Case Study
Metropolitan Life: Retail Life Insurance Platform
Business Results
Increased engagement
Unified digital and operational systems enhanced user experience and service accessibility.
Improved processing
Unified digital and operational systems enhanced user experience and service accessibility.
Growth in automation
Automated fund, commission, and policy processes improved efficiency and reduced operational overhead.
Headquarters: Bellville, Cape Town
Industry: Retail Banking & Life Insurance
Use Case: Investment and Savings Products Platform
Department: Retail Savings & Retirement Business Unit
Integrations: Oracle Insurance Policy Administration, AWS Lamba, Enterprise Integration Services, Group General Ledger Integration, Internal Support Layer, Data Migration Tools and Pipelines
Setting the Stage
Metropolitan is a leading South African life insurer, serving millions through a broad range of retail savings, retirement, and investment-linked products.
With a longstanding reputation for stability and trust, Metropolitan operates across the full retail life insurance spectrum.
Its portfolio includes endowments, annuities, retirement solutions, and investment products tailored for South Africa’s dynamic financial landscape.
The Challenge
Falcorp led the transformation of Metropolitan’s core policy administration by replacing legacy systems with a modern, strategic platform built on Oracle OIPA.
The engagement focused on the enterprise-wide deployment of Oracle Insurance Policy Administration (OIPA) to replace two legacy systems — a mainframe-based PAS and a unitised investment system. Falcorp oversaw the architecture, configuration, and integration of OIPA across all policy types and fund structures.
The programme also included designing and executing a data migration strategy, as well as enabling internal support capability to ensure long-term sustainability.
The project tackled legacy complexity, regulatory volatility, and high-risk migration in a highly integrated operating environment.
Metropolitan faced the challenge of maintaining two legacy PAS platforms with overlapping but incompatible product capabilities.
The complexity of its savings and annuity products, combined with evolving regulatory requirements — including the 2-Pot Retirement Reform — added to the delivery risk.
The environment required extensive integration across financial, regulatory, and operational systems, with critical dependencies on precise fund and commission handling.
Large-scale data migration and the need to upskill internal teams were also key considerations.
The Solution
Falcorp implemented a consolidated, configurable platform based on OIPA to unify administration, support complex products, and ensure compliance.
The solution brought all policy administration functions under a single OIPA platform, with tailored configuration for investment, annuity, and retirement products.
OIPA was integrated with the Group General Ledger and other enterprise systems to ensure financial alignment. A phased data migration strategy was executed to manage risk, and a hybrid delivery model supported the transfer of knowledge and capability to internal teams.
The implementation followed a phased, agile approach, prioritising integration and adaptability to evolving regulatory requirements.
Delivery was structured across multiple phases to allow concurrent replacement of legacy systems. Falcorp teams were embedded within a hybrid governance model and worked iteratively to meet ongoing regulatory changes, including the implementation of the 2-Pot Reform.
The integration-first design enabled seamless connections with over a dozen critical systems. Joint support enablement activities helped Metropolitan establish a sustainable operational model.
Falcorp applied deep insurance domain knowledge, OIPA expertise, and integration capabilities to deliver a resilient, future-ready solution.
The team translated complex business requirements into system design using their expertise in retail insurance and investment domains. Extensive OIPA configuration was performed, including product rules and process flows.
Falcorp also led the design and testing of integration APIs, collaborated closely with client teams, and ensured security and compliance alignment. Technical architecture oversight, data migration methodology, and regulatory insight contributed to a comprehensive solution. The team supported UAT, cutover readiness, and stabilisation, maintaining a trusted, partnership-led approach throughout.
What we Achieved
A full suite of technical, strategic, and operational services ensured successful transformation and sustainable delivery.
Falcorp provided services across strategic advisory, project and delivery management, solution architecture, and system integration. The implementation of OIPA was complemented by comprehensive data migration planning and execution.
A hybrid support model was designed and implemented, aligning regulatory requirements with updated business processes. The team also provided quality assurance, DevOps engineering, and ongoing operational readiness support.
The project delivered a fully integrated, flexible insurance platform with support for all major retail savings and annuity products.
Metropolitan successfully launched a diverse suite of localised products, including Tax-Free Savings Plans, Endowment and Retirement Annuities, Preservation Funds, Guaranteed and Term Certain Annuities, Living Annuities with Life Cover, and Smoothed Bonus Investment Funds.
Both legacy systems were fully decommissioned in favour of the OIPA platform, which now supports configurable product structures across all retail segments. Fund and commission management were integrated into OIPA, and 2-Pot Reform functionality was delivered in line with programme milestones.
A sustainable hybrid operating model was established, with internal team ownership and stable financial and operational performance maintained throughout a high-risk migration process.
Adoption
The new platform was successfully adopted across the organisation, with internal teams enabled to manage operations independently and support long-term sustainability.
Looking forward
This case illustrates Falcorp’s proven ability to deliver complex platform transformations within regulated financial environments at enterprise scale.
The Metropolitan project demonstrates Falcorp’s capability to replace legacy platforms, implement Oracle OIPA across multi-product environments, and deliver resilient, scalable solutions. It highlights the ability to respond to regulatory changes mid-programme, manage data risk, and embed long-term operational capability, making it directly relevant for organisations seeking modernisation in high-complexity insurance landscapes.
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