When Rules Became Roadblocks
For one of the world’s leading providers of risk and compliance solutions, the very system designed to ensure accuracy had become its greatest liability. Over 120 domain-specific language (DSL) scripts—each tuned to a regulatory nuance or geography—slowed every client onboarding to a crawl.
Instead of enabling growth, the system created fragility. Onboarding stretched to three or four months, new analysts required six weeks of training and even minor errors rippled across the process, leading to costly delays. In a regulatory environment where speed and precision are non-negotiable, this approach was unsustainable.
Rewriting Compliance DNA
The turning point came when Persistent partnered with the client to replace brittle DSL layers with a Generative AI (GenAI)–powered framework. This was not a simple one-to-one migration. It was a systematic overhaul of compliance at the code level:
- Automating DSL-to-Java conversion into standardized mapper classes using Persistent’s proprietary GenAI framework
- Parsing SQL filters into JSON aligned with Hibernate JPA entities
- Eliminating dependence on scarce DSL specialists, making the platform maintainable by any Java developer
Within months, we consolidated more than 120 scripts into a clean Java-native codebase—lighter, more maintainable and built for scale. Simplification wasn’t just about cleaner code; it created a platform strong enough to sustain future growth without collapsing under its own complexity.
Simplicity as Strategy
Beyond rewriting code, Persistent simplified the platform architecture. By removing an intermediate database layer, we cut data transformations in half. The outcome was fewer errors, faster performance and a platform that finally behaved like the enterprise-grade backbone it was meant to be.
But speed wasn’t the only goal—safety was equally critical. Persistent embedded CI/CD pipelines, SonarQube quality checks and Black Duck open-source scans to harden the system for long-term reliability. These measures not only reduced vulnerabilities but also established a governance model that compliance officers could trust.
Industry research highlights why such changes were essential. Deloitte reports that operating costs for compliance functions have risen by more than 60% for retail and corporate banks since the financial crisis . With compliance spending already consuming significant budgets, scaling with fragile, high-maintenance systems was no longer viable. By addressing both performance and reliability, this transformation allowed the client to counter escalating costs while preparing for regulatory complexity ahead.
From Four Months to Four Weeks
The results spoke for themselves:
- More than 90% accuracy in automated code conversion, with minimal manual correction
- Migration completed in six months—four times faster than the 24 months estimated for manual effort
- 50% performance boost from the new Java design
- Onboarding reduced from four months to just three-to-five weeks
Behind these numbers was a dramatic shift in day-to-day work. Analysts, once mired in repetitive error checks, could now focus on judgment and advisory roles. Banks, once frustrated by onboarding delays, could move faster into new markets and products.
What once took four months of onboarding now takes under five weeks — a shift from compliance liability to competitive advantage.
The Persistent Difference
Persistent’s role was not about tweaking scripts—it was about reimagining the path to scale:
- AI-first engineering: Building the proprietary GenAI framework that automated DSL-to-Java migration
- Speed-to-value: Delivering transformation in six months, not years
- Enterprise discipline: Bringing CI/CD, SonarQube and Black Duck rigor to every stage
- Global scale thinking: Ensuring the approach could extend seamlessly to 30+ regions
- Co-innovation credibility: Proven through an Azure showcase that later secured direct funding support
Every intervention balanced two imperatives: deliver proof fast and make it sustainable at enterprise scale. The foundations laid today were designed not just to fix yesterday’s problems but to enable tomorrow’s opportunities.
This dual lens—innovation with discipline—defined the project’s success. Persistent acted as both architect and custodian, ensuring that what worked in one region could be replicated worldwide without loss of quality or control.
Scaling Compliance for Tomorrow
With a simplified architecture and GenAI at its core, the platform is no longer a fragile patchwork—it is a scalable compliance engine. Future enhancements are already mapped out: expansion into 30+ regions, integration of automated compliance audits and the use of multi-agent workflows to give regulators and clients alike real-time transparency.
These steps form part of a broader global roll-out strategy, ensuring the platform can support regulatory needs across multiple geographies without repeating past inefficiencies.
McKinsey projects that GenAI will transform risk and compliance functions over the next five years by automating, accelerating and enhancing regulatory operations . With this transformation, the client is already operating ahead of the curve, using compliance not as a burden but as a lever for trust, efficiency and market share.
Closing the Loop
This journey proved more than technical progress—it demonstrated that compliance can be a launchpad, not a liability. Persistent’s combination of AI-first innovation and enterprise discipline turned a brittle DSL-based maze into a global Java-native platform.
From months of onboarding to weeks and fragile scripts to resilient foundations, the client gained not only efficiency but confidence, resilience and readiness for scale.
Turn compliance into confidence. Build AI-ready foundations. Scale with Persistent.
