What does AI change?
Examine its role in software delivery and the work inside a bank or insurer, with the evidence and its limits in view.
The Firefly whitepaper / October 2026
Beyond the enterprise suite.
How AI changes what financial institutions build, buy and own.
AI is changing how software is built and how financial work gets done. What does that mean for the systems you buy, the capabilities you own, and the next investment you make?
Get the whitepaper17 pages. Original diagrams. A 90-day starting plan.
Beyond the enterprise suite
Front cover
The argument
AI reopens the question
of what to build.
A coding assistant can help build an integration. A document model can help prepare a claim. To turn either into a working service, your team needs access to the right data, clear business rules and systems that can be connected and changed.
This is why we see a stronger case for composable systems: components with defined interfaces that can evolve independently. Our thesis is that AI and open foundations will make more tailored development viable, shifting some spending toward internal teams, reusable tools and specialist support. The report explains where that argument holds and what an institution needs to test.
What should you own?
Compare packaged systems with tailored development and open foundations, including the cost of operating each choice.
How do you put it to work?
Connect one journey to your existing stack. Define the controls, test the outcome and use a 90-day plan to decide the next investment.
Inside the report
From the AI opportunity
to a platform decision.
For CIOs, CTOs, transformation leaders and teams responsible for the next platform decision.
Why AI changes the architecture decision
Research on AI in delivery and operations, the case for composability, and three futures for enterprise software.
AI applied to real operating needs
Onboarding, lending, service operations, embedded finance, claims and underwriting preparation.
Architecture and ownership
A controlled reference architecture, incremental modernization, lifecycle economics and clear accountability.
From discussion to decision
A 90-day starting plan, how Firefly can help, a leadership worksheet and linked primary sources.
What the research supports,
and what remains a forecast.
The October 2026 edition draws on DORA, METR, Anthropic, EIOPA, the Financial Stability Board and NIST, alongside protocol documentation. It distinguishes observed usage from reported productivity and Firefly’s own market thesis.
Paid platforms can remain the right choice. The useful question is where tailored software offers better service, flexibility or lifecycle economics, and whether your institution can operate it well.
Explore our transformation approachGet the publication
Bring the evidence
to your next discussion.
Share your work email to access the complete PDF. The download is available immediately after submission.
Free leadership whitepaper.
No marketing subscription required.