Tips & Tricks: How To Test Banking Applications

The banking industry has been booming in recent decades. Currently, billions of various types of payments and operations are made using banking applications. A common financial app has become a complex system with different integrated digital solutions, modern features, and functions. 

It is also worth mentioning that the banking niche is constantly facing significant changes in regulation due to the growing economies, boost of cryptocurrencies, and other factors. As a result, it is difficult to create and test a digital product that keeps up with the times and offers its customers all the necessary functionalities. 

Any banking software should obtain top-notch security properties, as well as remain scalable and precise. But what are the other challenges of banking mobile app development and testing? Let’s find out the most important aspects of banking application testing below. 

Banking Software Application: Top Features To Take Into Account 

• Smooth integration with other types of software, including trading accounts, credit cards, billing apps, cryptocurrency wallets, etc;
• The maximum possible security level of transactions;
• Support most types of modern devices, including smartphones, tablets, wearables, laptops, and other gadgets with different operating systems;
• Handle high load without interruptions;
• High storage capacity;
• Top-notch performance, easy navigation, and understandable interface;
• Reliable disaster management recovery;
• High rate of the number of transactions per second;
• High speed of transactions without delays;
• Support of various types of payments. 

Top Challenges Of Testing Financial Applications

Banking software usually stores and processes loads of sensitive data. Consequently, the main concern of creating and testing this type of software is mobile banking app security. However, safety and reliability are not the only things you should focus on. 

Various Types Of Data 

As a rule, banking applications carry and handle multiple types of data. This includes the users’ personal information, their logins, passwords, assets, credit cards, and other confidential data. It is necessary to ensure that all the storage that deals with these types of data is protected using the most innovative technologies. 

Moreover, any online banking project should have a clear and fool-proof login and signup system. 

Unique Banking Activities

Banking apps are highly valued by most people because they are an instrument for managing individual finances. The functionality of a modern app is no longer limited to options of paying and transferring funds or taking loans. It is a handy solution for spending money, paying bills, setting up recurring payments, and making investments. A banking app is usually one of the most complicated types of digital products because it deals with the most important asset – one’s money. 

Branchless Banking 

Many modern banks don’t have physical branches that can be visited by clients in real life. However, these financial institutions offer their customers all the possible features in their mobile apps. Therefore, the software should have a full-scale banking functionality and allow ordering and using financial services in a flawless way online. 

Different Types Of Devices

Mostly, the banking software is used on smartphones. However, the banking software can perform in a different way on different devices. The truth is that modern gadgets are based on various operating systems and have diverse properties and functionality. Therefore, testing the banking app on various smartphones and browsers should become an inevitable step in any quality assurance process. 

Performance During High Loads 

The application should be available and perform without interruptions 24/7. It should offer top-notch and rich functionality even during high loads. Moreover, fixes and updates should not negatively impact the availability of the banking software. 

Impact Of External Factors 

Many factors can influence the software’s performance. These are the state of the smartphone’s battery, using additional apps in the background, the amount of storage on the memory card, the quality of the Internet connection, and many others. The main thing is that banking software will operate in different environments, and it is vital to test it on real devices, taking into consideration all these external factors.  

Integration With Third-party Apps 

Any banking digital product can’t perform in an isolated environment. It is a complex software that should easily integrate with other types of financial software, as well as cloud storage, digital wallets, and other programs. Compatibility is usually the main concern in this field. 

How to Test a Mobile Banking Applications

As a rule, testing mobile banking digital products has several obligatory stages. Although the QA process might vary, it should include these important steps:

Collecting And Reviewing All The Requirements 

This is a process of gathering and organizing all the needed documentation for the project. In most cases, it will include use cases, specifications, and other important data related to the app’s functionality. It should also reflect the needs and expectations of the audience. 

Reviewing the requirements is another important operation when it comes to testing a modern financial application. Business analysts, together with QA professionals, verify and validate all the flows that proceed in the app’s environment.

Test case writing

A banking app is a complex and multi-level digital product with dozens of features that all deal with money. It is a dynamic and developing solution that usually involves integration with dozens of other applications, and money transactions, and carries sensitive customer data. To make sure all the aspects and functions of the banking app are fully covered and working flawlessly , it is highly recommended to pay extra attention to writing all relevant test cases to check the app’s functionality. If you have a complete suite of professional full-scale test cases, you will likely test in a more structured way, and detect all the critical bugs and errors. 

Functional Testing 

This type of testing is a must-do step of almost any QA process. In most cases, it is performed using both manual and automated testing. However since banking digital products always deal with the customer’s money and other sensitive financial data, they require advanced and in-depth testing. Moreover, the QA professionals usually need to have at least basic knowledge of financial and banking systems to make sure the app meets all the core requirements. 

Security Testing 

One of the key steps of the quality assurance process of banking software is security testing. First, the software should comply with all the state financial laws and regulations, and banking field standards. Second, it should be securely protected from any third parties since banking apps often become the subject of malware and hackers’ attacks. QA experts should detect all the vulnerabilities of the application and report on all the weaknesses in its security system. 

User Experience Testing

Another aspect that should always be checked is how the elements of your application will interact with the users. Will a common customer be satisfied with using your app? What functions or flows should be improved? QA experts can help you find the answers to these questions.

Database Testing

The user interface is only one part of any banking app. However, most operations are performed on the database level. Database professionals usually pay attention to several fields, including data loading, database schema, and datatypes, migration, as well as data integrity. The key parameters that should be checked during the database testing are:

• An app can get and post data to the database without any interruptions or losses;
• Canceled transactions should be processed properly;
• Unauthorized users shouldn’t have access to the database. 

Not to mention, stress testing is one of the parts of complex database testing. An application should remain fully operational during peak loads, while the database should be able to handle a large number of requests. 

Interrupt Testing

What if your app’s user will receive a call when making a money transfer? How can a dried-out battery impact the performance of a banking app? Real-life shows that any application, including a financial one, can be easily interrupted by various kinds of notifications, incoming messages, updates, and other processes. It is critical to check whether the most important functions and transactions will still be able to be successfully completed without any errors or delays. 

Testing On Real Devices 

Any banking software should perform flawlessly on any modern device. However, many applications are often negatively impacted by third-party factors, including the dried-out battery of the customer’s smartphone, interrupted network connection, lack of storage space on the device, and many others. Moreover, some customers might also use uncommon flows when using the app. 

Consequently, to make sure a financial app, that deals with such a large volume of confidential data, will work well in real environments, it should be tested by real people on multiple devices, and many different geographies. Ubertesters offers premium quality solutions related to crowdtesting along with many advanced services designed for financial apps. Want to know more benefits? Contact us at sales@ubertesters.com for more information.