Commerzbank revealed its API Hub

This week another German bank has revealed their Developer Centre or API Hub in this case. This time it was Commerzbank.

As we are approaching the deadline in most European countries to release test APIs in March and the release of production APIs in September this year, we will probably see more and more of these Developer Centres being revealed. Generally, this is a good sign as it is an indicator that banks see PSD2 as a chance to provide a little more to developers than just access to accounts. Since Commerzbank is not really known to be a leader in API banking so far, it is pretty good to see the launch of their portal, nevertheless, so far the portal is nothing more than a landing page which is indicating certain APIs and the chance to register.

The impact of bank APIs will depend fully on their final design and the exact functionality. There is still plenty of rooms for banks to turn their Developer Centres into a big farce. I am crossing my fingers that Commerzbank and others are heading the right way. And if not, they might just need another push in the right direction – either from regulators or the market – to meet the demand.