In an increasingly competitive environment of data-driven decision-making, information has become the currency of global exchange. Yet data alone is no longer enough. Being able to visualise data in interesting ways makes it easier to tell stories, identify trends, and develop analysis. In the fintech landscape of the future, information will be vastly overshadowed by easily readable knowledge.

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Keeping up with the fast pace of Fintech 

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The Fintech space is a fast-moving flurry of developments and deals. With disruptors and new innovations bursting onto the scene at an unprecedented pace, it can be difficult for organisations to keep track of opportunities to invest or get involved. Much of the industry’s strength has emerged from increasing decentralisation, yet this also presents a hurdle to engage with the changing ecosystem.

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To keep their finger on the pulse, a team of analysts at BCG developed the Fintech Control Tower (FCT), a platform which allows the wider BCG team to find Fintechs and data, create visualisations, and access research, advisory and market intelligence.

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The Challenge

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‍Combining proprietary and third-party sources, the data that FCT consolidates is unique IP to BCG, giving clients an unprecedented understanding of fintech trends and evolutions in industry investment and business models.

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In order to forge ahead with this innovative offering, FCT wanted to leverage MISSION+’s expertise in the space. Concurrently, they wanted to reimagine a new customer portal to improve user experience. Committed to the innovation process, they wanted to develop a prototype. Primarily the prototype would be used to gain internal buy-in before committing to a full build, yet equally would provide an opportunity to gather real-time customer feedback. MISSION+ was asked to put together a complete back to front engineering team and usable prototype in 6 weeks.

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Building a future-facing Fintech finder

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It all started with a call in November 2020, to gain an understanding of the technical challenges and business objectives of FCT. Three clear objectives emerged: to source front-end talent to visualise a prototype, to develop a product build roadmap, and to build a team of developers that could execute on the product road map.

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‍MISSION+ had a front-end developer and UI/UX designer identified within 2 days. The developer’s expertise in D3.js enabled the team to produce a prototype in less than a month, which features dynamic and interactive data visualisations. 

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Simultaneously, a 14-person team of developers was being gathered to support the build. The back end team developed a strong data management system, making it easy for FCT analysts to directly update the database in real-time. This alleviates some pressure on limited developer resources, freeing technical talent to focus on developing the product. The front end team focussed on using this data to develop curated industry maps and analytics charts that conceptualise information in a more understandable and easily digestible format - a signature offering from the FCT.

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By leveraging MISSION+’s experience in developing external teams, FCT were able to onboard and integrate talent in record time. A technical advisor and technical team lead from MISSION+ managed the relationship between the developers and BCG’s product team, supporting daily standups and two week sprint plans to maintain momentum. These clear communications channels made task delegation seamless, keeping the project moving.

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Delivering results

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MISSION+ has supported the FCT team through the prototype, beta and into launch. But they have consistently gone beyond their remit of owning the design and product development stages of the process and delivering the project’s technical requirements. Through their deep understanding of the user and business requirements of FCT, MISSION+ were able to offer feedback and recommendations on the build process, optimise the solution and provide regular quality assurance support. ‍

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MISSION+ has been supporting FCT for three years now. The team has elastically evolved between 4 and 16 developers, designers and QA, depending on BCG’s product roadmap. Team turnover has been well below the industry average at just 6% each year, saving the team valuable time and capacity to focus on building, rather than sourcing, interviewing and onboarding talent.

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In summary

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As the FinTech industry rapidly evolves, the ability to visualise and comprehend data-driven insights becomes pivotal. One of the initial features the team delivered was the ‘Sunburst Interface’ - a tool through which users can easily find a Fintech to match their use case using a visual taxonomy, allowing them to assess large amounts of information effortlessly. An initial prototype was delivered in just four weeks, which enabled real-time feedback from customers before committing to develop a full data platform.