Backbase and Atos partner to advance AI-native banking

By Parth Prabhudesai

Backbase and Atos have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating AI-native banking transformation across regulated markets in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The collaboration will combine Backbase’s AI-native Banking OS with Atos’ expertise in systems integration, sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and large-scale technology delivery. The companies said the partnership is designed to help banks modernise legacy systems while maintaining compliance, operational resilience and control over sensitive customer data.

The agreement establishes a joint go-to-market framework covering opportunity development, training, solution delivery and co-selling across markets including Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Southeast Europe.

Financial institutions in these regions are increasingly balancing rapid AI adoption with strict regulatory requirements around data sovereignty and governance. The partnership aims to address these challenges by providing banks with AI-enabled modernisation capabilities within secure and compliant operating environments.

Ricardo Ribelles, Global VP Partnerships and Alliances at Backbase, said: “Atos brings the sovereign cloud infrastructure, integration depth, and regional reach that banks in these markets need. Together we close the gap between a bank’s AI ambitions and the reality of running those capabilities at scale inside a governed, compliant architecture that meets local data sovereignty requirements.”

Daniele Principato, Head of International Markets at Atos, said: “Financial institutions are under real pressure to innovate with AI without losing control over their data or regulatory standing. This partnership gives them a clear path: AI-native banking modernisation that is secure and built for the compliance realities of their specific markets.”

The partnership will focus on helping banks unify customer operations, improve digital banking journeys and move away from fragmented legacy infrastructure toward more integrated banking platforms.