Neontri Co-created the World’s Best Mobile Banking App

Client: PKO Bank Polski, Poland’s largest bank, serving over 12 million customers

Industry: Banking 

Scope: End-to-end mobile banking app development 

Key technologies: Native iOS and Android development, WebView integration with extended security layer, mTLS support, Keychain/Keystore, OpenAPI

Timeline: 2013 – present

Challenge

Over a decade ago, when mobile applications were just gaining traction, PKO Bank Polski recognized the potential of this trend. They reached out to Neontri to design a cutting-edge mobile banking app that would empower their customers to manage their bank accounts easily and securely. That required our team to:

• Leverage our expertise in mobile app development services to create a framework that would meet the bank’s requirements and offer rapid deployment of extensive banking features. 
• Deliver functionality that would capture consumers’ attention. 
• Set the stage for developing high-quality banking apps across the mobile banking and payments solutions market.

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Solution

Neontri’s expertise in mobile development played a pivotal role in the development of IKO, the pioneering mobile banking application in Poland. This solution combined account management with both online and offline payment options, setting a new standard for the banking industry.

The architectural concept we developed for this project aimed to address common issues enterprise organizations face when building mobile apps:

• Handling “invisible” app functionalities. While users focus on visible features and experiences, our framework takes care of the critical behind-the-scenes functionalities, such as app security, multi-language support, and network connection management. 
• Safeguarding sensitive information. Unlike traditional mobile apps that rely on users’ inherently insecure smartphones for data security, IKO has its own hardened implementation of security and networking stacks optimized to protect sensitive info.
• Ensuring cross-platform compatibility. The solution offers seamless integration with device native capabilities, allowing the development team to implement changes across both iOS and Android ecosystems with a single codebase.
• Streamlining implementation. The technology eliminates the need to repeatedly develop complex backend functionalities by providing a robust, one-time implementation.
• Enabling modular development. Our framework employs a modular architecture that sets clear boundaries between different application components, enabling engineers to organize and structure code for proper functioning in a large-scale environment.

Over the years, Neontri’s commitment to innovation and continuous improvement led to the integration of several key functionalities into the application:

Secure WebView (2017 – Present) 

A WebView implementation allowed the application to combine native mobile functionality with the flexibility of web-based components. This enables seamless integration with existing bank solutions and quick onboarding of new processes, without extra logins for users. 

Insurance integrations (2017 – 2023)

Neontri’s team developed several new features that allow bank customers to check policy details, view related documents in PDF format, cancel existing policies, and seamlessly renew their coverage directly within the mobile app.

Online currency exchange (2018 – 2020) 

This feature enables individual clients to conduct online currency exchange transactions conveniently within the banking app. 

Digital NEMO integration (2020) 

NEMO is the bank’s proprietary solution for managing applications, agreements, and dispositions. It is embedded in the WebView, facilitating rapid integration of new regulations and processes.

Autosaving (2020 – 2021) 

Through this feature, users can set their financial goals, adjust parameters like monthly deductions, saving method, and target account, and track progress toward their investment objectives.

iPKO Dealer (2022) 

This feature introduced online currency exchange capabilities to the bank’s enterprise clients.

Credit/Mortgage management (2023)

We implemented new options for managing credit solutions and mortgages, including loan initiation, cancellation, and modification requests.

Meeting scheduling (2024) 

A meeting module empowers users to schedule appointments with personal or business advisors through their preferred channel – in-branch, audio call, or video conference.

Delivery approach

Neontri has adapted its delivery model over the years to match the project’s evolving needs, combining dedicated engineering teams with continuous process improvements.

Core responsibilities

• Designed and implemented the mobile functionality, backend infrastructure, and administrative portal.
• Took end-to-end responsibility for developing various application modules and creating a seamless user experience across iOS and Android platforms.
• Provided round-the-clock support with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the components we had built to ensure reliable and efficient system operations.

Team structure

• An independent software development unit within the broader implementation team.
• Our team comprised a project manager, Android and iOS developers, backend developers, and testers.
• Development efforts were guided by the analytical documentation and requirements provided by the bank.

Engagement model

• Initially, the collaboration was based on a fixed-price model with a pre-defined scope for each module.
• Starting from September 2023, our partnership with PKO Bank Polski follows an Agile formation approach: long-term, dedicated teams working on a time-and-materials basis, each with team leaders, developers, analysts, and other specialists needed for end-to-end delivery.
• Daily work is characterized by close collaboration between Neontri’s developers and the bank’s analysts, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, and other team members, facilitating knowledge sharing, eliminating silos, and improving overall delivery speed and quality.

Results

Over the past decade, the IKO application achieved both industry-wide acclaim and widespread daily use:

• #1 globally. For two consecutive years, it secured the top spot in the prestigious global industry ranking of mobile apps published by the British Retail Banker International magazine, outperforming the solutions of renowned banking brands such as JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, and Bank of America. 
• User satisfaction.  IKO earned a 4.7-star average rating across more than 1.2 million reviews on the App Store and Google Play, which serves as a testament to its exceptional customer experience and intuitive interface. 
• Massive daily engagement. IKO processes over 32 million daily interactions and 295,000 logins per hour, driven by 8 million active users.
• 2.6B+ app transactions and counting. Operating at high velocity, IKO processes 9 mobile payments per second and 361 transfers per minute, demonstrating robust scale and peak-load performance. 

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From architecture to long-term feature delivery, Neontri partners with banks to turn ambitious mobile banking goals into market-leading products.

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