Horizon 2030 for Banking: The Velocity Reality – Navigating Fintech Competition, with Ivan Jennings
By Ali Paterson · 22 October 2026
In brief: Ivan Jennings, Automation Platform Lead for UKI and CENE at Red Hat, says financial institutions are hampered by the legacy infrastructure their businesses were built on, with many across the UK and Ireland running on mainframes that are reliable but slower to change as cloud, Kubernetes and AI arrive. He sets out a foundational approach: start with the operating system, put an automation strategy
| Series | Horizon 2030 for Banking |
|---|---|
| Episode | The Velocity Reality: Navigating Fintech Competition |
| Speaker | Ivan Jennings, Automation Platform Lead UKI & CENE, Red Hat |
| Topic | Foundational modernisation |
Quick Summary
In this episode of Horizon 2030 for Banking from Red Hat, Ivan Jennings, Automation Platform Lead for UKI and CENE, discusses how legacy infrastructure affects the pace of change in financial institutions, and sets out a foundational approach to getting change into the market more quickly.
How Does He Describe the Legacy Challenge?
Ivan says financial institutions are hampered by the legacy infrastructure their businesses were built on, and that the rate of change, particularly with AI, has exposed some real challenges. Many institutions across the UK and Ireland are built on mainframes, which he describes as absolutely reliable and sound technology to build a business on. As the industry moves into cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes and now AI, however, he says it has proved much more challenging to get change into the market at speed.
Where Does He Suggest Starting?
His approach is foundational:
- Start with the operating system, which for Red Hat is Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- Put a good automation strategy in place to support it and other activities such as deploying code and provisioning infrastructure.
- Then look to containerise existing applications.
What Outcome Does He Describe?
Following that path, he says, will transform the business, allowing code, applications and business functionality to reach the market much more quickly, and to do so in a safe and reliable fashion.
Find Out More
Read Red Hat's e-book: Digital banking has only just begun
Watch every episode of Horizon 2030 for Banking from Red Hat on FF News, starting with the series trailer.
Frequently asked questions
What legacy challenge does Ivan Jennings describe for UK and Irish banks?
Many are built on mainframes, which he describes as reliable, but which make it harder to get change into the market quickly as cloud, Kubernetes and AI arrive.
What foundational approach does he suggest?
Start with the operating system, in Red Hat's case Red Hat Enterprise Linux, put an automation strategy in place for deployment and provisioning, then containerise existing applications.
What outcome does he expect from this approach?
Getting code, applications and business functionality to market much more quickly, in a safe and reliable way.