Alliance app year: 500,000 customers and plans for scaling. Interview with Sergey Bocharov

— Sergey, last year you launched the Alliance app. What was the first version like, and how has it changed over time?

We launched an application with basic functionality: for individuals it was one profitable card with cashback and must-have services — transfers, top-ups, payments. For business clients there was also a basic set of functions and favorable conditions from the moment of launch.

The pace of development was very high, considering that we do all the development in-house, without using ready-made solutions. This approach allowed us to ensure a high release frequency: every month we added new features or improved existing ones.

Last fall, we launched deposits with flexible settings, where you can quickly choose everything in seconds: term, interest payment method, early closure, etc.

Then came the quick statement, referral program, and the ability to open a sole proprietorship account in the application in one minute at any time (previously, opening a sole proprietorship account was only possible during registration).

An important direction has become currency transactions. At first, we integrated exchange only through deposits — buy currency and make a currency deposit. And later we launched full-fledged currency exchange functionality and introduced 0,5% cashback for buying currency. As a result, the rate at Alliance, together with cashback, often becomes the most profitable on the market. And this summer we added international P2P transfers to cards of foreign banks.

We have also updated the onboarding — now when registering in the application, the client can choose one of three cards. Previously, only the «Start» card was offered, but now there is a choice of three cards: «Start» (credit), «Target» (debit) and «Game» (debit).

Another thing worth mentioning is loans. The application already shows loans issued in retail, and our newest product BNPL or «Pay Later» is also available — buy now and pay in installments, without commissions or overpayments.

In fact, in just one year, we have grown from a basic set of features to multifunctional banking that meets the daily needs of all types of clients.

— What do you consider to be the main achievement in the year since the application was launched?

The biggest achievement is the pace at which we implement new functionality. We are not a large bank, but the team approach allows us to quickly launch new products and services.

The second is the issuance of active cards that are actually used. According to the NBU, we ranked first among all banks in terms of the growth of active cards in the first half of 2025. And we hope to maintain this position in the future.

In addition to cards, we are developing our own ATM network and plan to launch our own PTKS network for all types of payments and card cash replenishment. This strengthens Alliance’s presence in the market and increases brand awareness.

And an undoubted achievement is the expansion of the client base. If previously about 5 thousand clients joined Alliance bank per year, now about 2 thousand new clients join us every day. This is a colossal change in scale.

— What was the biggest challenge in scaling mobile banking?

The most difficult thing was to combine rapid growth with compliance with the requirements of the NBU and financial monitoring. This was especially acute when fighting the «drop» market. We needed to scale the client base and issue cards, but at the same time qualitatively filter out unwanted clients and prevent the bank from being used for dubious transactions.

An additional factor was the signing of a memorandum between banks that tightened requirements for customer verification. This affected the volume of transactions, as financial monitoring now more closely controls the origin of funds.

— Who is the main user of the application?

Our client is a person who closely monitors the market and looks for profitable products and convenient solutions. He is rational and chooses the best conditions. These are mainly young people who actively use cashback and are open to new functionality and benefits.

— And which functionality turned out to be the most popular?

Currency exchange was a real hit. Customers appreciated the favorable rate and simplicity of operations, as well as the ability to make P2P currency transfers abroad. If we talk about mass operations, then these are P2P transfers and purchases with cashback.

By the way, we have several new types of cashback transactions in the works. We are also actively developing salary projects. And we have introduced cashback for enterprises with which we conclude agreements on salary projects. The more payments a company makes through Alliance, the more bonuses it will receive.

— What feature are you personally most proud of?

The app has a referral program. It allows you to quickly scale your customer base and motivates users to invite friends to the app.

And within the framework of the work of the entire Alliance bank, I am proud of our new ATMs with the possibility of self-programming. We were the first in Ukraine to launch a full-fledged currency exchange through ATMs — buying and selling currency even without a bank card.

— What can we expect from Alliance in the near future? And what do you see as the bank’s mission in the coming years?

We recently launched a new BNPL product, Pay Later, integrated with retail partners. We are currently actively onboarding merchants.

The second direction is business clients. We are preparing a web version of banking with functionality primarily for accountants: mass payments, management of payroll projects and currency contracts. This will allow medium and large companies to work with Alliance faster and more comfortably.

We are separately working on transparency of limits within the framework of a memorandum between banks: each client will see their personal limits on transactions, will be able to manage them and increase them if necessary by providing additional documents — and all this remotely.

Another priority is support. The user base is growing rapidly, so we are expanding our support team and implementing our own AI solutions. This is not a chatbot with templates, but a virtual operator who will help live consultants and will be able to communicate as humanly as possible. Our goal is to reduce the waiting time to 5 seconds without losing the quality of service. But we do not plan to move away from human support in any way, we will only strengthen it.

Next year we plan to reach a thousand devices. And these will not just be ATMs, but self-service points: currency exchange, account replenishment, deposits, loans, payments and transfers. In fact, this will become an alternative to classic branches, available 24/7.

Our mission: to make financial services as convenient, transparent, and accessible as possible for daily transactions for both individuals and businesses.