Giving credit where credit is due

Cambrian Credit Union LogoEstablished in 1959 and with more than three billion in assets, Cambrian Credit Union (Cambrian) serves 60,000 members in the Canadian province of Manitoba under its brand and through Achieva Financial, their digital division. This blog post describes how Intelliware enabled Cambrian, one of the nation’s largest and most popular credit unions, to innovate with a next-generation application for their members.

Credit unions. In a country known for its “big five” banks (not to mention huge insurance companies), credit unions like Cambrian have earned their place in the Canadian way of life. According to the CCUA, over 5.7 million Canadians choose credit unions for day-to-day banking. Members benefit from having ownership in the credit union and a stake in their community’s financial growth and future.

Innovation for members

Credit unions dedicate themselves to delivering more value to their members through innovation. Their member focus inspires them to introduce many industry firsts, including watershed consumer financial products and services, such as Canada’s first full-service ATMs, debit card service, and home equity lines of credit.

No surprise then that Cambrian chose Intelliware to leverage the best possible technologies and to deliver the best possible experiences for their members. Most recently, that creative mandate included delivering a reliable, secure, and powerful app for managing money that meets member expectations of a crisp and pleasant modern experience.

“Refreshing Cambrian’s online and mobile banking experience and technology was required to keep up with the ever-changing financial services space. By engaging Intelliware, we achieved an optimal member experience, both simple and streamlined. And it looks great too!” – Lynne Mackan-Roy, Chief Information Officer, Cambrian Credit Union

Cambrian Credit Union and Intelliware set out to deliver three key things:

  • An intuitive experience with dynamic functionality that’s easy to navigate
  • An engaging experience, customizable, and capable of anticipating members’ needs
  • A convenient experience that makes it easier to bank quickly and on the go

Intelliware’s world-class UI/UX design and development team joined forces with Cambrian to deliver a refreshed online banking solution for members through both improved online banking and a new mobile app. The Cambrian Mobile App offers a fast, easy, and secure way to make payments and receive refunds on their phones.

Members can also:

  • Login with biometrics instead of passwords
  • See balances instantly without logging in
  • Create customized dashboard views
  • Make and set up bill payments
  • Add text alerts and access calculators
  • Deposit cheques using their phone
  • Pay using Google, Apple, or Samsung Pay
  • Feel safe thanks to built-in enterprise security

Security first

Appreciating the modern threat landscape, Cambrian’s new app features encryption technology and added security features to ensure a safe and secure experience.

Contactless features

Empowering members to deposit cheques and make purchases leveraging popular Pay services with their phones helps Cambrian to innovate and grow. Their foresight has made Cambrian a Canadian success story. The demand for contactless payment (on devices or cards) was already surging before the pandemic. It’s built in the app.

Payments Canada reported 4.1 billion transactions worth $129.9 billion in 2018 alone with almost 30 percent growth in volume and value. 

Now, in a pandemic/post-pandemic world, Canadians go about their business avoiding physical contact with public surfaces and objects, and one another. The contactless features built in Cambrian’s new app are a matter of safety, not convenience, making their app indispensable to members, going forward.

Another feather in their app cap, Cambrian represents one the first financial institutions to offer account opening services with their mobile app. This innovative convenience, applauded by members, adds to the creative legacy of credit unions in Canada.

Partnership makes it possible

The new mobile app is just the latest expression of a longstanding relationship between Cambrian Credit Union and Intelliware. In the true spirit of partnership, these collaborators share common values and an ambition to deliver nothing short of an excellent experience for Cambrian’s members.

”Our partnership with Cambrian has delivered amazing results again. We loved working with their team to deliver a next-generation experience. We can’t wait to see what they want to do for their members next!” — Keith Shiner, Vice President, Financial Services of Intelliware Development