UCard Digital: Pioneering Digital-Only Banking

In an era where speed and convenience dictate consumer choices, I led the conception and launch of UCard Digital as the Product Owner and Project Manager for the Digital Banking Department's Business Development Division. UCard Digital was not just another banking product; it was a revolutionary offering, allowing users to seamlessly integrate with Google Pay or Apple Pay within seconds, irrespective of their location.

Back in 2018, payments in Azerbaijan still heavily relied on cash, despite fast development of digital banking. Nevertheless, onboarding of new customers and issuing of cards was still made offline, and customer had to visit a bank branch to get a new card. Our new product aimed at tackling segment of unbanked population with a tool to quickly get a payment option without need to wait to visit any specific location.

Instant Access: Visualize card details directly in-app within seconds anywhere in the world. Customer onboarding is as simple as possible with only phone number required.

Top-Tier Security: With 3D Secure, every transaction is wrapped in layers of protection.

Enhanced Mobile App Interaction: An intuitive statement view with advanced standings analytics, innovative buy-now-pay-later options for every payment, and special cash back offers for digital services (Steam, Meta & Google Ads, EA etc.).

Our ambitious goal was to onboard 50,000 users in the first year. But the market's response? A staggering 100,000+ cards activated in the first year alone, and as of today, our digital-only card is trusted by over 250,000 bank customers. This is a testament not just to the product's efficacy but to the unmatched user experience it offers.

In the journey of creating UCard Digital, my role was not just to manage but to envision, strategize, and execute. I combined Product Management with complete ownership over Customer Experience with this product.

At Ideation and Discovery stages I led legal research and pioneered application of several new legal practices in banking business processes. Conducted feasibility study and financial modelling. I further Collaborated with stakeholders to create the product's roadmap, validated with experiments and POCs. Led UX research and design to iterate and create implementation-ready deliverables.

At Development and the Release stages I collaborated with 10+ devs (Oracle-enabled automated banking core system, RadixWare powered card processing, and java-enabled mobile application back-end) and data engineers. Worked on specific flows to plan and implement user journey changes through complicated PPP application flows. Integrated UX and the testing team inputs to make data-driven decisions to minimize fraud and decrease user friction. 

One of the most daunting challenges we faced was the skepticism around digital-only banking products. But with a clear vision, relentless dedication, and a strong belief in the power of innovation, we turned this challenge into our strength. We invested in educating our users, streamlining the interface, and ensuring top-tier security features like 3D Secure. The result? A product that was not only the first of its kind but also set the gold standard in the market.