Overview

Founded in 2010, Inbank pioneered the vision of bringing banking services directly to the point of sale—where everyday shopping happens. NodeSWAT's partnership with Inbank began in 2018 when they approached us to develop a platform for their merchant partners that would enable end customers to apply for "buy now, pay later" financing. This solution created dual benefits: merchants could offer financing options to more customers for their desired purchases, while Inbank expanded their customer base for credit contracts.

The challenge

The project presented significant complexity due to several key factors:

• The application needed to support numerous distinct application flows
• Inbank's portfolio included multiple credit solutions, each with unique requirements based on repayment structures
• Each credit flow required merchant-specific configurability
• Inbank operated across multiple countries, each with local banking regulations that introduced additional variations

NodeSWAT was tasked with developing the application layer of the system and consulting on necessary modifications to Inbank's core system. The only technical requirement specified was the use of Vue.js.

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Technical approach

Our expertise in frameworks like Angular, React, and Next.js enabled us to quickly adapt to the patterns of Vue.js. We selected Nuxt.js—Vue's equivalent to Next.js—as our full-stack framework, providing the robust foundation needed for a complex, high-performance application.

For the UI layer, we initially chose Bootstrap, though in retrospect this created challenges due to its customisation limitations. In subsequent projects for Inbank, we transitioned to Tailwind CSS, which significantly enhanced developer experience and maintainability.

The platform provided merchants with comprehensive tools to manage and onboard customers to financing contracts. The most technically challenging aspect—and the focus of this case study—was developing the highly configurable credit application flow logic.

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Implementation strategy

To address the complex requirements of multiple form-based workflows, we developed a sophisticated configuration system that could handle:

• Dynamic field selection and ordering
• Tiered validation logic (from simple required/optional validation to complex inter-field dependencies)
• Country-specific and product-specific variations

Our solution centered on:

• JSON Configuration Files: Each flow variant received its own configuration file defining form fields, ordering, and validation rules
• Vue Mixins: We created mixins that accepted flow indicators as input, referenced the appropriate configuration file, loaded validators, and established initial form state
• Dynamic Rendering Utilities: Custom utilities processed configuration data to generate the corresponding form elements
• Hybrid Configuration: The system integrated both internal configuration and external parameters from Inbank's core API, which could override field rendering based on specific loan products or countries

This architecture underwent several iterations and refinements and ultimately delivered a scalable solution that met the client requirements.

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Results and impact

The merchant platform proved highly successful, demonstrating its value through operational efficiency. When Inbank needed to expand to new countries or add credit products, the configuration process was remarkably streamlined—typically requiring less than a week to configure and test new flows.

€75.5m

Total net income (in millions of €)

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Lessons learned

While our technical choices were appropriate at the time of implementation, the landscape has evolved significantly. Today's implementation would leverage:

• Vue 3's Composition API instead of mixins
• Modern form hook libraries
• Tailwind CSS for more efficient UI customisation
• Insights gained from years of real-world application usage and feedback

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Expanded partnership

Our collaboration with Inbank spanned nearly six years and encompassed multiple projects:

• Customer-Facing Payment Solution: Similar to the merchant platform but designed for end customers, enabling "buy now, pay later" financing during online checkout
• Embedded Loan Calculator: A widget for online stores allowing customers to explore different loan amounts, payment structures, and terms
• Full-Featured Internet Banking Application: A comprehensive platform enabling customers to manage existing contracts and apply for new financial products
• Additional Projects: Including a new back-office platform, document generation microservice, and centralized UI library

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Technology evolution

Our core technology stack remained consistent throughout the partnership—Vue.js and Nuxt.js—with strategic refinements over time:

• Initially implemented a Fastify-based proxy API to forward requests to Inbank's Core API
• Later integrated proxy functionality directly into Nuxt.js's server layer, reducing infrastructure costs and improving developer experience
• Transitioned from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS in later projects, significantly enhancing UI development efficiency

https://www.inbank.ee

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