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.
What is a virtual IBAN?
One master account, an IBAN per payer, credits that identify themselves.
Agentic payments under human policy
Software that spends money, and the guardrails that keep it honest.
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.
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.
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.
The payment lifecycle: authorization to settlement
What happens between the tap and the payout — hold, capture, clear, settle, pay out.
Designing a KYC review queue that scales
Most applications should clear themselves; the queue is for the ones that can't.
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.
Running a crypto ATM fleet: cash, cassettes, compliance
Cassettes, cash levels, remote lock, and a ledger that reconciles to a note you could hold.
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.