Looking back on 2021: Axway’s year in review

As 2021 comes rapidly to a close, we’re looking back on a year full of ups and downs for many people in the world, but also a year where we’ve risen to the occasion to continue powering digital experiences that improve people’s lives.

From collaborating with others on digital transformation and financial standards to developing a specialized open banking solution to providing thought leadership at conferences and earning analyst recognition, here are some highlights of Axway’s year.

Leading the charge from open banking to Open Everything

Axway was pleased to join The Financial Data Exchange (FDX) early in the year, a group that is collectively working to transition the financial services ecosystem to a modern, transparent, and secure API-based financial data sharing approach.

A key aspect to the success of an open banking or open finance ecosystem is creating a common language so that all companies can participate.

While Europe and Australia took a primarily regulatory approach to open banking with PSD2 and the Consumer Data Right, North America’s adoption of open banking has been largely market-driven.

Joining The Financial Data Exchange (FDX) means Axway can help exchange ideas and best practices with industry leaders as the financial services world opens up.

Axway also continued its commitment to help drive this evolution forward by piloting a specialized open banking solution in Brazil, built on our leading Amplify API Management Platform, with technology that combines various tools to perform the necessary integrations between partners. Learn more about the successful pilot program with Tribanco here, and expect more to come in 2022.

Better understanding our customers — and our customers’ customers

Axway released several surveys this year, looking to better understand challenges IT decision-makers face but also their customers, the end-users.

Several U.S. consumer surveys on data privacy and security, healthcare interoperability, and banking and finance looked at consumer opinions on growing data openness and the services an “open everything” world can provide — and earned coverage in tech media. Some key findings:

• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans agree their health providers should have the same, most up-to-date information about a patient to help decrease miscommunication and human errors and provide better care.
• 84% of people agree with open banking’s central tenet: that they should have control of their financial data, and banks should not prevent the movement of money between other financial services.
• 59% of Americans say it’s worth giving companies access to their personal data if it results in a better user experience.

Axway’s experts predicted a bumper year for open banking early in 2021, with the release of the Open Banking APIs State of the Market Report 2020.

The Axway study showed Europe’s largest banks are driving an increase in the number of API platforms. Other signs of growth: new relationship approaches (which will drive business models) are now in place for open banking, banks are extending their API product range beyond the regulatory requirements, and there are now bottom-line quantifiable benefits of open banking to a banks’ revenues. Read the full report or a summary of key findings (in French) on CIO.

Finally, a survey of 800 senior IT and business decision-makers around the globe conducted with Vanson Bourne showed API complexity is real, growing, and holding companies back. Enterprises around the world now rely on three different API Management vendors at a time and will likely use four in the next two years.

Whether it’s business units building their own APIs, a disparate range of API gateways from multiple providers, or unmanaged APIs roaming wild, the biggest determinant separating tomorrow’s haves from the have-nots will hinge on how well companies master the complexities of their APIs.

Sharing quality content with actionable insights

In May, Axway Summit 2021 offered solutions and technical tracks designed to help both business and IT leaders navigate the shifting terrain of technology and customer expectations. The acclaimed annual technology conference gave Axway customers, partners, and solution seekers inspiration and actionable insights to fuel their future around the world. If you missed it, catch up with a recap here, or tune in to the Women in Tech panel on the Transform IT Forward podcast.

Speaking of podcasts, 2021 brought exciting new content for Axway’s audio offerings, as well as a growing audience. In the Transform IT Forward podcast, veteran business leader Paul French discusses how companies are transforming legacy ideas and technology into brilliant customer experiences — whether it’s taxis, employee benefits, or telecom. Transform IT Forward was nominated for a Best Tech Podcast Award 2021 and has a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts.

For the more finance-minded, the Mr. Open Banking podcast released new episodes on everything from identity, to DeFi, to open banking for good. The podcast currently has a 4.8-star rating on Apple Podcasts and made Welp Magazine’s Top 20 Banking podcasts of the year.

Congratulations to host Eyal Sivan, Axway’s Head of Open Banking, for being a key voice in the global open banking community!

2021 also saw the launch of the new-and-improved Axway Newsroom, designed as a one-stop-shop for journalists — or anyone writing about Axway — and to showcase the latest news, press releases, interviews, and podcast appearances from Axway team members. Griffins from around the world share a passion for digital transformation and the API space, and you can check out their latest thought leadership here.

20 years of helping organizations solve their digital transformation challenges

2021 was a year of solid growth for Axway, and we’re proud of our core market-leading products and our recognized Amplify API Management Platform. It was a year of solving digital transformation challenges alongside our partners, especially as world markets continued to see unpredictable changes.

Just look at how Axway helped HM Health Solutions offer health insurers across the U.S. better agility and cost-efficiency, all while helping to deliver innovative digital services to their customers, thanks to an API-first approach.

Or how electric utility company Engie is accelerating the development of new data-driven services with Amplify, and how BNP Paribas, a European leader in personal finance, is building a competitive API monetization strategy.

With Axway, government agencies like Germany’s Bundesagentur für Arbeit, the United States’ IRS, or France’s URSSAF are offering more powerful and seamless services for their citizens. And we’ve helped AmerisourceBergen continue to deliver vital medical products on time with always-on trading partner integration in an especially challenging year.

Axway celebrated a very special birthday this spring. For 20 years now, Axway has served more than 10,000 customers across the globe. In this video, dozens of employees from 10 countries came together to simply say, “thank you” for this continued partnership.

Demonstrating continued leadership and partnership

In addition to joining FDX to help develop open banking standards, Axway became a patron of the MIT Center of Information Systems Research this year, to help drive evidence-based digital transformation.

The MIT CISR provides academic research insights for business technology leaders. Its global research team studies high-performing companies and shares findings of digital transformation in working papers, monthly briefings, and events.

As Axway CEO, Patrick Donovan, puts it: “Our patronship of MIT CISR is proof of our ‘Open Everything’ motto: we’re contributing to extending the reach of high-quality research that makes the entire business ecosystem better.”

Axway became an inaugural member of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ISV Accelerate program. AWS ISV Accelerate is a co-sell program for AWS Partners who provide software solutions that run on or integrate with AWS.

The program helps drive new business and accelerate sales cycles by connecting participating independent software vendors with the AWS Sales organization. “AWS teams can now work hand-in-hand with us on a proof-of-concept for the customer,” said Axway CTIO Vince Padua. “With AWS ISV Accelerate, we can meet those needs more quickly than ever before.”

Last but certainly not least, this fall Axway was named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Full Life Cycle API Management – for the sixth time!

We believe our steady execution and differentiate vision demonstrate Axway’s ability to empower customers to deliver their most complex and innovative API initiatives. And we know that looking into the year ahead and beyond, it’s not just about managing APIs anymore. It’s about making them consumable.

Thank you for reading this look back on a beautiful year. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year 2022, and we look forward to exploring the next 20 years of your digital journey, together! #bettertogether