finassociates

Banking transformation.
Delivered.

London |Sydney |Dhaka

The firm

We advise banks through the changes that define them — replacing core platforms, building Islamic banking propositions, integrating mergers and delivering digital at scale. Every engagement is led by partners who ran these programmes inside banks before advising on them.

Five practices

Expertise

01 Core banking transformation Selection, replacement and modernisation of core banking platforms — from business case to cutover. 02 Islamic banking Design and launch of Shariah-compliant banks, windows and products across established and emerging markets. 03 Mergers & integration Banking mergers, acquisitions and separations — operating model, systems and customer migration. 04 Digital banking New digital banks and channel rebuilds, engineered for regulatory approval and scale from day one. 05 Large-scale change delivery Programme leadership and delivery assurance for the transformations boards cannot afford to miss.

Approach

Senior people only

Every engagement is led and staffed by practitioners who have delivered banking change themselves — no leverage model, no learning on your time.

Delivery, not decks

We stay through execution. Our advice is shaped by accountability for the outcome, not the recommendation.

Discretion as standard

We work quietly, at board level, on matters that are commercially sensitive by nature. Our references are private for a reason.

Bankers first, consultants second

Partners

Partner portrait

Dean Gillespie

Founding Partner

Chief Executive Officer, banking

All partners

Offices

London

Europe & Middle East

Advisory to established institutions on core modernisation, Islamic windows and regulatory-driven change.

Sydney

Asia Pacific

Transformation and merger integration for banks and mutuals across Australia and the Pacific.

Dhaka

South Asia

Core banking and digital programmes for one of the world's fastest-growing banking markets.

Insights

2026-08-01 Why cost programs unwind by year three The savings are usually real. The problem is that the work was removed without the demand for it being removed. 2026-07-24 Risk appetite statements that actually constrain Most describe the risk a firm is already taking. Very few would stop a decision the executive wanted to make. 2026-07-10 What supervision actually changes Regulatory attention reliably produces reporting. Whether it produces different behaviour depends on things that are decided early.