A leading global financial services provider, our client is on a mission to empower the next generation with the "freedom to succeed." They specialize in pioneering innovative trading and investing products, built on proprietary platforms and unique concepts. With a strong focus on data integrity, security and regulatory compliance, the company is committed to delivering seamless, modern financial solutions that inspire confidence and enable financial independence.
Challenge: Navigating a fragmented data landscape
Amid rapid growth in a competitive financial market, our client identified critical challenges that were limiting operational efficiency and trust among internal stakeholders.
Data inconsistency and fragmentation: Multiple unconnected data sources led to inaccuracies and trust issues.
Disjointed BI tools: Reporting across platforms such as Power BI, QlikView and Looker was scattered, diluting insights and slowing decision-making.
Governance and security risks: A missing unified governance model posed potential compliance and audit challenges.
Financial reconciliation bottlenecks: A lack of structured SAP integration hindered regulatory adherence and financial accuracy.
The solution was clear: a resilient, unified and future-ready data ecosystem was paramount to transforming business velocity and maintaining their competitive edge.
Solution: Building an insights-driven data platform
The client partnered with Thoughtworks to lead an ambitious initiative to reimagine their data ecosystem. Together, we worked on a strategy blending scalable technologies and modern approaches to deliver high-impact results
This included:
Organized data for clarity
We built a robust Databricks Lakehouse platform that organizes data into three simple, structured layers — Bronze, Silver and Gold. This design makes data easy to access, understand and trust, ensuring it remains high quality and consistently reliable.Fast, real-time data updates
By using Confluent Cloud and Databricks, both hosted on Azure, we set up a system for near-instant data updates. This means critical operations run faster, with up-to-date information readily available.Streamlined reporting
We simplified the reporting process by using Power BI as a single, go-to tool for all analytics, bringing everything into one clear and consistent reporting framework.Reliable data without the hassle
To ensure error-free data, we integrated automated validation checks with Soda Core — an open-source engine for data quality testing. This proactive approach eliminates inaccuracies, boosts trust and improves decision-making.
Safe and compliant data
With Unity Catalog, Databricks’ security tool, we set up safeguards to protect data and meet critical governance and audit standards. Now, the data is secure and fully compliant.
This combination of tools and strategies delivered powerful, easy-to-use solutions built for performance and reliability.
Making operations smoother and clearer
In parallel, we simplified complex processes by combining data from different sources while keeping important historical records intact. We also developed a system to track key performance metrics easily and built a custom tool to streamline the reconciliation of SAP financial transactions. These improvements reduced manual work and made operations more transparent and efficient.
Impact of innovation at scale
Together, Thoughtworks and the client achieved transformational results, harnessing the power of a modern, scalable platform to deliver measurable benefits for the client’s business and its stakeholders.
Business outcomes
Faster data processing
50% improvement in speed with the power of databricks and on-demand computing.
Better data quality
Automated checks boosted accuracy and built trust in analytics.
Unified reporting
Power BI brought all teams together with one clear view of key metrics.
Stronger security
Advanced controls with Unity Catalog improved data governance and security.
Reliable financial systems
A custom SAP framework ensured smooth, error-free financial reconciliation.
Impact on customers
Increased trust in data accuracy, leading to faster decision-making.
Streamlined access to real-time, reliable business insights.
Improved regulatory compliance and financial audit readiness
Enabling the future with AI & real-time streaming
With a modern foundation in place, the client is now well positioned to enhance their capabilities by introducing AI-driven predictive analytics to improve customer service.
Expanding real-time streaming use cases and further refining the customer experience have paved the way for ongoing innovation, including the platform's extension to other business lines. For example, enhancements initially focused on the Active Trading business are now being adapted for use cases in Crypto trading, with several others planned on the roadmap.
At the heart of this project was building a modern, scalable data platform that transforms how information is accessed and utilized. By enabling seamless data integration and real-time analytics, we’ve created a foundation that empowers end users with smoother, more reliable interactions and the tools they need to achieve their goals confidently.
