- Union Bank Brings Credit Card Technology and Data Under Direct Control in Sri Lanka
Union Bank has transferred its credit card business from a legacy system hosted outside Sri Lanka to BPC’s SmartVista platform, giving the lender greater control over the technology, data and product development supporting its card operations.
The migration forms part of Union Bank’s wider digital transformation programme and reduces its dependence on external service providers for changes to card products and integrations.
The Sri Lankan lender said the unified platform would allow it to launch products more quickly, strengthen transaction security and connect its card services more easily with core banking systems and digital channels.
For customers, the transition is expected to support more personalised card products, integrated fraud protection and shorter waiting periods for the introduction of new services.
Nisala Kodippili, Chief Technology Officer of Union Bank, said the platform gave the lender a configurable operating environment capable of responding to changing business requirements without extended software-development cycles.
“With the new platform in place, the bank now has a highly configurable environment that can be adapted to evolving business requirements without lengthy development cycles,” Mr Kodippili said.
“A broad set of open APIs also simplifies integration with core banking, digital channels and surrounding systems, providing the capabilities needed to deliver more innovative features and services to customers.”
The decision to move away from an overseas-hosted legacy environment is significant because payment infrastructure has become central to how banks compete for customers.
A bank that depends heavily on external providers may face long implementation periods when modifying card features, launching new products or connecting services to mobile and online-banking platforms.
Bringing the platform under greater direct control could allow Union Bank to respond more quickly to market demand. It could also improve its oversight of operational risks and the data generated through card transactions.
The migration, however, transfers greater responsibility to the bank. More control over payment technology means Union Bank must maintain sufficient cybersecurity, data-governance and operational-resilience capabilities to keep the platform secure and continuously available.
These requirements are particularly important for card systems, where service interruptions, fraudulent transactions or the exposure of customer information can rapidly undermine trust.
Malinda Perera, Vice President and Head of Cards and Retail Products at Union Bank, said the project was intended to reduce third-party dependency and provide greater flexibility.
“For Union Bank, the project offers greater operational control, reduced third-party dependency and more flexibility to respond to market demand,” Mr Perera said.
“Building a stronger credit card business required us to take greater ownership of the technology and data behind it.”
Union Bank expects its credit card portfolio to expand substantially year-on-year over the coming years following the deployment of SmartVista.
The bank plans to broaden its card-issuing capabilities, add support for more international payment schemes and introduce new customer propositions as the business grows.
Whether the technology investment produces the expected expansion will depend on more than the platform itself. Portfolio growth will also be influenced by customer acquisition, merchant acceptance, credit-risk management, pricing and Sri Lanka’s wider economic conditions.
A more flexible platform can shorten the time required to bring new products to market. It does not eliminate the need to assess borrowers carefully or manage the risk that rapid credit expansion could lead to higher defaults.
The strategic value of the transition may therefore lie in giving Union Bank greater control over the pace and direction of its card business rather than guaranteeing growth.
BPC’s SmartVista suite provides technology for card issuing, payments processing, fraud management, ATM switching, digital banking and merchant services.
The company says it serves more than 500 customers across 150 countries.
Subash Chandra Bowse, BPC’s Country Director for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives, said financial institutions required infrastructure that could combine control with product innovation.
“Sri Lanka’s banking market is evolving quickly, and institutions need payment infrastructure that supports both control and innovation,” Mr Bowse said.
“Union Bank has taken an important step in modernising its credit card business, and we are proud to support the bank with a SmartVista platform that helps it launch new propositions faster, strengthen security and scale for long-term growth.”
The migration reflects a broader change in banking technology. Financial institutions are increasingly seeking to move away from rigid legacy platforms that make even modest product changes expensive and time-consuming.
Open application programming interfaces can allow banks to connect payment systems with mobile applications, rewards programmes, fraud-monitoring tools and third-party financial services. That flexibility can improve customer experience, but it also creates additional points that must be protected against cyber threats.
Union Bank’s technology shift will consequently be judged by two outcomes: whether it can expand its card business more quickly and whether it can do so without weakening security, service reliability or credit discipline.
The new platform provides the infrastructure for that expansion. The harder task will be converting technological control into sustainable customer growth.
