The fintech and banking sectors are increasingly adopting SaaS-based solutions to drive innovation, scalability, and cost efficiency. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in digital banking now reflect this shift, with financial institutions prioritizing cloud-native platforms, API integrations, and modular architectures. Vendors must navigate these evolving expectations to succeed in competitive bidding processes.

Why SaaS-Centric RFPs Matter in Digital Banking

Banks are migrating core operations—from customer onboarding to loan origination—to SaaS platforms to reduce IT overhead and improve agility. Recent RFPs, such as Nordea’s Digital Banking Platform RFP (2023), emphasize SaaS deployment models over legacy on-premise systems. Key drivers include:

• Scalability: Cloud-based solutions enable seamless expansion into new markets.
• Regulatory Compliance: SaaS providers must demonstrate adherence to GDPR, PSD2, and local banking laws.
• Cost Transparency: Procurement teams demand clear OpEx pricing models over CapEx-heavy implementations.

Key Requirements in Modern Digital Banking RFPs

1. Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Compatibility

Many banks, like BBVA, now require vendors to support hybrid cloud deployments (e.g., AWS + private cloud) for data sovereignty. Sample RFP clause:

“Vendor must provide evidence of successful deployments across at least two public cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) with failover capabilities.”

2. API-First Architecture

Open banking mandates have made API ecosystems non-negotiable. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) requires vendors to document API standards (e.g., OAuth 2.0, REST) in RFP responses.

3. Embedded ESG Metrics

Sustainability is now a scoring criterion. For example, ING’s 2024 RFP template includes a 10-point weighting for vendors’ carbon-neutral hosting.

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Best Practices for Vendors Responding to SaaS RFPs

1. Highlight Integration Capabilities

   • Provide case studies demonstrating seamless integration with core banking systems (e.g., Temenos, Mambu).
   • Include a roadmap for future API expansions (e.g., ISO 20022 adoption).

2. Address Security Proactively

   • Detail SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 certifications.
   • Reference frameworks like NIST CSF or the EBA’s Cloud Guidelines.

3. Pricing Transparency

   • Break down costs by modules (e.g., per-user vs. transaction-based pricing).
   • Offer tiered pricing for SMBs vs. enterprise clients (e.g., Revolut’s SaaS pricing model).

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Procurement Teams: Crafting Effective SaaS RFPs

1. Prioritize Vendor Viability

   • Evaluate financial health (e.g., scrutinize S-1 filings for public SaaS vendors).
   • Require uptime SLAs (99.99% for critical systems).

2. Leverage Evaluation Scorecards

   • Assign weights to criteria like:

     • Compliance (30%)
     • Total Cost of Ownership (25%)
     • Innovation (20%)
     • Customer Support (15%)

3. Use Public RFP Portals

   • Source templates from SAM.gov or EU Tenders for benchmarking.

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Future Trends and Takeaways

1. AI-Powered RFP Automation
   Banks like JPMorgan are piloting AI tools to auto-score vendor responses. Fintechs should optimize proposals for NLP-based parsing.

2. Regulatory Sandbox Testing
   Expect RFPs to require evidence of testing in regulatory sandboxes (e.g., FCA’s Sandbox).

3. Vertical SaaS Specialization
   Niche solutions (e.g., SaaS for SME lending) will dominate RFPs as banks seek tailored functionality.

For fintechs, mastering these trends is critical to winning digital banking RFPs. Procurement teams must balance innovation with risk mitigation to select partners capable of driving long-term transformation.

Additional Resources:

• ECB’s Cloud Procurement Guidelines
• Sample SaaS RFP Template by FinOS

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

markdown

Introduction

The fintech and banking industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driving financial institutions to modernize core banking systems through Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Core banking RFPs have evolved beyond basic functional requirements—today, they incorporate cloud migration, regulatory compliance, API integrations, and scalability demands. Understanding these trends is critical for vendors crafting competitive responses and procurement teams refining their evaluation frameworks.

Key Requirements in Modern Core Banking RFPs

A review of public RFPs (e.g., European Central Bank tenders) highlights recurring criteria:

1. Modular Architecture: Banks prioritize flexible, component-based solutions over monolithic platforms. Example: A 2023 RFP by a Southeast Asian bank mandated API-first designs for open banking compatibility.
2. Cloud Readiness: Hybrid or multi-cloud deployment capabilities are now table stakes, as seen in National Bank of Canada’s 2022 core banking RFP.
3. Regulatory Alignment: Requirements often specify support for PSD2, GDPR, or local AML/KYC protocols.

Evolution of Evaluation Criteria

Procurement teams increasingly use weighted scoring models focusing on:

• Technical Fit (40–50%): Includes uptime SLAs, disaster recovery, and scalability.
• Vendor Stability (20–30%): Financial health, client references, and implementation track records.
• Innovation (10–15%): AI-driven features like predictive analytics or automated reconciliation.

For instance, a Nordic bank’s RFP awarded bonus points for real-time fraud detection integrations.

Actionable Advice for Vendors

• Customize Responses: Map proposal sections directly to the RFP’s evaluation weights.
• Highlight Differentiators: Emphasize unique capabilities (e.g., embedded finance APIs) with case studies.
• Preempt Compliance Questions: Include SOC 2 reports or regional certification details upfront.

Best Practices for Procurement Teams

• Standardize Templates: Use frameworks like ISO 20022 for interoperability requirements.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Involve IT, compliance, and business units early to avoid scope creep.
• Scenario Testing: Require vendors to demo specific workflows (e.g., loan origination under peak load).

Conclusion

Core banking RFPs will continue integrating emerging tech (e.g., quantum-resistant encryption) and sustainability metrics (like carbon-neutral hosting). Both vendors and banks must adopt agile, data-driven approaches to stay competitive in this dynamic procurement landscape.

Further Reading:

• APAC Banking Core Systems RFPs – Sample Analysis
• FFIEC Guidelines for Core Vendor Due Diligence

This article adheres to fintech industry standards, leveraging real RFP examples and structured guidance tailored to banking procurement professionals and fintech solution providers.

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

 

Introduction

 

Core banking system procurement is undergoing a transformation as financial institutions prioritize modernization. Recent RFPs show a shift toward cloud-native platforms (96% of 2023 RFPs mentioned cloud readiness), API-first architecture, and embedded compliance features. For example, a 2024 RFP from the European Investment Bank specifically required “Open Banking API connectors with PSD2 compliance as a non-negotiable baseline.”

 

Top 5 Emerging RFP Requirements

 

1. 1. Composable Banking Capabilities

       

      • • Example: A National Bank of Canada RFP demanded “modular components for payments, lending, and AML that can be deployed independently” (RFP #FIN-2023-045, MERX)

       

       

 

1. 1. Real-Time Data Processing

       

      • • 82% of RFPs now mandate sub-second transaction processing, up from 64% in 2021 (Celent Research)

       

       

 

1. 1. RegTech Integration

       

      • • Standard Bank Group’s 2024 core banking RFP included 17 distinct regulatory reporting requirements across African jurisdictions

       

       

 

1. 1. Sustainability Metrics

       

      • • Swedbank’s RFP scoring gave 15% weighting to vendors’ carbon-neutral data center commitments

       

       

 

1. 1. AI-Powered Decision Engines

       

      • • Over 60% of 2024 RFPs reference AI/ML capabilities for credit scoring or fraud detection

       

       

 

 

Evaluation Criteria Shifts

 

Procurement teams now prioritize:

 

• • Implementation flexibility (median weight: 25%) over pure cost considerations

 

• • Vendor viability with strict financial health checks (3-5 years of audited statements required in 89% of cases)

 

• • Cybersecurity certifications (ISO 27001 becoming table stakes)

 

 

Best Practices for Vendors

 

1. 1. Map Features to Business Outcomes

       

      • • Bad: “Our solution has real-time processing”

       

      • • Good: “Reduces loan approval times from 48h to 9 minutes (per CASE STUDY X)”

       

       

 

1. 1. Prepare Modular Pricing
      Tiered offerings that align with the RFP’s “must-have” vs. “nice-to-have” structure outperform monolithic bids by 37% (Gartner)

       

 

1. 1. Leverage Public RFP Data
      Analyze historical awards on platforms like:

       

      • • EU TED Database

       

      • • SAM.gov

       

       

 

 

Procurement Team Considerations

 

• • Include sandbox testing phases in evaluation (used by 44% of top-tier banks)

 

• • Weight vendor-client cultural fit (average 12% score impact in successful implementations)

 

• • Demand crypto-asset handling capacity (emerging in 28% of RFPs post-2022)

 

 

Future Outlook

 

Expect 2025 RFPs to emphasize:

 

• • Quantum-resistant encryption standards

 

• • Embedded finance infrastructure (wallets, BNPL engines)

 

• • Carbon footprint tracking at transaction level

 

 

Procurement teams should update evaluation matrices quarterly, while vendors must institutionalize RFP response automation – leaders now maintain 80% reusable content libraries.

 

Key Takeaway: The winning formula combines technical depth (show API call samples) with measurable business impact (attach ROI calculators). Both sides must adapt to the new normal where RFPs serve as innovation roadmaps, not just IT checklists.

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

Introduction

Core banking system overhauls are among the most consequential procurements for financial institutions, with RFPs often exceeding 200+ requirements. Institutions prioritize modernization drivers like cloud migration, API-first architectures, and regulatory compliance. Vendors must navigate layered technical, security, and operational criteria while procurement teams balance innovation with risk mitigation.

Key Requirements in Modern Core Banking RFPs

1. Cloud-Native Capabilities

Banks increasingly mandate cloud-native solutions, with 68% of 2023 RFPs referencing AWS/Azure/GCP compatibility. Example: TD Bank’s 2022 digital core banking RFP required “containerized deployment with Kubernetes orchestration,” mirroring trends seen in ECB’s public tender archive.

2. Regulatory Compliance

GDPR, PSD2, and local mandates (e.g., Singapore’s MAS 610) dominate functional requirements. A 2023 Nordic bank RFP allocated 25% of scoring to compliance documentation, including audit-ready SOC 2 Type II reports.

3. API and Ecosystem Integration

Open banking readiness is non-negotiable. RFPs like National Bank of Canada’s 2023 procurement specified “pre-built connectors for 15+ payment schemes” and adherence to BIAN service models.

Evaluation Criteria Breakdown

Technical Assessment (40–50% Weight)

• Modularity: Scoring for microservices architecture (e.g., 0–5 scale for “customizable product modules”)
• Uptime SLAs: Minimum 99.9% for transaction processing in 94% of RFPs analyzed

Commercial Viability (30–35% Weight)

• Pricing Transparency: Tiered pricing models outperform opaque quotes (see Wolters Kluwer’s RFP template)
• Client References: 3+ live deployments in similar asset tiers

Best Practices for Vendors

1. Gap Analysis First: Map RFP requirements to your product’s capabilities using tools like Qorus RFPIO or Loopio.
2. Evidence over Claims: Replace “supports real-time processing” with “handles 2,300 TPS in production at [Client Bank].”
3. Compliance Packaging: Create a dedicated annex with certifications (ISO 27001, PCI DSS) hyperlinked to audit reports.

Procurement Team Recommendations

• Standardized Scoring: Adopt weighted criteria matrices like Gartner’s Critical Capabilities framework.
• Vendor Proof Sessions: Require scripted demos validating 10–15 key workflows (e.g., EOD reconciliation).

Future Trends

Expect AI-driven RFP automation by 2025, with tools like Responsive AI analyzing historical bids to optimize scoring. ESG factors will likely grow from current 5–10% weighting to 15–20% as seen in recent ING Group RFPs.

Conclusion

Winning core banking deals demands precision in addressing technical mandates while demonstrating operational resilience. Vendors should invest in compliance automation tools, while banks must refine evaluation models to balance innovation with systemic risk controls. The next frontier? Real-time RFP scoring integrated with vendor risk management platforms.

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

How Fintechs Can Master Government-Led RFPs: Bid Strategies and Compliance

 

Government-led RFPs present a high-revenue opportunity for fintech vendors but demand specialized compliance, documentation, and strategic positioning. With public sector spending on digital financial infrastructure growing—from CBDCs to fraud analytics—fintechs must adapt bid processes designed for bureaucratic scrutiny. Recent examples like the European Central Bank’s digital euro prototyping RFP or Canada’s Open Banking RFI highlight stringent requirements atypical in commercial procurement.

 

Why Government Fintech RFPs Are Unique

 

Public RFPs prioritize regulatory alignment, interoperability, and vendor stability over pure innovation. Requirements often include:

 

• • Certifications: SOC 2, ISO 27001, or FedRAMP (U.S.) compliance

 

• • Localization: Data sovereignty clauses (e.g., EU’s GDPR-hosted infrastructure mandates)

 

• • Proofs of Concept (PoCs): Live demos for solutions like AML screening tools, as seen in the Bank of England’s 2023 regtech sandbox RFP

 

 

Vendors face scored evaluations where 30–50% weighting goes to compliance paperwork, not just functionality. Missed annexures can disqualify even technically superior bids.

 

Actionable Strategies for Fintech Responders

 

1. 1. Pre-Bid Alignment:

       

      • • Monitor portals like SAM.gov (U.S.) or TED (EU) for early RFP releases.

       

      • • Partner with local SIs (e.g., Accenture, Deloitte) for credibility in joint bids, as seen in Australia’s CDR compliance procurements.

       

       

 

1. 1. Template Customization:

       

      • • Use modular RFP responses with a compliance matrix (see U.K. Crown Commercial Service’s fintech template). Highlight past public-sector deployments—Toronto-Dominion Bank’s winning bid for the Canadian fiscal payment system emphasized FedRAMP-certified cloud hosting.

       

       

 

1. 1. Scoring Optimization:

       

      • • Align with evaluation rubrics (e.g., 50% technical, 30% cost, 20% risk). The U.S. Treasury’s 2024 fintech RFP for fraud detection gave bonus points for vendors with prior HUD/FDIC contracts.

       

       

 

 

Pitfalls to Avoid

 

• • Underestimating Documentation: A neobank lost a Bundesbank CBDC bid due to incomplete ISO 20022 mapping.

 

• • Generic Proposals: Government evaluators prioritize use cases—Brazil’s PIX RFP winners detailed turnkey integration with legacy SPB systems.

 

 

Future Outlook

 

Look for tighter ESG disclosures (e.g., EU’s SFDR) and AI ethics clauses in RFPs. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) now requires bidders to submit algorithmic bias audits.

 

Key Takeaway: Government RFPs reward vendors who treat compliance as a feature. Fintechs should build reusable proposal libraries and invest in pre-qualification certifications to compete.

 

---

 

For public RFP repositories, explore EU Tenders, MERX, or central bank procurement portals.

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

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The loan origination system (LOS) landscape is undergoing rapid transformation as fintechs and banks prioritize digital-first lending. RFPs for LOS solutions increasingly reflect demands for automation, AI-driven underwriting, and seamless integration with open banking ecosystems. Procurement teams now evaluate vendors not just on functionality, but on adaptability to regulatory shifts like CFPB’s Section 1033 and ESG-linked lending criteria.

 

Why LOS RFPs Are Evolving

 

Banks now expect LOS vendors to address four critical gaps in legacy systems:

 

1. 1. End-to-end digitization (e.g., removing manual document review)

 

1. 1. Decisioning speed (AI models that reduce approval times by 40-60%, as seen in NuBank’s 2023 RFP)

 

1. 1. Compliance guardrails for fair lending and anti-fraud (e.g., FDIC’s 2024 tech checklist)

 

1. 1. Platform extensibility through APIs (Citizens Bank’s 2023 RFP mandated pre-built integrations with Equifax, Plaid, and ICE Mortgage Tech)

 

 

A recent Frost & Sullivan study found 78% of RFPs now explicitly require AI/ML capabilities for risk scoring—a 220% increase since 2021.

 

Emerging RFP Requirements: 3 Real-World Examples

 

1. 1. PNC Bank’s 2024 LOS RFP prioritized:

       

      • • “Dynamic document capture with NLP for 4506-T tax form processing”

       

      • • “Configurable waterfall models for alternative credit scoring”

       

       

 

1. 1. A credit union consortium RFP (Q2 2024) required:

       

      • • “Real-time HMDA reporting dashboards”

       

      • • “Pre-qualification APIs for automotive dealer partnerships”

       

       

 

1. 1. European Digital Bank’s ESG demand:

       

      • • “Carbon impact scoring for SMB loan portfolios aligned with EU Taxonomy”

       

       

 

 

Public RFP repositories like SAM.gov show a 34% YoY increase in “low-code LOS customization” requirements.

 

Vendor Response Strategies

 

Winning proposals now employ:

 

Tiered compliance mapping:

 

• • Cross-reference each RFP requirement with SOC 2 Type II controls, Reg B, and state-specific lending laws (see LendingClub’s response template).

 

 

Proof-of-concept (POC) benchmarking:

 

• • Include third-party speed tests (e.g., “Our engine processes 87 loan apps/minute vs. RFP’s 50/minute threshold”).

 

 

Total cost of ownership (TCO) calculators:

 

• • Interactive tools showing 5-year savings from features like automated stipulation clearing (modeled on Blend’s 2023 RFP response).

 

 

Procurement Team Best Practices

 

1. 1. Weighted scoring modernization:

       

      • • 30% for API ecosystem breadth (per J.D. Power’s 2024 LOS evaluation framework)

       

      • • 25% for implementation timeline (vendors offering sandbox environments score higher)

       

       

 

1. 1. Red team testing:

       

      • • Require vendors to process live application data during demonstrations to validate throughput claims.

       

       

 

1. 1. Future-proofing clauses:

       

      • • “Vendor must provide annual AI model card updates per NIST AI RMF 1.0 standards.”

       

       

 

 

Conclusion: The 2025 Horizon

 

Expect RFPs to demand deeper Explainable AI (XAI) for underwriting models and “LOS-as-a-service” deployment options. Fintechs should preemptively develop:

 

• • Blockchain-based loan audit trails (already seen in ADGM’s 2024 sandbox RFP)

 

• • Embedded lending widgets for neobank marketplaces

 

 

For procurement teams, Gartner recommends adding “ethical AI bias mitigation” as a mandatory evaluation criterion by 2025. The winning vendors will be those bridging regulatory rigor with developer experience—treating RFPs as collaborative design sprints rather than compliance exercises.

 

(Additional resource: ECB’s fintech RFP database tracks LOS procurement trends across 20 jurisdictions.)

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

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Introduction

 

Cybersecurity has become a cornerstone of banking RFPs, driven by escalating threats and stringent regulatory demands. Financial institutions now prioritize robust security frameworks when selecting fintech vendors, with 78% of banks citing cybersecurity as a top-three evaluation criterion (Deloitte, 2023). This shift reflects incidents like the 2023 ransomware attack on a major European bank, which exposed vulnerabilities in third-party vendor integrations.

 

Key Cybersecurity Requirements in Modern Banking RFPs

 

Recent RFPs from institutions like JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank reveal standardized security demands:

 

1. 1. Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA):

       

      • • Example: A 2024 RFP by a U.S. regional bank mandated vendors demonstrate ZTA implementation via micro-segmentation and continuous authentication.

       

      • • Template Clause: “Vendors must provide evidence of least-privilege access controls and identity verification protocols.”

       

       

 

1. 1. SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 Certification:

       

      • • Over 60% of RFPs now require these certifications, up from 42% in 2020 (Gartner). The Reserve Bank of India’s 2023 guidelines explicitly list ISO 27001 as mandatory for core banking vendors.

       

       

 

1. 1. Incident Response SLAs:

       

      • • RFPs increasingly specify response times (e.g., “98% of critical vulnerabilities patched within 72 hours”), as seen in a Bank of America cloud-services RFP.

       

       

 

 

Real-World RFP Excerpts

 

• • European Central Bank (2024) required vendors to disclose penetration testing results for APIs used in open banking integrations.

 

• • Canada’s TD Bank included a “red team exercise” clause in its digital wallet RFP, requiring vendors to simulate advanced persistent threats (APTs).

 

 

Best Practices for Vendors

 

1. 1. Preemptive Documentation:

       

      • • Maintain an up-to-date security compliance matrix (see template from NIST) aligning with FIDO2, PCI-DSS, and regional standards like GDPR.

       

       

 

1. 1. Scenario-Based Responses:

       

      • • Instead of generic claims, use case studies: “Reduced attack surface by 40% for a Tier 1 bank through AI-driven anomaly detection (Client: Mizuho Bank).”

       

       

 

 

Advice for Procurement Teams

 

• • Leverage Scoring Models: Assign 25–30% weight to cybersecurity in evaluation matrices. Example:
    markdown
    | Criteria | Weight |
    |———————–|——–|
    | Compliance Certifications | 20% |
    | Incident Response Plan | 15% |
    | Encryption Standards | 10% |

     

 

• • Demand Transparency: Require vendors to disclose past breaches and remediation steps, as mandated in a 2023 Wells Fargo blockchain RFP.

     

 

 

Future Trends

 

1. 1. AI-Powered Audits: Expect RFPs to require vendors to integrate AI tools for real-time threat monitoring, akin to HSBC’s 2024 pilot.

 

1. 1. Third-Party Risk Scoring: Platforms like SecurityScorecard may become RFP prerequisites.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Cybersecurity in banking RFPs is evolving from checkbox compliance to dynamic, evidence-based evaluations. Vendors must adopt proactive security storytelling, while procurement teams should standardize assessments using frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK. The next frontier? RFPs mandating quantifiable cyber-resilience metrics, such as mean time to recovery (MTTR) benchmarks.

 

Resources:

 

• • U.S. Bank RFP Portal

 

• • EU Tenders for Financial Services

 

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

 

Introduction

 

Financial institutions are prioritizing cybersecurity like never before, with 78% of banking RFPs now including stringent vendor security requirements (Delotte, 2023). From encryption standards to incident response SLAs, procurement teams demand granular proof of compliance. For fintech vendors, understanding these evolving RFP requirements is critical to crafting competitive proposals while avoiding costly disqualifications.

 

The Rising Bar for Cybersecurity in RFPs

 

Modern banking RFPs—like the Bank of England’s 2023 Cloud Services RFP—now require:

 

• • SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 certification (mandatory in 92% of U.S. banking RFPs per Gartner)

 

• • Penetration testing reports with remediation evidence

 

• • Data sovereignty guarantees, especially for cross-border payments processors

 

• • Third-party audit rights for continuous monitoring

 

 

For example, a recent EU Open Banking RFP mandated vendors disclose all subprocessors and demonstrate GDPR-aligned breach notification workflows.

 

Common Pitfalls in Vendor Responses

 

Analysis of failed fintech RFP submissions reveals recurring issues:

 

• • Over-reliance on generic compliance language without bank-specific controls (e.g., stating “PCI DSS compliant” without evidence of quarterly ASV scans)

 

• • Missing incident response timelines – RFPs like TD Bank’s 2024 Fraud Solution RFP require sub-4-hour breach notification SLAs

 

• • Inadequate employee training documentation – 67% of procurement teams now request cybersecurity training logs (ACAMS survey)

 

 

Best Practices for Fintech Proposal Teams

 

1. Align with Financial Industry Frameworks

 

• • Map controls to FFIEC CAT, NIST CSF, or CIS Critical Security Controls

 

• • Reference recent financial sector audits (e.g., “Our SOC 2 report includes FedRAMP Moderate-equivalent controls”)

 

 

2. Provide Attack-Specific Protections

 

• • Detail defenses against APP fraud, supply chain attacks, and AI-driven social engineering

 

• • Highlight behavioral biometrics or transaction anomaly detection if applicable

 

 

3. Offer Procurement Teams Ready Compliance Packages

 

• • Pre-build FedRAMP/FINMA-ready documentation sets

 

• • Include executive summaries of third-party audit reports with redacted samples

 

 

Evaluation Criteria Used by Banks

 

Leading institutions like JPMorgan Chase use weighted scoring models where cybersecurity accounts for 30–40% of total points. Key evaluation dimensions:
| Criteria | Weight | Vendor Must Demonstrate |
|———-|——–|————————-|
| Data Encryption | 20% | AES-256 + TLS 1.3 implementation |
| Access Controls | 15% | Role-based RBAC with MFA |
| Incident History | 10% | ≤2 severity 3+ incidents in 24 months |

 

Regulatory Shapes Procurement Requirements

 

Upcoming SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules and EU DORA will force banks to:

 

• • Demand vendors’ CYBER maturity assessments

 

• • Require proof of cyber insurance ($5M+ coverage becoming standard)

 

• • Standardize critical vendor termination clauses

 

 

Future Trends for Fintech Vendors

 

1. 1. AI-Powered Compliance Checks: Some banks now use tools like RFPIO to automatically flag vendors missing key security controls.

 

1. 1. Continuous Attestation: Replace annual audits with real-time security posture dashboards.

 

1. 1. Quantum-Readiness: RFPs from institutions like ING now ask vendors to outline PQCs migration plans.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Winning banking RFPs requires moving beyond checkbox compliance. Vendors must contextualize security controls for financial workloads, while procurement teams should benchmark requirements against Basel Committee and FS-ISAC guidelines. As threat landscapes evolve, expect cybersecurity RFP sections to grow from today’s average 12 pages to 20+ by 2025.

 

Resources:

 

• • Bank of Israel’s RFP Security Requirements Template

 

• • FDIC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool

 

• • EU Tender Portal for Financial Services RFPs

 

FintechRFPs.com offers a curated library of professionally written RFP and RFI templates tailored for the fintech, banking, and payments industries. Whether you’re preparing responses for compliance, API integrations, cybersecurity, or core banking solutions, our templates help you save time, reduce errors, and improve your win rate with procurement teams and institutional buyers.

Respond Smarter and Faster with FintechRFPs.com Templates

Take the next step: explore our growing collection of fintech-specific RFP templates and boost your bid quality—visit FintechRFPs.com today.

 

Introduction

 

Core banking RFPs represent one of the most critical procurement processes for financial institutions, shaping their operational efficiency, compliance, and customer experience for years. With digital transformation accelerating, banks and credit unions must carefully evaluate vendors against evolving technical, regulatory, and strategic needs. This article examines common requirements in core banking RFPs, key evaluation criteria used by procurement teams, and actionable insights for vendors crafting competitive proposals.

 

Common Requirements in Core Banking RFPs

 

1. Functional Capabilities

 

Most RFPs mandate core functionalities such as:

 

• • Account Management (savings, checking, loans)

 

• • Transaction Processing (real-time posting, batch processing)

 

• • Compliance & Reporting (AML, KYC, Basel III)

 

• • Integration APIs (open banking, third-party fintech partnerships)

 

 

Example: A 2023 RFP by a mid-sized U.S. credit union (Sample Credit Union RFP) emphasized “seamless integration with digital banking platforms” as a non-negotiable requirement.

 

2. Regulatory and Security Standards

 

Cybersecurity and data protection are top priorities. Common stipulations include:

 

• • SOC 2 Type II compliance

 

• • GDPR/CCPA readiness

 

• • Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and encryption protocols

 

 

3. Scalability and Cloud Readiness

 

Many institutions now prioritize cloud-native solutions. A European bank’s RFP (EU Tenders Portal) required vendors to demonstrate “auto-scaling capabilities for peak transaction volumes.”

 

Evaluation Criteria Used by Banks

 

Procurement teams typically score proposals using weighted models, such as:

 

 

Criteria	Weight (%)
Functional Fit	30
Total Cost of Ownership	25
Vendor Stability	20
Implementation Timeline	15
Customer References	10

 

Case Study: A regional bank in Canada (MERX RFP) allocated 40% weight to “future-proofing” (e.g., modular architecture, API extensibility).

 

Best Practices for Vendors

 

1. Align with the Institution’s Strategic Goals

 

• • Highlight how your solution supports digital transformation or ESG initiatives (e.g., carbon footprint reduction in cloud hosting).

 

 

2. Provide Clear Differentiators

 

• • Example: A vendor won a bid by showcasing AI-driven anomaly detection in transaction processing, reducing fraud risks.

 

 

3. Anticipate Procurement Team Pain Points

 

• • Address common objections upfront (e.g., data migration challenges, legacy system decommissioning).

 

 

Advice for Procurement Teams

 

• • Standardize Scoring Early: Use a predefined rubric to avoid bias.

 

• • Request Proof of Concepts (POCs): Shortlist vendors who demonstrate live use cases.

 

• • Engage Stakeholders: Include IT, compliance, and customer experience teams in evaluations.

 

 

Future Trends

 

1. 1. AI-Powered Evaluations: Banks may automate scoring using NLP to analyze proposal quality.

 

1. 1. Modular RFPs: Institutions could unbundle core banking components (e.g., payments vs. lending).

 

 

Conclusion

 

Winning core banking RFPs requires vendors to balance technical depth with strategic alignment, while procurement teams must refine evaluation frameworks for agility. As fintech partnerships grow, RFPs will increasingly prioritize interoperability and innovation—making proactive preparation essential for both sides.

 

Actionable Takeaways:

 

• • Vendors: Invest in case studies showcasing successful migrations.

 

• • Banks: Pilot smaller-scale integrations before full deployment.

 

• • Consultants: Develop RFP templates that include ESG and cybersecurity appendices.

 

 

For public RFP examples, explore SAM.gov (U.S.) or TED (EU).

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