Core modernisation in Gulf banks: what to sequence first

Core replacement and coexistence programmes remain the defining transformation theme for Gulf retail and corporate banks. The question is no longer whether to modernise, but how to phase migration without destabilising payments, cards, and finance close.

Institutions that succeed typically anchor on a golden customer and account model, explicit reconciliation between legacy and target ledgers, and a migration factory that produces evidence supervisors can sample—not a one-time cutover rehearsal.

Islamic windows add parameterisation and profit distribution complexity that must be designed into the target core early. Delaying Sharia logic until UAT invites expensive rework and scholar review bottlenecks.

iPrimitus recommends a product-wave approach: migrate low-risk retail liabilities first, prove parallel run metrics, then tackle corporate, treasury, and markets interfaces with the same governance rhythm.