Why banks are automating end-to-end testing for internet banking apps

As retail and corporate banking continue to shift decisively toward digital channels, the reliability of internet and mobile banking platforms has become a frontline operational concern.

Customers now expect instant access to balances, real-time transaction updates, and uninterrupted service across devices, even during peak demand.

For banks, that expectation is raising the bar for how software quality, resilience, and security are validated before changes reach production.

Against that backdrop, end-to-end testing is increasingly being treated as a core assurance discipline rather than a back-office activity.

According to Malaika Saeed, communications specialist at Kualitatem: “Internet banking is one of the most popular ways for people to perform financial transactions,” claiming that “88% of people prefer using the application instead.”

Saeed said this shift in behaviour is directly influencing how banks approach quality assurance.

“Banking institutions are following this trend, and end-to-end (E2E) testing has become an essential part of quality assurance,” she stressed “By using automation, teams can validate the workflow of an app from start to finish.”

Digital banking pushes testing upstream

As digital transformation accelerates, testing strategies are being pulled earlier and deeper into the delivery lifecycle.

“Digital banking is on the rise, and 73% of the interactions happen in digital channels now,” Saeed said, noting that “features such as mobile banking and fraud detection are becoming a necessity for any app to work without issues.”

Automation, she said, is central to sustaining that shift. “With automation, continuous testing supports this transformation and moves everything to digital platforms,” Saeed shared.

“End-to-end testing like this keeps things error-free when going paperless, improving efficiency.”

Regulatory obligations remain a defining constraint for banking QA teams. “Banks are financial institutions and have to follow specific regulations,” Saeed continued.

“This includes everything from standard GDPR to PSD2 and PCI-DSS.” She warned that “these regulations often change and can be missed if the tester is not careful.”

“Banks are usually connected to more than one database [so] it can be difficult to ensure seamless data transfers, and testing has to be rigorous.”

– Malaika Saeed

Automated end-to-end testing can help reduce that risk. “When automated, E2E testing can help validate data encryption and security protocols,” Saeed pointed out.

“This ensures compliance with financial laws, protecting not only the user but also the banking institution from lawsuits.”

For banks, quality failures quickly become customer-facing incidents. “The customer is at the heart of everything, and Internet banking is no exception,” Saeed argued. “When it comes to this system, people want a platform with smooth performance at all times.”

Automation allows teams to catch problems earlier.

“End-to-end testing uses automation to identify potential bugs before end users suffer from them,” she noted. “Stability and functionality become robust once back-end issues and UI consistencies are caught.”

Security threats raise the stakes

Security testing is also becoming inseparable from end-to-end validation. “Cyber-security threats are on the rise, and financial institutions are the main targets,” Saeed said.

She added that if banks fail to safeguard data, “they endanger not only their client’s data but also the credibility of their institution.”

According to Saeed: “E2E testing with a reliable test automation company looks for vulnerabilities in the code that could affect user safety,” and banks “should introduce this testing early on to cover every stage of the development process.

Despite its benefits, Saeed said end-to-end testing presents real operational challenges.

“Nowadays, banking institutions are expected to provide real-time updates,” she said, noting that “users expect to be notified immediately if there’s a fraud alert or instant balance changes.”

Data movement adds another layer of complexity.

“Banks are usually connected to more than one database,” Saeed stated. “It can be difficult to ensure seamless data transfer, and testing has to be rigorous to avoid issues.”

When testing falls short, she warned, “it can lead to delays, duplicates, and even loss of financial information.”

Automating testing for real-world usage

Saeed stressed that automation strategies must reflect how customers actually use banking platforms.

“First things first, determine scenarios for features such as user authentication, bill payments, or fund transfers,” she said, adding that teams should “make sure to cover failure conditions and edge cases as well.”

She also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence.

“High-end testing software uses AI to generate test cases with higher coverage,” Saeed said. “This takes away the need to write time-wasting manual scripts.”

Continuous testing is essential as systems evolve. “Code changes all the time as updates become mandatory,” Saeed pointed out. “Consider integrating automated tests into the CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipeline.”

For Saeed, end-to-end testing is no longer optional. “End-to-end testing is something that a banking application should not go without,” she argued. “By automating the process, it’s easier to improve the efficiency of the process.”

As banks face rising customer expectations and regulatory scrutiny, Saeed concluded: “Consider using a test automation company such as Kualitatem to keep your Internet banking applications compliant.”