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Open Banking Lab is an incubation program for startups developing open data based solutions for banks and financial organizations.
Open Banking Lab, a pioneering initiative under the 1991 Open Data Incubator program, stands as the first in Ukraine to champion the concept of open banking. With JSC "OTP Bank" serving as the general partner and sponsor, this groundbreaking project aimed to support startups committed to developing innovative products leveraging open banking data. Crucial to the initiative was the collaboration with the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and OTP Bank, providing participants access to open data and corporate APIs.
In November 2017, a rigorous selection process unfolded during a special two-day hackathon, resulting in the admission of several promising startups into the Open Banking Lab. The selected participants and their innovative solutions were as follows:
Over the course of three months, participants immersed themselves in the incubation process, operating from the 1991 Civic Tech Center. The program included a rich curriculum of lectures, mentorship sessions, and hands-on work with open data and APIs from the NBU and OTP Bank.
Upon the culmination of the incubation period, the startup YouScore emerged as the standout project. YouScore, developed by the YouControl company, excelled in collecting and analyzing open data to assist banks in evaluating client trustworthiness. Acknowledging its significance, YouScore received accolades, including a prize of $10,000 and support from OTP Bank for further development.
Additionally, three more teams — Future Agro Finance, CoinyPay, and bNesis — earned the opportunity to launch pilot versions of their products in collaboration with OTP Bank. This strategic partnership would allow these startups to test their solutions in real-world scenarios and foster ongoing innovation in the realm of open banking.
By nurturing these startups and fostering collaboration between financial institutions and innovators, the Open Banking Lab played a pivotal role in advancing the landscape of open banking in Ukraine.
