Thought Machine powers Shawbrook’s digital transformation

By Vriti Gothi

Thought Machine, the cloud-native banking technology company, has announced that Shawbrook Bank has gone live on its next-generation core banking platform, Vault Core. The milestone marks a significant step in Shawbrook’s transformation strategy, with the successful launch of its first product, a buy-to-let mortgage built on the platform.

Shawbrook, a leading UK specialist bank, partnered with Thought Machine in September 2024 to replace legacy systems with Vault Core’s highly configurable, real-time architecture. Within just nine months, the bank launched its inaugural product on the platform, underlining both the speed and agility enabled by the technology and Shawbrook’s determination to reimagine specialist banking through digital innovation.

Vault Core now serves as a cornerstone of Shawbrook’s future banking infrastructure. The platform equips the bank with a cloud-native, modular foundation that enables rapid product design, advanced automation of back-end operations, and the agility to respond quickly to changing market conditions. With access to hundreds of smart-contract-based templates, Shawbrook can independently design and deliver highly tailored solutions for individuals, businesses, and property professionals, while continuously evolving its offering in line with customer needs.

Arthur Leung, Chief Technology Officer at Shawbrook, said, “Our partnership with Thought Machine reflects our commitment to combining the best of technology with the best of human expertise. The flexibility and real-time capabilities of Vault Core have allowed us to move at pace, launching our latest buy-to-let offering swiftly and confidently. It’s a platform that supports our ambition to innovate and adapt, enabling greater automation and powering future growth across areas like commercial SME lending – all while staying focused on the evolving needs of our customers.”

Paul Taylor, CEO and Founder of Thought Machine, said, “The banking industry is undergoing a monumental shift, moving away from rigid legacy infrastructure toward a cloud-native future. At Thought Machine, our mission is to power the world’s most ambitious banks and FinTechs with elegant, simple-to-use, and highly scalable technology. Vault Core eliminates unnecessary complexity, ensuring new business and product changes become straightforward and quick to implement. Vault Core’s capabilities will empower Shawbrook to redefine what modern commercial banking looks like in the UK, and we are proud to partner with them on this journey.”