KBC Developer Portal Case Study

KBC is an integrated bank-insurance group, catering mainly for retail, private banking, SME and mid-cap clients. The core markets are Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. KBC is also present to a limited extent in several other countries.

Through their activities, KBC wants to help their clients to realise and protect their dreams and projects. It is the Company's ambition to be the reference for bank-insurance in all of their core markets. As at the end of 2022, KBC had 13 million clients and 42 000 staff.

In the connected open banking and insurance landscape, KBC fosters innovation and sets out to take partners to the next level. The bank initiated the creation of a developer portal that fits into the company’s three B’s strategy: 

1. Be personal and instant: KBC makes sure that their customers get relevant answers as soon as possible (or proactively provide something that is relevant).
2. Building an all-in-one app: KBC Mobile app is suitable for non-KBC customers as well, since users can integrate services from third parties. 
3. Be everywhere: KBC is present in the distribution channels of others with their products and services.

KBC offers various types of APIs. Every one of them has Reference documentation, Functional documentation, API Description and a Sandbox environment. This way, users without technical knowledge can have an understanding of the APIs’ functions. 

Users can filter the integrations based on the industry, the service one wants to provide or the type of integration. 

The portal also offers thorough conceptual documentation and “how-to”s for business developers to help integrate KBC’s QR-code or widget-based solutions into their businesses. As not all of KBC’s partners have technical people, these solutions open the possibilities for them without a technical integration. 
 

Widgets: people can insert them into their websites, which allows for example small business owners to create digital journeys that are connected, but also sufficiently disconnected and that don’t require any deep integration. That still allows an entrepreneur or business developer to create a journey that integrates some of their offerings into the experience that entrepreneur‘s customers have.  

QR-code: Instalment loans help people to purchase the desired objects, and with KBC’s QR code, “Merchants offer a KBC Instalment Loan in-store by giving their customers a flyer with a QR-code.” E.g. if someone wants to buy an electric bike, they can check the QR-code, which helps to decide whether they can apply for a loan for the electric bike. 
 

One of the many advantages of integrating with KBC’s solutions is that clients can simulate their home loan so they can get an idea of the monthly cost. This simulation also contains an overview of other related costs and a proposal for the contribution. 

From 2020, Pronovix provides hosting and support for KBC, and the two companies are still working together. KBC’s next goal is to provide their users a combined solution which will result in an even better user experience. 

As Tamara Meers (Business Development Manager at KBC) highlighted at the Developer Success podcast in 2023, KBC focuses on attracting new partners with their developer portal, and offers less technical intervention, so their integrations are accessible for every user. 

KBC also wants to have an English-Dutch version of their whole developer portal, so it would be bilingual, and more accessible for a wider audience.