms still rely on legacy technology to run their business. That combination is unsustainable. Customers expect seamless services. Regulators expect compliance by design. And financial firms themselves want the freedom to explore new models, from AI to open banking.

Resilience is what allows financial institutions to embrace this change, to innovate without hesitation and to deliver services that customers know they can trust.

At BT, this is exactly what our resilient finance proposition is designed to deliver. It’s a complete approach designed to help financial organisations modernise their infrastructure, secure their services and simplify operations – all while strengthening compliance.

• Modernised infrastructure: BT is placing infrastructure at cloud on-ramps and critical access points, creating low-latency paths between compute, data and customer endpoints. Real-time telemetry proactively optimises jitter, packet loss and throughput, so networks stay fast, predictable and ready to scale with demand.
• Security by design: With the rise of AI and cloud computing, data sovereignty has evolved from protecting ‘data at rest’ to safeguarding ‘data in motion’. BT’s sovereign-ready networks ensure sensitive financial data remains within jurisdictional boundaries, even while it is being moved.
• Simplified operations: BT’s digital orchestration layer and Operational Fabric ecosystem let financial institutions rapidly deploy services, connect to hyperscalers and integrate third-party platforms without complex onboarding.
• Improved compliance: By combining Zero Trust, live telemetry and API-based orchestration, BT builds networks that stay secure, transparent and ready for evolving regulations.

This approach gives financial organisations confidence. Confidence that services will remain available, that compliance will stand up to scrutiny, and that new technologies like AI can be adopted without hesitation.

In my experience, the financial firms that thrive are those that treat their networks as strategic assets. Networks are where resilience, agility and innovation come together. They are the stage on which modern banking now plays out.

The future of financial services won’t be defined solely by the apps customers see or the algorithms that power them. It will be defined by the strength of the foundations beneath them. That’s why I believe resilience is not just about avoiding disruption. It’s about creating the conditions for trust, growth and transformation. That’s why, at BT, we are committed to helping financial institutions get it right.

We’ve spent decades working side by side with the UK’s biggest and most complex financial institutions, including 9 of the top 10 banks. Our networks form the digital core that connects branches, cloud and customers. With thousands of security experts and global operations centres, we stay ahead of cyber threats and regulation so you can stay focused on growth. And as one of the world’s most certified managed service providers, we bring the knowledge, flexibility and partnership you need to move forward with resilience.