BNP PARIBAS PERSONAL FINANCE UK LAUNCHES NEW API PORTAL FOR RETAIL FINANCE PARTNERS

2021-06-25 15:06:40.0

BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has launched a new API portal for our retail partners in a bid to streamline the partner onboarding process.

We sat down with Andrew Barker, director of point of sale finance, and project manager, Lewis Pickard, to find out more about the new Partner Portal, and what this means for our retail partners.

Andrew says: “We’re always looking for new ways to make the induction process as seamless as possible for our retail partners, and this new API portal will completely transform the way we navigate this transition.

“Previously, the integration guide we sent out to our new retail partners was PDF based and contained a high level of technical detail. Because the way we’ve approached our integrations has historically been very much focused on the developer mentality, we were finding that it took more time for those on the business side of the partnership (such as the sales and finance teams) to understand these journeys.

“Although we have completed many successful integrations using this approach, we recognised that clear communication is the key to our successful relationships with our partners – and that our onboarding process needed to reflect this.”

But how exactly will this new Partner Portal make life easier for our retail partners? Lewis, the project manager who has taken the portal through from concept to final delivery, explains: “In order to bring this technical information to life, we needed to translate it in a way that everyone would understand.

“Moving away from the old PDF format, our new Partner Portal is hosted on a user-friendly digital platform designed to support our retail partners through the onboarding process, and signpost them towards the information that is most relevant to their specific role.”

As part of the portal development process, Andrew and the retail finance team have sought feedback on the prototype from existing partners and integrators

Andrew explains: “It’s this commitment to be leaders in our field that drives our success.

“Being part of a global bank gives us a greater ability to innovate. And, as well as bringing together various teams across the business to develop this API solution, we were also able to cross-collaborate with various divisions across the wider BNP Paribas group.”

Lewis adds: “Due to the huge success of the portal launch, it is now our intention to roll out this out to other areas of the business in the future to help streamline their onboarding processes.”

As one of the UK’s leading retail finance providers, it’s vital that we keep innovating and lead the way in developing new solutions like this one to streamline the journey for our partners and their customers.

Andrew says: “If the events of the past year have taught us anything, it’s that we really are living in a digital-first world – and the way we did things in 2019 isn’t the way we’ll do things in 2021 and beyond.”

To find out more about our retail finance solutions can help you to grow your business, click here.