Backbase, creator of the world’s first AI-native Banking OS, and Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced a strategic partnership to jointly support financial institutions accelerating their AI-driven transformation programs across international markets including Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Portugal, Spain, Southeast Europe, Switzerland, and Turkey.

The agreement creates a structured framework for the two companies to work together across opportunity development, delivery, training, and go-to-market. Banks in these markets face a sharp tension between the pace of AI adoption and the need to maintain data control, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience - this partnership addresses that directly.

Under the agreement, Backbase and Atos will combine the Backbase AI-native Banking OS with Atos' expertise in systems integration, sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and large-scale services delivery - helping financial institutions modernize their banking platforms faster, without sacrificing governance or sovereign control over their data and operations.

The collaboration covers the full delivery lifecycle - from joint solution design and professional services through to training and co-selling in key markets. Both companies will focus on banks looking to unify their frontline operations, improve customer journeys across the full lifecycle, and move beyond fragmented, legacy architecture toward a single operating model.

Ricardo Ribelles, Global VP Partnerships and Alliances, Backbase, said: "Atos brings the sovereign cloud infrastructure, integration depth, and regional reach that banks in these markets need. Together we close the gap between a bank's AI ambitions and the reality of running those capabilities at scale - inside a governed, compliant architecture that meets local data sovereignty requirements."

Daniele Principato, Head of International Markets, Atos, said: "Across our markets - from Asia Pacific to Middle East, Europe and Africa - financial institutions are under real pressure to innovate with AI without losing control over their data or regulatory standing. This partnership gives them a clear path: AI-native banking modernization that is secure and built for the compliance realities of their specific markets."