FinTech Association: Technology environment for testing fintech solutions

2024: Deployment of GPU-based Parallel Computing Infrastructure

The AFL Technological Sandbox has deployed a GPU-oriented infrastructure for high-performance matrix and vector operations in order to pilot solutions using artificial intelligence technologies. The Association announced this on September 12, 2024.

In the landscape of the Technology Sandbox of the FinTech Association (AFL), a parallel computing infrastructure based on professional graphics adapters (GPU) was added, which provided participants with new opportunities for testing artificial intelligence models in the AFL: large language models (LLM), machine learning models (ML). In particular, a large language model MTS AI Cotype Plus has already been deployed on this infrastructure. Moreover, unlike the traditional cloud use of such models, it is presented not in the cloud, but in the infrastructure of the Technological Sandbox. This provided opportunities for piloting cases using sensitive data in a closed loop, which is very important for financial market companies.

The GPU infrastructure of the AFL technological sandbox provides participants with the opportunity to test their own machine learning models, which are used, for example, in actuarial calculations in the insurance sector of the financial market. At the same time, not only large, but also small financial and technology companies that are only at the very beginning of the path of mastering AI technologies receive new opportunities for piloting. It is important for them at this stage to "just try," to understand the best scenarios for using AI models, as well as to get an understanding of how the model will work in the internal contour of the organization and justify the further architectural development of its own infrastructures, - said Kirill Kuzmin, head of the piloting and prototyping department, deputy general director of the FinTech Association.

2023

Connection of MTS cloud resources

FinTech Association expanded the capabilities of the Technological Sandbox infrastructure by connecting cloudy resources. MTS The Association announced this on December 19, 2023.

The expansion of the cloud infrastructure will provide market participants with the opportunity to pilot various multi-cloud scenarios on the infrastructure of the independent platform of the FinTech Association, as well as new multi-cloud solutions provided under the SaaS model.

The FinTech Association (AFL) has included MTS cloud resources in the Technological Sandbox infrastructure to expand the capabilities of piloting solutions in the multi-cloud paradigm. Market participants will be given the opportunity to test a safe and low-risk multi-cloud environment, work out measures to reduce the negative impact of the risks of outsourcing cloud solutions, as well as new multi-cloud solutions for the financial market, provided according to the SaaS model (Software as a Service - software as a service) in a special multi-cloud infrastructure.

The FinTech Association is constantly expanding the capabilities of the Technological Sandbox to pilot financial market initiatives, as well as work out cross-industry interaction. Connecting the second "cloud" to develop the path for creating a layout of a cloud financial organization will create a unique multi-cloud infrastructure. As a result, market participants will receive industry expertise on the safe use of cloud services, as well as a convenient environment for piloting solutions that they will later be able to deploy on their infrastructure, "said Kirill Kuzmin, Deputy General Director, Head of the Piloting and Prototyping Department of the FinTech Association.

Running the sandbox

FinTech Association On May 11, 2023, it announced the launch of an industry technological sandbox to work out interaction between Russian financial market representatives, as well as cross-industry cooperation in pilot projects and joint testing of initiatives. The AFL technological sandbox was created as a component of an integrated environment in which interaction is supposed, Bank of Russia regulatory sandbox the technological sandbox of the FinTech Association, as well as local sandboxes of participants. This mechanism will speed up the process of testing industry IT solutions and bringing them to market.

The AFL technology sandbox is an equidistant and open platform that provides participants with design and development tools, as well as a flexible scalable environment for deploying high-load services.

The AFT technological sandbox is designed to ensure the effective and safe implementation of initiatives to organize and conduct pilot projects to confirm target models of digital financial products and services, improve client paths, as well as to test technological solutions and proposals for the development of information security technologies of the financial market.

{{quote "Thanks to the creation of the AFL technological sandbox, members of the Association and other market participants will be able to quickly launch pilot projects and safely test hypotheses on a new independent platform. In my opinion, this approach will allow market participants to create more innovative products and services as soon as possible, - said Maxim Grigoriev, General Director of the FinTech Association. }}

The FinTech Association's technological sandbox is planned to work closely with the Bank of Russia's regulatory sandbox to develop and test regulatory issues. Local sandboxes of participants are planned to be attracted to test highly specialized initiatives.

The launch of the AFL technological sandbox in conjunction with the local sandboxes of the Association members is a new step in creating an environment for the development of innovative fintech products. The interaction of these sandboxes with the regulatory sandbox of the Bank of Russia will create new opportunities for market participants, and will also allow the Bank of Russia to more quickly receive information about innovative solutions in the market to create additional conditions for the development of digital financial technologies, "said Kirill Pronin, Director of the Financial Technologies Department of the Bank of Russia.