Harshwardhan Parashar

I am currently leading strategic initiatives at Barclays to drive innovation, regulatory compliance, and enhanced customer experience through Open Banking v4 and Digital Verifications.

Key Contributions:

• Open Banking Standard v4 (OBLv4) rollout: Coordinated cross-functional teams, fintech partners, and regulators to deliver enhanced APIs, ISO 20022 alignment, improved error-handling, and richer reporting.
• Digital Verifications initiative: Shaped reusable, standards-based digital identity frameworks to strengthen KYC, fraud resilience, and onboarding efficiency.
• Senior stakeholder collaboration: Partnered with Accountable Executives, Architects, Product Owners, and third-party vendors to ensure alignment between technical delivery, regulatory requirements, and business strategy.
• Programme execution: Oversaw risks, dependencies, and delivery schedules to ensure timely execution while maintaining high-quality standards.
• Driving innovation & digital transformation: Enabled Barclays to remain at the forefront of open banking adoption and secure digital identity solutions.

Top Skills Used:
Open Banking | Agile Methodologies | FinTech | Regulatory Technology (RegTech) | API Management & Integration | Product Development | Business Planning | Digital Strategy | Digital Verification | GenAI

Led initiatives that transformed customer experiences through the end-to-end delivery of Barclays’ cloud-native NGCB platform, built from the ground up to be scalable, resilient, and secure. Designed to support multiple cores and product domains (Cards, Instalments) with a Digital First strategy, enabling 90+ customer-facing mobile app features, significantly reducing operational costs. Operated in a start-up-like environment, driving business-technology collaboration, rapid iteration, and adaptive delivery, applying cloud best practices to ensure security, high availability, and scalability.

Key Contributions:

• Delivered critical digital servicing journeys, improving customer satisfaction and reducing operational costs.
• Directed all mobile app development, ensuring seamless, digital-first experiences.
• Collaborated with CXOs, MDs, Accountable Executives, Architects, and Product Owners to define and deliver high-value features, leveraging escalation channels to resolve complex challenges.
• Led a multi-functional, multi-skilled team, managing risks, dependencies, and programme delivery to consistently meet contractual timelines.
• Acted as the primary escalation point for senior leadership, providing status updates, solutions, and strategic recommendations for informed decision-making.

Top Skills:
Digital Transformation | Feature Prioritisation | Contractual Delivery Management | Consumer Banking | Operational Efficiency Improvement | Digital Banking Platform | Scaled Agile Framework | Stakeholder Management | Customer Experience (CX) Optimisation | Cost Reduction / Cost Avoidance | FinTech | Value Stream Management | Programme Management | Risk Management | Product Development | IT & Business Strategy Alignment | Digital Servicing Journeys | Cross-functional Team Leadership | Digital Strategy | Cloud Computing

Managed a team of Architects and Business Analysts supporting platforms that processed 30% of UK payment transactions. Delivered high-impact solutions spanning payment processing, cloud transformation, and enterprise architecture.

Key Contributions:

• Led solution design for a chargeback processing platform replacement, reducing manual interventions and enhancing customer experience.
• Designed a next-generation, cloud-based payment processing switch, targeting £30m cost savings over 10 years, incorporating resilient and scalable architecture with AWS hosting, Kafka, Cassandra, and multi-region deployment.
• Enabled Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to offer payment acceptance, unlocking a potential £5m revenue stream over five years.
• Oversaw enterprise-level solution architecture, infrastructure, and platform design, ensuring resiliency, scalability, and regulatory compliance across critical financial systems.

Top Skills:
Apache Kafka | Software Solution Architecture | Kanban | DevSecOps | Akana | Enterprise Solution Design | Infrastructure | Scrum | Enterprise Architecture | Resiliency | Agile Methodologies | API Management | Serverless Architecture | Non-Functional Requirements (NFR) | Cassandra | AWS | Open Source Integration | Lead Designer | OpenShift | DevOps | Event-Driven Architecture | Python | Cloud Computing

As Lead Architect, I managed a team of architects in India, successfully migrating legacy platforms and driving modernization for the Payments Acceptance business.

Key Contributions:

• Spearheaded the integration of the bank’s legacy dispute platform with the new billing and settlement programme, ensuring seamless operations.
• Designed and delivered a streamlined merchant onboarding solution, reducing activation time from 14 days to 48 hours.
• Implemented a secure real-time sanctions screening architecture in collaboration with cross-functional teams, strengthening compliance, resilience, and operational efficiency.
• Led enterprise-level solution and platform architecture, ensuring scalability, performance, and alignment with business objectives.

Top Skills Used:
Leadership | Software Solution Architecture | Enterprise Management Bus | ETL Tools | People Development | Salesforce.com Consulting | Payments | Solution Architecture | Merchant Acquiring | Request for Proposal (RFP) | Technology Integration | Spring MVC | IBM BPM | HPX | Data Engineering | Platform Architecture | Informatica | Bankworks

As Solution Architect, I contributed to complex transformation initiatives in the Payments Acceptance business, focusing on merchant onboarding, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Key Contributions:

• Designed and delivered a merchant onboarding solution that reduced activation time from 30 days to 48 hours, significantly improving customer experience.
• Created high-level architecture for real-time sanctions screening, integrating multiple applications with middleware to strengthen compliance and operational resilience.
• Integrated the legacy dispute platform with the new Billing & Settlement programme, ensuring seamless operational continuity.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure solutions aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirements.

Top Skills Used:
Software Solution Architecture | Enterprise Management Bus | Salesforce.com Development | People Development | Salesforce.com Consulting | Payments | Solution Architecture | Merchant Acquiring | Request for Proposal (RFP) | Technology Integration

As Senior Business Analyst, I played a key role in initiating and delivering projects within HSBC’s £10m portfolio, focusing on cards, payments, and mobile banking solutions.

Key Contributions:

• Oversaw the development of retail banking solutions tailored for the UK, Middle East, and CEE regions.
• Facilitated collaboration across cross-functional teams, driving delivery success and improving customer experience.
• Applied analytical insights to identify market trends, shaping product strategy and guiding informed decision-making.

Top Skills Used:
Credit/Debit Cards | Business Strategy | Solution Design | Business Analysis | Business Planning

As an Onsite Project Associate, I was responsible for optimising credit card transaction processing and service initiatives for a leading bank.

Key Contributions:

• Gathered and documented business requirements, ensuring alignment with stakeholder objectives and regulatory needs.
• Developed high-level solution proposals, including cost projections and feasibility assessments.
• Supported implementation and post-implementation reviews, validating that business objectives and customer outcomes were achieved.

Top Skills Used:
Credit/Debit Cards | VisionPLUS | Requirements Gathering | Software Development

Worked in various capacities to support enhancements and new builds for Credit Management and Loyalty Management applications for a major bank.

Key Contributions:

• Gathered and documented requirements for credit card processing, ensuring alignment with business and customer objectives.
• Developed and unit-tested critical components of Credit Management and Loyalty Management systems, improving reliability and performance.
• Led defect resolution during testing phases, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality solutions.

Top Skills Used:
IBM Mainframe | Credit Cards | Java | Testing | Software Development

As a Trainee/Developer, I contributed to the development of educational content for MBA aspirants, with a focus on aptitude and language skills. Key contributions included:

• Created engaging and relevant learning materials to support student preparation and success.
• Collaborated with a dynamic team to maintain content quality and effectiveness.
• Built early expertise in content management and educational development within a fast-paced startup environment.