Rip Out the Core

The Platform‑Enabled Banking Transformation Playbook or What a Kitchen Disaster Teaches about Fixing Banks!

The renovations needed to fix a broken dishwasher and flooded kitchen are the genesis for Rip Out the Core: A DIY Guide to Platform‑Enabled Banking Transformation. They showed what many transformation leaders learn the hard way: do not just tear everything out and rebuild. People have to live in the house while it is being renovated. Likewise, a bank must keep banking while modernising systems. Customers still need their payments processed. Regulators still need their reports. Staff still need systems that work. The art isn’t in the demolition – any fool can destroy things. The art is in the careful, methodical, strategic rebuilding that does not bring the whole structure crashing down.

This art is the foundation of this book’s Platform‑Enabled Banking Transformation (PEBT). PEBT is not a product. It is not a framework in search of a slide deck. It is a way to think about doing progressive modernisation step by step, capability by capability, with strategy, sanity, and staying power. Tracing these steps, this book starts with why systems fail, how to spot the early warning signs, and why starting with tech is usually a terrible idea. It then covers blueprints, construction, and systems rollout to end with a look into the platform‑enabled future of banking and how to stay adaptable in an unpredictable world.

This book was written for anyone working in banking and especially in information technology, operations, architecture, or transformation. It was written to make them feel seen. It was written for anyone who thought, “We can’t keep patching this thing forever.” This book explains why that thought keeps coming back, and how to modernise without losing control of the bank along the way.

Pål Krogdahl is a banking and technology executive with experience leading digital transformation in the financial sector. His career has focused on bridging the gap between innovative tech and real‑world banking needs, from open banking and embedded finance to core banking modernisation. He has always been passionate about leveraging ecosystem partnerships and platform strategies to drive tangible business outcomes for banks, while carefully managing risk and complexity.

Beyond his corporate roles, he stays deeply engaged in the fintech community. He serves as a board advisor and mentor to fintech startups helping them to scale and refine their strategies.

He also co‑founded and co‑hosts the Fintech Daydreaming podcast, where he discusses emerging trends in financial services with industry leaders. Started in 2020 now with listeners in over 100 countries, the podcast has grown into a recognised platform for thought leadership on banking innovation.