How Credsystem Uses Microservices to Drive Business Growth and Scale Financial Solutions

Brazil’s credit card market is booming, driven by skyrocketing consumer demand for digital payments and easier access to credit. As consumers increasingly shift to online transactions, the need for faster, more secure financial services is reshaping the industry.

Credsystem is witnessing this boom firsthand. Throughout its 25-year history, it has issued more than 40 million credit cards and in 2024 processed more than 120 million transactions, reinforcing its key role in Brazil’s growing ecosystem. As the credit market evolves, Credsystem is focusing on innovation, modernizing its operations, and upgrading its IT infrastructure.

However, the urgency for a legacy system overhaul became clear when Credsystem found itself dealing with a cumbersome ‘monolith’ – a complex, outdated infrastructure that lacked proper documentation. The system’s inflexibility not only stifled innovation but also made it nearly impossible to scale credit services effectively, especially in the fast-moving world of digital finance.

In response, Credsystem partnered with Mendix and enlisted expert consultant TrueChange to help modernize its IT infrastructure. Together, they replaced aging systems with several new applications, focusing on credit card inquiries, transaction services, and digital card management. The transformation has significantly improved user experience, reduced operational overhead, and ensured Credsystem remains compliant with stringent banking regulations.

Tackling a Legacy System Monolith

Credsystem’s legacy systems were running on outdated technologies and programing languages, and a major upgrade was necessary to support the growing demands of both retail clients and the broader financial market.

In 2020, Credsystem worked with TrueChange to migrate from its on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, marking a pivotal shift that boosted both operational efficiency and scalability.

Lucas Castro, account executive at TrueChange, explained the significance of the transition: “Credsystem had previously relied entirely on their own data center, so they lacked cloud expertise.”

TrueChange played a critical role in not only educating the Credsystem team about low-code development but also in helping them navigate the complexities of integrating this new approach into the company’s broader digital ecosystem.

After evaluating options from the Gartner Magic Quadrant, Credsystem’s CTO, Fabio Felizatti and his team determined that Mendix was the right fit due to its:

• Microservices architecture, which allows for more scalable and flexible solutions for credit card issuers.
• Robust cloud and native mobile offerings, crucial for meeting the demand for electronic payments.
• Process-oriented and collaborative nature, essential for improving workflows.
• Rapid development capabilities, allowing faster time-to-market for critical financial products.
• Strong security compliance (ATS), meeting stringent financial industry standards for data protection.

This partnership also marked TrueChange’s first project using Mendix and introduced Credsystem to low-code development.

“Since Mendix abstracts many technical details, we as developers can focus more on the business aspects and solving real customer problems within the application,” said Eduardo Firmino, technology lead at TrueChange. “The platform allowed us to prioritize delivering value over getting bogged down in complex development challenges.”

Leveraging Change Management and Promotion

For Pinheiro, the cultural shift towards low-code development presented its own challenges.

Credsystem had long relied on high-code systems, and the shift required careful management to demonstrate the value of the new approach. But with clear vision and effective change management, the company was able to quickly adopt Mendix and begin reaping its benefits.

As a result, one specialized Mendix team now can operate up to four times more efficiently than the previous high-code approach.

Credsystem’s investment in Mendix has paid off, with the company now developing close to 100 microservices applications internally, streamlining its operations and ensuring its products are in line with Brazil’s financial regulations.

Scaling and Governing Low-Code

Using Mendix’s microservices architecture, Credsystem has been able to build scalable, modular applications that are easy to maintain and expand. Since 2021, Credsystem has:

• Developed over 75 applications, including solutions for credit card inquiries, transactional services, and card applications.
• Scaled Mendix development seamlessly, ensuring new features and improvements don’t disrupt operations.
• Enabled faster bug resolution and feature testing with no downtime, ensuring product reliability and responsiveness.

“The way we work with microservices makes it easy to connect clients from back-end to front-end,” Pinheiro highlighted.

“If they want to scale a specific part of an application, like the transactions section of the digital account, they could move it to a separate infrastructure,” he added. “This would allow them to manage and scale each part independently.”

TrueChange has also supported Credsystem in creating a monitoring tool that will further enhance Mendix development. The tool will help track workflows, optimize performance, and maintain high-quality standards across the company’s tech stack.

Additionally, Credsystem launched its technological modernization program called PDTI, which fosters internal expertise in Mendix development. Through the Mendix Academy, Felizatti is certifying developers and promoting a “buddy system” to help teams grow and adapt.

By adopting a “Mendix-first” mindset and establishing a solid governance framework, Credsystem has not only enhanced agility, but also bolstered connectivity across the organization.

Ensuring Security and Compliance in Financial Services

Credsystem’s portfolio spans multiple key sectors, managing components for clients, cards, and insurance in both B2C and B2B2C markets.

Its flagship project, App Mais!, is a high-traffic mobile app used by retailers to manage B2C financial operations. App Mais! handles over 250,000 daily hits and has grown from 1 million to over 5 million users.

• Mobile capabilities that allow customers to manage banking services, check balances, make payments, transfer funds, and access other digital banking features.
• Kafka for asynchronous transactions to efficiently handle millions of users and transactions in real-time.
• Strong security measures following API best practices, with logging and tracking mechanisms for every transaction.

A project between Credsystem’s partnership with a top Brazilian retailer, also highlights the company’s customer-centric approach. In just three months, Credsystem delivered an integrated solution that reduced fraud, generated virtual cards, and connected seamlessly to customers’ front-end systems.

Credsystem’s ability to move fast and stay connected with clients has been key to its success. For instance, after receiving customer feedback, Credsystem rapidly rolled out a biometric feature for the aforementioned solution in under a week.

Generative AI: The Next Frontier

Looking ahead, Credsystem is exploring the use of generative AI to optimize its processes, beginning with the rollout of LTS (Long-Term Support) versions in 2025. Felizatti sees this as the next frontier for enhancing operational efficiency and scaling complex financial services.

Pinheiro is already leveraging Mendix AI Assistance (Maia) to accelerate development for smaller projects. In the future, Maia will assist in creating DevOps applications to validate code quality before it enters development, streamlining workflows and enhancing efficiency across the organization.

Felizatti is developing an innovative intelligence platform that aggregates sales data, customer preferences, card usage patterns, and more to provide actionable insights that can drive sales and improve engagement.

“The goal is to create a central hub that turns this data into valuable insights for my clients,” he explained.

This platform, designed with a user-centric approach, is slated to launch in early 2025.

Transforming the Brazilian Financial Sector

Credsystem is not just adapting to the rapid changes in the financial sector; it is leading the way. By modernizing its IT infrastructure, embracing low-code development, and maintaining a strong focus on security and compliance, Credsystem is setting a new standard for agility and innovation in Brazil.

Pinheiro’s advice to other financial institutions looking to adopt low-code development is simple: “start with a clear plan.”

• Define a vision for low-code development and, if needed, microservices within your organization.
• Establish a governance framework to effectively manage your portfolio.
• Ensure seamless integration by eliminating redundant work and ensuring your solutions work together.
• Partner with experts for guidance and performance optimization.
• Embrace a forward-thinking mindset and be open to innovative approaches.

“If you focus on reusability and maintain proper oversight, building a scalable digital ecosystem becomes significantly easier,” Felizatti added.

TrueChange expressed immense pride in Credsystem’s progress over four years. “Mendix has become their main stack for all IT projects. It’s great seeing how they used everything we taught them to build up their own capabilities,” Castro said.

“It’s been a true digital transformation,” he added. “Credsystem isn’t just a credit company anymore, but a financial institution.”

As Credsystem continues to expand its services and products, it remains at the forefront in Brazil, adapting to market demands and technological advancements easily.

For Pinheiro, the change has been nothing short of transformative.