Global investment bank realises 185% performance gain with scalable application overhaul

A global investment bank with a reputation built upon split-second financial decisions over many years had become a victim of its own success. With rapid growth came scaling challenges threatening the stability of its portfolio swaps lifecycle management application. The application struggled to keep pace with the bank’s rapid growth – overnight batch processes to recalculate positions were creaking under the volume of transactions they were processing. It was inefficient, and worse, it threatened to breach the bank’s client SLAs. The bank needed a partner to untangle its technology bottleneck and remain agile and competitive.

In need of a trusted technology partner, the bank turned to Version 1. We deployed a financial sector and C# development team to complete the work. Collaborating closely with the bank’s key stakeholders, we instigated frequent meetings and daily stand-ups, improving communication and keeping the wider team up to speed with developments. Once we’d assessed the existing application architecture, we presented our recommendations and created a strategic plan built around a future-proof, scalable, performance-optimised solution.

First, we utilised detailed performance profiling to pinpoint bottlenecks stifling the application. Our targeted code optimisations resulted in a remarkable 185% improvement in batch processing speeds, and overnight operations buzzed with newfound efficiency. Crucially, the transition to a microservice-based architecture for new functionality created the potential for seamless horizontal scaling, ensuring the bank could accommodate the continued growth it was enjoying. This modernisation project delivered tangible improvements that have positioned the bank for continued growth. 

Outcomes

• Conducted a comprehensive assessment of the existing portfolio swaps application architecture 
• Optimised code and eliminated performance bottlenecks for immediate gains 
• Increased the application’s capacity by nearly 50% to support surging transaction volumes 
• Transitioned new functionality development to a microservices architecture 
• Implemented a strategic scaling solution to accommodate future growth seamlessly 
• Established a go-forward development strategy focused on flexibility and performance