A new credit card sparks modernization at a century-old financial institution

New card sparks modernization at financial institution

What started as a single credit card project ended up becoming an organization-wide transformation for one of America’s largest financial institutions. Modus Create helped the company develop a scalable cloud platform to support new financial products, modernize development practices, and re-engineer the technology stack to fuel long-term growth and innovation.

Our work involved

• Cloud infrastructure development
• Security assessment
• DevOps automation with AWS and GitHub
• Agile transformation with Kanban workflows
• Implementation of GitHub Enterprise best practices
• SOC2 compliance documentation

Modernization projects occasionally transcend their goals and create a foundation for profound cultural change.

When one of America’s largest financial institutions decided to launch a new line of credit cards, the project started modernization across several facets of the organization – from project management, DevOps, and cybersecurity to overall developer experience.

The financial institution’s success story highlights the vast benefits modernization initiatives can yield if they get leadership support.

Challenge

Expanding credit card access and modernizing legacy systems

The financial institution aimed to broaden credit access to traditionally underserved customers but it faced several challenges due to its legacy infrastructure. Its systems couldn’t support the speed, scalability, or security needed to bring modern financial products to market.

Additionally, years of mergers and acquisitions had created operational silos, making communication and collaboration a challenge. To stay competitive, the company needed more than just new technology-it needed a cultural shift.

Solution

Scalable cloud infrastructure that supports modern financial products

Recognizing the need for a major overhaul, the company turned to Modus Create, with whom it had successfully collaborated on previous security and application modernization efforts. This time, the mission was clear: build a cloud platform that could not only power new products like credit cards but also pave the way for future growth.

Modus Create’s team of a Senior Project Manager, AWS Architect, Security Architect, and DevOps Engineers integrated seamlessly with the company’s internal teams and began working on the project.

Creating a well-researched strategy

As a first step, the team developed a comprehensive strategy that maximized the chances of success. The key pillars of this strategy included:

Identifying the right user personas: By designing the platform with end users in mind, we were able to address the institution’s most critical pain points.

Prioritizing impactful actions: The team quickly identified which problems to solve first, ensuring that the platform would deliver the highest value in the shortest time.

Building for scalability: The platform was designed not just for today’s products but with an eye toward supporting future product lines and growth initiatives.

Enabling agile transformation

Next, we introduced agile practices to departments that had long operated in silos. Instead of enforcing a strict Scrum framework, the team tailored a custom agile approach centered around Kanban workflows. This allowed the financial institution to maintain flexibility and adapt quickly to changing priorities, while still benefiting from agile ceremonies like planning, reviews, and retrospectives.

Kanban workflow: Sample

Adopting the best technology solutions

To ensure the platform could meet the financial institution’s stringent requirements for scalability and security, Modus Create utilized best practices from both AWS and GitHub:

AWS Best Practices

GitHub Best Practices

AWS Best Practices

• Build a federated AWS organization
• Use AWS Control Tower
• Implement recommendations for the Well-Architected Framework
• Enable SSO with Okta
• Isolate environments and lines of business in different accounts

GitHub Best Practices

• GitHub automation for pull request validation
• Naming conventions
• Use a federated set of Organizations under one Enterprise
• Mandatory code review on all changes

AWS tools reduced administrative tasks and enhanced security, while GitHub naming conventions and mandatory code reviews boosted code quality and teamwork.

Cultural transformation: Beyond the technology

What started as a cloud infrastructure project quickly sparked a cultural shift across the organization. By integrating key security practices like threat modeling, AWS Organization segregation, peer-reviewed infrastructure changes, and security scans, the financial institution made security a vital part of its culture.

As agile practices took root, departments like Operations, Engineering, and Infrastructure began adopting more collaborative, transparent ways of working. The company’s engineers now enjoy greater autonomy, with automation reducing manual approvals and enabling more efficient workflows. This transformation empowered teams to take ownership of their work, driving agility and continuous improvement across the organization.

Impact

A new cloud infrastructure and long-term innovation

The modernization effort upgraded legacy systems and sparked digital transformation across the entire organization. By adopting automation, agile methodologies, and best-in-class security practices, the financial institution unlocked new levels of efficiency and innovation.

With a future-ready cloud platform in place, the financial institution is now ready to accelerate growth, introduce new products, and continue leading in a competitive landscape.