Forge Update – December 13, 2019
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Forge Update – December 13, 2019 An Exciting Year of Collaboration and Innovation As the end of 2019 approaches, we reflect on just how far we have come together as a community with the Forge Digital Banking Platform. From beginning the year with a newly debuted Roadmap and Champion FirstOntario premiering the first public website in March, to spending the second quarter focused on crucial build components and implementations. It was an educational six months in which ongoing dialogue and thoughtful testing contributed to a smooth summer of simultaneous launches. July 2019 ended with Champion Alterna debuting the first mobile app, and First West launching all three Retail channels in market for Envision Credit Union a short week later. By September, Forge really began to grow, with 75 clients committed and nearly a million Canadians estimated to soon have access to Forge. Demonstrating the innovative qualities driving the platform, we were also excited during this time to announce the co-innovation between Champion G&F Financial Group and the Back Office Collaborative, who are the first to leverage the Forge Community capabilities for the up-and-coming development of a Mortgage Calculator widget, which will be available to all members in 2020. With client feedback in mind, we also introduced several reference websites aimed at significantly accelerating and simplifying the build of Forge public websites, designed and built in-house by The Agency at Central 1. Launching and Learning Together Additionally, we spent several weeks prioritizing educational materials with the purpose of keeping you informed, like through our deeper dive into Forge’s deeply embedded cyber security measures, our whitepaper detailing Forge Community, our overview provided through the Forge Technical Debrief or our monthly town hall webinars. By this time further into Fall, Forge had surpassed 115 clients committed. By the final quarter, several more Forge launches debuted from Sunshine Coast, Interior Savings, Envision Financial, Tandia, Valley First, Ukrainian Credit Union and Island Savings. Our team also focused on echoing similar development and successes this year on the business banking side, expanding on dynamic opportunities to enable business banking customers to benefit from an enhanced digital experience like with Forge Retail. Advantageous commercial features like transaction approvals and user entitlements were designed, and further into the colder months, we were proud to provide the first end-to-end demonstration of key features such as bill payments, CRA payments, FX wires and account transfers. /2 On the small business side, we also started building an enhanced experience for three of the small business core features that businesses loved with MemberDirect®. This is being approached with targeted availability for early 2020 and will include the ability for dual logins, approvals and delegate assignment. Ending 2019 with Teamwork and Appreciation As of December 1st, Forge has amassed 165 committed clients, and over two million Canadians are estimated to soon have access to an elevated digital banking experience. You’ve been with us every step of the way, and we cannot thank you enough for all of the trust, feedback, resources and commitment you have shown us this year, as we all move collectively towards a better future in digital banking for our customers across Canada. There were plenty of celebrated milestones alongside several learning opportunities, through which we thrived, pivoted or adjusted as necessary. There is so much to be excited for in 2020, but for now, enjoy time with your loved ones this holiday, and have a safe and happy New Year. We also encourage you to take a moment to explore the fantastic digital experiences that were launched this year: FirstOntario Credit Union (Public Site) Alterna Bank (Public Site and Retail Banking Mobile App) First West’s Envision Financial (Public Site, Retail Banking Mobile App and Online Banking) G&F Financial Group (Public Site) Sunshine Coast Credit Union (Public Site) Interior Savings Credit Union (Public Site) Tandia Financial Credit Union (Public Site) First West’s Valley First (Public Site, Retail Banking Mobile App and Online Banking) Ukrainian Credit Union Limited (Public Site) First West’s Island Savings (Public Site, Retail Banking Mobile App and Online Banking) What’s Next on Forge? Please contact your Relationship Manager to learn more about the many resources we have to support our clients. You can also check our website for regular Forge Updates, Monthly Town Hall Summaries and other new materials. Thank you, Henrique Godinho .