BAI – Banco Angolano de Investimentos, one of Angola’s leading financial institutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Finastra to upgrade its core banking infrastructure. By selecting Finastra Essence, a cloud-first platform, BAI aims to enhance operational resilience and better respond to evolving customer and regulatory demands.
This transformation is expected to reduce time-to-market for new products while increasing the bank’s capacity for innovation. For customers, this means more personalized and efficient digital banking experiences supported by an open API-driven ecosystem.
Implementation and the local “centre of excellence”
The implementation will be led by Innovation Makers, a long-term strategic partner of BAI. Their role extends beyond deployment, focusing on building sustainable local capabilities:
- Advanced capability delivery: Integration of Multi-Payments Processing Systems (MPPS) and card management solutions
- Knowledge transfer: Establishment of a local Centre of Excellence to support the Angolan ecosystem
- Operational resilience: Ongoing technical advisory and localization support to ensure long-term platform stability
The power of Finastra Essence
Finastra Essence is a modern core banking solution designed to overcome the limitations of legacy systems:
- Agility and scalability: Built on microservices architecture with open APIs
- Future-ready technology: Supports rapid deployment of AI and machine learning-driven products
- Proven adoption: In 2025, 15 major financial institutions transitioned to the platform
- Cost efficiency: Reduces the overhead associated with maintaining heavily customized legacy infrastructure
Leadership perspectives on digital evolution
Luís Martins, Executive Director at BAI, stated that the implementation represents the next phase of the bank’s digital journey. He emphasized the need for a flexible and future-ready platform to support innovation and regulatory compliance.
Siobhan Byron, EVP of Universal Banking at Finastra, highlighted that moving away from legacy systems enables banks to scale more efficiently and respond faster to changing market demands. She added that the transformation will help BAI deliver more customer-centric services.
About Finastra
Finastra is a global provider of financial services software, serving over 7,000 institutions across 110 countries, including 40 of the world’s top 50 banks. Its solutions span lending, payments, and universal banking, helping institutions operate in a more connected and data-driven environment.
About Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI)
BAI – Banco Angolano de Investimentos S.A. is a publicly listed bank and a key pillar of Angola’s financial system. With the largest branch network in the country and operations in Portugal and Cape Verde, BAI provides services to government entities, corporations, and retail customers, focusing on tailored financial solutions.
