Okra Product Update: May 2022

DATE: May 17, 2022

AUTHOR: The Okra team

️ What's new?

Dashboard updates

For users with a large amount of data, the previous dashboard could experience some issues such as long loading times on tables, long wait times for data exports, and delayed navigation when moving through multiple pages very quickly.

To resolve these issues we have rebuilt the dashboard for scale. Some of our favorite features are highlighted below.

App Builder

The app builder layout has been refreshed in order to accommodate the new options and capabilities that are added to the API each month. Some highlights include:

Templates based on common configurations
Quick build to get started quickly with testing or experimentation
Bank customizations
Additional product options

Auto top-up

The previous version of the dashboard enabled on-demand wallet top-ups and notifications when the wallet is close to depletion.

We’ve made wallet management a bit easier by securely saving payment methods for future use and configuring automatic top-ups when the wallet depletes to a level of your choice so you never have to risk failing calls due to insufficient funds.

Tables and exporting

We’ve redesigned our data table component to provide clarity on the information presented and help you filter for insights and export data faster.

Updated Python and Flutter SDKs

We updated our Python and Flutter SDKs to improve the experience of how you connect to Okra within your Python and Flutter applications. To get started with these SDKs, check out the docs - Python and Flutter.

NUBAN Name Verify

This endpoint is a streamlined version of Okra Identity for those that don’t require a full KYC profile during onboarding. It allows you to send a NUBAN and a bank ID and get the BVN and full name of the account holder. This endpoint is also a cheaper option than the full Identity call since it provides fewer data points.

Check out the API reference here - https://docs.okra.ng/reference/nuban-name-verify

Get Payment Status by Metadata

This endpoint allows you to query payment statuses based on metadata that was included in the payment initiation.

Check out the API reference here - https://docs.okra.ng/reference/getpaymentsbyoptions

👉🏾 Fixes and Improvements

Financial Institutions

New integration for Stanbic corporate accounts.
Continued optimization on GTBank authentication, transactions, and payments.
Improved Zenith Bank web and mobile.
Eco bank authentication for all individual account types.
Kuda Bank for data linking enhancements.
Updated API for ALAT web for error prevention.
FCMB corporate account improvements.

Product

We've introduced a new optional input includePeriodic to the Balance endpoints that give the option to remove the periodic balances from the response:

includePeriodic is a boolean optional input that can take true or false values
When the request body includes includePeriodic with a false value, the periodic field will NOT be included in the response
When the request body does NOT include includePeriodic , then by default the periodic field will be included (the default behavior is includePeriodic is true)

An update to the widget configuration allows you to send a Boolean flag called sendOnlyConnected if you would only like to receive account and balance webhooks for the authenticated customer accounts.

ICYMI:

With our brand refresh, we wanted to further emphasize our goals to digitize financial services. Even though we have a new look, our vision to be a brand that enables banks & fintechs to build durable financial experiences for their users remains the same.
Part of the brand refresh was rebuilding our website. A post on some of the design/technology choices we made is coming soon.
Okra’s upgraded Android SDK helps you build great fintech android apps.
Okra’s upgraded Flutter SDK helps you build great open finance apps that work seamlessly across multiple operating systems.
Learn how to use Okra's new Python SDK to build any fintech idea you have. This article covers how to authenticate a customer's bank account and check real-time account balance using Python.
Open finance effectively began a revolution in the financial system, allowing businesses and developers to create innovative services and solutions, building on the information held by banks.
Dayo Fasan shares why she chose to join Okra after working at several companies across Insurance, Information Technology, and Asset Management.

We are hiring!

Know somebody that could be interested in joining our team? Get up to $1,000 when you successfully refer someone to join Okra.

Current openings include:

Apply to all of our job posts on our site.

What's Next?

If you are interested in being part of the South Africa beta launch, reply or let us know: hello@okra.ng.

The Okra Team.