Alior Bank to launch fintech accelerator
Alior Bank has unveiled its acceleration programme for technology start-ups using the OpenAPI environment based on IBM technology, implemented by business solutions developer Tuatara.
With the mission to identify “innovative ideas” of technology start-ups, support them in the development of their business. According to Alior Bank, it will select a group of start-ups for the accelerator whose ideas add value to the bank’s services. The bank is seeking potential partners in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe as well as beyond.
Mariusz Ożga, Alior Bank’s fintech director, says: “We believe that the project can build a bridge between the world of fintechs and Alior Bank which is open to ideas of others”.
The bank says the innovation model relies on two units: its innovation centre for crowdsourcing within the bank, and the fintech department responsible for development with external partners, including the accelerator.
Both units will be in Warsaw, Poland and are scheduled to open in May 2018.
Alior Bank says it wants to be Poland’s first financial institution to offer a sandbox – a dedicated test environment for partners – that will be open to third-party developers and fintechs to develop products to ensure compliance with the PSD2 requirements.
IBM’s API Connect meets the bank’s technology requirements, it adds, and the platform will “accelerate” the prototyping, designing and alignment of solutions before they are offered to clients.
The technology will be developed and implemented by Tuatara.
“We want to give clients a banking app which integrates all bank accounts, including accounts with Alior Bank and with other banks, so clients always know the exact value of their accounts,” says Ożga.
The bank is also said to be planning the development of a marketplace where clients can pick and choose services of partners that are complementary to the traditional banking service.
