Crédit Mutuel Arkéa reports that 95% of users save time every day with Postman

Stoplight was the main API tool used primarily for design and testing. It could not accommodate both synchronous APIs, like OpenAPI and REST, and asynchronous APIs using MQ and Kafka.

Additionally, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa wished to democratize API work. API testing, design, and discovery needed to be open to non-technical users, including product owners or business analysts. Previously, many tools and processes were involved across the API lifecycle.

The Technologies and Services Division comprises both technical and non-technical users working in product-oriented teams. Adopting an “API is a product” approach, while sharing a coherent technical and business vision for each product, was critical.

Deploying an API platform that would facilitate collaboration between IT and business teams during the API design and testing phases became a necessity. It was a priority to avoid transferring data using disparate methods. It led to multiple file versions and poor-quality data.

Crédit Mutuel Arkèa is modernizing its core banking services and launching new API products across payments, subscription, and document management. At present, onboarding friction is caused by API documentation and test collections being shared via email. The extended onboarding process directly impacts time to market.

The Postman Enterprise plan was chosen after an evaluation of API management solutions in 2023. Postman's intuitive interface, ease of use, and comprehensive API management capabilities made it the winning choice. Using a single platform ensures a streamlined workflow across all stages of the API lifecycle.

“Our external partners and internal teams can collaborate with ease on Postman. While its graphical interface means non-technical users are equally comfortable with testing and validating APIs.”

Jonathan Pennec, Head of API Management, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa

With the Postman Enterprise plan, teams can collaborate securely. The priority was for technical teams, including developers, automation testers, and technical leads, to work seamlessly with GitLab integrations. Alongside this, non-technical users, including business analysts and product owners, unfamiliar with GitLab and command-line tools, have benefited from Postman's UI.

Automatic integration with an on-premise GitLab instance facilitates the synchronization and regular execution of tests through the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring consistency and reliability.

Postman Collections have further enhanced collaboration. Collections are shared easily across teams and with external partners, ensuring transparency. Now, everyone has access to the same version of tests and API data. Consistent version control for complex API products leads to stability.

Collections and API documentation have enhanced API discovery by providing stakeholders with all the necessary information, accelerating integration. Following the API design phase, Postman generates mock servers, develops tests, and validates APIs, increasing quality.

“By investing in the right setup at the start with Postman Collections and API documentation, we maximize reuse, ensure consistent versioning and can make changes easily.”

Sebastien Le Cocquen, Business Owner, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa

Postman is at the core of the new customer experience that is in development. The developer portal getarkea.com allows customers to sign up and onboard quickly and easily. The onboarding process is scalable, providing a uniform way of maintaining API products.

Crédit Mutuel Arkèa is standardizing its APIs to create a single way to consume them across all products, which can be adapted for different use cases. This prevents the need for multiple versions for each customer or scenario.

Partner Workspaces provide access to standardized API documentation and test collections. The self-serve experience has made APIs easy to discover and has accelerated both onboarding and time to market. Simultaneously, the controlled access of Partner Workspaces is secure while enabling tracking and auditing.

A notable 95% of users report that Postman saves them time in their daily work.

Postman Enterprise provides a global overview of test scenarios executed by all teams. After two years of usage, the teams have created over 350 workspaces for API project collaboration.

“Postman is a leader in the API management ecosystem. It's easy for us to use and share data with our customers because everyone knows it.”

Clément Deboos, API Engineer, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa

Postman enables a structured API test design with documentation and a framework. Real-time collaboration via Postman enables teams to work securely and share a common knowledge base.

Teams are sharing feedback directly within Postman Workspaces, driving continuous improvement. Streamlined onboarding and standardized API consumption have reduced costs. Collections and built-in governance improved quality and decreased support issues.

Dedicated workspaces, collections and Postman features have created new goals. For example, cutting customer integration time from a week to just one hour for an instant payment product.

Regular support from Postman helps the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa teams maximize the platform’s potential and stay up-to-date on new monthly features.

This new foundation means that APIs are now strategic products powering new business services for Crédit Mutuel Arkéa.