Core Capabilities

The ID.Banking platform delivers nine integrated modules that together form a complete core banking engine. Each module operates as an independent microservice, communicable via event-driven messaging, and deployable in isolation or as a unified stack.

Architecture Overview

flowchart TB
  subgraph presentation["Presentation Layer"]
    direction LR
    SPA["Admin SPA (Angular)"]
    API["Open Banking Gateway"]
  end
  subgraph services["Service Modules"]
    direction LR
    Payments --- Lending --- Cards --- Treasury --- FX --- Fraud
  end
  subgraph core["Core Ledger Engine"]
    direction LR
    L["Double-entry immutable accounting"]
  end
  subgraph warehouse["Warehouse (Analytics)"]
    direction LR
    W["Reporting, BI, and regulatory data"]
  end
  presentation --> services --> core --> warehouse

Module Summary

1. Ledger

The core accounting engine implements a double-entry, immutable ledger using event sourcing and append-only storage. Every financial state change is recorded as an immutable event, providing a complete audit trail from inception.

Key Features

• Double-entry bookkeeping with automated balancing validation
• Immutable append-only journal — no transaction can be deleted or altered
• Multi-currency account support with real-time position tracking
• Chart of accounts aligned to BIAN service domains
• Event-sourced architecture enabling point-in-time balance reconstruction

Ledger Entry Structure

{
  "journalId": "jnl_2024_001542",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T09:32:11.445Z",
  "entries": [
    { "account": "1001-ZAR-SAVINGS", "debit": 1500.00, "credit": 0 },
    { "account": "2001-ZAR-TRANSIT", "debit": 0, "credit": 1500.00 }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "source": "payment-service",
    "correlationId": "pay_rtc_8f3a2b",
    "immutable": true
  }
}

2. Payments

The payments module orchestrates transactions across 8+ African payment rails, handling routing, retry logic, reconciliation, and settlement in a single unified interface.

Supported Rails

Payment Flow

flowchart LR
  A[Initiation] --> B[Validation]
  B --> C[Sanctions Check]
  C --> D[Rail Selection]
  D --> E[Submission]
  E --> F[Settlement Confirmation]
  F --> G[Reconciliation]
  G --> A

3. Lending

End-to-end loan lifecycle management from origination through collections, supporting consumer credit, microfinance, and institutional lending products.

Lifecycle Stages

1. Origination — Application capture, document collection, and eligibility pre-screening
2. Credit Scoring — Bureau integration (TransUnion, Experian, XDS) plus internal ML scoring models
3. Underwriting — Rule-based and manual approval workflows with delegation authorities
4. Disbursement — Multi-channel payout via any supported payment rail
5. Servicing — Interest accrual, repayment processing, statement generation
6. Collections — Automated arrears management, SMS/email campaigns, external agency handoff

Product Configuration

Lending products are defined declaratively, enabling non-technical staff to create new products:

product:
  name: "Personal Loan - Standard"
  currency: ZAR
  term_range: [3, 60]  # months
  amount_range: [1000, 250000]
  interest:
    type: reducing_balance
    rate_range: [12.5, 27.5]  # annual percentage
  fees:
    initiation: { type: percentage, value: 2.5, cap: 5000 }
    monthly_service: { type: fixed, value: 69 }
  collections:
    grace_period_days: 7
    escalation_stages: [sms, email, call, legal]

4. Cards

Virtual and physical card issuance with processor-agnostic integration, supporting prepaid, debit, and credit card programmes on Visa and Mastercard networks.

Capabilities

• Instant virtual card provisioning via API
• Physical card lifecycle management (issue, activate, replace, block)
• 3D Secure authentication integration
• Real-time authorisation with configurable spend controls
• PIN management and card-not-present fraud rules
• Apple Pay and Google Pay tokenisation support

Card Controls

5. Treasury

Real-time liquidity and position management across all accounts, currencies, and counterparties, providing treasury teams with consolidated visibility.

Key Features

• Real-time nostro/vostro position monitoring
• Cash flow forecasting with configurable time horizons
• Automated sweep and pool configurations
• Counterparty exposure tracking
• Regulatory reserve calculations (CRR, LCR)
• Integration with central bank settlement systems

Position Dashboard Data Model

flowchart TB
  A["ZAR Nostro — Navi Bank"] --> B["Opening: R 45,230,000"]
  A --> C["Inflows: R 8,150,000"]
  A --> D["Outflows: R 6,920,000"]
  A --> E["Projected close: R 46,460,000"]
  A --> F["Required reserve: R 12,000,000"]
  A --> G["Available liquidity: R 34,460,000"]

6. FX (Foreign Exchange)

Multi-currency conversion engine supporting 40+ African currencies with real-time rate feeds, margin management, and FinSurv/BoP reporting built in.

Features

• Real-time spot rate feeds from multiple providers
• Configurable margin/spread per currency pair and client tier
• Automatic FinSurv Balance of Payments (BoP) categorisation
• SARB reporting-ready transaction records
• Forward contract and swap support
• Multi-leg cross-currency routing (e.g., KES → USD → ZAR)

Supported Currency Pairs (Sample)

7. Fraud

Real-time transaction risk scoring engine delivering sub-50ms decisions using rule-based and machine-learning models to detect and prevent fraudulent activity.

Detection Capabilities

• Velocity-based anomaly detection (unusual transaction frequency)
• Geolocation inconsistency detection (impossible travel)
• Device fingerprinting and behavioural biometrics
• Merchant reputation scoring
• Network graph analysis for syndicate detection
• SIM-swap detection integration with MNOs

Decision Pipeline

flowchart LR
  A[Transaction] --> B[Feature Extraction]
  B --> C[Rule Engine]
  B --> D[ML Model]
  C --> E{Final Decision}
  D --> E
  E -->|Allow| F[Process]
  E -->|Review| G[Case Management]
  E -->|Block| H[Decline]

Performance Targets

8. Warehouse

Analytics and reporting data warehouse providing regulatory-grade reporting, business intelligence, and IFRS 9 compliance calculations.

Capabilities

• Real-time data replication from operational services via CDC (Change Data Capture)
• Pre-built regulatory report templates (SARB BA returns, FinSurv)
• IFRS 9 Expected Credit Loss (ECL) calculations
• Customer segmentation and cohort analysis
• Configurable dashboard and alerting framework
• Data retention policies aligned to regulatory requirements (5–7 years)

Report Categories

1. Regulatory — BA100, BA200, BA300, BA900 series; FinSurv BoP reports
2. Financial — P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow statements
3. Risk — ECL provisions, portfolio-at-risk (PAR), concentration risk
4. Operational — Transaction volumes, SLA adherence, system health
5. Commercial — Product performance, customer acquisition, revenue per product

9. Open Banking Gateway

API gateway enabling third-party access to banking services, aligned with PSD2 (EU), FSCA Conduct Standards (South Africa), and Open Banking Nigeria frameworks.

Standards Alignment

Gateway Features

• Consent management with granular permission scopes
• OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect authentication
• Rate limiting and quota management per third-party
• API versioning with backward compatibility guarantees
• Real-time webhook notifications for account events
• Developer portal with sandbox environment

API Surface

flowchart TB
  subgraph API["Open Banking API Surface"]
    direction TB
    A["/accounts — Balances and statements"]
    B["/payments — Initiation and status"]
    C["/cards — Controls and issuance"]
    D["/lending — Applications and status"]
    E["/fx — Rate quotes and conversion"]
    F["/consent — Consent lifecycle"]
    G["/webhooks — Event subscriptions"]
  end

Modular Deployment

Each module can be deployed independently, enabling institutions to adopt capabilities incrementally:

flowchart TB
  subgraph deploy["Deployment Profiles"]
    direction TB
    A["Minimal viable bank: Ledger + Payments + Lending"]
    B["Digital wallet: Ledger + Payments + Cards"]
    C["Treasury operation: Ledger + Treasury + FX"]
    D["Full-stack bank: All 9 modules"]
  end

This modular approach reduces time-to-market and allows institutions to expand capabilities as their licence and business model evolves.