France-based digital transformation company Atos and Netherlands-based banking technology provider Backbase have signed a Master Collaboration Agreement to support financial institutions in deploying AI-native banking platforms across a range of international markets. The partnership covers Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Portugal, Spain, Southeast Europe, Switzerland, and Turkey.
The agreement establishes a structured framework for collaboration across opportunity development, professional services, delivery enablement, training, and joint go-to-market initiatives. It combines Backbase's AI-Native Banking OS with Atos's capabilities in AI-powered transformation, systems integration, sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and large-scale services delivery.
Addressing AI transformation in regulated environments
The partnership is positioned around a tension facing financial institutions in the covered markets, namely the pressure to accelerate AI adoption while maintaining control over data, operations, and regulatory compliance. Sovereign cloud requirements, in particular, present a constraint for banks seeking to deploy AI capabilities at scale while meeting local data residency obligations.
Atos's head of international markets, Daniele Principato, said demand for resilient and future-ready banking platforms is growing across all the markets covered by the agreement. He added that, by combining the company's global expertise with strong partners and its regional position, Atos aims to support its clients in navigating transformation more confidently.
Backbase's global vice president for partnerships and alliances, Ricardo Ribelles, noted that the collaboration addresses the gap between a bank's AI ambitions and the operational reality of running those capabilities at scale within a governed and compliant architecture.
Scope and strategic context
Together, the two companies will support banks and financial institutions in modernising customer journeys, improving digital engagement, and delivering integrated banking experiences across their respective markets. The agreement is structured to allow both parties to align their complementary capabilities across the full transformation lifecycle, from initial opportunity development through to delivery and ongoing enablement.
The partnership reflects a broader dynamic in international banking markets, where financial institutions are accelerating digital transformation programmes but face materially different regulatory and infrastructure conditions compared to Western European or North American peers. Sovereign cloud requirements, fragmented regulatory environments, and varying levels of existing digital maturity make the combination of a specialised banking platform and a regionally experienced systems integrator a structurally relevant model for this segment.
For Atos, the agreement extends its financial services partnerships in markets where it holds existing regional presence. When it comes to Backbase, it provides access to delivery capability and client relationships across geographies where independent market entry would require significant investment in local infrastructure and regulatory expertise.
