Finsfera development

Finsfera

Developing a custom, secure platform to simplify loan requests for Finsfera

Location

Kyiv, Ukraine

Cooperation model

Time and Material/ Fixed Price

Industry

Partnership period

February 2022 - April 2023

Scope of work

Discovery phase, requirements and estimation analysis, prototyping and designing, MVP release

Team size

4 Full Stack Developers, 2 QA Engineers, 1 DevOps, 1 PM, 1 Tech consultant, 1 Business Analyst, 1 Designer

Technologies

Next.js, React.js, Node.js, GCP, Third-party integrations (payment provider, email service, SMS service, banking services, document generation tools), Docker, k8n

About the client

Finsfera is a startup that has just started its activity in the fintech industry. The company’s main idea is to provide microloans to people in need of financial support. The financial service is an excellent alternative to Ukraine's official banking system, as it allows you to get a micro-loan quickly and without much administrative hassle.

About the client Finsfera
About the product Finsfera

About the product

The company aimed to create a high-performance platform that focuses on providing a perfect customer experience and business growth. All relevant products demand a long procedure of client authentication and tiresome security steps. Thus, the core idea of the project was to make a loan request as easy as possible. The top priority was ensuring security and integrating with the Ukrainian banking system.

Finsfera results

Challenges overview

The client came to us with a partially completed project. We were expected to provide improvements and remove lots of manual operations.

Our main tasks were:

  • creating a better user experience across the platform
  • quick client identification
  • network security
  • native-like look and feel
  • Integration with the Ukrainian bank system.

Without project documentation, we helped validate the idea and quickly adapted to numerous change requests while optimizing feature efficiency.

Initially, we cooperated with the client within the Kanban framework, as it was a perfect match at the initial stages. Scrum methodology was used at the end of the project when the team was able to gather all the project requirements.

Challenges overview Finsfera
Finsfera platform development

Our solution

To simplify the user validation process and cut down the manual work required to validate users, we chose the Bank ID integration, which allows clients to log in with their existing bank accounts. We had to overcome some Bank ID integration challenges as there were not complete instructions for providing integrations. Besides, our software development team faced testing issues to check a person's verification with some banks, which were not so popular among users. Our key goal was to simplify the user flow as much as possible and ensure a high level of security to prevent hacker attacks. How does this flow work?

Our solution Finsfera

Optimization of the user flow

The user flow was about 70% complete when the client approached us. Our task was to improve the flow and make the application work smoothly.

User validation

Initially, users manually filled fields and sent passport photos, while administrators manually checked and confirmed applications. To streamline this, we integrated BankID to let users log in with their bank accounts. The system connects with 30+ Ukrainian banks. This reduces human error and automates administrative work.

Admin panel for Finsfera’s owner and staff

An important tool for managing all the applications and tracking users who started but didn’t complete verification, monitoring recurring users, overseeing microfinance loans, handling loan extensions, calculating debts, etc.

Scoring

The integration with the Ukrainian Bureau of Credit Histories ensures access to users’ credit histories to assess their financial reputation. After getting the data, the client sends it to UBCH for a credit score (from 1 to 1000). This score enables automatic application approval or denial, so administrators can only focus on users requiring extra document scoring.

Additional agreements

Once a user is approved for a loan, they receive the contract and can sign it by using a digital signature. It is a great benefit for the user, as there is no need to go to the bank office to get an official approval. In addition, our team also enabled profile filtering for administrators by applications, loans, and client data.

Admin profile

The system combines several tools to simplify loan administration, such as an accrual table for managing the loan life cycle. This table is specifically designed to ensure accurate accounting records are submitted regularly to the National Bank of Ukraine.

Result

We developed the MVP in 9 months. The platform was enriched with essential changes and improvements. The main benefits include:

  • Implementation of a quick user application process with an improved verification system.
  • Integration with the Ukrainian Bank system for secure and quick client identification.
  • Synchronization with the Ukrainian Bureau of Credit Histories for getting an applicant's credit history and reducing financial risks.
  • Creation of an effective Admin panel for managing applications and storing user data.
  • Development of the Admin profile system to simplify loan administration.

As a result, the MVP reached the market and generated first users that allowed our customer to test their business hypothesis and proceed with further updates.

Results Finsfera
Finsfera DigitalSuits

What our clients say

Henna Mehta - Askporter
DigitalSuits proved themselves to be specialists in their field.

The successful launch of the first demo has generated positive feedback and interest. DigitalSuits seeks constant product improvement through continuous communication and proactive team integration. Their industry expertise contributes to intuitive, efficient project management.

Michael Lewis - Claim Technology
The DigitalSuits team fully devoted themselves to producing a quality final product.

Their team was responsible for the IT architecture, front- and backend web development work for the platform components, and API implementations. The main app is programmed using Ruby on Rails, and the frontend was developed using React.js. They delivered superior services, assigning only highly-experienced professionals to the project.

David Olkovetsky - Artisan Revere
They're extremely focused on making sure results achieve your standards.

Their team is extremely responsive and always tries to help. They're a pleasure to work with. Leadership is involved in every step of the process. They'll keep making changes until you're satisfied. Unfortunately, I can't share any metrics, other than to say, DigitalSuits achieved everything we asked for.

Sergei Gusev - Scetbird
They did everything possible to launch our website on time.

DigitalSuits successfully executed on time, adhering to requirements, and a strict budget. The team's project management was extremely efficient. The team lead, in particular, always maintained a positive attitude and showcased utmost professionalism at all times. They truly went above and beyond.

Nick Addyman - Laurus Law
They quickly grasped what we wanted to do and have designed and delivered solutions to achieve this.

DigitalSuits dug deeper into the business and the idea to have a better understanding of the business and the market. They quickly grasped what we wanted to do and have designed and delivered solutions to achieve this. They regularly communicate well. I'm very happy working with them.

Maarten Raaijmakers - HappySoaps
DigitalSuits has come to the rescue in our time of need.

No matter the challenge we throw at them, DigitalSuits listens to the issue and finds a solution. They never take the victim role; their team takes responsibility for their work.

Takeshi Amano
I’m very happy with DigitalSuits.

Internal and external stakeholders have been pleased with DigitalSuits' development skills. The team is capable of pivoting if their strategy doesn't work as expected. They're also open to feedback. Their responsive, talented, and committed approach enables them to establish a fruitful partnership.

Devin Bethel
They pulled the right metrics that we needed..

The client was delighted with DigitalSuits' end product, which is now instrumental for their daily operations. The team praised their amazing project management and outstanding professionalism throughout the engagement.

Kamran Doorsoun - Janado GmbH
The collaboration is insane! All previously discussed topics and promises were kept!

Despite their situation in Ukraine, DigitalSuits delivered all their promises on time and within budget. Their team showcased consistent professionalism and team spirit. Moreover, they leveraged Figma to present and implement their outputs. Overall, the client was satisfied with their service.

Alexander Koshchits - Azati
They're always motivated and a great addition to our current team.

Overall, the provided resources have gelled seamlessly with the internal team, establishing a highly collaborative workflow. What's more, they have a thorough understanding of every task, allowing them to deliver exactly what's needed and offer alternative solutions. They're skilled and driven, too.

Alexandre Robicquet - Crossing Minds
We had quite a complicated project, but DigitalSuits managed to lead and support us.

We needed a partner well-versed in Shopify and back- and frontend development. Despite being in the middle of a war, DigitalSuits’ team has been very responsive and has deployed every aspect of the project on time. They’ve delivered projects within our budget.

Laurents Mohr - Happyglam
They provide good value for money and have kind staff.

The DigitalSuits team stepped in to take over the project from another vendor. The team demonstrated their effective workflow and compliance with industry best practices. As a result of this, the team was able to deliver on their tasks in a timely and professional manner.

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