Infrastructure at Scale for FinTech Project
ELITEX integrated DevOps and backend specialists into a fintech's team to build additional features, automate deployments, achieve compliance, and reduce infrastructure costs by 90%
Industry
Technology
React
Node.JS
AWS
Kubernetes
Elasticsearch
Customer’s Location
Switzerland
A Brief Summary
- TL;DR: Our client is a European fintech company based in Switzerland that provides banking and modern investment services to institutional and private qualified investors.
- The client had a working banking system but needed external backend and DevOps expertise to build crypto features, clear technical debt, automate manual deployments, and reach SOC 2 Type II compliance.
- ELITEX embedded 4 specialists into the in-house team within 3 weeks. We built Solana staking from scratch and extended exusting Ethereum staking. Additionally, our specialists merged 23 applications into one monorepo, automated deployment pipelines, and migrated the cluster from Azure to AWS, eventually cutting infrastructure costs by 90%.
About the Project
Our client is a European fintech company serving institutional and private qualified investors. They provide banking and financial services with a focus on modern investment solutions.
We joined the project in November 2022 to enhance development capacity and introduce strong DevOps practices. This case study focuses on infrastructure transformation, which involves sensitive information for any fintech company; that’s why we decided to describe the client briefly without naming them directly.
The Challenge
The client already had a working banking system when they first contacted us. Altough their product functioned, they needed external expertise to develop new crypto-related features and optimize their existing infrastructure.
They looked specifically for additional back-end and DevOps expertise to enhance their in-house team. Manual deployment processes slowed their operations. Additionally, their infrastructure needed SOC 2 Type II compliance for security audits. The technical debt accumulated over time required attention, and new feature development demanded additional engineering capacity as well.
Our Solution
Overall, the project involved around 50 in-house software engineers. However, our client needed several specialists with specific tech stack knowledge and DevOps expertise to expand the team quickly and reliably. Just as intended, ELITEX enhanced their in-house team, integrating 4 software engineers into their existing workflow within 3 weeks. Our focus covered crypto feature development, maintenance work, technical debt refactoring, and infrastructure optimization.
Technology stack:
Frontend: React
Backend: Node.js, Java
Infrastructure: AWS, Kubernetes, Postgres, Redis
Workflow: Camunda Zeebe, Elastic
Back-end and a bit of front-end development
Our backend team focused on staking functionality for the crypto operations. We worked with both the Ethereum and Solana networks. Our client had existing Ethereum groundwork, which we enhanced and extended. When it comes to Solana staking, we built it from scratch, implementing the complete staking, unstaking, and rewards system. The functionality then became a core part of the banking’s service offering. At the same time, our full-stack developer handled desktop and web application improvements, refactoring technical debt while maintaining system stability across both platforms.
DevOps
Our DevOps specialist started with the basics: compliance requirements. We built SOC 2 Type II infrastructure from scratch, configuring service mesh for security and preparing the system for rigorous audits. The architecture itself needed consolidation. 23 separate applications created maintenance overhead and deployment complexity, so our DevOps specialist merged them into a single monorepo.
This set the stage for the next phase. ELITEX’s DevOps specialists automated deployment pipelines that the team previously handled manually, turning releases from a careful manual process into a smooth automated workflow. The final transformation involved migrating the entire cluster from Azure to AWS. This migration, together with redesigning the infrastructure into a single monorepo, cut infrastructure costs by 90%!, turning what started as a technical improvement into a major cost optimization.
The Process
ELITEX’s specialists joined the existing Scrum workflow. Our team members work directly with their developers in daily standups and sprint planning. This direct collaboration lets us respond to technical decisions without communication delays. The DevOps transformation happened gradually, while backend and full-stack additions came as feature development needs expanded.
As of now, the collaboration continues for over 4 years!
The Project Team
One DevOps engineer and two back-end developers worked on this project from the start of our partnership. Then we added one full-stack developer as the scope grew. The team remains active in ongoing development and maintenance.
The Result
The infrastructure overhaul delivered a 90% reduction in operational costs while achieving SOC 2 Type II compliance. This ten-fold cost decrease came from consolidating applications and optimizing cloud resources through the AWS migration.
The staking functionality we developed now operates reliably across both Ethereum and Solana networks. The platform runs in stable production with automated pipelines and unified architecture. We continue developing new features while maintaining existing functionality. The system supports faster development cycles and stronger security standards, which position the client for continued growth in the digital asset sector.
Key facts and numbers:
- 90% reduction in infrastructure costs
- 23 applications consolidated into one monorepo
- 3 weeks to integrate several specialists into the in-house workflow
- 4 specialists embedded (1 DevOps engineer, 2 backend, then 1 full-stack)
- SOC 2 Type II compliance achieved from a from-scratch build
- Azure to AWS migration completed for the full cluster
Why Choose ELITEX?
- Strong DevOps expertise: Our engineers handle infrastructure transformation that most teams avoid. Complex migrations, compliance configurations, and cost optimization happen without disrupting production.
- Flexible tech stack: We work with your existing solutions rather than pushing you toward our preferences. Blockchain integration, legacy banking platforms, or modern cloud architectures all receive the same depth of expertise.
- Transparent communication and zero bureaucracy: You directly talk to our developers. We skip the account managers, status meetings about status meeting, and other corporate overhead that slows decisions.
- Experience in FinTech: Security audits, regulatory compliance, financial data, and deciation to exceptional user experience shape how we write code from day one. We understand what breaks in fintech before it actually breaks.
- Ability to scale fast: Need three engineers next month? We deliver specialists who match your tech stack and integrate with your workflow. No six-month ramp-up periods.
- Cost-efficiency: Strong engineering skills (with 90% of specialists at mid- and senior-levels) at rates that make sense. Our teams deliver measurable results like 90% cost reduction, not just completed tickets.
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