Picture this: A bank once reliant on outdated, rigid systems finds itself struggling to keep up with the fast pace of new customer demands. Competitors are launching cutting-edge services at lightning speed, while customers expect more flexibility than ever. The pressure is mounting, and the only way forward is to adapt or fall behind.
Few understand this better than Morten Hvidberg Jeppesen, Trifork’s Program Director, who recently led a transformation at Sparxpres, a subsidiary of Spar Nord. Sparxpres adopted a cloud-native core banking platform, complete with a country adaptation layer that enables integration with essential local services, including tax, CPR, and Mastercard Payment Services. This solution allowed them to fully overhaul their payments and loans systems, positioning Sparxpres as a future-ready player in the Danish banking sector—arguably becoming one of the most modern banks in the country today.
A deep dive into the heart of banking
While Morten has been involved in countless financial sector projects, working with Sparxpres took things to a whole new level. What made this project stand out?
“We’ve delivered many solutions for the financial sector, but this was different,” Morten explains. “This time, we got much closer to the core of the bank’s operations. We weren’t just providing a service; we were overhauling their payments and loans systems—a real leap forward.”
This shift was exciting, but it came with its own set of challenges. Morten and his team had to ensure that they not only provided cutting-edge technology but also adapted it to the specific needs of Sparxpres.
Tailoring for a unique use case
One of the features that sets the Sparxpres platform apart is the middleware layer Trifork developed specifically for the Danish market.
“Beyond building a modern cloud-based core banking architecture, we integrated directly with key national systems like tax and CPR,” Morten says. “This layer bridges international core banking technology with the unique requirements of Denmark’s banking ecosystem, creating a solution tailored precisely to Sparxpres’ needs.”
In addition to this, Trifork developed both partner- and customer-facing UI solutions, ensuring an intuitive user experience for everyone interacting with the platform. Custom front-end and back-end services were also created to address Sparxpres’ specific use case, making the platform versatile and fit for purpose, offering an advantage that off-the-shelf core banking systems often lack.
Want to dive deeper into the case story of Sparxpres? Read more here.
The challenge of domain knowledge
Despite his extensive experience, Morten faced an unexpected challenge early on in the project—building deep domain knowledge of the banking sector’s intricate workings.
“We’re a software house—we know microservices, Kubernetes, and cloud architecture inside and out. But understanding how loans and credit systems operate? That was something new.”
Morten recalls spending hours immersed in books and working with partners like Visa, Nets, and Tuum to understand the full picture. It wasn’t just about deploying the technology; it was about learning the ins and outs of banking processes.
“There’s no shortcut,” Morten says, smiling. “You just dive in—read, learn, and work closely with the customer until you get it. We used methods like event storming and story mapping to really drill down into the workflows and ensure everything aligned with the bank’s needs.”
Building a modern banking platform
The solution Trifork delivered to Sparxpres wasn’t just another banking platform. It was a modern, cloud-based core banking solution that fundamentally changed how the bank operated. According to Morten, using Tuum as the underlying platform was key to unlocking the system’s potential.
“With Tuum, we’ve essentially built a bank that can scale without limits,” Morten explains. “It’s all cloud-based, API-first, and it evolves every few weeks with new updates and features.”
This scalability is a game changer, allowing Sparxpres to adapt, grow, and offer new products to its customers faster than ever before. The platform’s decoupled architecture also ensures that different services, like loans or credit cards, can be implemented individually and updated without disrupting the entire system.
The human side of innovation
For Morten, one of the most rewarding parts of the Sparxpres project wasn’t just the technology but the collaboration it required. He worked closely with a range of partners to bring the platform to life.
“You can’t build a modern banking system in isolation,” he says. “There are so many moving parts—Visa, Mastercard Payment Services, Nets, Tuum—you need everyone working together to create a seamless experience for the end user.”
Morten’s dedication to teamwork and knowledge sharing was key to overcoming challenges and delivering a solution that truly met Sparxpres’ needs. He emphasizes that the relationships forged during this project will have long-term benefits for both Trifork and its partners.
Looking to the future
The Sparxpres solution isn’t just a success story—it’s a springboard for future growth. With a cloud-based, API-first platform, Sparxpres is set up to continually evolve and offer new services to its customers. And Morten believes that the possibilities are endless.
“The beauty of this system is that we’re constantly getting new updates. Who knows? Maybe in six months, Tuum will release a new feature that allows Sparxpres to offer a completely new product,” Morten says. “Anything is possible.”
As the financial sector continues to embrace innovative cloud-based banking solutions, Morten’s experience with Sparxpres stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, deep learning, and cutting-edge technology. The journey wasn’t easy, but for Morten, it was worth every challenge.
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