Field notes

From the workshop.

Engineering write-ups from the teams building Protocore systems — payments, AI, and the custom hardware they run on. No noise, just how the work is actually done.

PaymentsJul 20267 min read

What is a virtual IBAN?

One master account, an IBAN per payer, credits that identify themselves.

AIJul 20268 min read

Agentic payments under human policy

Software that spends money, and the guardrails that keep it honest.

EngineeringJul 20267 min read

One core, many apps: how a whitelabel banking platform works

One banking core, many branded apps — what varies, what never does, and why tokens beat forks.

PaymentsJul 20267 min read

Do you need a banking license to launch a fintech app?

Bank, EMI, payment institution, or agent — and why the licence and the software are two separate purchases.

PaymentsJul 20268 min read

Core banking vs BaaS: what you actually buy

A ledger you own, a core you rent, or a licence you ride — and what each one really costs.

PaymentsJul 20268 min read

The payment lifecycle: authorization to settlement

What happens between the tap and the payout — hold, capture, clear, settle, pay out.

EngineeringJul 20268 min read

Designing a KYC review queue that scales

Most applications should clear themselves; the queue is for the ones that can't.

PaymentsJul 20268 min read

Accepting crypto at the point of sale

A QR at the terminal, a locked quote, and euros on the books — crypto stays the customer's concern.

PaymentsJul 20268 min read

Running a crypto ATM fleet: cash, cassettes, compliance

Cassettes, cash levels, remote lock, and a ledger that reconciles to a note you could hold.

PaymentsJul 20268 min read

A buyer's guide to white-label neobank platforms

Core vs app layer, licence separation, design-system depth, and the build-vs-buy call.

Have a system to build?

Tell us the problem. We'll come back with an architecture and a plan.