How we think about our marketplace

May 7th, 2025

As core infrastructure to businesses embedding banking for their users, we spend more time than is probably healthy thinking about how we can consistently make life easier to build and expand their product offerings. We decided early on that the problem space was so large we couldn't possibly connect to every provider out there across the entire banking stack. So we've taken a flexible approach to building our marketplace of connectors to allow customers to use different types of integrations and enable them to build custom connectors themselves.

Built-In Connectors

Built-In Connectors are pre-integrated solutions managed entirely by the IF Platform. They provide:

Simplified Integration: Quick access to services like account management, payments, and KYC without the need for custom development.
Managed Lifecycle: The IF Platform handles updates, compliance, and maintenance, reducing operational overhead.
Unified Experience: Consistent APIs and dashboards ensure a cohesive user experience across services.

We have Built-in Connectors to power:

Account Issuing
Card Issuing
Money Movement
Open Banking
Data Enrichment
Beneficiary validation
Customer Onboarding
Transaction Screening & Monitoring

Plug-In Connectors: Customisation and Flexibility

When specific integrations are not available, Plug-In Connectors allow our customers to:

Implement Custom Integrations: Develop bespoke connections to unique service providers.
Leverage Core Features: Push data into the IF Platform to utilize its reporting, reconciliation, and automation capabilities.
Combine with Built-In Connectors: Use both connector types concurrently for a tailored integration strategy.

Plug-in Connectors are currently being used for:

FX
Investment & Trading
Card Issuing
Buying & Selling Crypto
Mobile Minutes
Compliance

You can build a plug-in connector to specific IF modules currently but will be available for all modules over the coming months.

Connection Objects: Bridging the Gap

At the heart of our connection types are Connection Objects, which represent the current state of the link between data on the IF Platform and the corresponding data on the service provider’s side. They are utilised in both Built-In and Plug-In connections.

Key functions of Connection Objects include:

Linking Identifiers: Mapping identifiers between the IF Platform and the underlying service provider, ensuring seamless integration and synchronization.
Tracking Asynchronous Operations: Monitoring the status of asynchronous operations performed on the service provider’s side, such as issuing an account or card, closing an account, or processing a transfer.
Error Warnings: Providing warnings about specific errors that may occur during asynchronous processes, enabling prompt resolution and better system reliability.

The structure of a Connection Object includes fields such as id, method, serviceProvider, reference, state, status, and error, offering a comprehensive view of the integration status.