For years, banks have struggled with the painfully slow process of adopting new technologies. While fintech solutions promise efficiency, automation, and AI-driven insights, the reality is that integrating these innovations into a traditional financial institution can take 9-12 months or longer—largely due to compliance reviews, security protocols, and vendor risk assessments.

NayaOne is helping banks bypass these bottlenecks. The company’s sandbox testing environment provides a safe, controlled space for financial institutions to rapidly test fintech solutions, compare vendor performance, and make data-driven decisions in weeks instead of years.

The Roadblock: Why Banks Struggle to Innovate

NayaOne’s origins are rooted in this very challenge. Founder Karan Jain, formerly the Head of Technology for Westpac Bank’s EMEA region, repeatedly encountered frustrating delays when trying to introduce cloud-based and AI-powered fintech solutions.

“Every time he found a vendor that looked promising, he had to go through months of security approvals, third-party risk assessments, and compliance sign-offs—just to start a pilot program,” Sambucci explained. “That’s when he realized banks needed an external sandbox—a place where they could test new fintech solutions in a secure, risk-free environment before committing to full integration.”

This is what NayaOne provides today: a digital testing environment where financial institutions can experiment, validate, and benchmark fintech vendors before making high-stakes investment decisions.

A Smarter Way to Test Fintech Vendors

How does it work? NayaOne’s sandbox allows banks to quickly run proof-of-concept (POC) tests using pre-configured KPIs and synthetic data that mimics real-world financial transactions.

Rather than waiting months for internal approvals, a bank can log into the NayaOne platform, select a category of interest—AI chatbots, cybersecurity solutions, fraud detection tools—and compare multiple vendors at the same time.

For example, a major financial institution recently used the sandbox to evaluate five AI chatbot providers—OpenAI, Cohere, Gemini, Together, and Anthropic—within just six weeks. Similarly, another bank tested endpoint security tools from CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, and SentinelOne in a simulated malware attack scenario—gaining clear insights into performance differences without risking real customer data.

“This approach allows banks to make fact-based decisions faster,” Sambucci said. “Rather than just relying on vendor sales pitches, they can compare results, track performance metrics, and choose the best solution with confidence.”

AI Governance & The Regulatory Imperative

With AI regulations evolving globally, financial institutions are under increasing pressure to ensure compliance with data privacy laws and emerging AI standards. This is where sandbox testing environments are proving to be critical.

“As banks start to adopt AI-driven lending models, automated fraud detection, and chat-based customer support, they need to test how these tools comply with regulatory requirements before deploying them in production,” Sambucci noted.

Some institutions are even using NayaOne’s platform to run hackathons—bringing together fintech startups, engineers, and compliance teams to build and test AI models before they go live.

“This kind of co-innovation between banks and fintechs would have been unheard of a few years ago,” Sambucci added. “Now, banks can validate AI models, detect bias, and ensure regulatory readiness before they even consider full deployment.”

What’s Next: Why Every Bank Needs a Sandbox

Looking ahead, Sambucci predicts that sandbox testing will become a standard across financial institutions that want to keep up with the rapid pace of AI, cloud computing, and embedded finance innovation.

“The banks that fail to adopt sandbox testing as part of their fintech strategy will always be 12 months behind their competitors,” he emphasized. “This is no longer an optional approach—it’s a necessity.”

As more institutions recognize the need for structured, real-time experimentation, NayaOne is positioning itself as the go-to platform for de-risking fintech adoption—helping banks move from exploration to execution at startup speed.

Disclaimer: The above podcast episode was generated using AI based on an interview transcript. While the content remains true to the original conversation, the voices, tone, and delivery were synthesized and do not represent actual recordings of the speakers. This AI-generated format is intended to enhance accessibility and provide an alternative way to engage with the discussion.

We’re thrilled to welcome Liberis as an official Unofficially Fintech sponsor. Embedded finance is a major theme at this year’s event, and Liberis is leading the charge by providing seamless funding solutions directly within platforms that businesses already use. They’ll be attending Fintech Meetup, talking all things embedded finance, so be sure to book some time with them! 👇

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