Hyperlayer joins Asia Pacific fintech lab as finalist

Hyperlayer has been selected for FinTech Innovation Lab Asia Pacific 2026. The Hong Kong company is one of eight finalists in the programme.

The selection places Hyperlayer in an accelerator that works with large banks and insurers across the region and globally. Programme organisers said judges also viewed the company as the most "production-ready" among the finalists.

Hyperlayer develops programmable banking technology designed to help established lenders introduce new products without replacing their core systems. Its software sits above existing banking infrastructure and can work across multiple core platforms, whether legacy or newer systems.

The approach addresses a longstanding challenge for incumbent banks, whose ageing core platforms often slow product launches and broader technology change. The release cited McKinsey & Company research that found 30% of banks successfully execute their digital transformation strategy, while 18% meet their goals.

The programme gives participating companies access to senior executives at financial institutions overseeing trillions of dollars in assets. During the lab, Hyperlayer will focus on strategic discussions, pilot development and go-to-market activity with institutions involved in payments, wealth, family office and insurance.

Financial groups involved in the programme include HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, UBS, Citi, ANZ and NAB, alongside Asia-Pacific banks such as Hang Seng Bank, Bank of East Asia, DBS and OCBC. Insurers in the programme include AIA, Prudential, AXA and Zurich.

Banking challenge

Founded in 2023, Hyperlayer positions itself as a specialist in helping banks make changes without embarking on full core replacement projects. Such projects have often proved difficult for large institutions because of cost overruns, delays and operational risk.

Its pitch is that banks want faster product development while keeping the systems that handle resilience, compliance and day-to-day customer operations in place. Hyperlayer also says its technology can connect institutions running several core systems at once, including combinations of in-house and vendor platforms.

Hyperlayer already has links to large financial institutions through its founders. The company was established by former senior Morgan Stanley executives Rob Rooney and Paul Rolles, and says its clients include global Tier 1 institutions.

It is also the technology provider behind HyperJar, a UK consumer money-management and family banking app serving 300,000 households. That gives Hyperlayer an operating example outside the enterprise banking market as it seeks more institutional customers.

Funding base

The company has also attracted external capital as it expands. In September 2025, it raised USD $40 million in a funding round led by CDAM, with participation from Flintlock Capital, Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, Mouro Capital and Iona Star.

Selection for the lab may raise its visibility with banks and insurers weighing technology investments but remaining cautious about major infrastructure change. Financial groups face pressure to add new digital services and improve speed while managing regulation, cyber risk and the complexity of older technology estates.

Louise Chan, Chief Commercial Officer at Hyperlayer, said the company's product is designed to address that tension.

"Incumbent banks typically have cores that are complex, built up over decades of enhancements, and shaped by regulatory demand, which makes change measured. Hyperlayer gives banks a single layer that sits above their existing tech stack. From there, they can launch new products, set the rules for agentic commerce and stay ahead of fraud, without ever replacing the systems they and their customers already trust. Banks finally get speed without the risk, and without waiting on multi-year modernisation projects to make it happen. FILAP puts us in the room with many of the world's most important financial institutions as they work through this speed-and-resilience challenge. It's a fantastic opportunity."