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Banks in France and Benelux face pressure to modernize technology while absorbing regulatory work and managing operating costs. But customers do not have to wait for a complete core-system overhaul to receive better service: the strategic question is how banks can deliver useful, coordinated customer value while modernization proceeds. Available figures describe the pressure, not a proven causal link between legacy systems and weaker efficiency.
What the cost figures do—and do not—show
Three different measures matter here: IT spending to operate existing systems, regulatory-related technology work, and total operating efficiency. They are related pressures, but they are not interchangeable.
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Technology run costs
Accenture figures reported in the September 26, 2026 article say nearly 70% of bank IT spending goes to maintaining existing systems and meeting regulatory demands. The article also attributes to Accenture a finding that banking technology costs rose about four times faster than banking revenue over 15 years, and that software costs grew about 8% annually since 2017. These are global figures as reported by the article; it gives no national split for France or Benelux, and the underlying Accenture report was not independently checked here.
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Operating costs and cost-to-income
A cost-to-income ratio compares operating costs with income; it does not isolate IT expenditure or demonstrate that legacy technology caused a bank’s result. Staffing, branch networks, anti-money-laundering work, and the interest-rate cycle can also influence the ratio.
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The article gives approximate readings from an EBA March 2026 chart: France at 65%, Belgium at 58%, and the Netherlands at 53%, against a reported Nordic comparator range of 39%–48%. It says France ranked third-highest among 30 EU/EEA countries. The underlying country table was not retrieved, so treat these as article-reported approximations rather than independently confirmed national statistics.
Subsequent EU/EEA context is more favorable: the EBA’s September 25, 2026 Q2 dashboard announcement reports that the aggregate cost-to-income ratio declined year on year from 52.5% to 51.5%. That aggregate neither verifies the article’s country readings nor establishes what drove them. See the EBA’s banking-dashboard announcements.
Where France and Benelux stand
| Market | Approximate cost-to-income ratio cited | How to read the figure |
|---|---|---|
| France | 65% (article-reported March 2026 reading) | The article associates pressure with large banking groups and dense branch and staff costs; the ratio does not prove a technology cause. |
| Belgium | 58% (article-reported March 2026 reading) | The article describes a concentrated market and price pressure. |
| Netherlands | 53% (article-reported March 2026 reading) | The article places it around the EU average and points to digital channels as a possible pilot advantage. |
| Nordic banks | 39%–48% (article-reported comparator range) | Comparator range; not a like-for-like explanation of the differences. |
The country values and ranking are approximate readings attributed to the article’s interpretation of an EBA chart, not a verified country-table extract. A lower ratio is not evidence by itself that a particular technology strategy is responsible.
Regulation competes for investment and operational capacity
DORA
The Digital Operational Resilience Act has applied since January 17, 2025, according to the article; the EBA’s June 2026 reporting also describes DORA requirements as in application since January 2025. Its scope includes ICT risk management, incident reporting, resilience testing, and oversight of third-party providers. Specific duties and applicability depend on the relevant rules and institution, so this overview is not a substitute for checking the regulation and supervisory materials.
The EBA’s June 2026 dashboard announcement provides the cited high-level implementation context.
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PSD3, the Payment Services Regulation, and AMLA
The September 2026 article describes PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation (PSR) as agreed in final form in April 2026. It uses second-half 2026 entry into force and general application around the first half of 2028 as planning assumptions, and mentions tighter API performance and customer permission dashboards. It also says AMLA is expected to take on direct supervision of the largest risk-exposed entities from 2028. These dates and operational details were not independently verified against the final legal texts here; banks should confirm applicable requirements and timelines from official legislation and supervisory guidance rather than treat planning assumptions as definitive.
Why customer value should not wait for core modernization
Lawrence’s central warning is that the strategic trap is not modernization itself, but making customer value conditional on finishing the core programme. A long systems programme may be necessary, yet its completion date need not define when customers can receive better support. That is a strategic argument, not evidence that a particular delivery model has already improved customer outcomes.
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The article relays Bain (2018) claims that companies strong on four or more elements had more than twice the Net Promoter Score of companies strong on one, and more than five times that of companies strong on none. It also says Bain identified quality, saves time, reduces anxiety, simplifies, and heirloom as the five elements with the greatest impact on bank NPS; two of the five sit above the functional tier. These are attributed associations as reported by the article, not proof that adding elements causes higher NPS.
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An AI agent with consented access to a customer’s financial picture could, in principle, make tailored help available to more people: affordability guidance, goal planning, or clearer choices about spending and saving. “At this rate you can buy a home in 44 months” is an illustrative example, not a statistic or a demonstrated outcome.
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Accurate calculation alone does not create hope or establish better financial health. Explanations, uncertainty, financial literacy, and a customer’s ability to act all matter. The article treats the following links as unproven:
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- Whether any reduction in anxiety changes savings, debt, or financial buffers over six to twelve months.
- Whether those behavior changes improve retention or share of wallet for AI agents.
These should be measured as outcomes rather than assumed from an agent’s ability to generate personalized recommendations.
What a market pilot can reasonably establish
The article recommends considering the Netherlands first, then a progressive Belgian franchise, with France as a harder setting because of its higher reported cost-to-income ratio and complex group structures. It argues that clean digital channels could make the Netherlands a useful test context. This is the author’s strategic recommendation, not a demonstrated ranking of markets or evidence of a successful pilot.
A useful pilot would separate the questions it is meant to answer:
- Delivery: Can the bank provide a coherent customer experience without waiting for the full core programme?
- Trust and comprehension: Do customers understand the recommendation, its assumptions, and its uncertainty?
- Customer outcomes: Do savings, debt management, financial buffers, or anxiety change over a defined period?
- Business outcomes: Do retention or share-of-wallet measures change, and can the effect be distinguished from other factors?
- Operational fit: Can the service meet applicable resilience, data-access, and regulatory obligations?
Separating these measures prevents a technically successful rollout from being mistaken for proof of financial or relationship benefits.
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