Problem
GTBank’s Finacle core banking migration in 2024–2025 required deep integration across four critical systems that previously operated in isolation: Finacle CBA, Alfresco DMS for document management, ProcessMaker for workflow approvals, and SWIFT for interbank transactions. Each system had its own data model, authentication, and integration patterns. Without coordinated integrations, the migration would have created daily operational friction for 500+ users.
A second challenge: 4M+ customer and account records had to move from Oracle source systems into Finacle-ready datasets, organised by branch and currency, with full integrity controls.
Approach
Led the data workstream and built the integration layer across all four systems.
- Oracle to Finacle ETL. Designed and ran the end-to-end extraction, transformation, and reconciliation pipeline. 4M+ records extracted from Oracle source systems, transformed into Finacle-ready structures, reconciled by branch and currency.
- Finacle / Alfresco DMS. Integrated via CMIS and REST APIs. Workflow attachments stored in Alfresco are now retrievable directly from Finacle screens.
- Finacle / ProcessMaker. REST API integration enabling workflow-driven access to core banking data for 500+ users. Approvals, compliance reviews, and operational workflows all now touch Finacle data without manual lookups.
- Finacle / SWIFT. Automated bidirectional SWIFT message processing between Finacle and SWIFT servers via secure SSH (Bitvise). Real-time transaction sync, no manual reconciliation.
- Data integrity controls throughout. Every ETL stage includes row counts, checksum validation, and a reconciliation report. Discrepancies surface immediately, not after cutover.
Results
- 4M+ records migrated with full data integrity
- 4 systems connected (Finacle, Alfresco, ProcessMaker, SWIFT) into a coherent integration fabric
- 500+ users gained workflow-driven access to core banking data
- Real-time SWIFT sync replacing previously-manual reconciliation
- Migration cutover executed without operational discontinuity
Reflections
- Integrating across heterogeneous banking systems is a discipline. Each system has its own integration philosophy (CMIS for Alfresco, REST for ProcessMaker, message-based SWIFT). The right pattern is the one each system supports natively.
- Data integrity must be built INTO the pipeline, not bolted on after. Row counts and checksums at every stage caught issues that would have been invisible at cutover.
- SSH-driven SWIFT integration sounds old-fashioned but works reliably and is easier to audit than message-broker alternatives in a regulated environment.