Research report template from a CIO survey

RESEARCH REPORT · N = 180 CIOs

Northwind

The state of core modernization, 2026.

FIG. 1 · WHERE BANKING CORES STAND

Still on mainframe46%

Mid-migration31%

Fully modern15%

No plan yet8%

3.4 yrs

average program length

1 in 3

programs run over budget

NORTHWIND RESEARCH40 PAGES

FINDINGS · PAGE 12Northwind

Money isn’t the problem. Moving the data is.

FIG. 2 · TOP BARRIERS CITED, % OF CIOs (N = 180)

Data migration risk58%

Skills in the team44%

Vendor lock-in39%

Regulator approval31%

Budget27%

Board support12%

Read across: CIOs who ran a data migration rehearsal first were twice as likely to finish on budget.

NORTHWIND RESEARCH · 202612

FINDINGS · PAGE 18Northwind

The fastest programs never switch off the core.

FIG. 3 · PROGRAM LENGTH BY APPROACH, YEARS

Big bangmedian 4.8

Phased by productmedian 3.1

Hollow out the coremedian 2.4

01234567

Method. Survey of 180 banking CIOs in North America, the UK and Europe, June to August 2026. Bars show the middle 80% of programs.

NORTHWIND RESEARCH · 202618

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Research report · Core modernization