The schedule for the Fontus project is taking shape: there are now strong indications that the go-live will take place around the Easter weekend in the second quarter of 2028. Although a final decision is still pending, this timeframe has clearly emerged as the preferred target both within the committees and amongst market participants.
The reasons for this were clearly outlined at the Fontus User Group meeting on 31 March 2026: The introduction of T+1 in October 2027 will tie up significant resources, compounded by year-end processes and regulatory ‘frozen zones’. A migration date in spring 2028 – particularly around Easter – therefore offers the greatest operational flexibility and reduces critical overlaps to a minimum.
With this specific timeline now in place, the test strategy of the affiliated financial institutions is once again coming into sharper focus. The planning for the phase tests is currently being reviewed and is to be closely aligned with the targeted go-live window in the second quarter of 2028. However, the corresponding phasing can be derived from the previous timeline.
With regard to internal technical work, WM Datenservice announced progress at the User Group meeting: migration processing is now fundamentally operational, data sources and regulatory frameworks are integrated, and an initial – deliberately reduced – data set has been delivered to the provider for testing. The pending test results will now guide the next steps.
At the same time, the current level of readiness in the market presents a mixed picture. Around 40 per cent of institutions have not yet begun implementation, although many plan to start by the second quarter of 2026. With an increasingly concrete target date and a test strategy aligned with it, a clear framework for action is emerging – alongside growing time pressure.
Banks and securities firms are now called upon to finalise their plans, clarify dependencies at an early stage and actively drive implementation forward. As an experienced partner, DPS supports institutions in setting up their Fontus projects in a structured and secure manner.
If you have any questions or require immediate support, you can also contact our team directly at: fontus@dps.de
Our Capital Markets team has been covering the topic of Fontus since 2024 in six further published articles. You can find a list of the articles here.
