Absa Bank has modernised its credit risk management operations by deploying SAS Viya on Amazon Web Services (AWS), significantly accelerating regulatory reporting, model deployment and credit risk monitoring across its retail banking business.
The new platform has reduced credit risk reporting cycles by 80% to 90%, transforming processes that previously took weeks into tasks that can now be completed within hours. Absa has also reported that new credit risk models can be deployed around 50% faster than under its previous operating environment.
The modernisation replaces a legacy environment that relied heavily on manual scripts and fragmented workflows to manage more than 500 credit risk models supporting Absa’s retail portfolios. The new platform automates model monitoring, standardises reporting and provides more consistent information for business teams and regulators.
By operating on AWS, the system can scale computing resources according to demand rather than maintaining unused infrastructure capacity. This is expected to improve operational efficiency while reducing technology infrastructure costs.
SAS Viya also incorporates AI-powered analytical capabilities that can identify opportunities to improve model performance and governance. The platform supports automated execution, standardised dashboards and consistent reporting across credit risk models, while reducing dependence on manual processes and lowering the possibility of human error.
Absa has established a dedicated Centre of Excellence to support the transformation and has worked with SAS to redesign its model monitoring framework. The shift is intended to allow analysts who previously spent significant time preparing reports to focus more on strategic analysis, model development and innovation.
Dewald Fourie of Absa Bank said the implementation of SAS Viya on AWS has enabled the bank to deliver faster and more reliable credit decisions.
The transformation has wider implications for risk management. Faster model deployment and continuous monitoring can help banks respond more quickly to changing credit conditions, improve loss forecasting, strengthen capital planning and maintain closer alignment with regulatory requirements.
Absa’s investment reflects the broader shift among financial institutions towards combining artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure and automated model governance to modernise credit risk management. For banks managing large numbers of models and increasingly complex regulatory requirements, such platforms can improve both operational efficiency and the quality of risk oversight.
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