Delivering a cloud-native Bank as a Service platform compliant with banking regulation

Key takeaways

• A full banking system was built and launched entirely on public cloud infrastructure.
• The platform enables horizontal scaling without limiting the number of end users.
• Regulatory compliance was addressed from the outset, allowing the system to go live as a real bank.

Vodeno set out to build a digital banking platform designed from the ground up as a Bank as a Service solution. The objective was to allow clients to migrate their banking operations fully to the cloud and consume core banking capabilities through APIs. The platform had to support real-world banking operations, not experimental workloads, and had to meet regulatory requirements from day one.

Unlike incremental modernisation projects, this initiative started with a clean architectural slate. The system had to include core banking components such as the general ledger, transaction processing, customer servicing, and integration mechanisms — all delivered as a coherent, cloud-native platform. At the same time, it needed to be flexible enough to support rapid onboarding of new clients and further expansion of services.

The challenge was not only technical complexity, but the combination of time pressure, regulatory expectations, and architectural ambition.

The challenge

Building a complete banking system introduces a level of complexity that goes beyond standard enterprise platforms.

Several constraints shaped the work:

• the need to implement a fully functional general ledger and core banking logic,
• complex dependencies between banking modules that must remain consistent at all times,
• a requirement to deploy the entire solution on public cloud infrastructure (Google Cloud),
• strict regulatory and legal requirements governing banking systems,
• a limited timeframe to deliver a production-ready platform.

Any architectural compromise would either limit scalability or create compliance risk. At the same time, the system had to be operational quickly enough to support the first client migration.

Solution overview

A cloud-native banking platform was designed and implemented using Google Cloud as the foundation. The architecture was built around containerised services orchestrated with Kubernetes, enabling independent scaling and controlled deployment of individual components.

The technology stack included Golang and Java for backend services, React.js for frontend components, OpenAPI for service interfaces, and Docker for packaging and deployment. Agile delivery practices were used to maintain momentum while managing the inherent complexity of banking systems.

The scope of work covered:

• participation in defining the overall solution concept,
• design of the target cloud architecture,
• development of core banking services,
• creation of cloud environments and deployment pipelines,
• support for migration of the first banking client to the platform,
• ongoing involvement in platform monitoring and maintenance.

The platform was built with API-driven expansion in mind, enabling future growth of mobile applications and additional banking services without structural changes.

How the work was executed

The work began with joint architectural design, focusing on separating core banking functions into clearly defined services while preserving transactional integrity. Particular attention was paid to the general ledger, as it forms the backbone of any banking system and determines both correctness and auditability.

Infrastructure was provisioned and managed directly on Google Cloud, ensuring that scalability, resilience, and operational visibility were built into the platform from the start. Kubernetes orchestration allowed services to scale horizontally based on load, without imposing artificial limits on the number of users.

Migration mechanisms were developed to enable client banks to move their services into the new environment in a controlled manner. Sandboxed environments allowed new customers to test and validate services quickly before going live, shortening onboarding cycles.

Throughout delivery, compliance with banking law was treated as a design constraint rather than a post-launch checklist, allowing the platform to be launched as a fully operational banking system.

Operational results

The platform was launched as the first complete bank operating entirely on Google Cloud.

Key outcomes included:

• a production-ready banking system running fully in the public cloud,
• horizontal scalability without user number limitations,
• fast onboarding of new customers through sandbox environments,
• established migration paths for existing banking services,
• a stable operating model supported by continuous monitoring and maintenance.

The platform now provides a foundation for expanding banking services through APIs and mobile applications.

Business value

By delivering a cloud-native Bank as a Service platform, Vodeno gained the ability to scale banking operations without traditional infrastructure constraints. Time to onboard new clients was reduced, while operational flexibility increased.

The API-driven architecture supports rapid extension of services, enabling new revenue models without reworking the core system. At the same time, compliance built into the platform protects the organisation from regulatory risk and costly rework.

The combination of scalability, regulatory readiness, and cloud economics positions the platform to support long-term growth in digital banking.

By building a fully compliant, cloud-native banking platform, Vodeno enabled scalable Bank as a Service delivery while maintaining control over complexity, regulation, and operational stability.