DataArt, a custom software development firm that builds advanced solutions for select industries, today announced completion of mobile banking apps for Plastyc, which provide its UPside Visa cardholders with a complete range of banking services on-the-go.
Starting today, Plastyc's mobile apps can be downloaded from both, the Android Market and the Apple app store.
UPside Visa is Plastyc's award-winning prepaid program offering a premium suite of affordable banking services tailored for the up-and-coming youth and underbanked markets. The new UPside Visa mobile apps developed for Plastyc by DataArt, allow a full range of personal banking services on a smart phone, from checking balances and reviewing transaction histories to activating a new account, signing up for direct deposit, redeeming cash back points, paying bills, transferring funds to friends and issuing paper checks.
"DataArt helped us deploy the most comprehensive mobile banking applications in the prepaid market, simultaneously on two technical platforms - Android and iOS - in record time," said Patrice Peyret, CEO of Plastyc.
"We now have extended our platform capabilities to all three major software environments: Microsoft .Net, Google Android and Apple iOS, thanks to DataArt's experienced teams," added Justin Surman, CTO of Plastyc. "We were also able to address the specific security challenges of mobile applications by leveraging DataArt's prior experience in developing software for large financial institutions."
In addition to using their UPside card anywhere Visa debit is accepted, the apps let cardholders use their smartphones to manage accounts, load funds, pay online, send paper checks, send customer service requests or redeem cash back points.
"This was a remarkable project for DataArt, which required an unprecedented level of rich functionality and security technologies baked into a mobile financial app, all delivered in a very tight timeframe," said Alexei Miller, Executive Vice President of DataArt. "We are grateful for Plastyc's continued trust in DataArt and for their product and architecture leadership on this project."
DataArt's rapid prototyping enabled Plastyc to deliver multiple mobile banking services for its customers with superior security measures. The apps include the highest levels of security to protect account information. All local data is encrypted with the key stored on the server-side, so the cached data can't be extracted even if the device is lost. Sensitive information such as full card numbers is never stored or transmitted to the device, and all server communications are protected and server's SSL certificate thumbprint is verified to prevent any tampering attacks. The client authentication is implemented with best-in-class practices and protects applications from replay attacks. The apps require an additional password for all spending transactions. The user is logged out automatically after five minutes of inactivity.
DataArt has worked with Plastyc on a number of development projects since 2006, including the back-end systems for Plastyc's iBankUp prepaid card portal and new mobile banking and payments platform.