Swiss AMF AG Unveils Strategic Framework for Evaluating Banking Software Vendors

Swiss AMF AG has introduced a comprehensive framework designed to help fintech professionals evaluate banking software vendors beyond surface-level features. This strategic shift from checklist-based procurement to a focus on long-term software rights and integration flexibility is critical for ensuring operational independence and managing the total cost of ownership in an increasingly complex regulatory market.

What was announced

Swiss AMF AG has introduced a comprehensive framework to assist businesses in evaluating banking software vendors, emphasizing that long-term software rights and operational flexibility are as important as front-end features. The framework is structured around four critical evaluation areas that go beyond the standard feature checklist. First, it advises buyers to map end-to-end operating workflows—including customer and business onboarding, ledger management, payment instructions, and compliance reviews—to ensure the software supports the entire business process, including exceptions and internal oversight. Second, it highlights the importance of identifying external service dependencies. SAMFCore provides the modular software and integration framework, but allows customers to independently select and evaluate their own providers for banking, payments, card issuing, KYC/KYB, and AML screening.

Third, the framework calls for a detailed review of licensing agreements to ensure long-term viability. SAMFCore offers both annual and perpetual models; under the perpetual license, customers gain permanent contractual usage rights within the licensed scope without an ongoing subscription. For firms requiring total technical independence, the company makes full source code available in separate packages, though the underlying intellectual property is not transferred. Finally, the framework stresses the need to test implementation and migration assumptions, such as data availability, security requirements, and existing provider contracts, to avoid unforeseen costs. This modular approach is designed to give businesses more control over their total cost of ownership. More information on this technical model is available at samfcore.com/why-samfcore, where businesses can also request demonstrations for specific use cases.

"A platform’s account and payment screens matter, but a buyer also needs to understand its long-term software rights, the freedom to select external providers and how the system will operate after launch."

Swiss AMF AG

The companies involved

Swiss AMF AG, the developer of the SAMFCore platform, is a provider of modular financial services software designed for the modern fintech landscape. The company’s core product, SAMFCore, is built to combine fiat accounts, payments, cards, digital assets, and administration into a single modular environment, allowing businesses to maintain a high degree of control over their technical infrastructure. According to context data, Swiss AMF AG is associated with Swiss AI AG, a firm that operates the website swissai.com. While the source release focuses on the practicalities of software evaluation, the company’s broader market position is defined by its departure from the standard Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. By offering perpetual licenses and the option for full source code access, Swiss AMF AG targets financial institutions and fintech enterprises that prioritize long-term technical independence and the ability to manage their own software assets without being tied to a specific vendor's roadmap. This positioning places the firm in a niche of the core banking market that values technical sovereignty, particularly for companies that need to integrate diverse third-party providers for compliance and custody. The company emphasizes that while it provides the framework, the selection of regulated service providers remains a distinct and critical choice for the customer.

What this means

The framework introduced by Swiss AMF AG signals a shift in the power dynamic between fintechs and their software vendors. For too long, the industry has been dominated by "black box" solutions where the client has little control over the underlying code or the choice of third-party providers. By advocating for perpetual licenses and source code availability, Swiss AMF AG is highlighting a growing demand for technical sovereignty. This moves the needle by forcing other core banking providers to justify their subscription-heavy models and restrictive integration paths. It raises a critical question for the sector: as fintechs scale, will they continue to accept the risks of vendor lock-in, or will they demand the level of independence that modular, source-available platforms provide?