Architecht boosts development productivity with Azure OpenAI Service, building prototypes 40x faster

Architecht specializes in developing state-of-the-art digital solutions for the financial technology and cybersecurity sectors, catering to banks, financial institutions, and various industries worldwide. Established in 2015 as a subsidiary of Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank, Architecht operates independently, providing innovative, high-performance solutions to both Kuveyt Türk and a diverse global client base. Its flagship products include PowerFactor, a robust multi-factor authentication tool; BOACard, a comprehensive payment platform; and Appwys and AIgent, designed to enhance efficiency and automation across industries.

Building a future-ready platform

BOA, Architecht’s core banking solution, is a highly advanced and trusted platform currently used by 11 banks in Türkiye. “In addition to its comprehensive core banking and financial modules, BOA embeds enterprise resource planning (ERP), portfolio management, and a wide range of other essential components,” says Hadi Rubacı, Chief Core Banking Officer at Architecht. Building on this expertise, Architecht has also developed OBA Suite, a next-generation technology platform powered by cutting-edge innovations, designed to drive digital transformation and operational excellence. Architecht designed OBA Suite with a cloud-native microservices architecture, breaking systems into modular, independent components that work seamlessly together. This approach improves agility, scalability, and resilience, allowing the platform to handle high transaction volumes while meeting strict availability standards.

Leveraging its expertise in Microsoft technologies, Architecht chose Microsoft Azure and Azure Kubernetes Service as the foundation for key products within OBA Suite, ensuring the scalability, resilience, and flexibility needed for cloud transformation. “Azure enables us to comply with data sovereignty regulations—requiring certain data to remain within national borders—thanks to its extensive network of data centers across our key markets,” explains Zeynep Yasemin Tekşen Altaş, Information Technologies Group Head at Kuveyt Türk. This foundation also allows Architecht to integrate advanced innovations, such as AI, by utilizing Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Bot Service within OBA Suite.

Building faster, with less resources

Architecht introduced low-code/no-code capabilities powered by Azure OpenAI Service, enabling staff to quickly create and test prototypes, such as UI/UX screens or application interfaces, using simple vocal or written prompts. “With low-code/no-code capabilities, we’ve reduced the time to develop a UI/UX screen from two days to just 25 minutes, making it 40 times faster. Developing applications takes four days instead of 40, reducing IT resource requirements,” shares Zeynep Erdoğan, Chief Enterprise Architecture and Artificial Intelligence Officer at Architecht.

The company is also using GitHub Copilot to accelerate development. As part of its human-led due-diligence process, Architecht developers prompt GitHub Copilot to identify potential security vulnerabilities in the code and suggest code snippets to make it more secure. OBA Suite also introduced a self-healing capability which identifies and resolves system issues automatically by analyzing data and transaction logs. 

Improved customer service

The BOA core banking platform, enhanced with cutting-edge Microsoft technologies, and the OBA Suite technology platform, built on a robust microservices framework, work together to provide customers with superior services, greater agility, and enhanced efficiency. While BOA serves as the backbone for core banking applications, OBA Suite handles specialized needs. For example, exchange rate functionalities, which require real-time processing of high-volume requests, run on OBA Suite, leveraging a Kubernetes-based infrastructure that dynamically scales resources during peak demand. Similarly, content management for digital channels has been integrated into OBA Suite, ensuring optimal performance and uninterrupted service.

User experience has dramatically improved. For example, AI assistants, powered by Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Bot Service, guide both employees and customers in OBA Suite. “Our staff rely on their new AI assistant to answer customer queries more quickly,” explains Erdoğan. “Meanwhile, when customers request a higher limit on their credit card, AI can analyze their credit history instantaneously, advise how much the limit can be increased, and what kind of factors the bank should take into account before it makes a decision.”

Besides benefiting from the AI assistant, customers also receive more personalized service. OBA Suite offers UI personalization like dark mode, font changes, and language localization. For example, Kuveyt Türk’s Arabic customers benefit from right-to-left layouts. “We’ve also integrated APIs to personalize campaigns. Previously, all customers received the same campaign message. Now, we segment customers by factors like occupation, income, and age to send targeted messages,” shares Erdoğan.

Enabling seamless banking ecosystems

Looking ahead, Architecht is focused on enabling API access for trusted third parties, facilitating transactions and paving the way for next-generation banking models like platform banking and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS). This shift will redefine how banks operate, innovate, and scale. “This transformation will significantly increase transaction volumes, requiring highly scalable and resilient systems to handle growing demand,” notes Erdoğan. “To meet this challenge, we set out to build a future-proof, cloud-native microservices platform, and Microsoft technologies were key in making this vision a reality.” 

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