Implementation of Flowize at Optin Bank ASA improves credit check processes

Optin Bank is a new Norwegian bank that sets the payment standards today – and in the future. It has both domestic and international distribution partners, with a global footprint spanning more than 20 countries. Combined, this provides access to over 2.7 million active customers with over 250,000 daily interactions.

 

Rethinking payments

Optin has clear ambitions to redefine future payment solutions and banking services by challenging the traditional ways in everything they do. Designing user-friendly solutions to real customer needs. Provide unique insights and build long-term relationships with their users and partners. As a bank, they are committed to technology development to ensure their customers the very best product on the market. Innovation is achieved through new technology and by using old technology in a new way. Ensuring that they can offer their customers a stable and secure service, while at the same time having both the muscles and the flexibility to invest in new and better technology.

 

The challenge of Optin Bank

Optin Bank had the following challenges related to the credit checking process:

 

“We were frustrated by the time it took to make even smaller adjustments in our risk rules. We were also frustrated about the dependency on 3rd party resources to make these adjustments.”

Adrian Johansen Henanger, Chief Credit Officer, Optin Bank ASA

The approach

Optin Bank realized that they had to improve their processes to enable more business, both related to cost and time to market. They started to look for alternative ways to improve their credit check process. Their requirements for a new solution had to be able to handle integration towards both internal and external systems and workflow. They ended up with two alternative approaches:
1. To write code themselves.
2. To look for a software solution that could simplify the process.

At this stage, they were approached by Flowize Nordic AS, offering a cloud-based solution that contained both integration and workflow. Optin Bank asked Flowize Nordic AS to perform a Proof of Concept based on their process for consumer loans. Optin Bank described the requirements in June 2019, and Flowize Nordic AS delivered a Proof of Concept at the beginning of July 2019. The parties agreed on implementing the solution, and to extend the delivery implementing three new flows:

• Credit check related to factoring
• Credit check new accounts
• Credit check existing accounts

All flows are related to Optin Bank’s business customers, offering their customers credit when buying goods in their webshop or the store. The extended delivery, with three additional flows, was ready for testing, as planned, in August 2019. The contract for a production license was signed in August 2019, and the solution went live in October 2019.

 

Solution

Optin Bank chose Flowize to improve its time to market, reduce cost, and enable personnel within Risk to maintain the rules by themselves. The Integration and Workflow & Rules engine solve the Optin Bank’s requirements.
Flowize has an intuitive and modern interface where you can improve your Time-To-Market by use of a configuration (no coding), whether it is building new solutions or extend functionality in your present solutions.

 

“The solution has proved to be robust and flexible, and we plan to use this infrastructure to improve our bank’s processes further within other business areas.”

Bjarne Sørum, Chief Technology Officer, Optin Bank ASA

 

Implementation and onboarding

By utilizing this platform, Optin Bank has been able to develop and improve their credit check processes in record time. The solution went live in October 2019, with 25 different flows/sub-flows, all developed, tested, and approved within the 3rd quarter of 2019.
The implementation has been a joint effort between Optin Bank and Flowize Nordic, where the number of resources from Flowize Nordic in total was less than 1,5 working months.
The delivery also included the development of a new Flowize app that should handle financial functions similar to Microsoft Excel. The Flowize team conducted the development and delivered it for testing within one week.
During the test period, and now in production, the Risk department can modify the credit check rules themselves. This has been achieved with minimal education, doing hands-on training.
The solution was integrated with the National registry, Anti Money Laundering service, a credit check company, and Optin Bank’s internal systems.

 

Results

• Optin Bank expects annual savings of approximately € 125 000 related to its consumer loan process alone.
• Improving the time to market by utilizing the Flowize solution, both related to developing new processes and maintaining/updating the existing ones.
• Our dependency on IT resources has been reduced by enabling the business side (Risk) to do parts of the development and maintenance themselves.

“The solution makes it easy for us to maintain the credit check rules within Flowize and will allow us to react timely to new business needs.”

Johansen Henanger, Chief Credit Officer, Optin Bank ASA