Reflections from Open Source in Finance Forum NYC 2025
As someone who has long believed in the transformative power of open source technology, this gathering reinforced my conviction that we're at a pivotal moment for the financial services industry.
AI: The Accelerating Force
Throughout the keynotes and breakout sessions, one theme dominated the conversation: artificial intelligence. We're witnessing AI fundamentally reshape how financial institutions approach everything from infrastructure optimization to operational efficiency.
What excites me most isn't just the technology itself, but how open source principles are being applied to AI development and deployment.
The discussions around AI governance, implementation strategies, and the practical applications of AI in financial services were particularly compelling. As AI capabilities advance, the financial services industry faces the challenge of balancing rapid innovation with security, compliance, and responsibility. Open source frameworks and collaborative standards—exactly what FINOS and the Linux Foundation champion—offer a path forward that prioritizes transparency, security, and shared learning.
Infrastructure and the Post-Cloud Era
Another key focus throughout the sessions was infrastructure evolution. We're entering what many are calling the "post-cloud era"—not an abandonment of cloud computing, but a fundamental shift in how we think about distributed systems, hybrid architectures, and the true cost of infrastructure at scale.
Financial institutions are no longer simply consuming cloud services; they're becoming sophisticated infrastructure operators who demand portability, resilience, and cost optimization.
This shift represents a maturation of the market—organizations are now asking harder questions about where workloads should run, how to optimize costs without sacrificing innovation, and how to build infrastructure that's both flexible and secure.
Why Open Source in Finance Matters
OSFF exemplifies something essential: a neutral ground where competitors can collaborate on the foundational technologies that benefit the entire industry. The alternative—each institution building proprietary solutions to common problems—is inefficient, expensive, and ultimately limits innovation for everyone.
By contributing to and adopting open source projects through communities like FINOS, financial services firms can:
Reduce development costs
through shared investment in common infrastructure and tooling
Improve security
through collective scrutiny, rapid vulnerability patching, and transparent code review
Attract top developer talent
who value open source contribution and want to work on technology that has broad impact
Accelerate innovation
by building on proven foundations rather than reinventing the wheel
Shape industry standards
rather than being subject to proprietary vendor decisions
Interested in learning more about open source in financial services? Visit finos.org or connect with me to discuss how open source can transform your organization.