Legacy Modernization

Most financial institutions run on systems built decades ago—COBOL backends, mainframe dependencies, integration layers that nobody fully understands anymore. These systems work, which is exactly why replacing them is so risky. We’ve helped organizations modernize without betting the business: strangler patterns, careful extraction of functionality, parallel running, and the migration planning that accounts for what can go wrong.

The challenge isn’t usually the new architecture—it’s managing the transition. How do you maintain business continuity when the old system handles millions of transactions daily? How do you sequence changes when everything depends on everything else? We’ve worked through these problems and understand the level of care they require.

Technical Due Diligence

Working with Philipps & Byrne, we provide technical due diligence for PE/VC investments in fintech and financial services companies. Investors need to know what they’re buying: Is the technology actually differentiated? Can it scale? What’s the technical debt situation? What risks aren’t visible in the pitch deck?

Our assessments are direct. We tell investors what’s working, what’s concerning, and what it means for the investment thesis. No hedge-everything-to-avoid-liability reporting—just honest evaluation from people who’ve built and led engineering organizations.

Compliance Architecture

KYC, AML, GDPR, PSD2, SOX—financial services compliance is a maze of overlapping requirements. We design systems that meet these requirements without turning every feature into a compliance project. That means audit trails built into the architecture, data governance that’s practical, and security controls that don’t crush developer productivity.

We’ve seen organizations where compliance is an afterthought bolted onto systems that weren’t designed for it. The result is usually slow development, fragile workarounds, and constant firefighting. Building compliance into the architecture from the start is harder upfront but dramatically easier over time.

Financial services is one of those industries where the cost of getting it wrong is severe. Systems that handle money need to be reliable in ways that most software doesn’t. Regulatory violations have real consequences. Security breaches make headlines.

That creates a specific kind of engineering culture: careful, risk-aware, sometimes too conservative. We understand that culture—we’ve worked within it—but we also know that “move slowly and don’t break things” can become an excuse for never improving anything. The best financial services technology organizations find a balance: appropriate caution where it matters, velocity where it’s safe.

We help organizations find that balance. Sometimes that means pushing for modernization that leadership has avoided because it feels risky. Sometimes it means slowing down initiatives that are moving faster than the risk management can support. The right answer depends on context, and we’re honest about tradeoffs.