Technical integration is now an easier process for credit unions with the launch of CO-OP Financial Services’ Developer Portal, an Application Program Interface management system that houses CO-OP APIs in a single, digital library.
The Developer Portal provides a modern, scalable architecture that breaks APIs into smaller, reusable services that can be assembled to quickly add features and functionality into credit unions’ own digital applications. This allows CO-OP to speed delivery time of its APIs, and credit unions can more quickly deliver new features and functions to their members, to keep up with the rapid pace of technology advancements and rising consumer expectations.
“The Developer Portal is among the reasons Coastal values its partnership with CO-OP, as it enables us to rapidly discover, integrate and manage the services provided in the CO-OP ecosystem,” said David Faleski, SVP, CIO, for Coastal CU of Raleigh, North Carolina (www.coastal24.com). “The result is that we can create an integrated, digital experience for our members.”
Increased consumer demand for fast, convenient, digital experiences is leading credit unions to engage with more vendors than ever before. As the number and variety of technology vendors of financial services has grown, APIs are an efficient way to achieve smooth integration.
The Developer Portal’s underlying API management system enables CO-OP to scale to the needs of credit unions while also providing a consistent service environment.
“An open environment for credit unions and our partners brings the cooperative spirit of collaboration and innovation to life,” said Bruce Dragt, Chief Product Officer for CO-OP. “Developers and business leaders alike will find the right solutions and, importantly, the guidance to implement them. This includes a number of resources, such as start-up guides and developer’s documents, code snippets and use case examples. Most important of all is the support we offer via our team of integration experts, ready to help our credit union clients implement best practices for a speedy and successful integration of services.
“We believe the digital transformation of credit union services will be built on open systems that foster collaboration across multiple parties,” Dragt continued. “The Developer Portal is a perfect illustration of our approach. We are in the process of putting all of our services behind APIs so that credit unions and other development partners can quickly and easily integrate these seamless, secure solutions into a common user experience.”
The portal can be a resource for all credit unions, regardless of the level of technical expertise they have in-house. “Credit unions that are attracted to self-service integration models will appreciate this just as much as those who prefer that a partner manage API integrations,” said Dragt. “This is CO-OP’s mechanism for delivering on our promise to provide both User Interface and API options for the services we provide.”
Specifically for third-party developers, the portal features enhanced API discoverability, with CO-OP APIs managed in a single platform; simplified integration as APIs are grouped together by business context to make it easier to align APIs to a particular credit union’s needs; and advanced developer tools, including a common authentication mechanism, integrated testing services and an extensive library of connectors.
The Developer Portal is part of the Integrate solution line within the CO-OP ecosystem. The line delivers the tools credit unions need to best utilize the full suite of CO-OP services and create back-office efficiencies. The Integrate line serves to produce better results for credit unions, including putting data to practical use, discovering insights and putting them to action, and creating tools to effectively administer solutions.
More information on the CO-OP Developer Portal can be found at https://campaigns.co-opfs.org/developer-portal/.
About CO-OP Financial Services
CO-OP Financial Services is a payments and financial technology company whose mission is ensuring the success of the credit union movement. CO-OP payments solutions, engagement services and strategic counsel help credit unions optimize member experiences to consistently provide seamless, personalized multi-channel offerings, while delivering secure, sophisticated fraud mitigation service. For more information, visit www.coop.org.
