In fintech, launching new features isn’t just about building cool tools – it’s about making sure those tools follow tough rules. For leaders in fintech, the challenge is clear: create a QA process that keeps up with fast development while making sure everything stays compliant and secure.
The cost of mistakes is high – fines, lost trust, and delays that slow down growth.
Fintech QA checklist that works for tough rules
Regulations like PCI DSS, GDPR, and AML aren’t just paperwork – they mean testing things like secure payments, data protection, and audit trails. If the QA checklist misses these areas, the product is at risk.
A Deloitte report says 60% of banks find regulatory rules are getting harder to manage. Capgemini’s 2023 FinTech report shows almost 30% of fintech startups face delays because QA and compliance take too long.
Generic QA checklists don’t cut it because they’re made for all kinds of software, not the special needs of fintech. Without a custom checklist, teams spend time testing irrelevant stuff or miss critical areas, leading to costly fixes or fines later.
How specialized QA and software testing services solve fintech challenges
The right QA checklist isn’t just a list – it’s part of a smart testing strategy designed specifically for fintech’s complex needs.
Here’s how specialized QA and testing services close the gap and bring real benefits to the business:
Generic QA checklists miss critical compliance gaps.
Why it matters: Off-the-shelf checklists are often too broad and fail to cover important financial regulations like PCI DSS, GDPR, AML, or transaction integrity. This means key areas such as secure payment flows, data protection, and audit trail validation can be overlooked. The result? Costly fines, failed audits, and damage to customer trust that can stall business growth.
Solution: Use tailored QA checklists designed specifically for fintech. These checklists focus on regulatory requirements and the unique risks of financial applications. By targeting API security, compliance controls, and transaction accuracy, they shrink blind spots and give leadership confidence that every release meets strict standards.
Manual testing slows down product releases, creating bottlenecks.
Why it matters: Testing fintech applications manually often takes weeks – delaying new features and forcing teams to scramble last minute. According to Capgemini’s 2023 FinTech report, nearly 30% of fintech startups have experienced product launch delays due to QA and compliance hold-ups. These delays translate to lost market opportunities and can put companies behind faster competitors.
Solution: Implement automated regression and API testing to accelerate verification. Automated tests run quickly and repeatedly, keeping the QA checklist fresh and valid as the product evolves. This approach cuts regression testing from weeks to hours, enabling faster, more reliable releases without sacrificing quality.
Skilled fintech QA testers with regulatory knowledge are scarce and costly.
Why it matters: Testing fintech software requires a deep understanding of both regulations and complex tech stacks. Hiring and retaining experts is expensive and challenging, especially when demand fluctuates. Without these skills, QA teams may miss critical risks or stretch budgets too thin.
Solution: Partner with QA specialists experienced in financial application testing and compliance. Outsourcing or dedicated QA teams bring fintech domain expertise on demand, reducing overhead while improving testing quality. This allows internal teams to focus on core business while external experts ensure regulatory risks are covered thoroughly.
Poor QA leads to hidden bugs, production failures, and legal risk.
Why it matters: Statista reports that 45% of software failures in financial services result from inadequate testing. Bugs in production not only frustrate customers but can cause serious compliance violations and regulatory fines. Legal trouble and bad press undermine user trust and brand reputation – both costly to rebuild.
Solution: Adopt a comprehensive QA process combining manual testing, automated regression suites, and penetration testing. This multi-layered approach catches bugs early, secures data flows, and validates compliance controls. According to Gartner, companies with mature QA programs reduce expensive production defects by over 40%, saving time and money in the long run.
Key QA services that align with regulatory-heavy fintech QA needs
- API testing: Ensures secure, reliable data exchange between services and external systems – crucial for banking and payment workflows.
- Automated regression testing: Quickly validates that new updates don’t break existing compliance or functionality, keeping your checklist evergreen.
- Penetration testing: Identifies security weaknesses in apps, protecting sensitive financial data and customer transactions from attacks.
These services form the foundation for a QA checklist and process tailored to fintech’s regulatory demands, letting you move fast without sacrificing control.
How DeviQA helped a fintech client master regulatory QA
When Ctrl Wallet, a leading multichain crypto wallet trusted by over 600,000 users, faced challenges with outdated QA processes and growing compliance demands, they turned to DeviQA for a solution that would secure their product’s quality without slowing development.
The challenge
Ctrl Wallet’s legacy QA lacked backend automated tests and mobile automation, critical for covering complex blockchain transactions and security-sensitive features. The existing test suites were outdated, missing performance testing, and failed to monitor critical functions daily. This gap posed risks to regulatory compliance and user trust – threatening costly delays and potential security flaws.
DeviQA’s approach
Our dedicated QA team designed a custom QA checklist focused on Ctrl Wallet’s regulatory and technical needs. This included:
- Building a comprehensive backend test suite covering 95% of functionality
- Migrating 700+ automated tests to a new framework for better maintenance
- Creating mobile automation tests based on Appium and WebDriverIO
- Setting up daily monitoring jobs to track critical features
- Developing 70+ performance test scripts using tools like K6 and JMeter
This checklist wasn’t static; it evolved with the product, integrating manual, automated, performance, and API tests tailored for fintech compliance and security.
The results
- 90% test coverage across backend, mobile, and web apps
- 50% faster regression testing cycles thanks to automation and streamlined workflows
- Over 2,000 bugs detected and fixed before production, many related to compliance and security risks
- Critical feature uptime ensured by daily monitoring jobs
- Successful product rebranding and release with minimal production issues
This structured QA checklist and testing process safeguarded Ctrl Wallet’s compliance standing while accelerating development speed – turning QA from a bottleneck into a growth enabler.
How to build your own regulatory QA checklist for fintech features
Creating a QA checklist that fits your fintech product and regulatory needs doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are the key steps to get started:
Step 1: Identify the regulations you must follow
Know which rules affect your product – whether it’s PCI DSS for payments, GDPR for data privacy, AML for fraud prevention, or others. Understanding these helps you know what must be tested.
Pro tip: Start by consulting with your compliance team or legal advisors early to get a clear list of applicable regulations.
Step 2: Map your features to these regulations
Look at your product’s key functions – payments, user data handling, transaction logs – and connect them to the related rules. This shows where testing is most critical.
Pro tip: Use flowcharts or diagrams to visually link features to regulatory requirements – this helps spot gaps more easily.
Step 3: Decide what types of tests you need
Different tests catch different issues. You’ll likely need functional testing (does it work as expected?), security testing (is the data safe?), performance testing (can it handle loads?), and compliance testing (does it meet legal rules?). \
Pro tip: Prioritize tests based on risk – focus first on features with the biggest impact on compliance and user security.
Step 4: Include automation where it makes sense
Automated tests help you run your checklist faster and more often. Use automation for things like regression testing and API checks to catch problems early and save time. \
Pro tip: Start automating repetitive, high-value tests first to quickly reduce manual effort and speed up feedback.
Step 5: Keep your checklist up to date
Regulations change, and so does your product. Regularly review and update your checklist to make sure it stays relevant and effective. \
Pro tip: Schedule regular review sessions aligned with product releases and regulatory updates to keep testing current.
If you want to see how a tailored QA checklist and expert testing services can help your team reduce risks and accelerate releases, let’s talk. Schedule a QA audit or consultation with our fintech specialists to find out where your testing can improve – and how to get there faster.
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