NATWEST BOXED
validation mechanisms are built into that so teams can innovate independently.”
The approach is intended to prevent a change in one area from causing an unexpected failure elsewhere and also supports more frequent releases, because teams can validate their work continuously.
On top of this, NatWest Boxed has recently achieved ISO 27001 certification, an international standard for information security management systems. Asif says NatWest Boxed operates according to“ elite” DORA metrics. DORA – short for DevOps Research and Assessment – measures software delivery performance, including deployment frequency, delivery speed and recovery from failure.
“ It’ s not easy,” Asif asserts.“ But those metrics really do show that our general operational efficiency and productivity remains high.”
The payoff speaks for itself, too. Asif says:“ A real sense of achievement comes when I see a new feature or product in the hands of customers, impacting their daily lives in a positive yet seamless manner.”
Moving beyond cookie-cutter products NatWest Boxed’ s partnerships with The AA, Saga and Sainsbury’ s demonstrate the need for configurable embedded finance. The AA has used the platform to offer savings and lending products to members, including different interest rates linked to membership. Saga’ s proposition required a customer journey designed around people over 50.
“We weren’ t doing one big-bang migration – we were undertaking a phased migration, feature by feature, over a number of months”
Asif Siddiqui Director of Engineering for Banking as a Service NatWest Boxed
“ Cookie-cutter, out-of-the-box templates are dead,” Asif says.“ Every organisation is different with different customer bases and they want to make sure that what they offer to their customers seamlessly integrates their brand identity and loyalty programmes – and, in some cases, the authentication mechanisms – so that customers get that seamless, frictionless experience. What we have made sure is that the solution we provide has the freedom for our brand partners to customise branding, integrate into their own authentication systems, and, most importantly, link well with their loyalty programmes.”
Asif’ s examples go to show just how vital it is that embedded finance providers give brands some control over their customer experience – whether customising visual identity, connecting existing authentication systems and integrating loyalty programmes.
14 October 2026