Digital & Innovation
Digital transformation is a strategic priority for the ABBL, reflecting its profound impact on the competitiveness, resilience, and evolution of the financial sector. Through its dedicated digital team and collaborative platforms, the ABBL supports its members in navigating technological change, embracing innovation, and shaping the future of financial services.
Our mission is to help banks and financial institutions respond to digitalisation challenges with coordinated, future-proof strategies, while fostering a culture of responsible innovation.
Our digital agenda is anchored around three core pillars that define the future of finance: Digital Banking, Mutualisation, and Tokenisation & DLT.
Digital Banking: Accelerating the Digital Shift
Digital banking is no longer optional—it’s a foundational capability for delivering client-centric, efficient, and compliant financial services. The ABBL supports its members in:
- Navigating the regulatory dimensions of digital onboarding, e-signatures, and remote customer interaction.
- Fostering profound digitalisation in retail, corporate, private and depositary banking.
- Embracing cloud and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies, AI, and automation in back-office operations.
- Exploring the evolving role of open banking and API-based innovation.
By fostering strategic dialogue and best practice sharing, the ABBL helps its members turn digital transformation into a long-term competitive advantage.
“From digital banking to tokenisation, the ABBL supports its members in shaping the future of financial services with responsibility and innovation.”
Arnaud Clément
Head of Payments and Innovation, ABBL
Mutualisation: Sharing Solutions, Reducing Complexity
In an increasingly complex and regulated environment, mutualisation offers a path to greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and risk control. The ABBL promotes collaborative initiatives that enable members to share resources, infrastructure, and expertise, particularly in areas that are:
- Compliance-heavy (e.g., AML/KYC, transaction monitoring, digital operational resilience).
- Operationally redundant across institutions (e.g., regulatory reporting, data storage).
- Technologically intensive (e.g., Distributed Ledger Technologies and AI).
By championing platform models and shared services, the ABBL empowers financial institutions to reduce duplication, pool innovation efforts, and focus on value-added activities.
Tokenisation & DLT: Shaping the Future of Assets and Infrastructure
Tokenisation and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) represent a fundamental shift in how financial assets are created, transferred, and serviced. The ABBL actively explores the potential and implications of this transformation, focusing on:
- The tokenisation of financial instruments, funds, and alternative assets.
- The legal and regulatory frameworks for digital custody and DLT-based settlement.
- Collaboration with regulators and ecosystem partners under the EU DLT Pilot Regime.
- Preparing the ground for a future shaped by digital securities, smart contracts, and programmable finance.
Through research, dialogue, and working groups, the ABBL positions its members to take full advantage of this next-generation financial infrastructure.
Member-Driven Collaboration & Strategy Groups
The ABBL enables open dialogue and collective innovation through structured working platforms:
- Digital Strategy Committee – guides the ABBL’s overall digital agenda and strategic alignment.
- FinTech & Innovation Forum – brings together banks, FinTechs, and experts to share insights and best practices.
- Payments Cluster – focuses on regulatory, technical, and operational developments in payments.
These groups offer members a space to co-create solutions, explore new trends, and respond collectively to digital and regulatory developments.