Open banking technology is a hot topic which is transforming the financial reality of both private individuals and businesses. It offers the much needed update on how banks and their customers interact with each other, providing new opportunities for growth. The need for open banking was addressed by one of our clients abrdn who together with DirectID and Code & Pepper set out to create an innovative mobile application called Choices.
About abrdn
abrdn is an organisation historically linked to the Life Insurance Company of Scotland which was set up in 1825 in Edinburgh. It has now evolved into a modern money management platform which operates under the three vectors: Investments, Adviser and Personal. The app that Code & Pepper was hired to build is in the realm of Personal space. It is a handy tool that helps clients reach their financial goals. The open banking technology used in the app is delivered by DirectID, a leading provider of open banking which is authorised and regulated by the FCA. DirectID turned to Code & Pepper for a team augmentation service.
What Choices App does
From the customer perspective, Choices App analyses bank transactions and makes suggestions on how to accumulate savings more effectively. This is done through connecting with the client’s bank accounts in a secure way and extracting the necessary data. The app estimates the realistic amount that can be possibly saved and enables the client to orchestrate their saving priorities accordingly. It advises the client if it is better to save each month or come up with a one-off payment. It also identifies and gives notifications about any additional expenses that may have an impact on realising the saving plan.
Code & Pepper involvement
The Code & Pepper team worked on the front-end part of the application. Together with DirectID and ABRDN, who designed the architecture of the app, we decided on the framework and the programming language. We unanimously went for the React Native framework which is the most versatile open source UI software framework that serves to build both Android and iOS mobile apps. The coding language of choice was Typescript which has been proven to compensate for the shortcomings of JavaScript. It is a language that works well both on the client- and the server side of the app.
Our front-end developers worked closely with quality assurance engineers to deliver the high standards of the code. To ensure smooth integration of the builds we suggested using Bitrise, which is a smart tool that enables the process of development to run alongside testing and makes it possible to combine the efforts of multiple participants into a single unified result.
Code & Pepper contribution
As a software development company we take part in a wide range of FinTech projects all over the world. This enables us to gather some invaluable insights from across the industry. We believe in the power of open communication, transparency and teamwork. Our developers regularly participate in knowledge sharing sessions where they can exchange ideas and experiences gained in different settings and with different clients. The added value that we bring into the game are the practical knowledge of the latest technology, the most useful tools and awareness of the upcoming trends.
We value Code & Pepper for its proactive attitude, responsiveness and transparent way of working. It is a reliable and dependable company that we can recommend for other business entities to cooperate with.
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