Sovereignty is quietly rewriting what interoperability means in enterprise technology.

For years, vendor lock-in was treated as a commercial concern: migration costs, contract flexibility, negotiating leverage. European regulation is shifting that framing, particularly for financial institutions operating across the UK and the EU.

DORA requires financial institutions to demonstrate they can operate independently of critical third-party providers. The EU AI Act requires organisations to maintain oversight and auditability of AI systems, even when supplied by external vendors.

In this month’s Digital Edge Magazine, William Foley (Head of Banking, Financial Services & Insurance at Stratio) reframes it: “Interoperability isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s sovereignty.”

For UK companies with European operations, and vice versa, this is where the two markets converge.