Case Study
Building a Scalable Fast Data Platform to Expand Digital Financial Services
Despite housing a vast data lake, DBS had no straightforward way to transform, filter, or operationalize that information for business use. The bank therefore needed a unified data platform to collect, normalize, and activate data from its many sources – laying the foundation for simplified operations, faster innovation, and sustainable growth.
Operating across multiple countries, DBS faced growing complexity in managing its digital banking systems. Each region’s services were shaped by different regulatory needs and built on varied legacy infrastructures, leading to data fragmentation and inconsistencies across platforms.
These disconnected systems created operational inefficiencies, limited scalability, and slowed down the rollout of new digital services. As demand surged, the bank struggled to keep pace while maintaining a high standard of service across all markets.
Approach
Grape Up went a step further by layering a serverless Function-as-a-Service platform on top of the existing data lake, enabling teams to invoke lightweight functions for data extraction, transformation and filtering on demand.
The platform was designed to be highly configurable, enabling DBS to manage its data flow efficiently and adjust to varying usage demands without delays or rework.
Grape Up deployed an experienced team to work directly on-site with DBS. The close collaboration allowed both teams to align on priorities, iterate quickly, and apply agile methodologies to adapt to evolving business needs.
Outcome
DBS now operates with a modern data platform that supports scalable growth and rapid innovation. Thanks to the unified data model and API structure, the bank can introduce new services faster and expand into new markets without being slowed down by legacy constraints.
The data platform empowers DBS to deliver a uniform digital experience, strengthening its brand and deepening customer trust across Southeast Asia. It also enables developers to work more efficiently, focusing on feature development rather than backend integration challenges.
This foundation not only accelerates product rollouts but also reduces long-term costs, making DBS more agile, competitive, and ready to lead in the evolving digital banking landscape.