Vanquis Bank aims to enhance risk management and regulatory compliance using SAS Viya 

Vanquis Bank will leverage advanced analytics to enhance risk management, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency

Vanquis Bank, a leading UK-based institution specialising in helping individuals build and improve their credit, will be taking a major step in its digital transformation strategy by adopting SAS Viya hosted in the Microsoft Azure cloud.

This strategic upgrade will strengthen the bank’s ability to manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and optimise analytics efficiency, particularly in relation to International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS9).

For over a century, Vanquis Bank has been committed to providing financial pathways for individuals with limited or poor credit histories, offering essential access to financial services. In today’s complex lending environment, especially with subprime credit, managing risk remains a critical priority for the bank.

As regulatory requirements and data volumes continue to grow, Vanquis sought a modern solution to better support its mission of helping customers unlock financial opportunities. To meet these challenges, it plans to upgrade to SAS Viya on Microsoft Azure, enabling faster analytics processing, more efficient resource scaling, and a reduction in cloud computing costs.

One of the key advantages of SAS Viya is its flexibility to support both SAS and Python, allowing the bank’s data science teams to broaden their analytics capabilities. Additionally, the platform’s automation features will help the bank scale compute resources automatically, making the IT infrastructure more cost-effective and streamlined.

Sangeet Lee-Sarkar, Lead SAS administrator at Vanquis Bank, commented:

“Data is at the heart of everything we do. We process large volumes of data to drive risk reporting, risk management, and product marketing, while ensuring we meet regulatory demands. Without a reliable data platform, delivering timely information to regulators and business decision-makers would be more than a challenge.

“We’ve always seen great success with SAS solutions, and this upgrade allows us to take our analytics to the next level. By resolving persistent issues and optimising our processes, we’ve freed more time to focus on delivering value-added initiatives across the business. We’re just at the beginning of our journey with SAS Viya, and we’re confident it will allow us to achieve even greater efficiencies and continue delivering excellent service to our customers.”

Roderick Crawford, Senior VP for SAS Northern Europe, added:

"Vanquis Bank’s decision to adopt SAS Viya on Microsoft Azure is testament to their commitment to staying ahead in an ever-evolving financial environment. By transitioning to a cloud-based, AI-driven analytics platform, Vanquis will be equipping itself with the tools to navigate the challenges of subprime lending and stringent regulatory demands with more agility, accuracy, and efficiency.

“This move will allow them to process vast amounts of data faster, scale their operations seamlessly, and optimise resources across the board. Ultimately, it’s not just about cost savings or performance gains; it’s about enabling the bank to innovate continuously and enhance customer experiences while reinforcing its position as a trusted, community-focused financial institution. We’re excited to support them on this journey and help them unlock even more value from their data."

Find out more about SAS’ work with Vanquis Bank here.