As the banking landscape across Asia accelerates into 2025 and beyond, technology and operations leaders face a defining challenge: how to future-proof their institutions against an escalating spectrum of disruptions—cyberattacks, climate shocks, regulatory shifts, and volatile capital flows—while simultaneously driving innovation and growth.
For heads of operations in Asian banks, the imperative is no longer just about responding to crises. It’s about anticipating them. Resilience can no longer be a reactive afterthought or a compliance box-ticking exercise. Instead, it must be engineered into the very fabric of the operating model.
“Resilience is anticipatory, not reactive. It’s also not a checklist, but a living capability. It must also be engineered within the operating model,” says Graeme Greenaway, global head, CIB Operations & CTOO International Markets, Standard Chartered. “This is best achieved by adopting ‘Resilience by Design’, in line with global resilience standards whilst ensuring regional adaptability.”
That phrase—Resilience by Design—is more than a slogan. It’s a strategic mindset. It means architecting systems, processes, and people strategies from the outset to withstand shocks, rather than retrofitting fixes after failures occur.
In a region as diverse as Asia—where typhoons threaten data centres in the Philippines, geopolitical tensions impact capital flows in Singapore, and digital adoption surges in India and Indonesia—this principle is not optional. It’s essential.
The three pillars of predictive resilience
At the heart of this transformation lies what Greenaway describes as a predictive resilience framework, built on three interlocking pillars:
- Data-driven early warning
- Scenario-based stress testing
- Integrated response playbooks
“Deploy predictive analytics and AI anomaly detection on infrastructure, payment flows, and vendor telemetry globally,” Greenaway advises. These tools enable banks to detect subtle deviations—unusual transaction patterns, latency spikes, or third-party service degradation—before they escalate into full-blown outages.
In practice, this means leveraging real-time monitoring across core processing systems, payment switches, and cloud environments. He cites the example of AI models that can flag anomalous behaviour in automated teller machines (ATM) networks or detect early signs of cyber intrusions in data centre traffic. When combined with horizon-scanning inputs—from regulatory alerts to climate forecasts—these systems create an early-warning radar for operational risk.
But data alone isn’t enough. Banks must stress-test their readiness.
“Simulation of cyberattacks, regulatory shifts, climate disruptions—by region and function—with automated failover to alternate locations or cloud regions,” Greenaway emphasises.
These scenario-based drills go beyond traditional disaster recovery. They test not just technology, but people, processes, and partnerships.
Imagine a simulated ransomware attack on a key payment hub in Bangkok, triggering automatic rerouting of transactions through a resilient cloud region in Hyderabad, while cross-trained teams in Manila and Nairobi activate incident playbooks. This is the future of operational resilience: dynamic, decentralised, and digitally orchestrated.
And crucially, third-party vendors—often the weakest link—are no longer bystanders. “Third-party vendors should be integrated into resilience testing and demonstrate recovery capabilities,” Greenaway insists. Vendor service level agreements (SLAs) must include measurable resilience outcomes, not just uptime percentages.
Navigating the regulatory tightrope
Asia’s regulatory environment is evolving at pace. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has mandated that banks achieve full operational resilience by (May) 2026, requiring detailed mapping of critical services, impact tolerances, and recovery time objectives. Similar expectations are emerging in Singapore, India, and Thailand.
Yet compliance should not be the ceiling—it should be the floor.
“Governance should tie resilience to business outcomes, ensuring proactive adjustments to avoid disruptions that result in intolerable harm to the firm, its clients, or the market,” Greenaway notes. This means aligning resilience metrics with customer impact, revenue at risk, and reputational exposure—not just technical KPIs.
Take data sovereignty. As countries like India and Indonesia enforce strict data localisation rules, banks must balance compliance with continuity. A rigid, siloed approach risks fragmentation. A smarter strategy involves regional hubs supported by satellite centres, combining compliance with agility.
“Cloud infrastructure is tailored to local laws using encryption and data governance tools that ensure secure and compliant data handling,” Greenaway explains. This allows banks to maintain low-latency services close to clients while adhering to national regulations.
From back-office automation to frontline impact
While resilience anchors the operational foundation, innovation drives growth. And few technologies hold more promise—and risk—than Generative AI.
Many banks began their AI journey automating back-office tasks: document processing, reconciliation, reporting. But the real frontier lies in frontline transformation.
“The transformative potential of GenAI lies in its ability to enhance client outcomes, not just streamline internal operations,” Greenaway asserts.
At Standard Chartered, AI is already powering intelligent document processing to accelerate lending decisions, autonomous agents to orchestrate KYC workflows, and real-time analytics to pre-empt financial crime. These are not back-office efficiencies—they are customer-facing differentiators.
Consider credit scoring in emerging markets, where thin-file customers lack traditional banking history. By analysing alternative data—mobile usage, utility payments, supply chain activity—AI can unlock inclusive lending at scale. Similarly, hyper-personalised wealth management, driven by AI insights, is becoming a key differentiator for affluent clients across Asia.
But innovation must be responsible.
“Our people-focused approach to AI sees us governed by responsible AI principles. This ensures we mitigate potential biases and promote fairness as we scale GenAI across our business,” Greenaway says. Rigorous model governance, data minimisation, and human oversight remain non-negotiable—especially in regulated domains like compliance and risk.
A 2025 Celent study found that 69% of Asia-Pacific banks plan to launch customer-facing AI services this year. Yet only 38% have established formal AI governance frameworks. The gap is a risk—and an opportunity.
Greenaway’s message is clear: “Innovations such as intelligent document processing to expedite lending workflows, autonomous AI agents for KYC orchestration, and real-time analytics to pre-empt compliance risks help to transition AI from backend efficiency to frontline impact.”
The power of ecosystem partnerships
No bank can innovate alone. The most effective resilience and innovation strategies are co-created.
“Innovation in banking increasingly depends on collaborative ecosystems,” Greenaway observes.
“Whether it’s engaging with FinTechs and RegTechs on AI-powered ESG data verification, collaborating on tokenisation with regulators, or partnering with PayTechs on instant cross-border flows—these alliances give us early access to frontier technologies and accelerate time-to-market.” Graeme Greenaway
In India’s GIFT City, banks are piloting blockchain-based trade finance platforms with fintech partners. In Singapore, consortiums are testing CBDC interoperability for cross-border settlements. In Africa, digital wallet integrations are expanding financial inclusion through e-commerce ecosystems.
These partnerships are not just about technology—they’re about shared resilience. By co-developing solutions, banks reduce development costs, de-risk experimentation, and build scalable, interoperable platforms.
And academia plays a role too. Collaborations with research labs in AI and quantitative finance are helping banks stay ahead of emerging threats—like deepfakes in fraud or AI-driven market manipulation.
Building a future-ready workforce
Technology is only as strong as the people who operate it. As automation reshapes roles, reskilling is no longer a HR initiative—it’s a strategic necessity.
“Reskilling for AI adoption must begin with a focus on people,” Greenaway stresses. At Standard Chartered, the AI Learning Hub provides immersive, role-based training to all employees—from branch staff to compliance officers.
“We cultivate an environment where employees feel safe to experiment and learn, which is critical for embracing new technologies,” he adds. This “skills-first culture of continuous learning” empowers teams to navigate hybrid workflows, manage AI-augmented processes, and respond to novel risks like synthetic identity fraud.
Managers are trained not just to use AI tools, but to implement them responsibly—from small-scale automation to complex risk assessments. Flexible work models, built on trust, further support adaptation and engagement.
Leadership sets the tone. “By demonstrating authenticity and a willingness to learn, we create a diverse and inclusive culture that values progress and shared success,” Greenaway says.
Optimising the operational footprint
Finally, operational leaders must rethink geography. Asia’s diversity demands a nuanced footprint strategy—balancing cost, compliance, latency, and talent.
“We deploy combined regional hubs and satellite centres near client and talent clusters,” Greenaway explains. Centres of excellence in cities like Bengaluru, Ho Chi Minh City, and Kuala Lumpur attract specialised skills in AI, cybersecurity, and data engineering.
Meanwhile, latency-sensitive operations—high-frequency payments, real-time fraud detection—remain close to key markets. Cloud regions are selected not just for performance, but for regulatory alignment.
“Regular testing and transparent communication with stakeholders help us maintain a balance between efficiency, compliance, and performance as we connect our cross-border corporate, institutional and affluent clients to our global network across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond,” he adds.
Resilience as a competitive advantage
In 2025, operational resilience is no longer a cost centre. It is a strategic enabler—a foundation for trust, innovation, and growth.
As Graeme Greenaway puts it: “Resilience must be engineered within the operating model.” When done right, it allows banks to pivot within hours, not weeks; to serve clients seamlessly during crises; and to lead, not just survive, in an era of disruption.
For heads of operations in Asia, the path forward is clear: design for resilience, partner for innovation, empower your people, and lead with purpose. The future of banking isn’t just digital—it’s resiliently intelligent.
