Sector Spotlight: Retail Digital Banking Platforms

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Sector Spotlight: Retail Digital Banking Platforms

May 1, 2025

Retail digital banking platforms are out-of-the-box self-service experiences or building blocks for digital channels. Modern digital banking platforms are designed to support online and mobile banking, create consistent interfaces, and enable features that customers value. Account management and payments features are fundamental, followed by new customer service options and custom security settings. Digital banking platforms are customizable and may include account opening and marketing functionality.

What’s going on in retail digital banking platforms

Retail digital banking platforms are rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer expectations. Below are four key trends and considerations for banks and credit unions, incorporating current developments in the sector:

  • AI-powered personalization and analytics: Platforms are leveraging AI to deliver hyper-personalized experiences, such as tailored financial advice and predictive insights, with 73% of banking roles having potential to be automated or augmented by AI to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency, per Accenture.

  • Omnichannel experience: Banks are transitioning from siloed multichannel to end-to-end omnichannel strategies, ensuring seamless interactions across mobile, web, and in-branch channels. According to Sinch, 71% of consumers prefer managing accounts via mobile apps or computers.

  • Plug-and-play ecosystems: Platforms are facilitating access to third-party services, including fintechs, through open APIs and ecosystem models. Such models support financial institutions in pursuing best of breed approaches to solutioning, enabling them to take advantage of the latest innovations.

  • No-code/low-code customization: To keep pace with fintech disruptors, platforms are utilizing no-code/low-code architectures, enabling rapid feature deployment and customization.

These trends reflect industry’s shift toward customer-centric, technology-driven solutions, with the global digital banking platform market projected to grow from $12.94 billion in 2025 to $34.97 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 13.23%. However, challenges like legacy infrastructure and cultural resistance in traditional banks can hinder progress, emphasizing the need for strategic modernization.

Retail digital banking platform vendor snapshot

The retail digital banking platform space is a mix of solutions from core providers and third-party vendors. A bank or credit union’s choices of digital banking platform will depend on their business and functional requirements.

Here’s a snapshot of retail digital banking vendors and the companies that offer them. It does not include all retail digital banking vendors; there are more than two dozen. Many pureplay digital banking platforms have been acquired by larger vendors; we include a few in this list.

  • Alkami: Launched in 2009, Alkami is a cloud-based digital banking platform offering customizable, mobile-first solutions for banks and credit unions, with features like account opening, data-driven personalization, and robust API integrations. Its unique strengths include a single-code-base architecture for continuous updates, an extensible SDK for tailored functionality, and a focus on user experience rivaling megabanks, certified by J.D. Power for outstanding mobile banking.

  • Apiture: Apiture was founded in 2017 and launched its unified digital banking platform in 2022. It offers a cloud-based, API-first solution with fintech integrations and tailored features like client-driven development. Its unique focus on core-agnostic scalability, extensive ecosystem, and data intelligence enhancements distinguishes it in delivering modern, personalized banking experiences.

  • Backbase: Backbase, founded in 2003, is a Dutch fintech company. Its Engagement Banking Platform enables banks to modernize digital operations and deliver customer-centric experiences across retail, business, and wealth management. Its unique microservice-based, API-driven architecture, which came to market around 2013 after a pivot to focus solely on financial services, allows for flexible integration with legacy systems and rapid deployment of tailored banking solutions.

  • Candescent: Candescent, spun off from NCR Voyix and originally a solution based on Digital Insight and D3, is a digital banking platform offering customizable, API-first microservices for omnichannel banking experiences, serving over 1,300 financial institutions and 29 million users with features like personalized data analytics and integrated referral programs.

  • ebankIT: ebankIT, an omnichannel digital banking platform, was founded in 2014 in Portugal by Renato Oliveira, João Lima Pinto, José Ferreira, and Alexandre Viana. Its unique modular architecture enables rapid customization and seamless integration for banks and credit unions.

  • Finastra: Finastra’s Fusion Digital Banking, powered by Malauzai, is a mobile and internet banking platform launched in 2010, offering community financial institutions customizable, feature-rich solutions like picture bill pay and multiaccount management. Innovative features, such as AI-driven virtual assistants, enable smaller banks to compete with larger institutions.

  • Fiserv (Architect): Fiserv’s Architect digital banking solution offers a customizable, open-services platform with robust SDK and fintech integration capabilities. First launched within Integrated Data Systems in 2000, it was sold to Online Resources, which was acquired by ACI Worldwide in 2013, and integrates technology from ACI, S1, and Online Resources.

  • Fiserv (Corillian): Fiserv’s Corillian Online is a digital banking solution offering intuitive bill pay, money movement, and financial management services. It was initially launched in 2000 by Corillian Corporation before its acquisition by CheckFree in 2007, which was later acquired by Fiserv. Its features include a simplified interface with seamless integration across online, mobile, and tablet platforms, enhanced by frequent upgrades.

  • Lumin Digital: Lumin Digital, a cloud-native digital banking solution, is primarily backed by Velera (formerly PSCU) and received $160 million in growth funding from Light Street Capital, NewView Capital, and Partners Group in December 2024. It was founded in 2016, offering AI-driven tools, digital onboarding, and a disruption-proof platform that drives top-rated mobile apps.

  • Narmi: Narmi, a digital banking platform providing account opening and mobile banking solutions, was founded by Nikhil Lakhanpal and Chris Griffin in 2016. Its unique open API framework and rapid account opening in under 2.5 minutes distinguish it, enabling financial institutions to customize and scale digital experiences efficiently.

  • Nymbus: Nymbus was founded in 2015 and came to market with its SmartCore platform in 2016. In 2017, it introduced SmartDigital, its digital banking platform, whose open architecture and flexible APIs help institutions to integrate with best of breed applications.

  • Q2: Q2, a digital banking solution by Q2 Holdings, Inc., originally came to market in 2004. Its unique features include an open-architecture platform with extensive fintech integrations and data-driven personalization, enabling tailored banking experiences for financial institutions and their account holders.

  • SoFi: SoFi’s digital banking solution, Cyberbank Digital, is part of its Galileo Brand and was launched in 2022. SoFi acquired Galileo in April 2020 for $1.2 billion and Technisys, the origin of the Cyberbank core (which launched in 2000), in March 2022 for $1.1 billion. Cyberbank Digital’s unique features include a cloud-native, end-to-end banking technology stack with APIs supporting multiple products like checking, savings, lending, and credit cards.

  • Temenos: Temenos Infinity, incorporating Kony’s digital banking technology, is owned by Temenos AG, a Swiss banking software company that acquired Kony in 2019 for $559 million. With its technology dating back to 2010, Kony’s low-code platform and omnichannel features, including AI and conversational interfaces, accelerate app development and enhance customer experiences.

  • Tyfone: Tyfone, a digital banking solution provider founded in 2004 by Siva Narendra, Prabhakar Tadepalli, and Tom Spitzer, is a privately held company based in Portland, Oregon, offering the nFinia platform. Its unique omnichannel approach, launched in 2017 after pivoting from mobile wallets and security solutions, integrates instant payments, AI-driven tools like Penni AI Concierge, and a highly configurable, secure platform tailored for credit unions and community banks.

What to look for in retail digital banking platforms

When selecting a retail digital banking platform, consider these five key factors:

  • Seamless omnichannel experience: Ensure consistent, intuitive user interfaces across mobile, web, and in-branch channels for a unified customer experience.

  • Robust API integrations: Prioritize platforms with open APIs to enable seamless connections with payment systems and third-party services.

  • AI-driven personalization and analytics: Look for advanced AI tools that can deliver tailored product offerings and actionable insights for customers.

  • Advanced security features: Require multifactor authentication, biometric options, and end-to-end encryption to protect customer data and meet regulatory standards.

  • No-code/low-code customization: Choose platforms with flexible, modular architectures that allow rapid customization and feature deployment without extensive coding.

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