ComBank showcases global first in digital banking architecture with Axonect at DTW Ignite 2026

Chief Information Officer Sumudu Gunawardhana makes his presentation at DTW Ignite 2026

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has taken centre stage at a leading global technology forum in Copenhagen, becoming part of a ground-breaking industry-first that demonstrates how cutting-edge telecom architecture can transform modern banking.

At TM Forum’s ‘DTW Ignite 2026,’ a premier global platform that brings 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 the Open Digital Architecture (ODA) in the fintech sector powered by Axonect’s Fabric and API Management platforms.

This landmark deployment at Commercial Bank positions Sri Lanka’s largest private sector bank at the forefront of global banking innovation, demonstrating how banks can modernise complex legacy systems while maintaining the high levels of governance, resilience and regulatory compliance required in financial services.

The presentation at DTW Ignite, delivered by Commercial Bank Chief Information Officer Sumudu Gunawardhana alongside Axonect CEO Anthony Rodrigo, illustrated how ODA, originally developed for the telecommunications industry, has been successfully adapted to power a new generation of composable, agile and scalable banking systems.

Gunawardhana explained that the deployment has significantly strengthened the Bank’s core technology ecosystem. He said Axonect’s ODA-aligned platform enables Commercial Bank to operate with 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 outcomes, including substantial gains in operational efficiency and a sharply reduced 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 the operation of a highly resilient, API-driven digital ecosystem with near-perfect system availability, he said.

The architecture supports an extensive network of microservices and active APIs, allowing the Bank to deliver seamless, secure and scalable services across multiple markets, while maintaining strict compliance and security protocols.

Rodrigo said the initiative demonstrates how the principles of ODA can extend beyond telecommunications to redefine enterprise transformation more broadly. He noted that as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, APIs and data governance increasingly converge, ODA has the potential to serve as a common blueprint for building secure, intelligent and future-ready organisations.

Commenting at the forum, TM Forum’s Executive Vice President – Composable IT & Ecosystems Willie Stegmann noted that the initiative underscores the growing relevance of open digital architectures beyond telecom. He said the collaboration between Axonect and Commercial Bank highlights how a common, open framework can unlock new opportunities for innovation, enable scalable AI adoption, simplify system integration, and support emerging digital business models across industries.

For Commercial Bank, this milestone marks the beginning of the next phase of its digital evolution. The Bank is now advancing towards what it describes as ‘agentic banking’ – an AI-driven, highly autonomous operating model supported by advanced software delivery systems, governed artificial intelligence, and robust data sovereignty frameworks.

This evolution is expected to further expand the Bank’s ability to participate in open finance ecosystems, deploy AI across a wider range of banking functions, and scale its digital capabilities across new markets and sectors.