Information technologies at the Moscow Credit Bank (MKB)
The article is devoted to the history of IT development at the Moscow Credit Bank.2023
ICD launched a data directory
To support data management processes, Credit Bank of Moscow (MKB) launched a data catalog. The implementation will optimize the bank's work with data, as well as speed up the development and implementation of new services for customers. The bank announced this on September 7, 2023.
The data catalog is a single reliable source of information about all bank data.
The data catalog is already connected to the top 8 systems, which contain about 80% of the most demanded data by users. The plan is to connect the data catalog to other information systems, as well as integrate with the Data Quality (DQ) platform. This will allow any user who works with the data to quickly find, interpret them correctly, and also get information about their quality, "said Alexander Dorofeev, Director of the ICD Data Management Department. |
Earlier, the ICD launched the Data Quality platform. The processes implemented within Data Quality allow you to track potential errors with sufficient frequency to detect them before they cause problems. The quality and accuracy of the data allows you to improve the efficiency of the bank, as well as improve customer experience.
Finalizing the Rocket.Chat messenger
Moscow Credit Bank (MKB) sent Pull Request for corporate, messenger Rocket.Chat opening public access to IT the community to the revised mobile version. This was bank announced on August 18, 2023. More. here
2022
About 70% of ICD business systems by the end of the year were already working on Russian solutions
The Information Technology Directorate of the Moscow Credit Bank summed up the results of 2022. The company managed not only to retain IT specialists and replace most of the software from Western manufacturers, but also to significantly improve client service and security systems. The bank announced this on March 21, 2023.
One of the main achievements was to ensure the uninterrupted operation of all services, despite the massive departure of Western vendors and platforms, regular hacker attacks - the availability of the bank's business systems by the end of the year amounted to 99.86%. In a short time, it was possible to establish an update - iOSapplications without use. App Store
By the end of 2022, about 70% of business systems were already running on the Russian solutions. The introduction of another corporate was launched, the data stores transition to which is scheduled for 2023. Its launch will not only eliminate potential problems with access to, ON but will also increase the extraction speed by 2.5 times. data
The improvements affected both the bank's user services and the technical base. A line of ATMs appeared in the branches, and due to the modernization of network equipment, it was possible to 5 times increase the performance of the Internet segment and the security of systems, in particular, protection against DDoS attacks.
Despite the changing dynamics in the labor market, the bank managed to increase the staff of IT specialists by 37.2% compared to 2021. At the end of 2022, the ICD entered the Khabr Career profile rating as one of the best places of work. The company's satisfaction index among employees rose by a quarter over the year.
Despite the challenges, the ICD did not abandon its ESG principles and continued to work on the implementation of more environmentally friendly solutions. This made it possible to reduce the number of printed sheets per banking transaction by 21%.
{{quote "It was a difficult year for the entire IT industry, but the ICD technology team passed all the tests with honor. We kept the team and increased it, in conditions of turbulence we increased the availability of business applications and the satisfaction of internal users, launched a global restructuring of the product creation process, putting the client and his needs at the center, became one of the market leaders in import substitution management. The business and customer base of the ICD is growing, and we have prepared a technological platform for the next breakthrough, "said Sergey Putyatinsky, Deputy Chairman of the ICD Board. }}
This IT strategy of the bank involves a balance between development, stability and import substitution. In 2023, the ICD plans to continue the transition to Russian software, as well as introduce technologies for training artificial intelligence in terms of video and speech analytics. It is expected to launch heat maps and customer tracks in departments, as well as new emotional voice models of virtual assistants.
"Moscow Credit Bank" figured out how to manage risks in digitalization
Sanctions - a hindrance to digitalization or an incentive? The Moscow Credit Bank, which fell under American and European sanctions in 2022, has already accumulated enough experience to answer this question. Deputy Chairman of the Board of Moscow Credit Bank Sergei Putyatinsky, speaking at the TAdviser SummIT conference on November 29, shared his approach to risk management and technological stack in the new conditions.
The top manager noted that the bank carries risks associated not only with imported technologies, but also with Russian ones, because some of the Russian players also left the market. And import substitution is not always applicable to foreign technologies, sometimes they are replaced by others, but also imported ones.
Moscow Credit Bank applies a risk-oriented approach: the RCSA matrix, a standard operational risk management matrix, is used for the entire register of technologies used in the bank - both paid and free. An analysis of all technologies was carried out in relation to business processes and the impact on individual business areas, and a weighted matrix was obtained, which shows which technologies and systems have a greater risk.
In terms of risk management, the bank assesses how sustainable the technology is. For example, it has been working for many years, it can work without patches, in Russia there are competencies for its maintenance. And, despite the fact that it needs to be changed, it can still use a significant amount of time. And there are technologies consumed by the subscription model, where the subscription ended, and it cannot be extended. Accordingly, these technologies need to be changed as quickly as possible. Therefore, the strategy is somewhere taking risk, somewhere replacing, and somewhere optimizing, when there are local competencies that the technology can accompany.
A behavior strategy has been created for all risks that have been identified. This is the great meticulous work of most technical competence centers in the bank. It is very important not to miss anything.
The bank has created a heat risk map that reflects the current issues, which is good because it is understandable to senior management. This card is actively used in internal work and in communication with the level of the board of directors. Everything that is in the upper red zone - these risks need to be dealt with. For 10-15 items contained there, specific steps are defined: where solutions will be replaced by others, where extended support from local providers will be purchased, etc.
The yellow zone is something that now does not "shoot," "shoot" in some medium or long term period. As a result, 87 technologies in the bank will be replaced by domestic ones, 22 will be replaced by others, but also imported ones, because at the moment there are no analogues among Russian solutions, and 18 are not planned to be changed yet.
In terms of business processes, the greatest risks in terms of infrastructure and corporate general software, and the minimum impact on the middle office and integration things.
The Moscow Credit Bank has formed for itself a vision of what an import-substituted stack of technologies should look like - both software to the level of application software and hardware.
Sergey Putyatinsky noted that the main risks are in the field of hardware, system software, virtualization systems. There are already some domestic solutions, but they are not massively tested and, "with deep respect for these providers, they played the role of niche players who worked mainly for the state, but they are not ready for the whole market to come to them."
And at the level of application software - at the level where digitalization occurs, associated with improving customer experience and service, everything is fine with technologies, said the deputy chairman of the board of Moscow Credit Bank. Moreover, the bank itself creates most of these technologies.
Now the bank is working to assemble a fully software and hardware complex up to a virtualized environment and system software based on the technologies contained in the registry. It is designed for bank activities related to digitalization at the level of application software and client services.
But even if this complex is assembled, there will still be many "childhood diseases" at the level of system software, hardware and firmware that will be "treated" during the mass exploitation of these solutions by the market, says Sergei Putyatinsky.
Summit Photo Gallery
О TAdviser SummIT
The TAdviser SummIT conference, held on November 29, 2022, became one of the largest in the history of its holding: in total, more than 1,000 delegates attended the event. Also at the exhibition within the framework of the summit, the most extensive exhibition of IT solutions in the history of the event was presented: suppliers of products and services deployed more than 40 stands. The conference was attended by the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev, who answered the acute questions of the IT industry. In total, about 90 reports were presented in the plenary part and five parallel sectoral sessions.
OneDayOffer in ICD: active search for software developers
Is it possible to hire the best IT specialists in one day? Now that the competition for mids and seniors is huge, the market has come up with a convenient format - OneDayOffer. The candidate is carried out at all stages of the interview in one day, and if a match happened, they are invited to work. This hiring format has become popular in the last couple of years in top IT companies in Russia, and we decided to test its effectiveness in the ICD. Read more here.
Opening of ML/AI Expertise Center
Moscow Credit Bank (MKB) opened its own examination center for machine learning (ML) and (artificial intelligence AI). This is done to provide better customer service: reduce service time and improve products and services bank by better understanding the needs and wishes of customers. The bank announced this on January 12, 2022.
ICD began introducing ML/AI technologies more than 10 years ago. Initially, they were used to assess borrowers, calculate risks and other tasks of the retail business. In recent years, the demand for such technologies has grown in other business areas of the bank: corporate, investment, infrastructure, in connection with which it was decided to create a center of expertise on ML/AI.
One of the main tasks of the center will be the popularization of ML/AI technologies, increasing their availability for the work of all divisions of the bank. Any ICD employee will be able to master the tools and techniques used in the center, gain practical experience in finding and testing interesting hypotheses, as well as, if desired, retrain as specialists in the field of ML/AI.
The immediate plans of our center include solving the problems of predictive analytics in the context of those products and behavioral scenarios that have not yet been covered by the implemented models. We are also preparing to launch a widely available internal infrastructure with full support for ML Ops, implement specific projects, for example, on the basis of "digital vision," machine-generated source code and others, - said ICD Chief information officer Vitaly Trepykhalin. |
2021: Appointment of Andrey Makarov as First Vice President for Digitalization
Andrei Makarov has been appointed First Vice President for Digitalization and Innovation of the Moscow Credit Bank (MKB). The bank announced this to TAdviser on September 30, 2021. Read more here.
2020: Sending advertising SMS to customers at ATMs
In December 2020, it became known that banks in Russia began to send advertising SMS messages to customers at ATMs. To do this, credit institutions have introduced new CRM systems. Such a system is already piloted in ten departments of the ICD. Read more here.
2019
Deputy Chairman of the Board of ICD Sergey Putyatinsky at TAdviser SummIT - about three key components of digital transformation in banks
Speaking at the TAdviser SummIT conference on November 27, 2019, Sergei Putyatinsky, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Credit Bank of Moscow (MKB), told the participants about the key components of the digital transformation of large banking structures. He highlighted three key areas and explained why the main requirement for these transformations should be the slogan "Without fanaticism!"
Transforming Corporate Culture
For banking structures working primarily with people and data, the task of transforming corporate culture becomes a priority.
In technological companies, which include banks, not only IT specialists work, but also lawyers and other specialists who also understand technology, "said Sergei Putyatinsky. - If their level of understanding of digital technologies is insufficient, there is no need to fight with them, they must be taught. |
He gave a case in point that clearly demonstrates how difficult it is to make changes in the mentality of employees who require digital transformation: simple enough, from the point of view of IT. The operation of buying a cloud service Amazon is a shock for the classic departments of the company: it is impossible to sign an NDA, Amazon is unable to bill, etc.
I had to work with internal services to find a solution that suits everyone, "Putyatinsky said. - Another example: together with external startups, we completed several pilot projects, but we cannot conclude an agreement based on their results, since some regulations require a competition and the choice of an executor with a minimum offer price. |
What looks absurd for a person from the IT world may well turn out to be the norm for another department, the ICD representative summed up.
These beautiful people need to be trained, brought to relevant conferences, etc. At the same time, I note vindictively: the increasing automation of processes leads to an increase in the share of IT specialists in the company's staff, - Sergey Putyatinsky shared his observations. |
However, according to the expert, the observed trend has a "flip side of the coin":
IT specialists, of course, work more efficiently. But among them are their hotheads - evangelicals of various kinds. Their presence in the state also needs to be controlled so that at one point they do not find around themselves, instead of good "waterfall" engineers, a crowd of energetic "evangelists" expressing themselves with slogans from the Internet, with the size of PHY, which has doubled and without any business benefit. |
One of the essential elements of the bank's digital transformation involves finding an answer to the question: what to do with long-established and working legacy systems? This is a pain point for the bank. Often these systems do not risk touching, so as not to accidentally disrupt their performance, Sergey Putyatinsky explained.
As IT systems develop, they are surrounded by special services, and over time the entire structure turns into a rigid monolithic structure with a core that resists the necessary changes, says the deputy chairman of the board. |
The expert cited an example of a large foreign company that has been working in such a paradigm for decades: the core of the IT system was written in FORTRAN in the 80s of the last century, and young IT specialists who come to work in this respected company are first sent to FORTRAN training.
Sergei Putyatinsky is confident that a balanced approach is needed with regard to legacy systems: to transform or replace them until the replacement problem has acquired an unbearable financial scale.
Management Transformation
Sergei Putyatinsky adheres to the popular idea of openness and interpenetration of business areas and IT. It is implemented in the ICD through the creation of cross-functional competence centers, the use of outsourcing and the mechanism of temporary working teams.
This is not SCRUM, but a new version of the matrix control structure, more flexible, "emphasizes Sergey Putyatinsky. |
Transforming Funding Approaches
IT is expensive now, and will be even more expensive. In these conditions, it is necessary to reform traditional approaches to IT financing, - said Sergey Putyatinsky, proposing a solution. - The traditional classification of the IT budget for PHY (remuneration fund )/SAREH/WALNUT does not imply a connection with business. It is necessary to change the idea of IT as an exclusively expenditure part of the budget, because IT is engaged in creating new value for business. It is necessary to look at IT services for business as investments and evaluate them in terms of business returns. |
It is proposed to detail the IT budget in three areas: support for current business processes (Run), development of IT in the interests of business (Grow) and the costs of transformation necessary to ensure development (Transform).
In this classification, the traditional PHY/SAREH/WALNUT triad will be replaced by a new one, which includes the "Value Creation for Business" section, the mandatory expenses section, as well as a certain intermediate section in which tasks with not very clear consequences for business are found. Such a "traffic light," according to Sergei Putyatinsky, will make the problem of allocating funding for IT areas much easier and more effective.
What is definitely valuable to business needs to be stimulated. Mandatory costs strive to minimize. Well, with everything else - to understand more carefully, of course, from the point of view of significance for business, - stressed the deputy chairman of the board. |
О TAdviser SummIT
TAdviser SummIT was held in Moscow on November 27, 2019 and attracted more than 700 participants - heads and experts of IT divisions of the largest companies and government departments of Russia, representatives of IT developers and contractors. During the event, the prospects for digital transformation of business and government agencies, the development of technologies, products and services were discussed. The conference was supported by the Ministry of Digital Development. It was attended by the head of the department Konstantin Noskov, who, during an open discussion, summed up the first results of the Digital Economy national program. In total, about 60 reports were made in the plenary part and five thematic sections. The event was held in 5 halls of Radisson Blu Olympiyskiy.
Transformation of IT organizational structure. ICD experience
From the presentation "The role and function of HR in the implementation of the IT transformation of the bank and corporate culture. Experience of MKB "Efremova Alena Andreevna, HR Director of MKB. November, 2019
Connection to the international interbank blockchain network Interbank Information Network
In December 2019, ICD completed its connection to the international interbank blockchain network Interbank Information Network (IIN), organized by one of the largest American banking groups JP Morgan. This network was created on the basis of Quorum technology. It provides a new service standard for the exchange of information on customers and payments.
The ICD notes that connecting to the IIN network gives the bank a number of advantages in the field of interbank and client payments. In particular, the platform allows you to increase the speed of information exchange, as well as simplify payment routes. The exchange of information between network members from all over the world, the number of which today has exceeded 360, takes place in real time. Participation in the IIN project will allow ICD to reduce costs in the field of processing and making payments and improve the quality of service provided to customers, the bank says.
Interview with Sergei Putyatinsky TAdviser
In March 2019, in an interview with TAdviser, Sergei Putyatinsky told how the strategy and organization of the IT division's work changed with his arrival at the bank, and what challenges ICD faces in the course of digital transformation.
New Chief information officer - Sergey Putyatinsky
In January 2019, Sergei Putyatinsky was appointed to the post of deputy chairman of the board at the ICD, who headed the IT direction. Prior to that, since October 2018, he worked as an adviser to the first deputy chairman of the ICD board with similar functions. Earlier, the IT Directorate at the ICD was headed by Anton Suvorov as vice president. He left the bank in December 2018. Read more here.
ICD IT Project Base
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