Interoperability has quietly become one of the most important words in banking. For years it was a technical term hidden away in integration teams. Today it is a board-level concern because it touches everything: the speed at which a bank can innovate, the ability to deliver customer experience seamlessly across channels, and the efficiency with which partners can work together.
In our recent Beyond the Document podcast, I spoke with Antuar’s co-founders, Frank Reid and Gearóid Power, about what interoperability really means inside the modern banking ecosystem. Their perspective was clear: ecosystems only work if the parts can talk to each other without friction. APIs, standards, and good communication aren’t “nice-to-haves” - they are the glue holding the entire ecosystem together.
Branches may not be the front line they once were, but they remain vital. They’re the places customers turn to for complex conversations - mortgages, fraud resolution, bereavement. That makes teller platforms an interesting microcosm of the interoperability challenge.
When a customer sits down at a branch, the teller’s screen must instantly pull together balances from the core, details from CRM, and identification documents from a repository. At the same time, peripherals like cheque scanners and card readers need to respond without delay. If one system lags, the transaction cannot stall. The teller must be able to carry on.
This parallel, asynchronous way of working isn’t just about saving time. It’s about ensuring the branch is part of the bank’s wider digital ecosystem. Without interoperability, the branch becomes a silo. With it, the experience feels continuous – the conversation that started online can carry straight through to the front desk.
The teller example highlights one channel, but the same principle runs across the bank. Few institutions now believe one vendor can cover every need. Instead, they are increasingly turning to ecosystems of specialists - document management, teller software, fraud prevention, loan origination - each focused on doing one thing exceptionally well.
This model encourages innovation. Fintechs iterate quickly and push updates faster than larger incumbents. It creates agility, because banks can swap or add modules without ripping out the core. And it helps manage cost and risk, shifting much of the maintenance burden onto providers who operate at scale.
The key, of course, is that the ecosystem must feel seamless. APIs, cloud deployments and shared data models such as BIAN ensure different products can function as if they were one. For banks, the result is the best of both worlds: the depth of specialists and the cohesion of an all-in-one.
For a broader look at why banks are moving this way, see our earlier article Banking Ecosystems: Trading Legacy Rigidity for Ecosystem Flexibility. Interoperability is what makes that shift more than a theory.
If interoperability is the glue, legacy is the barrier. Old cores consume vast IT budgets just to stay operational. They are fragile, hard to integrate with, and slow down every attempt to innovate. Adding modern services on top of them often means expensive middleware and brittle workarounds.
Banks are responding in different ways. Some are progressively replacing modules, others are layering API gateways over legacy stacks to shield them while new journeys are built. Whichever path they choose, the aim is the same: reduce drag and make space for new partners and capabilities. Doing nothing is no longer an option.
Talk of digital transformation sometimes implies the branch is obsolete. The reality is more nuanced. Customers still use and value branches, particularly for big life moments, and satisfaction with the branch experience heavily influences overall trust in the bank.
What is changing is the role. Interactive teller machines now handle many routine transactions, freeing staff to act as advisers rather than clerks. Universal bankers, equipped with tablets that link CRM, origination and document systems, can handle sales, service and advice in one interaction. To make this possible, branch platforms must be as tightly integrated as digital ones.
Frank Reid summed it up well: investment in branch software has lagged behind, and today it is ripe for improvement. Interoperability is the way to turn branches into a true part of the omnichannel journey.
The next frontier is modularity. Imagine a teller platform passing a driver’s licence image straight to a document service for validation, with no additional coding required. That kind of “switch it on” collaboration will become normal as partners expose features as shared modules. Configurable SaaS delivery will make it easier for banks to tailor these capabilities while keeping systems upgradeable.
But technology isn’t the only ingredient. Communication between partners is just as critical. Projects succeed when everyone aligns around a clear business outcome, collaborates openly, and proves concepts quickly. Our own work with Antuar shows how this plays out. We were introduced through a third party on a US bank bid, aligned on APIs, built a proof of concept in weeks, and gave the bank confidence in a combined solution. The technology helped, but the trust built through communication made it possible.
Lasernet provides banks with flexible document and communication management that integrates directly into core, teller and digital platforms. It allows institutions to design once, distribute anywhere, and retrieve securely. That translates into more efficient operations, easier compliance, and communications that are consistent across every channel.
Working shoulder to shoulder with partners like Antuar, we help institutions turn interoperability from aspiration into competitive advantage.
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