Komercni Banka

Komerční banka, part of the Société Générale Group, is one of the largest banks in Central and Eastern Europe. Headquartered in the Czech Republic, it manages more than USD 56 billion in assets and serves over 1.8 million retail, corporate, and investment banking clients.
Its ambition is to lead the next chapter of Czech banking through digital transformation and always-on service delivery.

In 2020, Komerční banka faced critical constraints from legacy infrastructure. Its core banking system ran on a mainframe, supported by multiple satellite applications, and couldn’t provide real-time processing or seamless customer experiences.

“We couldn’t meet the demands of a 24/7 digital economy,” said František Kubala, Tribe Leader of Core Banking Systems at Komerční banka. “Our then core platform was not online 24/7, so payments made outside of online hours had to be processed through a custom enhancement, while sales and some servicing activities were not available overnight.”

He added, “In the new era of banking, where we’re competing with challenger banks fintechs, we needed a platform built for speed, agility, and scale.”

That year, Komerční banka selected Temenos Core as its next-generation platform. It deployed to a private cloud using Kubernetes and PostgreSQL, with LTIMindtree as implementation partner. František recalled: “We liked the option to run the system in the cloud or in containers, and have access to certified implementation partners focusing exclusively on Temenos Core Banking to guide us.”

Additionally, Temenos Data Hub was added for real-time data streaming and reporting integration.

Rather than a big-bang approach, the bank opted for phased rollout. It launched with a pilot in 2021, covering onboarding and simple deposit products, deployed to 4,000 employees. It then moved to a public release in 2023. Migration was handled in daily waves, averaging 3,000 to 15,000 customers per night during the close-of-business process.

By the end of 2024, the bank had migrated over 1 million clients, and is on track to complete that process for all 1.6m retail accounts by the end of 2025. All this while day-to-day operations.

Komerční banka selected Temenos Core Banking based on three priorities: functionality, flexibility, and speed. The platform supports retail banking, enables 24/7/365 operations, and has dramatically accelerated time to market.

The professionalism of the Temenos team was also key in the bank’s choice; and so it proved. Early in production, the bank encountered performance issues linked to PostgreSQL. Temenos collaborated with third-party experts, identified the issue, and delivered an improved version of the platform using advisory locking. Performance improved immediately.

“Temenos stood by us during a critical time, completely dedicated to our goals,” said František. “That’s the kind of relationship that builds trust. Not just superior technology, but total commitment too.”

František estimates the move to Temenos has halved the development timeline for new products. “Product development is now so much quicker and simpler. We can use the prebuilt components to configure streamlined workflows for client onboarding, and enhanced offerings such as current and savings accounts, overdrafts, and investment options.”

A centerpiece of the transformation has been a new multi-currency account; a Revolut-style retail offering built entirely on Temenos. The account gives clients a single IBAN with sub-accounts in multiple currencies. If a required sub-account doesn’t exist, it’s created automatically via transaction, with all bookings handled at the currency level. No FX is applied unless needed, and users see a single total balance.

“This is now our flagship product,” said František. “It powers international payments, simplifies the experience, and gives us a clear edge in the market. It has become our main proposition for retail customers.”

In parallel, Temenos Core is now the bank’s enterprise general ledger. The system consolidates accounting data from five external applications (set to expand to 20) streamlining regulatory and operational reporting. Temenos Data Hub transmits these updates in near real-time to the data warehouse, ensuring compliance with Czech National Bank requirements.

The bank’s roadmap includes completing the migration of its entire retail and corporate base to Temenos, expanding use of Temenos Data Hub, and integrating AI. On the latter, two areas of exploration are already underway: monitoring transactions for fraud and risk patterns, and deploying AI copilots to improve collaboration between developers and business users.

“We’re learning where AI can make the biggest difference,” František said. “And Temenos is helping us explore those frontiers.”

He concludes, “With the support of Temenos, we are now strong players in the frictionless, omni-channel banking era. The capabilities we have at our disposal, and have access to for the future, ensures we can keep innovating and leading the way.”