Kinective: The force multiplier for accelerating secure transformation through one connection between fintechs and banking cores

With the modernization of the world, people have developed modern expectations, especially when it comes to necessary tasks like banking. With multiple banks and credit unions spread across different platforms, banking can be a dreary process. The time, energy, and understanding to pay a little visit to the branch can almost immediately cause worry. Kinective keeps that in mind and delivers on its promise of bringing innovation to banking.

As banking rapidly evolves, Kinective is redefining traditional processes. Kinective is on a mission to simplify the complexities of banking by removing roadblocks and fostering a more open, rapid, and seamless client experience. Through its connected solutions, Kinective empowers banks and credit unions to navigate the challenges of digital transformation, providing a comprehensive suite of solutions, from API connectivity to document automation and optimized branch workflows.

Kinective's success lies in its commitment to client outcomes and an acute understanding of the intricate balance required to bridge traditional banking cores with modern technology.

To understand the company better, CIO Bulletin sat down with Kinective's CEO, Stephen Baker, to hear more about how Kinective is breaking down barriers and accelerating progress in banking.

Q. What was the purpose behind establishing Kinective? What is the relationship between Kinective, CFM, IMM, and NXTsoft?

Kinective is the culmination of three prominent companies in the banking and financial technology sectors: CFM, NXTsoft, and IMM. The fusion of these respected brands presents a unique opportunity to empower financial institutions (FIs) with comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that enhance operational efficiency, elevate client experiences, and fortify data security.

By combining the strengths of CFM, NXTsoft, and IMM, we are uniquely positioned to offer a holistic suite of services that cover a wide range of needs that is broader than any one company could before. This cohesive approach ensures that FIs can streamline their operations, seamlessly connect data systems, and deliver a secure and personalized experience to their clients.

CFM, the leading provider of foundational technology needed to support today’s modern experiences and the transition away from legacy systems to leaner, virtual, and cloud-based architectures, also plays a pivotal role by seamlessly connecting all branch transaction technology or hardware to banking cores.

NXTsoft is a trailblazer in the realm of data connectivity, API connectivity, and cybersecurity solutions. They have consistently pushed boundaries to ensure seamless integration and data protection.

IMM has revolutionized the digital document workflow and automation processes, providing a seamless customer experience for financial institutions.

Q. How does Kinective help their clients innovate in an ever-changing environment?

Financial institutions are actively seeking digital transformation. Every year, Kinective conducts a market survey, and this was one of the top focus points for over 300 banks and credit unions. As more fintechs and technical solutions enter the market to help FIs better serve their clients, FIs have to determine how those solutions will work with the plethora of core banking systems.

Kinective is the enabler for that ecosystem. We enable a best-of-breed tech strategy with the option to choose from several pre-built integrations so FIs can create the ecosystem that works best for them. Our vendor-agnostic capabilities empower banks and credit unions to create and control their own strategies without barriers.

Q. What are some of the solutions offered by Kinective to support innovation in banking?

Some of the solutions we offer at Kinective to support innovation in banking include:

API connectivity: Turn-key solutions that securely connect fintech applications to core systems through pre-built API integrations, empowering choice and best-of-breed IT strategies.
Document automation: End-to-end automation of each stage of digital document workflow to drive efficiency and client satisfaction.
Branch workflow: Core and branch hardware API integrations that enable real-time transaction processing and improve teller productivity by automating labor-intensive tasks.
Data and analytics: Achieve operational visibility, credit risk management, and cash forecasting optimization while also ensuring data integrity and accessibility during M&A, core conversion, and legacy data migration.

Q. What does innovation mean to Kinective?

Innovation at Kinective is not just a concept; it’s the heartbeat of our organization. At Kinective, we view innovation as the dynamic force moving us to push boundaries and redefine possibilities for banking. Innovation is the relentless pursuit of meaningful change that enhances the way we serve financial institutions, which in turn enhances the way they serve their clients.

Q. What are some of the reasons for Kinective’s monumental market adoption?

At our core, customer outcomes are our top priority. Our focus has been — and continues to be — customer outcomes and making ourselves easy to work with. This has organically propelled us quickly into the market. Additionally, there’s an overwhelming desire from financial institutions to go above and beyond for their clients, especially in this evolving landscape, and we understand the complexities of bridging the gap between cores and modern technology.

Q. How does Kinective promote innovation within its team?

We really encourage our team to break free from the constraints of a traditional approach and encourage mindsets that question the status quo. Moreover, we prioritize active listening to pain points and market trends to create solutions that are not only out-of-the-box but extremely useful.

A brief biography of Stephen Baker, the CEO of Kinective

Stephen Baker is the CEO of Kinective, a leading provider of connectivity, workflow, and analytics software for the banking sector. He leads Kinective’s world-class team in delivering greater connectivity and choice to the world of banking, helping clients drive transformation on their own terms. By supporting clients in expanding the technology options financial institutions offer, Kinective clients can, in turn, delight their customers and improve revenue.

As a multi-faceted executive with an excellent track record of creating and executing winning strategies across a range of industries, Stephen brings deep expertise to Kinective in building value and driving innovation for clients and partners alike.

With a background in operations and quality improvement, Stephen has proven product management leadership, delivering compelling innovation and strong returns on product investment. Under his leadership, he has demonstrated success in driving M&A from planning through integration and synergy execution.

Prior to Kinective, he was the former President of Zego, the leading provider of property management automation, and he held executive roles at MRI Software, insightsoftware, and ShortTrack.