- First Bank, a full-service bank based in St. Louis, US, has partnered with Dutch provider Backbase to launch a digital banking platform to provide a more unified and seamless experience for its customers.
- The move is described as the “final step” in First Bank’s digital transformation journey that included restructuring of its physical infrastructure, banking core, middleware, and CRM.
- The platform will allow the bank to integrate multiple existing solutions, including 13 cybersecurity and payment solutions, into its services.
- With this platform, customers will be able to interact with the bank’s services completely digitally, expanding their reach beyond physical locations.
- First Bank joins Romanian bank BRD, Vietnam’s Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB), and Judo Bank in Australia, who have already adopted Backbase solutions this year.
First Bank, the St. Louis-based financial institution, has tapped Backbase, a Dutch provider of front-end digital banking solutions, to deploy an engagement banking platform. This partnership is aimed at enhancing the banking experience for its customers by creating a seamless, digital-first experience.
Founded in 1910, First Bank provides a range of commercial, retail, and business banking services across Missouri, California, and Illinois. It also extends mortgage services in Kansas. The partnership with Backbase allows the bank to centralize its services through the Engagement Banking platform, optimizing customer interactions and broadening its service accessibility.
As the bank’s EVP and Chief Technology and Operations Officer, Bala Nibhanupudi, puts it, this strategic partnership is the final phase in the bank’s multi-year digital transformation journey. This journey included a comprehensive restructuring of its physical infrastructure, banking core, middleware, and CRM.
Additionally, the new platform will enable the bank to integrate existing technology solutions into its services. This includes 13 cybersecurity and payment solutions already paired with the platform, along while allowing access to Backbase’s managed hosting services.
For its customers, this means access to its digital banking services from anywhere, negating the need for a physical presence. It brings banking services right to their fingertips.
In essence, First Bank aims to redefine customer engagement by delivering banking services that exceed their legacy systems, thereby accelerating the roll-out of new products. The year has seen several other financial institutions, including Romania’s BRD, Vietnam’s OCB, and Australia’s Judo Bank, adopting Backbase solutions to enhance their digital banking capabilities.
