Qonto receives TÜV certification for software quality

Core to Qonto’s principles is to learn every day so that we constantly improve. True to this core value, we recently asked ourselves: how can we offer our self-employed and SME clients an even stronger financial product that meets the highest quality and security standards, prioritising safety for our customers? To ensure this, we put our [Qonto products](https://qonto.com/en) to the test and had ourselves certified by the TÜV, Germany’s renowned and independent technical testing agency. Following the inspection, we were certified with the TÜV seal for software quality.

Over a period from August to October, TÜV SÜD  tested two things: first, our internal company processes. Second, the software of the Qonto web app and mobile apps. During the exam, we optimized our software and system processes to demonstrate quality in all test categories. These categories included:

TÜV SÜD bases functionality on the ISO IEC 25051 standard and audits quality features such as the correctness of the functions, consistency, reliability and robustness of the system, as well as the quality of our internal processes and corresponding documentation.

During our assessment, TÜV SÜD checked whether our existing development processes reduce risks and ensure that our software and services continue to meet quality requirements even after updates. Their team of experts checked the conceptual design, change management, development planning, style guides, version management (releases, patches, bug fixes) and interfaces to support, sales, and quality assurance. In doing so, our company was able to prove that the existing processes and procedures are documented, practiced, and routinely implemented, ensuring quality processes in software development.

Examining our data protection measures, TÜV SÜD followed the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and its supplement, the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG-neu), and the Telemedia. The further check our data security, the test center also used documents from the software development process, such as the product description and the user documentation.

TÜV SÜD also tested the user friendliness of our product and services. To determine this, the DIN EN ISO 9241 series of standards (“Ergonomic requirements for office work with display screens”) was used as a guideline. Criteria included navigation, effectiveness, compliance with user expectations, and customizability.

Quality assurance and process quality requirements are based on the EN ISO 9001 standard. The aim is to provide evidence that Qonto as a company can ensure its current level of quality and safety in the long term. In our examination, we were able to demonstrate that our processes are sufficiently documented and successfully tested.

Qonto has been voluntarily audited and received certification. After a year, we will test again to ensure minimal risks for customers. Technical, procedural, and functional changes and extensions that have been made over this period are checked in this subsequent test. After passing the exam, the certificate is extended by another 12 months.

In addition to the legally required tests, the TÜV offers certification on a voluntary basis for many areas that help companies to check their products for safety and quality. An outside perspective makes it easier to identify previously unused optimization potential, to increase customer satisfaction, and thus to gain a competitive advantage over the competition. The characteristic blue octagon that is the TÜV logo is highly recognised, standing for quality and safety among consumers all over the world.

The technical examination organization dates back 150 years. In addition to TÜV Süd, there are five other locations, including TÜV Hessen, TÜV NORD, TÜV Rheinland, TÜV Saarland, and TÜV Thüringen. In Austria there is also TÜV-Austria. Since more and more production facilities have been relocated abroad due to globalization, TÜV SÜD is now represented and performs inspections at 1,000 locations worldwide.