ANZ Bank: Platform-based Transformation

The ANZ case study highlights how the bank has overcome challenges common across global financial institutions, where siloed systems and “spaghetti” architectures often limit scalability. Instead, ANZ has built reusable platforms that link directly to its core business purpose while unlocking long-term value. This success rests on assessing whether the organisation has the right expertise, not only technical skills but also business capabilities, before launching platform initiatives. As seen in broader research, companies that scale platforms effectively achieve higher profitability, growth, and innovation, while those stuck in pilots underperform their peers.

A defining feature of ANZ’s approach is the close integration between business and technology teams. Interviews with staff revealed that it was often hard to distinguish whether individuals worked in business or IT roles, reflecting how CIOs and technology leaders now sit at the business strategy table. This alignment allows the bank to spot platform opportunities across divisions rather…