WM Datenservice has provided an update on the current status of the Fontus project. According to the update, the announced adjustments to the central architecture, AI readiness, project governance and master plan are to be finalised before the end of September. In early October, WM intends to submit the new overall plan and the approach set out therein to its committees for approval.
The Fontus User Group meeting, originally scheduled for 29 September 2026, will therefore be postponed to 27 October. Following successful approval, the planning aspects relevant to the affiliated institutions are to be presented and discussed jointly at that meeting.
Master plan, including the hypercare phase, drawn up
Since the last Fontus User Group meeting, WM states that it has further developed the project on several levels. The previous PoC 3 will become the Fontus Execution Engine (FEE), serving as the platform’s central processing component or rule engine. The integration into the existing Fontus architecture has been prepared both conceptually and technically. I had outlined initial details of this in my last Fontus update of 23 June 2026.
Furthermore, WM has now announced that project governance has been restructured within a Transformation Office. Based on a detailed Work Breakdown Structure, WM states that it has drawn up a new master plan, including the hypercare phase. Business and technical requirements have been further refined and outstanding issues reduced.
In addition, WM is utilising new technology to translate existing host code into business logic and align it with the business requirements defined for Fontus.
Host capacities are intended to ensure operations until at least 2030
At the same time, the financial data provider is working on the existing host infrastructure, through which customers will continue to be supplied until Fontus is implemented. According to the company, the upgrade from IBM z15 to IBM z17 has been completed and has increased processing capacity by around 25 per cent. In addition, the storage system has been upgraded. As a result, processing times have already been reduced by approximately 1.5 hours. This is already evident to customers in their delivery times. Further capacity is expected to be generated through the analysis and optimisation of batch processes.
Based on current projections regarding the development of data volumes and consumer behaviour, WM expects that the additional capacity will enable it to maintain operations within the usual turnaround times until at least 2030.
D20 documentation editorially revised
The customer documentation has also been further updated. Following the revision of D31, WM has now made editorial changes to D20. These are intended to improve clarity and comprehensibility; according to WM, the substance of the content remains unchanged.
Further details on the new overall plan are to follow after the scheduled approval by the Fontus User Group on 27 October.
If you have any questions or require urgent support, you can also contact our team directly at: fontus@dps.de
Our Capital Markets team has been covering the Fontus topic since 2024, with eight further articles now published. You can find a list of the articles here.
