Banking Mobile App Development for VPBank
An iOS and Android mobile banking app development for Vietnam-based VPBank.
Challenge
VPBank already had a web application for their banking services, and they were looking for a team of business analysts, and mobile developers to create native iOS and Android versions of their application.
When the bank was choosing between mobile banking app development companies, they were drawn to the positive feedback Mbicycle gained developing Finance TheMarker app for Haaretz Newspaper.
The VPBank reps got in touch with our team, and after a series of face-to-face meetings we quickly secured the partnership thanks to our proven expertise in iOS and Android app development for banking.
Solution
Mbicycle’s experts set off by carefully studying the client’s requirements at the business analysis stage. After discussing the outcomes of this analysis with the client, our mobile application development company outlined and implemented the following features in the iOS and Android mobile applications:
- Ordering new banking products, such as accounts, credit and debit cards, overdrafts, loans, etc.
- Managing users’ banking products: checking current balance, transaction history, changing limits, blocking, generating reports, etc.
- Making payments, ranging from utility bills to booking services.
- Transferring money between cards, accounts, and banking institutions.
- Creating and managing custom templates for quick payments.
- Managing loyalty points.
Loyalty rewards
When VPBank’s customers make payments or transfers via the bank’s application, they receive loyalty points depending on the amount of each transaction. These points are accumulated on users’ accounts so they can spend them on the following:
- Purchasing home appliances and other electronics at VPBank’s partner stores.
- Transferring cash to another user’s account at a special rate.
- Making up VinID cards, a type of a bonus card popular in Vietnam, where users can transfer their points to and apply them to buy products and services at a discount.
- Exchanging in-app bonuses for eVouchers — discount coupons for ordering sushi or pizza at cafes and restaurants.
Process
The full project team included experts from both VPBank and Mbicycle. Mobile developers and a business analyst were on our side, while the team lead, project manager, backend developers, and three more business analysts were on VPBank’s side.
For this project, we chose Agile Kanban as the main methodology for iOS and Android banking app development. To assure closer cooperation during business analysis, our BA traveled to the bank’s office in Vietnam to meet the VPBank project team personally.
During these business trips, our analyst together with his colleagues on the client’s side designed and approved the following documentation that served as the foundation for further work on the project:
- Software requirements specification
This was a series of key documents describing project requirements, with each document detailing a particular feature to be implemented. Every document was assigned to a specific business analyst so that they would not cross over with each other during their work. - Delivery plan It included all the scheduled features, tasks, and sub-tasks together with their predefined parameters, as follows:
- The end date for submitting the requirement description to VPBank for review.
- Backend release dates for every feature.
- Release dates for mobile app features.
- Object model
This model contained the detailed mapping of all the attributes of the integration server, which was under development by the VPBank’s team along with the backend (an OCB system).
According to this model, the mobile client developed by our team accessed the integration server, which then accessed the OCB. In its turn, the server returned the response back via the same path.
Technologies & Tools
Programming languages
Java, Swift
Architecture
MVP
Third-party libraries & frameworks
Android SDK, Glide, iOS SDK, AFNetworking, GoogleMaps SDK, Fabric, Crashlytics
Results
After eight months of dynamic business analysis and finance app development, we delivered the banking iOS and Android applications for the client.
Thanks to the carefully elaborated project requirements aligned with VPBank’s business needs, as well as close communication between the project team members, the solution by Mbicycle’s experts hit the mark with the bank’s customers who now use the applications on a daily basis.
