The digital age has changed how financial services operate, pushing the industry to stay tech-savvy just to keep up. Yet, this tech-driven shift isn’t without its issues. Old legacy systems, tight regulations, and the demand for real-time data handling have put pressure on conventional solutions, making them feel outdated. But all-photonic networks, which connect endpoints directly with optical paths, could be the answer, helping the financial world stay fast, flexible, and sustainable.
Chair of the Technology Working Group at the IOWN Global Forum and leads NTT’s R&D of IOWN technologies.
The challenges financial services face today
Technology is woven deeply into financial services, but that also adds complexity. One major obstacle is performance and latency issues. High-frequency trading, cross-border payments, and fraud detection all require real-time data processing, yet existing electronic networks, built on copper wires and fiber optics, struggle with delays, making it challenging to meet the accuracy needed for time-sensitive transactions. Another challenge is meeting regulatory demands. Compliance with regulations like Europe’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is both tricky and costly. The laws in financial services demand strong data protection and operational stability, but current networks can sometimes fall short. Finally, sustainability pressures are becoming increasingly prominent. As sustainability becomes a core business goal, energy consumption from data centers and network infrastructures has emerged as a major concern, often clashing with firms’ eco-friendly ambitions.
So, what are photonic networks?
Simply put, photonics is about using light – specifically photons – to transmit data. Unlike electrical signals in copper cables or even regular fiber optics, photonic networks use light to send data directly, skipping the usual electronic conversions. The result? Faster speeds, more data capacity, and far less energy consumption.
All-photonic networks send data as light without converting it back and forth between electrical signals. This setup reduces delays and improves energy efficiency, making photonics perfect for industries where fast, reliable data transfer is critical – like financial services.
How photonic networks could transform finance
Photonic networks enable more predictable network pathways, ensuring consistently low latency. That’s a huge plus for financial firms that need every edge to stay competitive in their markets.
Staying compliant with rules like DORA isn’t easy; it requires institutions to be highly resilient and flexible. Photonic networks can help meet these demands by enabling real-time data oversight and faster data replication. This means better disaster recovery capabilities and more robust backup strategies.
These networks also support interconnected data centers with low-latency failover options, ensuring that operations can shift seamlessly during maintenance or outages. This flexibility makes it easier for financial institutions to meet recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) set by regulators.
Photonics and the path to sustainability
Data centers and networks consume vast amounts of power, which is a roadblock for companies aiming to reduce their environmental impact. Photonic networks offer a solution, using light for data transmission and avoiding the energy-hungry electronic conversion steps.
Adopting photonic systems helps firms cut down on energy costs by requiring less power for data transfer, ultimately lowering operational expenses. Additionally, by enabling more reliable data transfer, photonic networks would allow financial service institutions (FSIs) to relocate their data centers to rural areas, where sources of renewable energy are more accessible. This would help these organizations to align more closely with their ESG goals without having any negative impact on the speed of operations.
In an industry where meeting sustainability targets is linked to investor trust and public approval, this is no small thing.
Looking ahead
While photonic technology is still finding its footing, its potential to reshape finance is clear. Embracing photonic networks can help financial firms address today’s issues while unlocking opportunities for innovation down the road. With better support for distributed computing, real-time analytics, and stronger data protection, FSIs can become more resilient, meet tough compliance standards, and hit sustainability goals – all while keeping costs under control.
The financial firms that choose to invest in photonic networks now will likely lead the pack in a rapidly changing market. With unmatched speed, reliability, and energy efficiency, photonics isn’t just a solution to today’s problems; it’s a way to future-proof operations for whatever comes next.
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