Cognizant, a leading AI builder and technology services provider, and Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, have announced the successful implementation and go-live of Cognizant's Application Management Services (AMS) under the Bank's AMS 2.0 initiative, which delivers application support services for the Bank's stakeholders.

AMS 2.0 is a structured, jointly driven program designed to strengthen delivery governance, improve operational consistency, and accelerate the adoption of automation across application support services. Built on automation-led practices, the model is intended to enhance service reliability and cost efficiency while enabling productivity, scalability, and standardized processes, with a strong emphasis on governance, compliance, and operational discipline. Arrangements of this kind are a long-established part of the technology services industry, in which providers take responsibility for the ongoing support and maintenance of the enterprise software a business depends on.

Spearheaded by Axis Bank, the AMS 2.0 initiative forms a key pillar of the Bank's broader technology transformation journey. The collaboration underscores Axis Bank's strategic focus on building a scalable, resilient, and future-ready IT operating model — one that supports business growth, enhances system reliability, and delivers a superior stakeholder experience across critical banking platforms.

Under a five-year agreement, Cognizant is working closely with Axis Bank to support systems across key business verticals, including Branch and Operations; Cards; Corporate Banking and Treasury; Core Platforms and Payments; Finance and Accounting; Retail and Wholesale Banking; and Data Platforms and Integration. Because the scope covers systems that underpin daily operations across these functions, consistent application support plays a direct role in keeping those day-to-day activities running, from branch transactions to payments and treasury operations.

Executives from both companies highlighted the collaborative nature of the transition.

Avinash Raghavendra, Group Head – Information Technology & Retail Operations, Axis Bank, said: "The implementation of AMS 2.0 is part of Axis Bank's efforts to build a more resilient, scalable, and automation enabled operations model. Cognizant has worked closely with the Bank during this transition to support a complex application environment. We look forward to collaborating with Cognizant for Application Management Services (AMS) to enhance operational effectiveness and support the Bank's evolving business and technology needs."

Ganesh Ayyar, President – Asia Pacific & Japan, Cognizant, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with Axis Bank as part of its AMS 2.0 initiative. Our teams are focused on supporting the bank's application management requirements through disciplined service delivery, governance-led operations and the responsible use automation to improve run stability and efficiency."

With AMS 2.0 now live, the five-year engagement will center on disciplined service delivery and the continued adoption of automation across the Bank's application environment. Over that term, the program's stated objectives — stronger governance, greater reliability, and standardized, automation-led processes — provide the yardstick against which the partnership's delivery can be measured.