First Bank selects Backbase to upgrade its digital banking experience

By Leandra Monteiro

First Bank, a family-owned bank headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, announces that it has teamed up with Engagement Banking technology provider Backbase to rapidly upgrade its end-to-end digital banking experience, in turn positioning the bank for significant ongoing growth.

The partnership will see First Bank adopt Backbase’s Backbase-as-a-Service (BaaS) managed hosting, Digital Sales, Digital Assist and Digital Banking solutions to create a holistic, seamless experience for retail and business banking customers alike – in turn giving First Bank greater control over its speed of innovation and ability to tailor the customer experience. This suite of products will enable First Bank to modernize its banking technology infrastructure, grow its business banking share and harmonize the front-end digital experience for all its customers – whether they’re banking online, over the phone or in-person. Additionally, with the introduction of Digital Assist, front-office teams will be empowered with the tools they need to service customers better, faster and more effectively.

The partnership will also enable First Bank to better manage and orchestrate the end-user journey across all touchpoints on Backbase’s unified Engagement Banking platform. This stands in contrast with the bank’s previous digital infrastructure, in which customers would find themselves needing to manage as many as 14 unique logins to access all of First Bank’s digital features.

In addition, Backbase’s apps, ability to work alongside the bank’s own development team, and integrations with third-party apps will allow First Bank to innovate and customize the end-user journey, as well as rapidly deploy new products and services – all while Backbase handles the infrastructure application, maintenance and security.

Bala Nibhanpudi, Chief Operating and Technology Officer at First Bank said, “As a family-owned, community-oriented financial institution, we place our customers at the heart of everything we do – and after years of patchwork solutions, our digital capabilities just weren’t where we wanted them to be. In Backbase, we have found a provider that will help us streamline and improve our digital architecture, and in turn deliver the modern, intuitive experience all of our customers deserve. At the same time, this relationship will allow us to drive both top-line growth and bottom-line efficiencies, making it a win-win for both our business and our customers.”

Vincent Bezemer, Senior Vice President of Americas at Backbase added, “We are thrilled First Bank chose us to accelerate their efforts to elevate their customers’ banking experience. We are excited to work with a progressive, forward-thinking team who see us as a trusted advisor, and we’re eager to see their digital transformation vision come to life. As First Bank continues to enhance its digital capabilities, we will be working alongside them to ensure we continuously provide the tools they need to continuously exceed their customers’ expectations.”