Groupe BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France, has completed a major software quality assurance project with digital infrastructure solution provider Digital.ai.
The bank confirmed to QA Financial it has finished a multi-year QA upgrade that was carried out by the US-based company.
“In the ever-evolving digital landscape of banking and finance, adaptability and reliability are paramount. Accelerating delivery timelines became imperative,” the bank explained its decision to revamp its QA framework and hire Digital.ai.
“With over 100,000 employees and a diverse portfolio of services, including Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne, BPCE sought to revolutionise its testing methodologies to meet the demands of digital transformation,” the financial institution added.
Manual testing insufficient
As part of a new digital initiative, BPCE embarked on a journey to enhance its web and mobile applications to meet customer demands effectively, the bank shared with QA Financial.
However, “relying solely on manual testing proved insufficient,” BPCE wrote.
“The process lacked standardisation, consistency, and, crucially, traceability, essential in the stringent compliance landscape of banking,” it explained.
To address these challenges the French banking giant turned to Digital.ai and Josselin Besnier, testing service manager at BPCE, who spearheaded the adoption of the software firm’s continuous testing.
“The platform offered comprehensive automated testing capabilities across multiple operating systems and mobile devices, crucial for BPCE’s diverse testing needs,” Besnier shared.
“With features tailored to support agile methodologies and real device testing, Digital.ai Continuous Testing emerged as the solution of choice for BPCE,” he wrote.
Outcome
The bank stressed that following an extensive integration program a number of changes were implemented, such as increased automated test assets.
“BPCE witnessed a substantial increase in automated test assets, reaching 36% for both web and mobile applications,” it wrote.
Also, BPCE integrated continuous testing into its DevOps ecosystem, fostering collaboration and transparency across teams, the bank continued.
“The surge in automation significantly improved test coverage and efficiency.”
– BPCE
Moreover, the introduction of a device farm facilitated the sharing and monitoring of testing activities across the organisation, ensuring traceability and accountability.
Finally, continuous testing empowered BPCE to maintain rigorous testing schedules, ensuring 24/7 monitoring of test environments while accelerating delivery timelines, the financial giant disclosed.
Looking ahead, BPCE disclosed that it aims to transition to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model while prioritising sustainability initiatives to evaluate and mitigate its carbon footprint. This process has not been completed yet.
The bank would not comment on whether this transition has begun but it did say that “as the industry evolves, BPCE stands poised to embrace the future of testing, ensuring unparalleled reliability and agility in its services.”
Favourite among banks
Digital.ai has been making somewhat of a name for itself within the financial services space in recent years.
The rapidly growing, Raleigh, North Carolina-based startup claims it currently serves eight of the top 10 U.S. and European banks, as well as four of the five largest insurance companies across the U.S.
It currently has around 1,000 employees, serving about 900 clients worldwide, providing services that range from application lifecycle management to application release automation and continuous testing to app security and threat analytics.
The BPCE news comes only weeks after Digital.ai developed and launched a new automated software testing solution that is powered by AI and should make it easier to develop and deliver software systems.
At launch Digital.ai CEO Derek Holt warned that ‘the race is on’ for firms to roll out AI-powered testing solutions as software testing applications are becoming more complex and security concerns are mounting rapidly.
Specially designed for complex systems and DevSecOps environments, Erawan, as the solution is called, is a programming testing solution that can help develop and govern different software infrastructures.
“As financial services funnel more investment into AI-augmented software development tools, this platform ensures the likelihood that real productivity gains will materialise and result in measurable benefits to the business,” claimed Holt.
He stressed that “the race is on” for businesses to leverage copilots for a competitive edge, at the same time, software testing applications are becoming more complex, security concerns are mounting.”
“The bar for continuous innovation keeps rising, placing constant pressure on development teams,” Holt concluded.
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