The banking domain has become multifarious with ever-changing and cutting-edge technology. With complex functionalities tangled into the banking applications, it is considered to be the most advanced and complicated enterprise solution. The day-to-day transactions made via banking applications call for high scalability, reliability, and precision in terms of data. Therefore, it is imperative to test banking applications under various set-ups. An adept test strategy for banking applications should comprise of Mobile, Cloud, Internet, and various other features linked to a banking application.

What are the characteristics of a banking app?

– Banking applications should be able to integrate with several other applications such as billing apps, credit cards, trading accounts, etc.

– The apps should be able to navigate fast and help to process secured transactions

– When a number of users use the application, it should be able to support all users with flawless performance

– The app should be able to handle any complicate workflows

– The storage capacity of the banking apps should be more

– The app must be user-friendly and support the users on all devices and across their platforms

– The app should have a high auditing capability to troubleshoot the customer issues

– There should be a fool-proof disaster management recovery to protect users from unfair practices

– The app should support service sectors such as for loans, retail, etc. and provide the scope to perform payments through multiple gateways

As a various number of banking transactions happen each day, these applications need to deliver a high performance that meets customer needs. Besides this, the banking sector needs robust reporting in order to monitor and record transaction and user interactions instantly. To ensure that the banking applications are performing efficiently well, testing is essential. However, there are numerous challenges from the testing point of view that need to be addressed. In this article, we have highlighted key challenges that are faced while testing any banking application.

Banking App Testing Challenges

Security is Critical

Banking applications are overloaded with private customer information and data. Therefore, it is essential to ensure security at all levels in an online application. However, security testing becomes quite challenging, especially when there is a variation in the network and operating system across various devices. A banking application must be compatible with all versions, operating systems, and devices etc. Security testing of banking applications is a must, and should adhere to all applicable security standards.

The bank should ensure that all access validation codes and one-time passwords work properly. To ensure that the software doesn’t have any defects or faults, a QA team needs to validate both positive as well as negative sides of the system, reporting it before any unauthorized access occurs.

Complex Data

One of the major challenges that become difficult to address while testing a banking application is the complexity of the data. Banking applications contain all sorts of private information, data, passwords, and assets of the customers stored in their back-end. It is imperative to ensure that the back-end databases are not affected by any malware and that the data within is protected.

A bank certainly needs to have an automation tool to check database connectivity and logical functions continuously. It is beneficial if this is done over a virtual private network (i.e. a VPN) in order to ensure safety across its private data.

Omni-Channel Banking

Omni-channel banking or the branchless banking is the modern concept where the financial markets are functioning without a need of any branch. And, this is a great challenge to the teams for understanding its end-to-end functionality and efficiency in mobile applications.

Performance Failures

Performance levels consist of infrastructure, connectivity, and back-end integration. The transactions happening through the application should be administered at regular interims. Moreover, load and stress tests should frequently be performed to ensure multiple support for transactions at the same time.

Integration with Programs

Banking apps should have the ability to integrate with the programs that are used by users. Also, the applications should be capable to handle every complex workflow without any hurdles and troubles. While integrating with any third-party websites, there is much scope to get bugs and issues, hence the QA teams have to be cautious to deal with issues related to bugs and incompatibility.

Usability testing

Banking apps are being accessed by wide number of people but not every person is having with the technical skills to perform banking tasks with ease. The banking should be user-friendly so that everyone can easily access it, if not these can lead disinterest among the people who are unable to use it with ease. Hence, the app has to be tested across different groups of customers.

Real-time Activities

Banking applications need to provide real-time updates on the transactions to the customers as well as the back-end. It is important that the functionality of the application is continuously managed and identified by the testing teams. If there are any network connectivity issues that can hamper the real-time updates of the transactions, the teams should ensure proper testing of the application for any response delay.

Internet Connections and Browsers

User may login the app by using various devices, different browsers and from different internet connections. If the app fails to respond in any of the scenario then this can create a negative impact. Hence, to avoid such situations, teams have to check the performance of the app across all internet connections and browsers.

Time to Market

The addition of new features is a way to attract more customers, but with reduced time to market, there is a pressure that causes testing teams to cut short the testing cycles.

Devices

The present market is having a multitude of devices. If any of the devices is not considered, then this may be a big drawback and can create complexities. Hence, while testing the applications, it is necessary to consider every device across networks and platforms.

Security

Security is an important challenge for the banking sector. When planning for security testing, it is essential to consider all security standards in accordance with mobile devices, networks, operating systems, and platforms.

Mobile Environmental Factors

There are several mobile environmental factors that can affect the behaviour of the mobile bank application. The app can get affected by the background applications, memory card, camera usage, GPS, switching of the network, the state of the battery, etc. The integration of the mobile app with all these features may be a big challenge if the testing team fails to consider all these possible scenarios. Hence, it is important for the teams to consider every environmental factor while testing.

Privacy

Privacy is a challenging issue in mobile apps. Mobile devices are much personalized as they consist user’s data and identity. These are the important constraints which have to be considered and require the need for security. If the privacy factor fails, then this can create risk for the user data when there is an integration with other third party websites. Hence, while practicing security testing it is important for the teams to consider every factor so that the user-data is secured.

Conclusion

Testing banking application can be an intricate process, but if there is an experienced testing partner involved, the testing challenges can be readily eradicated. TestingXperts, with its efficient testing strategies and the right blend of testers and processes, is helping its banking and financial clients to achieve successful and vulnerability-free applications.