HCLTech, Thought Machine partner for cloud-native, AI-driven banking

By Vriti Gothi

HCLTech has partnered with Thought Machine, the cloud-native banking technology pioneer, to accelerate the modernisation of banks worldwide. This collaboration is designed to help financial institutions move beyond legacy infrastructure and embrace a new era of intelligent, autonomous banking, powered by artificial intelligence and cloud innovation.

At the heart of this initiative is Vault, Thought Machine’s next-generation core banking platform. By replacing traditional systems with Vault’s flexible, cloud-native architecture, banks gain the ability to automate critical processes, increase operational efficiency, and deliver highly personalised customer experiences. HCLTech will complement this with its extensive expertise in banking technology, regulatory compliance and complex integrations, ensuring seamless transformation at scale.

As part of the alliance, HCLTech will deliver full-stack transformation services through Vault-certified delivery teams and its global FinTech Centres of Excellence (CoEs). The company will also establish a dedicated global CoE for Vault Core and Vault Payments, enabling banks to build modular, real-time and scalable platforms tailored for future-ready financial ecosystems. Underpinned by a robust DevSecOps foundation, the partnership equips both established institutions and new market entrants with the agility to accelerate innovation, reduce operational friction, and shorten time-to-market for new products and services.

Randy McFarlane, Global Head of Partnerships at Thought Machine, said, “Our global partnership with HCLTech marks a significant step in helping banks break free from legacy constraints and adopt truly digital-first models. Together, we will deliver intelligent, self-optimising systems that evolve with customer needs.”

Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President and Head Europe and UKI, Financial Services, HCLTech, said, “This collaboration reflects our vision to lead the future of autonomous banking through cloud, data and AI. By joining forces with Thought Machine, we will help banks unlock exponential value, reduce operational friction and accelerate time to market.”

With this partnership, HCLTech and Thought Machine are positioning themselves at the forefront of banking transformation — reshaping the global financial landscape with AI-led, cloud-first, customer-centric models that align with the industry’s evolving demands.