neoleap Cuts Merchant Onboarding Time by 95% with IBM Hybrid Cloud Integration Platform

neoleap, a subsidiary of Alrajhi Bank and the Kingdom's leading digital payments company, was formed in 2021 to capitalize on Saudi Arabia's rapid shift toward cashless transactions. With digital payments reaching 70% of retail transactions in 2023 and the government prioritizing economic diversification through digital transformation, neoleap identified the critical need to build an agile integration platform and credit card middleware. The challenge was complex: the company had to develop and deploy new payment products while maintaining 100% reliability of existing systems, ensuring strict regulatory compliance with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), and accelerating time-to-market in a competitive fintech landscape. To address this, neoleap partnered with IBM to implement a hybrid cloud architecture using IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, IBM App Connect, IBM API Connect, and the Red Hat OpenShift platform, enabling secure, scalable, and compliant system development.

The deployment delivered transformative business results within months. neoleap successfully launched a groundbreaking B2B merchant wallet in 7 months, achieving merchant onboarding in under 60 seconds—a 95% improvement over competitors requiring 3–7 minutes. The new platform transferred card processing responsibilities from Alrajhi Bank to neoleap while maintaining zero downtime during implementation. By leveraging IBM App Connect for flexible application integration and IBM API Connect for secured API management across payment gateways and fraud detection systems, neoleap established automated DevSecOps processes enabling continuous system improvements every two weeks with zero downtime. The merchant wallet's availability across web browsers, mobile devices, and tablets has positioned neoleap's branded POS device market share to exceed 40%, and the platform now integrates seamlessly with sister companies within the Alrajhi Bank Group and external third parties through secure open banking capabilities.

The platform's success has enabled neoleap to leapfrog competitors through cost-effective, digital-first solutions aligned with market trends. The company has expanded internationally with cross-border payment services across the Middle East and beyond, with plans for further regional expansion. The hybrid cloud infrastructure, enhanced by IBM Instana Observability for continuous monitoring and proactive issue resolution, positions neoleap as a comprehensive fintech platform delivering exceptional user experiences to merchants and customers. By successfully combining innovation velocity with regulatory adherence and operational stability, neoleap has secured its position as the Kingdom's most prominent digital payments company, directly supporting Saudi Arabia's broader economic diversification strategy.