How Smartney and Momentum made financial access more human through technology
Summary
Smartney, one of Poland’s top digital lenders, serves over 250,000 clients with a portfolio worth over one billion PLN. But behind that scale was a platform slowed by legacy code, outdated UX, and regulatory friction.
Momentum partnered with Smartney to modernize this system: boosting performance, reinforcing compliance, and creating a financial experience that’s clearer, safer, and genuinely human.
Setting the scene
Smartney Grupa Oney S.A. is one of Poland’s largest digital lenders, formed through a 2023 merger with Oney Polska. With over 25% market share in long-term loans and more than one billion PLN in active credit, they serve over 250,000 clients through partnerships with major retailers across the country.
But scale alone wasn’t enough. Smartney wanted their digital lending platform to reflect the same clarity, trust, and care that their brand stood for. Instead, years of accumulated complexity—both technical and regulatory—had created friction at every level of the user experience. Legacy infrastructure slowed development. Interfaces overwhelmed rather than guided. And compliance, while essential, often stood in the way of iteration.
Momentum partnered with Smartney to rebuild their core platform—preserving business continuity while redesigning the experience around human needs, not just technical ones.
What we were up against
Smartney’s existing system had helped them grow fast. But maintaining that momentum meant overcoming four critical challenges:
Technical debt holding back progress
The platform’s architecture had become difficult to maintain, with slow deployments and limited flexibility.
UX that created stress, not support
The interface lacked emotional intelligence—leading users to feel confused, hesitant, or lost in the loan process.
Compliance as constraint
Regulatory logic was deeply embedded in the codebase, making updates risky and resource-intensive.
Fragmented teams and priorities
Stakeholders across compliance, business, and technology had different definitions of success—making alignment difficult and slowing delivery.
To move forward, Smartney needed a system that empowered users, supported internal teams, and treated regulatory obligations not as blockers—but as pillars of trust.
Five things that had to work perfectly
To transform Smartney’s platform without disrupting their business, we had to balance precision engineering with real-world empathy. Every element—from architecture to interface—had to serve a dual purpose: simplify complexity for users, and support the business behind the scenes.
Modernizing the platform without halting operations
Translating financial complexity into human language
Embedding compliance without compromising usability
Aligning legal, tech, and business around a shared vision
Building for speed, scale, and adaptability
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How we got it done
Momentum approached this challenge with a dual focus: stability and empathy. We knew we had to modernize the tech while never losing sight of the people using it.
We started with real users
Before any refactoring, we dug into user behavior, support logs, and feedback. We looked for the moments where frustration built—where language confused, where flows stalled, where trust broke down.
We redesigned with clarity and calm
The new interface removed friction and introduced transparency. Key terms were explained in context. Visual indicators guided progress. Decision points came with support—not pressure.
We modernized without disrupting
Our developers rebuilt the architecture incrementally—migrating to Angular and .NET 7 with modern state management and modular patterns. This allowed us to stabilize the system while improving performance.
We rethought compliance
Rather than treating it as an afterthought, we embedded regulatory logic into a flexible framework—making it easier to manage updates, reduce risk, and keep the user experience intact.
Under the hood
Our solution utilized technologies providing the perfect balance of performance, security, and scalability:
Frontend
Built with Angular, RxJS, and NGXS to streamline state management and ensure responsive, accessible interactions.
Backend
Rebuilt using .NET 7 and MediatR for clean architecture, scalable APIs, and easier system integration.
Data architecture
Implemented a dual-database setup—MSSQL for transactions, MariaDB for content—to optimize performance across financial operations.
Cloud and messaging
Deployed on Microsoft Azure with RabbitMQ to enable secure infrastructure and reliable message delivery.
Security and compliance
Used IdentityServer4 with layered protection and a modular compliance framework to meet evolving regulatory standards.
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What it took to get there
We took an incremental, stability-first approach—rebuilding the system piece by piece while keeping the business fully operational. Each change was designed not just for technical improvement, but to bring the user experience and compliance posture into long-term alignment.
Architecture modernization
We refactored Smartney’s legacy codebase gradually, introducing modular patterns and modern technologies like .NET 7 and Angular without halting day-to-day operations. This made the platform easier to maintain, safer to evolve, and ready for future features—without risking continuity.
User experience transformation
In collaboration with Smartney’s product team, we redesigned the lending flow with a clear goal: help users feel confident at every step. The new interface prioritizes readability, responsiveness, and emotional clarity—guiding people through decisions with transparency and ease.
Compliance framework
We built a flexible, standalone compliance layer that decouples regulatory logic from core platform code. This allows Smartney to adapt to new legal requirements quickly—without extensive rebuilds—while preserving a seamless user experience and full audit readiness.
The complexities beneath the surface
Each obstacle in the project became an opportunity to redesign how financial technology can support—not hinder—people’s lives.
From technical sprawl to clarity at every layer
We replaced a fragile, monolithic system with modular infrastructure—reducing complexity behind the scenes while streamlining every user interaction. The result: faster performance, simpler maintenance, and an experience that just makes sense.
From rigid compliance to adaptive protection
Instead of hardcoding regulatory requirements, we created a flexible compliance engine that evolves with Smartney’s legal obligations. It protects users, reduces risk, and gives the business room to grow—without compromise.
From scattered priorities to a shared mission
We helped align Smartney’s tech, product, and compliance teams around a common goal: making finance more understandable and inclusive. Through shared rituals and agile collaboration, everyone moved in sync.
What we achieved together
This wasn’t just a tech upgrade—it was an operational shift. The work we did together helped Smartney reduce risk, improve speed, and deliver a more confident financial experience for both users and internal teams.
Stronger cross-team alignment and delivery flow
We introduced agile rituals that brought product, compliance, and engineering together. Shared planning cycles, faster feedback loops, and clearer priorities helped Smartney move from reactive work to proactive delivery—without sacrificing quality.
Compliance agility without complexity
The new compliance framework gave Smartney the ability to respond quickly to evolving regulations. What used to require weeks of rework can now be addressed in hours—without affecting the customer experience or introducing unnecessary risk.
Cleaner architecture, better product velocity
Refactoring the codebase made releases more predictable, performance more stable, and future enhancements easier to build. What was once a fragile platform is now a foundation Smartney can confidently grow on.
"Momentum didn't just transform our technology—they transformed how we think about financial services. They showed us how digital lending can be both profitable and humane, helping us build a platform that explains complex financial products clearly and treats users with respect. The result is not just better technology, but better relationships with our customers."
What comes next
The work we delivered wasn’t just a fix—it was a foundation.
Smartney now operates on a modern, modular codebase that reduces technical debt and accelerates development. The new architecture is stable, scalable, and easy to extend—enabling faster feature rollouts and simpler maintenance for the long haul.
On the experience side, the redesigned interface aligns with modern usability standards. It simplifies decision-making, supports better user engagement, and lays the groundwork for higher adoption and long-term retention. Most importantly, it treats financial access with the clarity and respect people deserve.
Together, these changes give Smartney a platform built not just for today’s needs, but for tomorrow’s opportunities—ready to evolve, expand, and lead in a fast-changing financial landscape.
Smartney’s transformation shows what’s possible when financial technology is built around people—not just process.
Clearer flows. Safer systems. A more human experience at every step.
That’s the real impact of redesigning with empathy and engineering in equal measure.
If you’re facing similar challenges—legacy systems, compliance constraints, or confusing user journeys—let’s talk about what it would take to change that.
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