Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan is preparing to replace the core banking system it has relied on for almost two decades.
The Islamic bank has signed an implementation agreement with Systems Limited to move from Oracle Flexcube to the cloud-native Temenos platform. Systems Limited, a certified Temenos partner, will oversee the migration and help rebuild the technology sitting underneath DIB Pakistan’s everyday banking operations.
No completion date has been announced. That matters. Core banking migrations are rarely quick, especially when a bank must transfer years of customer data, connect existing digital services and keep normal operations running throughout the process.
Still, DIB Pakistan describes the agreement as the first major step in a much broader technology shift.
DIB Pakistan Is Moving Away From Oracle Flexcube
DIB Pakistan has used Oracle technology since its establishment in 2006.
The bank initially adopted Oracle’s E-Business Suite before moving to Flexcube in 2008 as part of a wider implementation by its parent company, Dubai Islamic Bank. Flexcube has remained at the centre of its banking infrastructure ever since.
That relationship is now heading towards an end.
The bank plans to migrate its core operations to Temenos Core, a cloud-native system designed to support modern digital banking services, faster product development and easier integration with external platforms.
This is not a cosmetic software update. The core banking platform handles the machinery customers rarely see: accounts, balances, transactions, deposits, financing products and the movement of data between branches and digital channels.
Changing it touches almost everything.
Systems Limited Will Lead the Migration
Systems Limited will act as the principal implementation partner for the project.
The Pakistan-based technology company will bring its banking expertise, Temenos implementation experience and Country Model Bank accelerator to the programme. The accelerator is intended to give financial institutions a preconfigured foundation based on local banking and regulatory requirements rather than forcing teams to build every component from scratch.
That local knowledge could prove just as important as the software itself.
A banking platform must work with domestic regulations, reporting rules, payment networks and Islamic finance requirements. A technically successful installation can still struggle when it does not fit the market where the bank operates.
Systems Limited has already worked on Temenos deployments for financial institutions in several countries. Its previous projects include implementations involving Bank ABC in Bahrain and VPBank in Vietnam.
Temenos Gives DIB Pakistan a More Flexible Banking Core
DIB Pakistan expects the new platform to improve stability, security and operational efficiency.
The bank also wants to move faster.
Temenos uses a composable, API-first architecture, allowing banks to connect services and introduce new products without rebuilding the entire system each time. For DIB Pakistan, that could make it easier to expand mobile banking features, automate internal processes and connect emerging fintech tools to its existing services.
The API element is especially important. Traditional banking systems often contain tightly linked applications that are difficult to change without affecting other parts of the operation. A more modular setup gives development teams room to update individual services with less disruption.
That is the promise, anyway. Execution will decide whether the bank gets there.
The Upgrade Supports DIB Pakistan’s Digital and AI Plans
The core banking migration will also support DIB Pakistan’s wider digital transformation strategy.
According to the bank, the new platform should help its teams deliver products and services more quickly while strengthening the technology needed to scale operations. DIB Pakistan Chief Information Officer Imran Ali Khan Soomro has also connected the project to the bank’s digital and artificial intelligence ambitions.
AI tends to attract the headlines, but banks cannot build serious AI services on fragmented or inaccessible data.
A modern core platform can make customer and transaction information easier to organise, analyse and use across approved banking applications. That could eventually support smarter fraud detection, automated customer assistance, personalised services and more responsive financial products.
None of those outcomes arrives automatically with a new core system. The migration simply gives DIB Pakistan a stronger base to work from.
Pakistan’s Banks Are Increasing Their Use of Temenos
DIB Pakistan is not moving alone.
Several banks in Pakistan have adopted or upgraded Temenos systems as they modernise ageing technology. Habib Bank Limited began moving customer accounts from 200 branches to Temenos earlier in 2026, with Systems Limited handling the implementation. Allied Bank also upgraded its Temenos environment to the R25 release in June.
Older Temenos users in the country include Meezan Bank, Soneri Bank and Telenor Microfinance Bank.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. Pakistani banks are spending more attention on the underlying systems that determine how quickly they can launch digital services, connect new channels and respond to regulatory changes.
Mobile apps may be where customers notice innovation. Core banking is where much of that innovation either becomes possible or gets stuck.
The Hard Part Begins After the Agreement
Signing the agreement is the straightforward part.
DIB Pakistan and Systems Limited must now manage data conversion, system integrations, employee training, regulatory testing and the eventual transfer of live banking operations. Even carefully planned migrations can face delays when old data formats, custom applications or undocumented processes surface midway through the programme.
The bank has not disclosed the project budget or expected migration date.
Until those details emerge, the scale of the implementation remains unclear. What is clear is the direction: DIB Pakistan wants to leave behind a system adopted in 2008 and build its next phase of digital banking around Temenos.
That is a large technical bet. It is also becoming a familiar one across Pakistan’s banking technology sector.
Sources
- FinTech Futures – DIB Pakistan partners Systems Limited in build up to Temenos core banking migration
- Systems Limited – DIB Pakistan embarks on a Temenos core banking modernisation programme
- The News International – DIB Pakistan to upgrade core banking platform