Mobile banking applications have evolved from novelties to industry standards, with a vast range of options vying for user attention. Amidst this competitive landscape, developing a modern, secure, and compelling mobile banking solution that truly stands out becomes a formidable challenge.
PKO Bank Polski passed this task with flying colors. Its pioneering mobile application has captivated users and achieved global recognition, being named the best mobile banking app in the world. IKO’s success story offers valuable insights into the development of a cutting-edge mobile banking solution that outperforms the competition and sets new benchmarks for user experience, security, and functionality.
Objective
Over a decade ago, when mobile applications were just starting to gain traction, PKO Bank Polski recognized the potential of this growing trend. They sought to design a cutting-edge mobile banking app that would empower their customers to manage their bank accounts easily and securely.
Neontri’s challenge was to leverage its extensive mobile technology expertise and know-how to develop a mobile framework that could meet the bank’s requirements and offer rapid deployment of extensive banking features. Our goal was to deliver superior functionality and overall quality that would capture consumers’ attention and set the stage for developing high-quality banking apps across the mobile banking and payments solutions market.
Solution
Neontri’s expertise in mobile technology and innovation played a pivotal role in the development of IKO, the pioneering mobile banking application in Poland. This groundbreaking solution combined account management capabilities with both online and offline payment options, setting a new standard for the industry.
The architectural concept we developed for this project aimed to address some of the common issues faced by enterprise organizations in building mobile apps, such as:
- Handling “invisible” app functionalities. While users focus on the 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 software solution we created offers seamless integration with device native capabilities, allowing developers to implement changes across both iOS and Android ecosystems with a single codebase.
- Streamlining implementation. The technology we have used eliminates the need to repeatedly develop complex backend functionalities by providing a robust, one-time implementation that allows developers to focus on delivering value to users.
- Enabling modular development. Our framework employs a modular architecture that sets clear boundaries between different application components, enabling developers 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 mobile app to combine native mobile functionality with the flexibility of web-based components. This enables seamless integration with existing bank solutions and processes and quick onboarding of new systems/processes without additional logins required for users.
Insurance integrations (2017 – 2023)
Neontri’s team developed several new features to improve and extend the user experience for life, real estate, and car insurance services within the mobile app. These features empoweres bank customers to check policy details, view related documents in PDF format, cancel existing policies, and seamlessly renew their coverage directly from the mobile app.
Online currency exchange (2018 – 2020)
This feature enables individual clients to conduct online currency exchange transactions conveniently within the mobile banking app. During the development of eKantor, the developers employed WebView capabilities, leveraging an already developed, tested, and running solution, which allowed them to incorporate the new functionality into the mobile app quickly.
Digital NEMO integration (2020)
NEMO is the bank’s proprietary solution that allows users to manage some applications, agreements, and dispositions efficiently. It is embedded in the WebView, facilitating rapid integration of new regulations and processes into the app.
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.
Cooperation process
Neontri has been involved in the IKO project since its inception. Our team played a pivotal role in designing and implementing the mobile functionality, backend infrastructure, and administrative portal. The Neontri specialists assumed end-to-end responsibility for developing various application modules and creating seamless user experiences across iOS and Android platforms. Our commitment extended to providing round-the-clock support with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the components we had built to ensure reliable and efficient system operations.
Although our engineers were part of the broader implementation team, they functioned as an independent software development unit comprising a project manager, Android and iOS developers, backend developers, and testers. They were tasked with delivering various features, relying on the analytical documentation and requirements provided by the bank to guide their development efforts.
In the initial stages, the collaboration between Neontri and PKO Bank Polski was based on a fixed-price model with a pre-defined scope for each module. While it allowed for focused workflow within Neontri’s unit, over time we recognized an opportunity to enhance our partnership by ushering in a new, more effective model. This led to the adoption of an Agile formation approach in September 2023.
The Agile formations operate as long-term, dedicated teams, working on a time and materials basis. Each formation comprises team leaders and all necessary members, including developers, analysts, and other specialists, ensuring a comprehensive skill set for end-to-end delivery.
This new model helped to facilitate communication between developers from both teams, eliminating silos, facilitating knowledge sharing, and enhancing the overall speed and quality of software development. Neontri’s developers now work daily with the bank’s analysts, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, and other team members, enabling them to see the whole picture and gain a comprehensive understanding of the product vision and requirements.
Results
Over the past decade, IKO achieved tremendous success and industry-wide acclaim. 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 mobile solutions of renowned banking brands such as JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, and Bank of America.
This ranking, based on user feedback from the Apple App Store and Google Play, serves as a testament to IKO’s exceptional customer experience and intuitive interface. The application reportedly surpassed 8 million active users and garnered over 1.2 million reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 stars – a remarkable achievement in the highly competitive mobile banking landscape.
