From Compliance to Growth: Rethinking Banking Models in the Open Data Economy

From Compliance to Growth: Rethinking Banking Models in the Open Data Economy

 

For years, Open Banking has been framed primarily as a compliance exercise. Regulations across Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia established standards for data sharing, interoperability, and consumer rights. But as the model matures, it is becoming clear that regulatory alignment is only the first step. 

The real opportunity lies in transforming Open Banking from a legal obligation into a growth strategy. 

 

The pressure on banking margins 

 

The global banking industry faces sustained pressure on margins. Rising operational costs, higher capital requirements, and growing expectations from digital-first customers are eroding profitability. Traditional efficiency levers, closing branches, automating back office processes, or reducing headcount, are no longer sufficient to guarantee long-term resilience. 

In this context, Open Banking emerges not as another compliance burden, but as a strategic lever to unlock new revenue streams. By embracing open data ecosystems, banks can diversify services, strengthen partnerships, and monetize APIs as products in their own right. 

 

Beyond technology: a shift in business models 

 

Many institutions still view APIs as “plumbing”. A technical necessity to comply with regulators or connect with partners. This narrow perspective misses the broader point. APIs represent distribution channels. They enable banks to deliver products beyond their own platforms, reaching customers through fintech apps, corporate systems, and third-party marketplaces. 

 

In other words, Open Banking is not only about redesigning systems. It is about reimagining the business model: 

  • Moving from product-centric to ecosystem-centric strategies. 
  • Monetizing data access as a service for fintechs, insurers, and corporates. 
  • Building value-added services on top of transaction data, such as credit scoring, financial planning, or embedded payments. 

 

This shift is not optional. Competitors that position themselves at the center of ecosystems will capture disproportionate value. Those that remain siloed risk irrelevance. 

 

The rise of partnerships 

 

One of the most promising aspects of Open Banking is the ability to collaborate with fintechs and new entrants rather than compete head-on. Partnering allows banks to accelerate innovation without reinventing the wheel. For example: 

  • A retail bank can integrate a fintech’s personal finance management tool into its mobile app, enhancing customer stickiness. 
  • A corporate bank can connect its treasury services directly into ERP platforms, creating seamless B2B experiences. 
  • A universal bank can leverage fintech lending platforms to expand credit access to underbanked populations while keeping risk management in-house. 

 

In all cases, the open API model allows banks to extend their relevance across customer journeys while maintaining trust as the core differentiator. 

 

Profitability in the open data economy 

 

The scale of the opportunity is undeniable. Globally, more than $416 billion in banking revenues are at stake in the transition toward the open data economy. APIs are becoming products in themselves, with banks charging partners for premium data sets, advanced analytics, or real-time connectivity. 

Equally important, collaboration strengthens resilience. Rather than trying to outcompete every new digital player, banks can become orchestrators of ecosystems, offering customers more choice while capturing a share of third-party innovation. 

 

Corporate treasury and B2B innovation 

 

While much of the Open Banking conversation focuses on retail banking, corporate use cases may prove just as transformative. Large enterprises are demanding real-time visibility of liquidity, cross-border positions, and cash flow forecasting. APIs enable banks to plug directly into ERP and treasury systems, providing: 

  • Instant position management across geographies. 
  • Liquidity optimization through automated sweeps and transfers. 
  • Reduced operational risk by eliminating batch processes and manual reconciliation. 

These capabilities create sticky, high-value relationships with corporate clients, an essential buffer against commoditization in retail banking. 

 

Acting with urgency 

 

The momentum is clear. Three out of four banks worldwide expect Open Banking adoption and API usage to grow by more than 50% in the next few years. In Europe, the number of third-party providers quadrupled in just two years, proving how fast ecosystems can scale once regulation and market demand align. 

For banks in emerging markets, the lesson is straightforward: waiting for regulation to mature is not a strategy. Institutions that take a proactive stance, investing in data governance, API monetization, and partnership models, will be best positioned to capture growth. 

 

The Huenei perspective 

 

At Huenei, we see Open Banking as an inflection point. The winners will be those that treat it not as a box to tick for compliance, but as a platform for growth. Success requires: 

  • Fast integration: APIs that connect seamlessly into ecosystems without downtime. 
  • Specialized teams: squads capable of modernizing legacy systems and embedding security into every layer. 
  • Scalable architecture: solutions that support both current regulatory requirements and future innovation. 

 

Ultimately, Open Banking is about shifting from closed, product-driven models to open, ecosystem-driven strategies. It is about turning regulation into opportunity. 

 
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A Practical Guide to Open Banking

A Practical Guide to Open Banking

A Practical Guide to Open Banking

 

Open Banking is no longer just regulation — it has become the backbone of modern financial infrastructure. Data sharing through APIs is reshaping how banks connect with customers, fintechs, and corporations. 

This report explores how open banking is evolving into a model centered on customer experience and new business opportunities. It’s no longer only about compliance, but about integrating fast, with no downtime, and with teams ready to capture value. 

In this whitepaper you’ll find:

  • Why customer experience is now the true driver of Open Banking
  • How open payments are changing the digital checkout journey
  • What profitability and resilience opportunities collaboration with fintechs can bring
  • Corporate use cases: treasury and real-time APIs
  • Huenei’s practical vision to accelerate adoption without disrupting operations 

A clear and actionable guide to moving from compliance to value creation with Open Banking. 

 

Read the full report here

Beyond the Rewrite: How Prompt Engineering Is Redefining Legacy Modernization

Beyond the Rewrite: How Prompt Engineering Is Redefining Legacy Modernization

 

Legacy systems are often the backbone of critical operations, but as technology evolves, so does the pressure to modernize. The problem? Traditional modernization approaches are slow, expensive, and risky. Full rewrites can take months (or years), and the cost of lost knowledge, especially in poorly documented environments, is almost impossible to quantify. 

But what if there was a way to accelerate legacy transformation without starting from scratch? At Huenei, we’re using a new strategy that’s changing how legacy modernization happens: Prompt Engineering. 

 

From Code Archaeology to Prompt-Powered Discovery 

 

Legacy applications are built in outdated languages, like Visual Basic, PHP, or .NET Framework, and often come with little to no documentation. Reverse engineering them is tedious. Understanding their logic takes time, and recreating functionality in modern stacks carries high risk. 

Instead of relying solely on manual code analysis, we now use large language models (LLMs) to assist in code comprehension. How? With well-crafted prompts. 

By asking targeted questions like: 

  • “Explain what this class does, like a senior software architect.” 
  • “List the key business rules in this module.” 

…we accelerate understanding. LLMs provide summaries, dependency mappings, and business logic overviews, without the need to read every line. This creates faster alignment and a clearer modernization path. 

 

Not Just Smarter Analysis — Smarter Delivery 

 

Prompt engineering isn’t just about asking questions. It’s about embedding natural language into technical workflows, enabling new kinds of productivity. Here’s how: 

  • Architecture planning: Prompts help simulate migration scenarios and propose cloud-native architectures like microservices or serverless models. 
  • Code refactoring: We use prompts to reframe legacy functions in modern syntax (e.g., from .NET Framework to .NET Core). 
  • Automated testing: With prompts, we generate unit tests from functional descriptions or legacy flows. 
  • Live documentation: As we work, prompts generate OpenAPI specs, README files, and system overviews. No more documentation as an afterthought. 

Every prompt becomes part of a governed, reusable library. Teams iterate, version, and validate them just like they would with code. 

 

Developers Aren’t Replaced — They’re Augmented 

 

Prompt engineering doesn’t eliminate the need for technical teams. Instead, it makes them more effective. 

Engineers still design architectures, validate outputs, and review code. But now, they do it with AI copilots that help reduce repetitive work and make better decisions faster. This also enables less experienced devs to ramp up quickly, leveling the playing field across teams. 

The result? Reduced risk, faster time-to-delivery, and a reusable modernization playbook. 

 

Why This Matters Now 

 

The pressure to modernize is real. But not every business can afford to shut down core systems or spend a year rewriting from scratch. 

Prompt engineering creates a middle ground: an intelligent, scalable approach to evolve what works, without starting over. 

At Huenei, we believe modernization doesn’t have to mean disruption. By blending AI and engineering best practices, we’re turning technical debt into a launchpad for innovation. 

Ready to rethink your legacy strategy? 

 

 

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Rethinking Legacy Systems: AI Modernization

Rethinking Legacy Systems: AI Modernization

Modernizing Legacy Systems with AI and Prompt Engineering

 

Many organizations still rely on systems built over a decade ago. Migrating them is essential to stay competitive—but traditional methods can be slow, expensive, and high-risk.

This report shares how Huenei is using Prompt Engineering to accelerate legacy modernization. It’s a hybrid, agile, and proven approach that empowers teams instead of replacing them.

In this whitepaper, you’ll learn:
• Why legacy systems block technological evolution
• How we use prompts to analyze, refactor, and document code with AI
• Our five-phase methodology, with real use cases and examples
• The key benefits we’re seeing in speed, quality, and collaboration

A practical guide to modernizing core systems—without starting from scratch.

 

Read the full report here

Treating Prompts as Code: A New AI Mindset

Treating Prompts as Code: A New AI Mindset

The rise of large language models (LLMs) has introduced a new layer to software development — one that doesn’t rely solely on traditional code, but on how we speak to the model. In this context, Prompt Engineering has emerged as more than a skill. It’s becoming a formal engineering practice!  

In its early days, prompting was perceived as intuitive or even playful — a clever way to interact with AI. But in enterprise environments, where consistency, quality and scale matter, that approach no longer holds up. 

Today, a prompt is not just a message. It’s a functional, reusable asset. Here’s how you treat it accordingly. 

 

The evolution of prompting

 

Prompt Engineering refers to the process of designing clear, effective instructions that guide the behavior of an LLM like GPT, Claude, or Gemini. 

A well-structured prompt can define the model’s role, task, expected format, constraints and tone. It can extract structured data from unstructured inputs, generate boilerplate code, write tests, summarize documentation, or assist in decision-making — all without modifying the model’s architecture or parameters. 

But as the use of LLMs expands beyond experimentation, ad hoc prompts fall short. Repetition, lack of version control, inconsistency in results, and difficulty in collaboration are just a few of the issues that arise when prompts aren’t engineered systematically. 

 

Why prompt design requires engineering rigor

 

In traditional software development, code is reviewed, versioned, tested, documented, and deployed through controlled processes. Prompt Engineering should follow a similar model.

Well-crafted prompts are: 

  • Versionable: changes can be tracked, rolled back or improved over time. 
  • Testable: results can be validated for semantic accuracy, consistency and completeness. 
  • Reusable: prompts can be modularized and adapted to multiple contexts. 
  • Governed: with guidelines on usage, performance benchmarks, and quality metrics. 

This transformation has given rise to new workflows — such as PromptOps — where prompts are managed as part of CI/CD pipelines and integrated into delivery, testing, and QA processes. 

 

Prompt Engineering in practice 

 

Now, let’s take a real-world example: a team using an LLM to generate unit tests from functional descriptions. In a non-engineered setting, each developer writes their own prompt manually. The results vary by style, quality, and format — making it hard to validate or reuse. 

Now imagine a centralized prompt repository with pre-approved test generation templates, backed by a versioning system and linked to performance metrics. Developers can pull prompts, adapt them with parameters, and receive predictable outputs that integrate directly into their testing workflow. This is what engineered prompting looks like — and it dramatically improves both efficiency and consistency. 

The same applies to documentation, feature generation, bug summarization, internal chat agents and more. The key difference is not what the LLM can do — it’s how we’re asking it to do it. 

 

Scaling prompt practices across teams 

 

 As organizations adopt LLMs across business units, prompt engineering becomes a cross-functional practice. It’s no longer owned by a single person or role. Developers, QA engineers, DevOps specialists, architects and product teams all contribute to prompt design and validation. 

 This collaborative approach requires new capabilities: 

  • AI-friendly infrastructure: secure API access, controlled environments for prompt testing, and integration points with internal systems. 
  • Interdisciplinary skillsets: blending technical knowledge with linguistic clarity, domain expertise and user-centric thinking. 
  • Governance frameworks: including prompt libraries, review workflows, performance KPIs, and observability tooling like LangChain or PromptLayer. 
  • Training programs: internal education to help teams write better prompts, test their effectiveness, and adopt best practices. 

 Organizations that approach prompt engineering as a structured capability — rather than a side experiment — are better positioned to scale generative AI with confidence. 

 

 A new layer in the SDLC 

 

 Prompt Engineering doesn’t replace the software development lifecycle — it enhances it. Every stage of the SDLC can be accelerated or supported by well-crafted prompts: 

  • Requirements: Convert business specs into user stories or acceptance criteria. 
  • Design: Generate architecture suggestions or diagrams. 
  • Coding: Build boilerplate, generate functions or refactor legacy code. 
  • Testing: Write unit tests, integration flows or regression scenarios. 
  • Documentation: Generate changelogs, inline comments, or technical manuals. 
  • Maintenance: Summarize PRs, identify bugs, or assist in post-release analysis. 

Prompt Engineering acts as a connective layer between natural language and execution — enabling human intent to move faster through the development process. 

 

 The path forward 

 

 The more an organization integrates AI into its workflows, the more strategic Prompt Engineering becomes. It’s not about tweaking inputs until the output looks right. It’s about building reusable logic in natural language — logic that can be tested, trusted and shared. 

At Huenei, we’ve formalized our Prompt Engineering practice to help clients adopt this mindset. Our teams work across engineering and AI initiatives to build governed prompt libraries, integrate them into DevOps and QA pipelines, and embed them in real products.  

 Smart prompts don’t just make AI better — they make your teams better. 

 

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