Barclays Bank is opening its sandbox banking APIs and mobile apps to coders and startups to explore the use of gamification techniques to improve its online and mobile services.
"We have 16 million customers worldwide - and five million of those use our mobile banking app," says the bank in its invite to startups. "If you had access to sandbox banking data, could you work with us to create something amazing that will improve the digital experience for real people?"
The bank is using its Launchpad scheme - which gives Barclays customers the opportunity to try out and give feedback on new features and ideas - as the backdrop for the initiative, inviting startups to pitch their ideas for further development.
Running over three weeks from mid-June, Barclays will provide successful applicants with its customer datasets to take their ideas into production, culminating in a demo day with a senior judging panel of Barclays leaders, where finalists will present their prototype applications.
Those chosen for further development will see their products aired on the Launchpad platform, providing access to thousands of customers who want to explore and test new features.
"The feature pipeline on Launchpad also feeds into Barclays’ overall online and mobile banking strategy," says the bank. "So the most successful features and solutions have the potential to reach millions of customers."