Celsior Joins Jack Henry Network to Supercharge Bank Modernization

ATLANTA, GA – February 20, 2026 – Celsior Technologies, the IT services and consulting arm of Pyramid Consulting, has officially joined the Jack Henry Fintech Integration Network (FIN). The move provides Celsior with direct access to Jack Henry's core banking platforms, enabling a more seamless integration of its digital transformation solutions for the roughly 7,400 financial institutions in Jack Henry's ecosystem.

This collaboration signals a significant step for community and regional banks and credit unions seeking to accelerate their modernization efforts. By integrating through Jack Henry's jXchange platform, Celsior can offer its tools for enhancing digital workflows and operational efficiency with reduced complexity and a faster time-to-market, addressing a critical need for financial institutions facing pressure from digital-native competitors.

The Digital Modernization Imperative

In today's fragmented financial landscape, community banks and credit unions are in a constant race to innovate. They must meet the evolving expectations of customers who demand seamless digital experiences while simultaneously managing operational costs and stringent regulatory oversight. The partnership between Celsior and Jack Henry directly targets this challenge by lowering the technical barriers to adopting advanced technology.

Celsior specializes in providing technology solutions for regulated industries, focusing on data strategy, automation, and digital workflow modernization. Through the FIN program, these solutions can now connect directly with a bank's core system via jXchange, a set of services-based programming interfaces. This secure pipeline allows for real-time access to essential core data and business rules, eliminating the complex, high-maintenance custom interfaces that have historically slowed down technology adoption.

For a bank or credit union using Jack Henry's platform, this means deploying a new digital solution from Celsior becomes a more streamlined process. The integration removes the financial institution from being the technical intermediary during development, which can significantly shorten project timelines and reduce implementation costs. This allows institutions to focus on strategic outcomes rather than technical hurdles.

"Joining the Jack Henry Fintech Integration Network strengthens our ability to support financial institutions with secure, scalable, and integration-ready technology solutions," said Vishak Mallya, Chief Executive at Celsior. "This collaboration allows us to work more closely with Jack Henry customers as they modernize their platforms and enhance customer and operational experiences."

Building the Open Banking Ecosystem

The announcement is also a powerful illustration of Jack Henry's broader strategic vision. The S&P 500 financial technology company has been deliberately shifting towards an open-ecosystem model, designed to provide its clients with flexibility and choice. The Fintech Integration Network, which officially replaced the former Vendor Integration Program (VIP) in July 2025, is the cornerstone of this strategy.

Rather than forcing clients into a closed, monolithic suite of proprietary products, Jack Henry's FIN program opens its doors to a wide array of third-party fintechs. This includes companies that may even offer solutions competitive with Jack Henry's own ancillary products. The guiding principle is to empower client institutions to build the technology stack that best suits their unique needs and strategic goals. By fostering a vibrant ecosystem of vetted partners, Jack Henry positions its core platform not just as a system of record, but as a central hub for innovation.

This open approach is a strategic differentiator in the core banking market, where providers like Fiserv and FIS also command significant market share. By prioritizing collaboration and user-centricity, Jack Henry aims to help its clients innovate faster, strategically differentiate themselves, and compete more effectively in a market that demands agility.

A Strategic Gateway for Fintech Growth

For Celsior Technologies, inclusion in the FIN program is more than a technical integration; it is a significant strategic achievement. Gaining access to Jack Henry's extensive network of financial institutions provides a direct and powerful channel for market penetration. It grants Celsior a level of credibility and visibility that can be difficult to achieve in the highly regulated and relationship-driven banking sector.

The FIN program provides fintech partners with direct access to Jack Henry's technical resources and sandboxed test systems. This allows companies like Celsior to develop and refine their integrations in a controlled environment before going live, ensuring a smoother deployment for the end client. This structured process, which includes a formal Integration Readiness Check (IRC), validates the technical soundness of the connection, giving financial institutions greater confidence in the solution.

By securing this partnership, Celsior solidifies its position as a key provider of digital transformation solutions for the financial services industry. The move validates its expertise in navigating the complexities of regulated environments and demonstrates its commitment to building solutions that are not only innovative but also secure and integration-ready from the ground up.

Navigating Security and Integration with Confidence

Security and regulatory compliance remain the highest priorities for any financial institution considering a new technology partner. The Celsior and Jack Henry partnership is structured to address these concerns head-on. The integration relies on the jXchange platform, which is engineered to provide secure, governed access to sensitive core data.

The system utilizes a service layer that manages all interactions, ensuring data integrity and consistent security protocols. Furthermore, Jack Henry is actively enhancing its security framework by transitioning its API authentication to OAuth 2.0, an industry-standard protocol for secure authorization. New bank-level implementations are set to adopt OAuth starting in April 2026, with a mandate for all existing connections to convert by April 2028, ensuring the long-term security of the ecosystem.

While Jack Henry's FIN program and its IRC process provide a robust technical vetting of the integration, the company clarifies that membership is not a formal endorsement of a fintech's product. The ultimate responsibility for due diligence and vendor management still rests with the individual bank or credit union, in alignment with guidance from regulatory bodies like the OCC and NCUA. This collaborative approach allows financial institutions to leverage the benefits of a pre-vetted technical connection while maintaining control over their own risk management and compliance obligations.