FoQus
Relevance. Expertise. Ability.
abaQon offers know-how and experience in some of the most relevant development areas in banking. We present these as our FoQus themes, which are characterised by an end-to-end service portfolio, proven successful results and clear positioning.
FoQus 03.06.2025
Generative AI in Banking
Generative AI revolutionizes the way companies drive innovation. We support our customers in recognizing untapped potential for leveraging generative AI, developing customised solutions based on this technology, and successfully implementing these solutions.
The rapid advancements in generative AI offer numerous unprecedented, innovative opportunities for organizations to reduce costs, optimize processes, and improve customer service. AI agents, which typically integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) and additional components, create significant opportunities for automation which can be utilized by taking a strategic and goal-oriented approach. However, the rapid evolution in this field necessitates in-depth and comprehensive expertise — not only in seizing the wide range of possible applications of this technology but also in managing related challenges, such as data protection issues, a potential lack of trust and acceptance for such solutions, and hurdles in integrating them into existing systems.
We accompany our customers on this journey and help them capitalize on the possibilities offered by generative AI, while overcoming the previously mentioned challenges. abaQon offers customers guidance, provides support, and realizes projects by:
- Assessing the current state of the business to identify potential use cases for leveraging and implementing generative AI
- Developing prototypes to identify and showcase the potential of the intended solution, provide the Proof-of-Concept, generate corporate buy-in, and support the preparation of the proof-of-value
- Conceptualizing and implementing solutions in production
Swiss universal bank – Rapid prototype development for the generative AI-platform of a well-known Swiss universal bank:
In collaboration with our customer, promising use cases for the usage of generative AI were identified, analysed, and prioritized regarding their added value. In a next step, working prototypes were developed to deliver the proof-of-concept and to test the core functionalities of the established use cases. The knowledge gained through the development of the prototypes and their testing with potential future users was leveraged to derive the proof-of-value as well as to define the business case. Furthermore, the prototypes were used to foster corporate buy-in, with the goal of implementing the solution in the final productive environment.
Swiss universal bank – Subject-specific and technical project lead for the implementation in production of a generative AI-based solution for the simplified provision of regulatory information for internal employees:
The regulatory environment of the Swiss banking landscape has increased substantially in its complexity and scope in the past decades. Therefore, the simplified provision of regulatory information for the employees, leveraging generative AI, was identified as a solution generating significant added value, time savings, and cost savings. To implement the solution in production, a product based on Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) was developed.
FoQus 01.01.2024
Data Protection
From concept development, definition of processes and structured analysis of systems, we accompany our customers as “market leaders” in the implementation of DSG-compliant deletion processes.
The forthcoming implementation of the EU Data Protection Regulation in Switzerland will increase the demands of the legislator and the expectations of customers towards banks in the area of data protection. One of the most important requirements of the new regulation concerns the obligation to delete and requires banks to periodically delete personal data.
- We have comprehensive expertise in DSG analysis and are able to translate the regulatory requirements into technical and organisational specifications.
- We support our clients in designing, implementing and orchestrating the deletion processes in Avaloq and in the context of the entire application landscape (incl. risk scoring and prioritisation of systems).
- Using a proprietary tool, we analyse all object relationships in order to delete all personal data in Avaloq, while at the same time securing the data constellations that need to be retained.
- Based on in-depth knowledge of the Avaloq object model and best practice experience, the abaQon data protection team conducts a series of validation workshops with the bank and accompanies the test campaign before the data is irrevocably deleted from the production environments.
UK private bank – GDPR processes and data erasure
We supported the first Avaloq bank to implement data erasure, from concept to first live execution. In addition to the lead technical role, we supported the bank with the design of the new GDPR processes, impact assessments and guidance on data protection friendly default settings.
Kantonalbank 1 – Implementation of data erasure in Avaloq
In the analysis phase, we defined the target image together with the legal and IT security departments. In the implementation phase, we took the technical lead for Avaloq and ensured that the deletion was synchronised with the surrounding systems.
Kantonalbank 2 – Data erasure concept
Analysis of legal requirements and guidelines and creation of a functional deletion concept.
FoQus 01.01.2024
Efficient Project Management With Jira & Confluence
Jira & Confluence is a software package for agile projects that allows you to structure and manage requirements engineering, delivery and bug fixing. Our experience and best practices enable our customers to use it efficiently and effectively.
Financial institutions are increasingly managing multiple complex projects simultaneously. Methodology is often neglected and there is a lack of smart standards for tracking requirements, development or defects, reporting and project planning. However, if these are defined and implemented in a thoughtful and consistent manner from the outset, they form the basis for the success of the project portfolio as a whole.
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Thanks to our experience from various projects and our knowledge of the features and plug-ins, we can offer our customers hands-on expertise.
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We can help to set up Jira & Confluence correctly at the start of a project and introduce a clear methodology.
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We can also help with the implementation of turnarounds to ensure order and clarity.
British Private Bank – Managing “Ways of Working” for a programme consisting of 4 projects with >150 project members in total
With the aim of not only modernising the bank’s integration architecture, but also building and releasing a new online banking system for multiple legal entities, the bank faced a significant challenge in managing this large-scale transformation involving multiple vendors and teams spread across Europe and India. abaQon iteratively developed the programme’s agile methodology, created standards for Jira and Confluence and communicated these to all members. Most importantly, we coded reports, dashboards and large scale ‘structures’ to keep the thousands of epics, stories and bugs manageable, prioritised and communicable at all times.
FoQus 01.01.2024
Marketing Automation
Personalised customer approach and efficient processes. With expertise in the design and integration of complex sales projects, abaQon supports the digitalisation of sales and lead processes.
Increased competition, continued margin erosion and rising customer demands are forcing banks to rethink. Customer centricity needs to be at the heart of the strategy and the customer and their needs need to be at the centre. Marketing automation helps to meet customers where they are on their journey and to serve them efficiently.
- Digital Sales Architecture: Analysis, conception and design of holistic digital sales processes from operational systems, analytics infrastructure, marketing automation including customer channels to CRM and operational processing.
- Lead Management: Design and integration of a generic lead management concept across the systems of potential identification (sources), potential development (automation) and their distribution (channels).
- Workflow & Channel Management: Configuration and development of marketing automation workflows, their data integration paths and the implementation of online triggers and tracking codes on digital channels.
- Personalised customer approach: Development of generic customer journeys, including their reduction to relevant functions, personalisation attributes, content and channel preferences.
Setting up marketing automation at a Swiss bank
abaQon was responsible for the overall concept, process design and implementation coordination of the marketing automation solution. The focus was on the harmonisation and standardisation of lead management processes, as well as the efficient and transparent design of campaign processes across all systems involved.
Through personalised customer approaches and automated lead development processes, campaigns were able to reach up to 20 times more target groups and achieve up to 3 times higher relative closing values. This was achieved without increasing the workload on sales and without overriding the account manager.
The standardised lead management process not only made sales activities more efficient, but also made sales reporting more transparent for all parties involved.
FoQus 01.01.2024
Project Turnaround Management
Based on many years of experience, profound expertise and a proven approach to initiating and executing a turnaround, we help our clients get their projects back on the winning track.
Time and time again, projects fail or are delivered later and more expensively than originally planned. This results in high costs, frustrated staff and, not least, high risks, for example if regulatory requirements cannot be implemented on time. Every project is different and every turnaround requires a tailored approach.
- The biggest challenge is not to miss the right time to initiate a turnaround. abaQon knows different ways to initiate a turnaround. Apart from drastic measures, there are also proven, faster ways to start the first assessment without wasting time and causing a big stir.
- abaQon has a tool-supported, 3-phase, yet agile turnaround methodology, which is characterised by 9 focus areas, structured & transparent result collection and clearly defined release processes.
- Various competencies are required in a turnaround project. From holistic, systemic thinking in the assessment, to creativity and agility in the development of measures, to stamina, punch and a pinch of humor in the correction. The abaQon turnaround managers have proven in numerous successful project turnaround assignments that they have the necessary competencies.
Turnaround of a major implementation project
As part of the new project management, a project with well over a hundred employees was turned around by streamlining, reassigning key roles and establishing a proven methodology.
Turnaround of a task force
The turnaround manager was appointed in a dual role as task force PMO and development team leader. After creating transparency, restructuring the taskforce organisation and drastically reducing the scope, the goal was achieved.
«The turnaround team had tremendous follow-through, impressive endurance and pulled the project out of a persistent lethargy. By strictly focusing on correcting the most critical findings at any given time, the project was brought back on track step by step». (Review of the Customer)
FoQus 01.01.2024
Process Mining
Thanks to our in-depth knowledge of process mining, we provide you with a visual insight into the efficiency of your processes, point out optimization potential and measure the success of the changes.
In order to cope with margin pressure and increasing competition, processes have to become continuously more efficient. Manual measurement and analysis causes high costs, requires considerable commitment from experts and often suffers from the availability of detailed data. In addition, the measurement effort has to be performed twice, before and after optimization.
- Process overview: By combining strategic relevance and technical prerequisite, abaQon prioritizes your main processes and recommends suitable use cases
- Proof of Concept: abaQon provides you with an objective assessment of the available solutions and conducts a “Proof of Concept”.
- abaQon supports you in identifying and exporting the required data (event logs), defines meta data and interprets the results to actionable measures
- If there is a lack of available data or data quality, abaQon can efficiently record it by means of task mining
- Evaluation: Based on your strategy and infrastructure, abaQon advises you on the evaluation of the appropriate tool for your bank.
- Implementation: After successful piloting, abaQon offers you a concept for cross-bank scaling and sustainable operational management, so that you can continuously identify and implement optimization and automation potential.
Implementation of Proof of Concept (POC) & Evaluation
We helped a large universal bank to identify suitable processes (e.g. call center) and four adequate software solutions and to evaluate them in a POC. The bank used the findings to standardize processes and automate sub-processes based on best practice. Our recommendation enabled the bank to select software that met its needs.
Introduction of Process Mining
From the roadmap to the business case to the operational introduction, a regional bank was accompanied and advised by us. After the one-time effort to set up the dashboards, the managers of the involved departments were able to regularly identify deviations and irregularities and to initiate appropriate steps for optimization.
