Enterprise API Products Used by Three of the World's Top Ten Banks
Regulatory Compliance & KYC Modernisation
Akinola Fakeye contributed to the product strategy, customer discovery, roadmap development, cross-functional delivery and enterprise customer engagement for regulatory compliance API products used by three of the world's top ten banks. The products modernised KYC and payment validation workflows for financial institutions operating at global scale.
The Challenge
Financial institutions faced three critical challenges: 1) Slow, costly onboarding processes that delayed customer acquisition and revenue generation. 2) Compliance risk due to fragmented systems that created audit vulnerabilities and regulatory exposure. 3) Rising demand for real-time validation capabilities to meet modern banking standards and customer expectations.
Approach & Methodology
- Owned the product roadmap and vision, establishing clear milestones for platform development and market adoption
- Ran stakeholder discovery sessions with global clients to deeply understand their regulatory requirements and pain points
- Designed close to real-time KYC validation capabilities that dramatically accelerated compliance processes
- Implemented developer-first design principles including comprehensive API documentation, sandbox environments
- Ensured easy integration into both legacy banking systems and modern cloud-based infrastructures
- Aligned cross-functional teams across data engineering, technology, and compliance to deliver a cohesive solution
- Presented platform capabilities and strategic value to C-level leaders at major financial institutions to secure alignment and adoption
Outcomes & Impact
3 of Top 10 Banks
Portfolio products used by three of the world's top ten global banks
30% Faster Compliance
Achieved 30% reduction in compliance process time
New Revenue Streams
Enabled new revenue opportunities through API commercialisation
Real-Time Validation
Delivered close to real-time KYC processing capabilities
Technologies & Tools
Key Lessons Learned
- Developer-first design with comprehensive documentation and sandbox environments significantly reduces integration friction for enterprise clients
- C-level engagement and presentations are critical for securing alignment and adoption with top-tier financial institutions
- Cross-functional alignment between data, technology, and compliance teams is essential for delivering enterprise-grade platforms
- Real-time capabilities and modern API architecture are key differentiators when competing for major banking clients
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