Adventures in Open Banking

Today's consumer is more connected and digital-first than ever before. New technology, real-time updates, and push notifications have created an always-on culture of connectivity, which has raised customer expectations to new levels. Now, customers not just expect but demand personalized and convenient solutions. These changes have led to new technology standards and increased competition.

Banks are meeting these evolving demands by embracing Open Banking, the concept of enabling third parties to build services that can connect to banking systems. The emerging ecosystem has already shifted the industry and is transforming how customers interact with their financial data through various apps and relationships with a broad range of diverse players.

Citi has been a leader in Open Banking since launching the Citi Developer Hub in 2016. The Hub is an API (application programming interface) Sandbox open to developers around the world. The platform enables developers to test and share feedback with Citi, helping us build new products and services that meet this new era of client expectations.

At its core, Open Banking offers limitless opportunities to collaborate and innovate at an unprecedented scale and pace. As an increasing number of customers connect their financial accounts to external applications, we have focused on tokenizing access by utilizing APIs so customers can access their data securely and seamlessly. Citi is connecting with strategic players to help us engage with customers in places where they are increasingly spending their time, which not only drives better customer experiences, but also creates opportunities for deeper customer engagement. These collaborations accelerate innovation, unlock new value and offer compelling growth opportunities for Citi and third parties alike.

An example of how Citi is working with a wide range of consumer brands through API-powered solutions is our partnership with Hong Kong based e-commerce platform HKTVmall. Our customers can conveniently pay for their purchases at checkout using Citi reward points without leaving the digital platform. In Singapore, our APIs have enabled a seamless lead capture and credit card application process with M1, our co-branded credit card telecom partner. In Malaysia, we've digitized the insurance-buying process with AIA. In Australia, our APIs power the Qantas Money mobile app, which provides online banking access for the white-label credit cards that we offer in partnership with Qantas.

One of Citi's most powerful competitive advantages is our global commitment to customer protection and privacy. In keeping with that commitment, Citi offers a global authorization service that provides a secure way for customers to share their financial data with third-party applications. In place of providing their Citi credentials, a digital token permits data-sharing to the authorized applications through an API.

Our work with Intuit, the maker of Quickbooks, Mint, and TurboTax, gives customers the ability to link their Citi accounts via Citi's secure APIs, enhancing data integrity and heightening customer confidence in their consolidated views of their financial data. Today we are live in-market with QuickBooks and expect to follow with Mint customers in the near future.

We are engaged with popular financial applications used by our customers and small business clients, including Expensify, eMoney Advisor, and Xero. We are also collaborating with Envestnet | Yodlee, Finicity, MX, and BillGO, which provide technology solutions and data services to an ecosystem of companies and fintechs.

Additionally, Citi is an active board member of the Financial Data Exchange (FDX), working with other financial institutions, data aggregators, and fintechs to lead an interoperable standard and framework for consumer permissioned data sharing across the industry.

As we look ahead, our Open Banking journey continues to accelerate. We see Open Banking as a pathway to deepen customer relationships and to create more secure yet personalized banking experiences. We believe expanding our reach will continue to create mutually beneficial value for our customers, partners, and Citi as we to embed our brand, products and services in places where customers increasingly want and need us to be.

We're excited about all these developments and opportunities we see to collaborate with the developer community. We're always on the look-out for new collaborative opportunities based on our customers' feedback and industry insights.

If you'd like to learn more about our Open Banking journey, please check out Citi Developer Hub.