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Tinka

Tinka: 50,000+ Users in 3 Months with a Buy-Now-Pay-Later Mobile App

50,000+ users in the first three months. EUR 300,000+ in monthly transaction volume. 4.8 on the App Store. 5.0 on Google Play. We've been Tinka's development partner for 6+ years, building and maintaining the Flutter-based BNPL app that put them on the map in the Dutch consumer finance market.
Tinka FinTech Mobile App hero image

  • Industry

    FinTech / Financial Services

  • Project type

    Mobile App Development, FinTech Platform

  • Project duration

    2019 - Ongoing

  • Team size

    Scalable (Agile Scrum methodology)

At a glance

  • User acquisition

    50,000+ users within first 3 months

  • Monthly transaction volume

    EUR 300,000+

  • App ratings

    4.8 App Store / 5.0 Google Play

  • Development investment

    8,000+ hours of expert development

  • Login friction reduction

    90% (passwordless authentication)

  • Partnership duration

    2019 to present (6+ years)

What the client says

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"The team's industry experience with mobile app development was clearly visible through their problem-solving capabilities. They hit all deadlines and regularly over-delivered on tasks."

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Head of Technology, Tinka

Sebastiaan Bekker

About Tinka

Tinka is a Dutch fintech company offering buy-now-pay-later, installment plans, and consumer credit services in the Netherlands. They needed a mobile-first platform to reach consumers directly, scale user acquisition, and deliver a payment experience that builds trust.

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  • Headquarters

    Netherlands

  • Market

    Dutch consumer finance

  • Focus

    BNPL and consumer credit via mobile

    • The challenge

    Market context

    The Dutch fintech market is competitive. Consumers expect bank-grade security with frictionless user experiences. Traditional financial institutions dominate. Fintech startups have to differentiate through superior UX and speed.

    The problems

    • No direct consumer channel

      Without a mobile app, Tinka had no direct touchpoint with consumers. User acquisition and brand awareness were limited to merchant partnerships.

    • Complex financial integrations

      BNPL functionality required integration with existing financial infrastructure, iDIN KYC verification, and fraud prevention systems.

    • Security vs. friction trade-off

      Creating a passwordless, frictionless login while maintaining robust security and fraud prevention in a financial app.

    • Cross-platform requirements

      The app needed to work on both iOS and Android without doubling development costs.

    • Startup constraints

      Tinka needed flexible team scaling to match budget and sprint priorities as a growing company.

    The goal

    Build a mobile-first platform that enables rapid user acquisition with bank-grade security, intuitive UX, and flexible payment options. Establish Tinka as a trusted brand in Dutch consumer finance.

    Our approach

    Why Tinka chose HyperSense

    Cross-platform mobile development expertise with Flutter. AWS cloud architecture for secure, scalable microservices. Experience integrating complex financial systems (KYC, fraud prevention, credit risk). Agile methodology with flexible team scaling.

    • Cross-platform mobile development expertise with Flutter
    • AWS cloud architecture for secure, scalable microservices
    • Experience integrating complex financial systems (KYC, fraud prevention, credit risk)
    • Agile methodology with flexible team scaling

    Our approach:

    • image

      We started with stakeholder workshops to understand Tinka's business processes, regulatory requirements, and user needs. Close collaboration with Tinka's internal teams to build domain knowledge in Dutch financial services and iDIN verification.

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      Agile Scrum with 200-hour sprints. Continuous improvement based on real usage data and user feedback. Communication through Slack and Jira. Quality assurance included security testing, mobile performance optimization, and iterative UX refinement using Firebase A/B testing.

    What we delivered

    Core app:

    • Cross-platform applications

      Cross-platform mobile app (iOS and Android) built with Flutter for consistent UX and performance

    • Scalable microservices backend

      AWS CDK-based microservices backend in TypeScript for scalability and maintainability

    • Secure passwordless authentication

      Passwordless email-based authentication with biometric security integration

    • Integrated BNPL payment solution

      Buy-now-pay-later functionality with real-time credit risk calculation

    • Digital identity verification

      KYC identity verification using iDIN (Dutch banking standard)

    • Real-time customer support

      In-app customer support chat for real-time assistance

    • Comprehensive account dashboard

      Account management dashboard with full transaction visibility

    Supporting infrastructure:

    • Serverless cloud infrastructure

      AWS cloud infrastructure with serverless architecture for cost efficiency and auto-scaling

    • Mobile engagement platform

      Firebase integration for push notifications, analytics, and A/B testing

    • Fraud detection & prevention

      Fraud prevention algorithms and monitoring systems

    • Automated CI/CD pipeline

      Continuous integration and deployment pipeline for rapid, reliable releases

    • Team enablement & documentation

      Knowledge transfer and documentation for Tinka's internal team

    • Ongoing support

      Ongoing support and feature development (2019-present)

    Architecture and technology

    Flutter for a single codebase across iOS and Android. Reduced development time and maintenance costs while delivering native-like performance. AWS CDK with TypeScript for infrastructure-as-code: reliable, version-controlled cloud deployments and microservices that scale automatically.

    Frontend

    Technologies

    Flutter (Dart)

    Purpose

    Cross-platform mobile for iOS and Android from a single codebase

    Backend

    Technologies

    AWS CDK, TypeScript, Node.js

    Purpose

    Microservices with infrastructure-as-code, serverless deployment

    Authentication

    Technologies

    Email magic links, Biometric (Face ID/Touch ID)

    Purpose

    Passwordless auth reducing login friction by 90%

    Integrations

    Technologies

    Firebase (notifications, analytics, A/B testing), iDIN (KYC)

    Purpose

    Real-time engagement, data-driven optimization, regulatory-compliant identity verification

    Infrastructure

    Technologies

    AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, S3)

    Purpose

    Auto-scaling serverless architecture

    DevOps

    Technologies

    Jira, Slack, CI/CD pipelines

    Purpose

    Agile project management and automated deployment

    Technical highlights

    Passwordless authentication combines email magic links with biometric verification. No passwords to remember. Bank-grade security maintained. Credit risk calculation and fraud prevention algorithms run in real-time within AWS Lambda functions for instant decisioning without infrastructure overhead. Firebase A/B testing drove continuous UX optimization based on actual user behavior, contributing directly to the rapid user acquisition.

    Key features

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    Passwordless authentication with biometrics

    • What it does:

      Users log in via email magic links and secure their accounts with Face ID or Touch ID. No passwords.

    • Why it matters:

      90% reduction in login friction compared to traditional username/password flows. Biometric security provides bank-grade protection without sacrificing convenience. Critical for building trust in a financial app.

    • Technical approach:

      Time-limited JWT tokens from email magic links. Biometric authentication through device-native APIs (Apple Face ID, Android BiometricPrompt). Biometric data never leaves the device.
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    Real-time credit risk and fraud prevention

    • What it does:

      Instant evaluation of each transaction for creditworthiness and fraud risk. Immediate approval or denial decisions.

    • Why it matters:

      Protects Tinka from financial losses while giving users instant feedback on payment eligibility. Speed and security in balance, essential for BNPL profitability and user trust.

    • Technical approach:

      AWS Lambda functions executing lightweight ML models trained on transaction history, user behavior, and third-party fraud data. Sub-second decisioning.
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    iDIN KYC identity verification

    • What it does:

      Integration with the Dutch iDIN banking network to verify user identities through their existing bank accounts. Meets regulatory KYC requirements.

    • Why it matters:

      Compliant onboarding without manual document uploads or lengthy verification. Onboarding time from days to minutes. Dramatically better conversion rates for new users.

    • Technical approach:

      Secure API integration with iDIN network, OAuth-style authentication flows and encrypted data exchange.
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    In-app customer support chat

    • What it does:

      Real-time messaging support directly within the app. Users resolve issues without leaving the payment flow.

    • Why it matters:

      Reduces abandonment during critical moments like payment failures and verification issues. Help available exactly when users need it.

    • Technical approach:

      Firebase Realtime Database for instant message delivery and synchronization, push notifications for response alerts.
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    Account management and transaction visibility

    • What it does:

      Complete transaction history, upcoming payment schedules, account balances, and payment methods in an intuitive dashboard.

    • Why it matters:

      Transparency builds trust in financial services. Users stay informed about their obligations. Fewer missed payments, fewer support inquiries.

    Implementation journey

    Phase 1: Discovery and planning (2019)

    • Conducted stakeholder workshops to understand Tinka's business model, user personas, and regulatory requirements
    • Mapped out technical architecture for Flutter mobile app and AWS microservices backend
    • Defined sprint structure (200-hour Agile Scrum cycles) and communication protocols
    • Created initial UX wireframes and user flows in Figma
    • Established integration requirements for iDIN, fraud prevention, and credit risk systems

    Phase 2: Development and iteration (2019 to present)

    • Built core Flutter mobile app with passwordless authentication and biometric security
    • Developed AWS CDK microservices for transaction processing, credit risk, and fraud detection
    • Integrated iDIN for KYC verification and Firebase for analytics, notifications, and A/B testing
    • Implemented in-app chat support using Firebase Realtime Database
    • Conducted continuous UX optimization based on user feedback and Firebase analytics
    • Scaled development team flexibly across sprints based on feature priorities and budget

    Phase 3: Launch and stabilization (2019)

    • Deployed production infrastructure on AWS with auto-scaling and monitoring
    • Launched app on iOS App Store and Google Play Store
    • Monitored real-time performance metrics and fraud detection accuracy
    • Rapidly addressed user feedback and edge cases discovered post-launch
    • Achieved 50,000+ user milestone within 3 months through smooth onboarding and reliable performance

    Phase 4: Growth and optimization (ongoing)

    • Continuously enhance features based on user behavior analytics and business metrics
    • Optimize fraud detection algorithms to reduce false positives while maintaining security
    • A/B test UX improvements using Firebase to maximize conversion and engagement
    • Scale infrastructure to support growing transaction volumes (€300,000+ monthly)
    • Provide ongoing support, maintenance, and new feature development as Tinka's needs evolve

    Business impact

    Within three months of launch, the app acquired 50,000+ users. Monthly transaction volume exceeded EUR 300,000. Tinka went from depending solely on merchant partnerships to owning a direct consumer relationship.

    Measurable outcomes

    • Growth

      50,000+ users in first 3 months
      EUR 300,000+ monthly transaction volume
      4.8 App Store / 5.0 Google Play ratings
      8,000+ hours of development over 6+ years

    • Operational efficiency

      Passwordless authentication reduced login friction by 90%
      Real-time credit risk decisioning eliminated manual approval delays
      iDIN KYC verification reduced onboarding from days to minutes

    • Technical performance

      Stable, high-performance app across iOS and Android
      Auto-scaling AWS infrastructure handled rapid user growth without downtime
      Fraud prevention maintained security while minimizing false positives

    Key takeaways

    What made this work:

    • Flutter for cross-platform efficiency

      Single codebase for iOS and Android. Reduced time-to-market and maintenance costs while delivering native-like performance that financial app users expect.

    • Flexible Agile scaling

      200-hour sprints with scalable team sizing let Tinka match development investment to business priorities and budget.

    • Domain knowledge through collaboration

      Close work with Tinka's internal teams let us quickly build expertise in Dutch financial regulations, iDIN, and BNPL processes. Critical for delivering a compliant, market-ready product.

    • Data-driven UX iteration

      Firebase A/B testing and analytics informed continuous optimization. Features aligned with actual user behavior, not assumptions.

    Technical approach:

    Passwordless authentication with email magic links plus biometric security eliminated password friction without sacrificing security.

    Real-time credit risk and fraud prevention running in serverless AWS Lambda functions demonstrated instant decisioning at scale without infrastructure overhead.

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    Services featured in this project

    • Mobile App Development

      Cross-platform Flutter development for high-performance iOS and Android apps

    • Custom Software Development

      Microservices architecture using AWS CDK, financial system integration, and real-time data processing

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