Bayport empowers financial inclusion through scalable OutSystems solutions across Africa

From paper to progress: How Bayport digitally transformed with LINKIT and OutSystems

For financial institutions in Africa, transitioning from manual to digital processes is the key to remaining competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Bayport Financial Services, leading provider of payroll-based loans operating in eight countries, experienced this challenge firsthand. Their reliance on manual, paper-based processes slowed operations and limited their ability to compete with digital-first financial services. Moreover, legacy technology obstructed the company’s ability to scale operations. However, with those systems already in place, Bayport needed a solution that added efficiency and scalability. To streamline customer onboarding, improve operational efficiency, and position the company for future growth, they sought a system that could seamlessly be implemented across multiple countries without disrupting existing operations. LINKIT’s expertise in low-code development, along with their pragmatic and collaborative approach to modernization, made them the ideal partner for this transformation.

Tackling the bottleneck of legacy problems

Bayport operates across several African countries, each with its own regulatory environments and customer needs. Before the IT modernization project, Bayport’s loan application process was heavily paper based, limiting the company’s ability to process loans efficiently and leading to a suboptimal customer experience. As Godfrey Mthombeni, head of development at Bayport, put it: “The manual process was simply not sustainable. Agents in the field had to collect paper forms, bring them to branches, process these in our legacy systems, wait for approval, and physically return to the customer for additional details. It was a time-consuming system that hindered the company’s growth.” Bayport’s challenge wasn’t solely about digitizing the process. It was also about ensuring that the solution could be seamlessly expanded into multiple markets with different user requirements and regulations, all without major disruptions.

“The manual process was simply not sustainable. Agents in the field had to collect paper forms, bring them to branches, process these in our legacy systems, wait for approval, and physically return to the customer for additional details. It was a time-consuming system that hindered the company’s growth.”

Low-code development to the rescue

Rather than overhaul everything at once, Bayport chose the low-code development platform OutSystems to accelerate modernization. The expertise on this platform was brought in by LINKIT, which enabled Bayport to deploy new digital solutions quickly, without hiring an entire team of developers​. However, integrating OutSystems with Bayport’s legacy lending system initially presented somewhat of a challenge. To tackle that, before the official project kickoff, a proof of concept was conducted to ensure the low-code platform could seamlessly work with existing infrastructure. 

The new system, built in OutSystems, incorporates reusable components and microservices, ensuring that functionalities can be efficiently replicated between countries. Additionally, to minimize business disruption, the rollout was executed in phases, so Bayport could gradually transition each part of the customer onboarding from paper-based to digital. As the core system was standardized, country specific implementations allowed for region-specific customizations.

One of the biggest innovations was the development of a digital onboarding platform that allowed field agents to register customers via tablets. This drastically reduced processing times and errors and created a smoother and more accessible customer experience. Moreover, this feature has proven to be a real value enhancer, leading to an increase in customers.

The combined team of LINKIT and Bayport ensured that the solution met technical requirements, was user-friendly, and aligned with the company’s broader financial inclusion goals of easily providing loans in underserved communities. Albert Swart, lead engineer at LINKIT for this project, emphasizes the bigger goal and the choice for OutSystems. “We didn’t just want to replace the old system; we wanted a scalable and future-proof solution. Technology should serve the business, not the other way around. So, by how we implemented the solution, Bayport can process loans faster, reach more customers and ultimately strengthen financial inclusion for years to come,” he explains.

“We didn’t just want to replace the old system; we wanted a scalable and future-proof solution. Technology should serve the business, not the other way around.

So, by how we implemented the solution, Bayport can process loans faster, reach more customers and ultimately strengthen financial inclusion for years to come.”

Beyond digital transformation 

With the new system in place, agents can instantly verify customer information and submit applications digitally, removing the need for lengthy manual processes. Customers, in turn, benefited from real-time updates on their loan applications, reducing uncertainty and improving satisfaction. On the other end, at the back office, loan processing also became significantly faster and more accurate, much to their delight. Joyce Mande, a business analyst from team LINKIT, said, “Adoption of the new system happened much faster than expected. Within just a few months, nearly all loan applications were being processed digitally.” Bayport’s team drove the initial requirements internally, where LINKIT helped to refine and build the system. Particularly for underserved communities, digitization means a major increase in accessibility, broadening financial inclusion. 

From legacy to leading, with a future-proof digital ecosystem

As a result of this digital transformation, Bayport can now scale its operations effectively, improving customer satisfaction through much faster service. “If we hadn’t digitized, some of our operations wouldn’t exist today,” Bayport’s chief information officer Richardt Schoonwinkel reflects. “This transformation secured our ability to remain competitive in our market.” Especially because the modernized core system is standardized, Bayport can now expand into new markets with minimal technical barriers. In the future, the company plans to further optimize customer experience. Of course, in collaboration with LINKIT.

With a future-proof infrastructure in place, Bayport is now fully equipped to expand further, keep optimizing risk assessments, and enhance their customer experience. “In our business, digitization is not optional, it’s a necessity. By modernizing incrementally, we minimized risk while using a low-code platform like OutSystems, which enables rapid development and flexibility.

Additionally, the project led to the development of supporting applications that further streamline processes and optimize our operational efficiency,” says Godfrey. “They didn’t just provide a solution but also helped us in how we approach and think about our processes. In the end, this modernization isn’t just about upgrading systems. It’s but about securing long-term growth and continuous adaptability. Using the right technology is one thing, but partnering with an implementation expert who truly understands the business makes all the difference!”

“They didn’t just provide a solution but also helped us in how we approach and think about our processes. In the end, this modernization isn’t just about upgrading systems. It’s but about securing long-term growth and continuous adaptability. Using the right technology is one thing, but partnering with an implementation expert who truly understands the business makes all the difference!”