POINT OF VIEW
Driven by the European Payment Services Directive (PSD2) regulation a new era of digital banking has begun. Delivering on Open Banking is something that all consumer banks must deliver; or face significant fines. The Responsiv Cloud Open Banking platform can be customised to your exact requirements.
The PSD2 regulation, part of the Digital Single Market initiative, seeks to create a single European banking market that gives customers greater visibility of and control over their finances, as well as a choice of platforms to manage their accounts.
The result is that the bank must have an ability to adapt quickly with minimal disruption to processes or service levels is vital to stay competitive. Those banks with a balanced and intelligent physical and online presence are best placed to survive.
Responsiv Delivers Open Banking
Responsiv designed and delivered an Open Banking Gateway that satisfies Open Banking UK standards. The gateway has delivered secure APIs to the customers of a large international bank for three years with 100% availability.
The multi-man-year, outcome-based project was delivered three months quicker than planned to achieve regulatory deadlines. The new API gateway went live in mid-March 2019, with full production following on 19th September 2019. To date, it has performed with 100% reliability, zero downtime and high quality, even in the most demanding conditions. Our customer is delighted.
Responsiv has hosted and operated the gateway, which incorporates two-factor authentication and secure APIs, for three years. Our Responsiv Unity Cloud Bridge (Connecting Clouds Blueprint) assures that when we connect to the banks internal systems we do so in a robust and secure manner.
Clarity of thinking – and focus
Delivering this complex solution in such a short timeframe called for both a clarity of thinking and the confidence to understand and overcome the challenge head-on. Anything less would have cost significant time and money. We succeeded by deploying dedicated experts in each relevant technology, who focused solely on getting the optimal results from that technology without any distractions. This strategy ensured the bank’s PSD2 solution was implemented on time, meaning it satisfied all regulatory requirements.
The Missing Link
A second international bank partnered with a leading PSD2 provider in the UK to support the requirement for Open Banking and dedicated access, but soon realised that there were challenges around the connectivity between their Internet Bank login and the PSD2 Application.
Connectivity was required at very short notice, to bridge the gap between these components in order to ensure the imposed FCA deadline was met.
Responsiv introduced their Unity Platform to give the necessary connectivity. This Enterprise grade Integration and Automation platform includes rapid installation and deployment capabilities and was implemented and configured within a matter of days, providing Ghana International Bank with a PSD2 compliant solution ahead of the deadline, and the ability to take advantage of Unity’s capabilities for future projects.
Responsiv’s Unity solution provides a complete business transformation platform encompassing business automation, systems integration, API management and more, all delivered through a single management and monitoring infrastructure. Built using IBM’s market leading technology, it provides scalability, reliability and functionality, but at a price point that reduces the usual barriers to entry.
Summary
Responsiv’s innovative, cost-effective solutions have enabled both banks to stay competitive and focus on high-value initiatives.
We provided a safe pair of hands in a fast-moving, ever-changing sector in the face of unprecedented scrutiny and regulation – regardless of the size of bank or their specific needs.
Our secret is to focus and take the time to understand specific environments and challenges, to maintain knowledge to accelerate sequences of projects, and transparency in our business activity.
- Specialists in technology solutions designed for the banking sector
- Decades of experience supporting financial services organisations
- End-to-end approach that results in projects delivered to schedule
Use experts with experience. Experience counts. Look for companies prepared to share delivery risk.
Richard Whyte has been building enterprise IT solutions for over 20 years. He is known for creating innovative practical solutions that provide a strong foundation for future development, whilst solving immediate problems. Previously the European CTO and Principal Architect for IBM Systems Middleware at IBM, he has an MBA, a degree in Statistics and Computing, is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered IT Professional, and Fellow of both the Institute of Technology and the British Computer Society.
