The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has taken centre stage at a leading global technology forum in Copenhagen, becoming part of a groundbreaking industry-first that demonstrates how advanced telecom architecture can be applied to transform modern banking.
At TM Forum’s DTW Ignite 2026, a premier global platform bringing together communications service providers, technology partners and digital ecosystem leaders, Commercial Bank joined Axonect, formerly Axiata Digital Labs, to showcase the first successful deployment of Open Digital Architecture (ODA) in the fintech sector, powered by Axonect’s Fabric and API Management platforms.
The landmark deployment positions Sri Lanka’s largest private sector bank at the forefront of global banking innovation, demonstrating how financial institutions can modernise complex legacy systems while maintaining the high levels of governance, resilience and regulatory compliance required in the financial services sector.
The presentation at DTW Ignite was delivered by Commercial Bank Chief Information Officer Sumudu Gunawardhana alongside Axonect CEO Anthony Rodrigo. It highlighted how ODA, originally developed for the telecommunications industry, has been successfully adapted to support a new generation of composable, agile and scalable banking systems.
Gunawardhana explained that the deployment has significantly strengthened Commercial Bank’s core technology ecosystem. He said Axonect’s ODA-aligned platform enables the Bank to achieve the agility and scalability associated with cloud environments while retaining full control over data governance, security and regulatory compliance — critical requirements for a leading financial institution.
The implementation has already delivered measurable results, including significant improvements in operational efficiency and a substantial reduction in the Bank’s cost footprint.
It has also enabled several high-impact digital capabilities, including one of the fastest global rollouts of Google Pay, real-time PayPal cross-border remittance clearing, and a highly resilient, API-driven digital ecosystem delivering near-perfect system availability, he said.