Equinix’s Luke Lee highlights why interconnections is key to banking modernisation

Interconnected digital infrastructure is becoming the foundation for agility, compliance, and long-term competitiveness.

As banks across Southeast Asia accelerate their digital transformation journeys, one question looms large: how can financial institutions modernise fast enough to keep pace with shifting customer expectations, evolving regulations, and disruptive technologies?

For Luke Lee, APAC Solution Lead at Equinix, the answer lies in rethinking infrastructure, not just as a back-end necessity, but as a strategic enabler of growth, compliance, and innovation.

For Lee, one of the biggest challenges banks face today is overcoming legacy infrastructure. “Southeast Asia’s banks are striving to scale and innovate both locally and across diverse markets, but legacy infrastructure continues to constrain agility, interoperability, and the pace of digital transformation,” he explained.

These constraints often leave banks struggling to integrate new technologies or expand efficiently into new markets. That’s where interconnection comes in.

Whilst the term “interconnection” often sounds technical, Lee frames it in clear business terms. “Interconnection, in the context of modern banking, is about creating secure, high-speed bridges between clouds, partners, and data systems,” he said, adding that this enables banks to innovate faster without being held back by the silos and latency of legacy infrastructure. This shift transforms infrastructure from a bottleneck into a foundation that supports agility and scale.

With AI, blockchain, and real-time payments now at the forefront of banking innovation, interconnected infrastructure becomes even more critical, since it helps banks quickly adopt these technologies securely and at scale. They are able to link them directly to the ecosystems they need without delays and risks.

This approach not only accelerates adoption but also ensures that security and compliance are embedded into the process.

Looking ahead, Lee emphasises that digital infrastructure will be a defining factor in determining which banks succeed over the next three to five years. “Having the right foundational digital infrastructure that is secure, scalable, and interconnected will help banks innovate, comply and compete in a fast-changing financial landscape.”

In other words, infrastructure is no longer just an operational consideration; it’s becoming a core competitive differentiator.

Lee will be sharing more insights on interconnection at the exclusive webinar, “Modernising Banking: Unlocking Growth with Interconnected Data Centres in Malaysia and Southeast Asia,” presented by Asian Banking & Finance, in partnership with Equinix. The webinar will take place on 14 October 2025, Tuesday, from 11:00 am to 12:00 nn SGT.

When asked about the topics he is excited to delve into, Lee said, “I’m looking forward to explore how banks in Southeast Asia can turn infrastructure into a strategic advantage—especially as they navigate transformation, compliance, and digital innovation in markets like Malaysia.”

Interested in joining the webinar? Register here to secure your spot. For more information, contact the Asian Banking & Finance Team at [email protected] or +65 3158 1386.