ČSOB Slovakia is undergoing a major transformation. It is aimed at future-proofing its technology, enhancing customer experience, and reinforcing its leadership in digital banking. Under the stewardship of its CIO Ludek Slegr, the bank’s IT team is navigating a major upgrade of its responsibility. It is overhauling core IT systems and implementing agile methodologies to meet its strategic goals. At the heart of this transformation is a focus on delivering value through technology. This is supported by people development and fostering sustainable innovation.
“The right culture is a fundamental prerequisite, not something optional,” says Ludek, highlighting that successful digital transformation starts from within. By placing strong emphasis on aligning people, organisation, and tools, ČSOB has laid a resilient foundation. It aims to scale growth and remain competitive in the evolving financial landscape. The digitisation of the banking sector is changing the internal working of financial services organisations. ČSOB stands out as a forward-thinking institution capable of shaping the future of banking services. With innovation embedded into its DNA, and support from the broader KBC Group, the bank is turning transformation into a continuous capability rather than a one-off project.
Strategic Imperative for Change
ČSOB aims to create a modern, agile, and customer-centric bank. Ludek explains that the current UP!Core transformation program is a strategic initiative. It is stretching far beyond the migration to the Temenos T24 core banking system. It aims to rebuild the whole IT ecosystem in modern and composable way. This move is part of a wider ambition to create and operate in broader business Ecosphere. The acquisition of OTP Bank’s Slovak branch during the ongoing transformation presented a dilemma. “We decided to migrate directly to our new target T24 system during the acquisition. It was a bold decision but paid off in the end,” reflects Ludek, referencing the successful onboarding of OTP’s clients followed by the smooth migration of ČSOB’s retail client portfolio.
Partnering for Progress
Partnerships play a key role on the journey. “While we strive to keep key know-how internally, we may require short-term capacity or specific knowledge that must be sourced externally,” Ludek acknowledges. “Adastra, for example, is our long-term partner providing expertise in data management and processing. Additionally, Softec’s technical expertise helps us to build and enhance our Camunda-powered Customer Journey Manager.”
These partnerships have enabled ČSOB to move quicker in areas with high demand. These include process automation and data, allowing internal teams to focus on the parts of delivery that cannot be outsourced. Importantly there is still some internal capacity needed for preparing and supporting the external delivery.
Future innovation includes using internal labs for developing new solutions. And also partnering with FinTechs to integrate cutting-edge solutions, ensuring ČSOB remains at the forefront of banking innovation.