Gearing up for the Banking Tech Awards 2025: NETSOL’s Transcend Retail selected as a Finalist for the ‘Best as-a-Service Solution’

Reaching the finals of the Banking Tech Awards 2025 is a significant achievement and a testament to our digital retail platform’s ability to redefine the landscape of automotive retail. For NETSOL, this honor not only underscores the strength and innovation embedded in Transcend Retail, but also highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to accelerating transformative advancements within the North American and global automotive industry.

As the financial services industry continues its rapid digital transformation, this recognition by FinTech Futures is more than just a milestone – it’s a testament to the vision, technology and collaboration that powers everything we do.

What is Transcend Retail and what does it do

Transcend Retail is more than just a technology platform – it’s a complete reinvention of automotive retail. Instead of offering another digital solution, we’ve crafted the future of vehicle sales, financing and delivery for OEMs, dealer groups and dealerships. Transcend Retail simplifies complexity, minimizes friction to boost profitability and transforms the conventional car-buying process into a smooth, omni-channel experience that enhances the experience for both customers and industry partners.

Learn more about Transcend Retail by clicking here.

Redefining automotive retail with an ‘as-a-service’ mindset

The ‘Best as-a-Service Solution’ category spotlights platforms that deliver measurable value through flexible, cloud-based service models. Transcend Retail stands out in this category by offering an agile, scalable and modular solution tailored for OEMs, dealer groups and dealerships.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all product, Transcend Retail embraces the ‘as-a-Service’ model in the truest sense — allowing clients to adopt only the components they need, integrate them effortlessly with existing infrastructure and scale operations without disruption. Built on an API-first, micro-services architecture, the platform delivers a truly composable solution that can adapt to the unique demands of various markets and business models.

From inventory management and deal structuring to trade-in valuations and digital contracting, Transcend Retail covers the entire vehicle sales and financing journey — all delivered via the cloud, with enterprise-grade security and performance.

Seamless integration, maximum impact

A major differentiator for Transcend Retail is its modular and interoperable design. It integrates seamlessly with existing dealer management systems (DMS), customer relationship management (CRM) tools and third-party lender platforms. This ensures that users can deploy advanced capabilities without having to overhaul their core systems.

The platform also supports multi-brand and multi-lender environments, offering the flexibility to accommodate complex operational structures while maintaining consistency across channels. This makes Transcend Retail ideal for enterprise clients seeking scalable solutions without compromising agility or control.

Digital retail for the changemakers

OEMs

OEM-led digital retail transformation is at the core of what NETSOL delivers. Whether OEMs require a comprehensive end-to-end platform or seek to enhance an existing solution, Transcend Retail provides the technology necessary to execute and scale effectively. The platform empowers OEMs and their dealer networks with real-time insights, optimizes operations and ensures a seamless, connected retail experience. Importantly, it achieves all of this without disrupting dealer operations or existing workflows.

Dealer groups

Transcend Retail enables dealer groups to optimize their operations for greater efficiency and profitability. Its modular architecture integrates seamlessly with DMS, CRMs and third-party lender systems, breaking down silos and streamlining workflows. The platform ensures smooth operations while providing advanced analytics and dashboards that offer real-time insights into inventory and profitability. These capabilities drive growth without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Dealerships

Transcend Retail equips dealers with the tools to accelerate sales, close deals more efficiently and capitalize on every profit opportunity. By enabling improved lead conversion, streamlined workflows and increased F&I revenue, the platform supports stronger business outcomes. Customer-facing features such as transparent pricing, AI-driven trade-in valuations and flexible financing options contribute to a seamless, user-friendly buying experience – resulting in higher conversion rates.

Driving real-world business outcomes

At its core, Transcend Retail is built to deliver results. For OEMs, it facilitates unified digital retail strategies that connect national and regional sales efforts. For dealer groups, it enhances lead conversion, reduces friction in the sales process, and boosts Finance and Insurance (F&I) revenue. And for customers, it creates a modern, intuitive buying journey with tools like AI-powered trade-in evaluations, transparent pricing and flexible financing options, while ensuring a consistent experience across both online and offline channels.

These features not only contribute to better operational outcomes, but also enhance the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) — an increasingly critical metric in the competitive landscape of automotive retail. By combining powerful back-end capabilities with customer-facing simplicity, Transcend Retail succeeds in transforming the automotive buying experience into a seamless, omni-channel interaction.

Who is using NETSOL’s Transcend Retail platform: The journey to recognition

Transcend Retail is used by different customers in the United States, one of the most notable being MINI USA. MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the US through a network of 115 MINI passenger car dealers.

Patrick McKenna, the Department Head of Marketing, Product and Strategy at MINI USA, stated:

“In May 2021, MINI USA and MINI Financial Services set out to build a digital retail tool that could handle credit decisioning, eContracting and eSignatures to allow end-to-end transactions. For the past 3 years, major automotive forums in the industry have recognized MINI Anywhere (Powered by NETSOL’s digital retail platform) as one of the top ranked OEM digital retail tools in the competitive luxury space. We are extremely proud of MINI Anywhere, the team at NETSOL Technologies and want to thank our dealer partners for such an achievement.”

Mike Peyton, Chief Motorer and Vice-President of MINI of the Americas stated:

“Following the pandemic, MINI decided it was time to create an end-to-end purchasing and finance journey for the consumer. It was important to create something more than a lead generator to facilitate the complete transaction for any MINI customer, any place, any time. The usual suspects in the market could not offer that except for NETSOL.”

Impact by the numbers: Delivery achievement for MINI USA

Since its debut, MINI USA's digital retail program, MINI Anywhere powered by NETSOL’s Transcend Retail technology, has established itself as a premier digital retail platform in the automotive industry. More than a sophisticated lead generator, MINI Anywhere offers MINI dealers an omni-channel, end-to-end sales platform while delivering customers a seamless yet comprehensive shopping experience.

From payment options aligned with MINI Financial Services programs to trade-ins, MINI finance and insurance (F&I) options, streamlined credit approvals, digital contracts and delivery schedules, every aspect has been designed with convenience in mind. Remarkably, MINI enthusiasts can finalize their purchase in as little as 30 minutes, all from the comfort of their homes.

In the 12 months from 2023-2024, the program has more than doubled dealer enrollments now active across nearly two-thirds of the MINI USA dealership network, enabling an unprecedented 5x increase of lead volume and vehicle sales, and an impressive 20% lead conversion rate on average. The program continues to roll out across the network.

A testament to innovation and vision

The highly anticipated Banking Tech Awards, hosted annually, celebrate excellence and innovation in the use of technology within the financial services industry. Being named a finalist puts our platform in the company of some of the most respected and forward-thinking organizations in the world.

But this recognition is about more than prestige. It affirms that we're solving real problems in a meaningful way. In a world where digital transformation can often feel like a trending term, we’re proud to demonstrate what it looks like in action – with tangible results and transformative potential.

NETSOL’s inclusion as a finalist in the Banking Tech Awards 2025 reflects more than the functionality of Transcend Retail — it speaks of the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation, customer-centric design and digital transformation. As automotive retail and finance become increasingly integrated with broader financial ecosystems, solutions like Transcend Retail bridge the gap between traditional retail and modern fintech experiences.

The recognition also highlights NETSOL’s growing role in the global financial services arena. With a track record of delivering technology solutions to some of the world’s largest automotives, NETSOL continues to expand its impact with forward-looking platforms that are cloud-native, AI-driven and globally scalable.

Looking ahead

The Banking Tech Awards recognize excellence and innovation in the use of IT in financial services worldwide and the companies and people who make it happen. With this year’s awards just around the corner (a week from today), NETSOL enters the spotlight alongside some of the most influential names in financial technology. Win or lose, the company’s presence among the finalists is a clear indication of the strides it has made in redefining what’s possible in the ‘as-a-Service’ landscape.

As the industry evolves, platforms like Transcend Retail are no longer optional — they are essential. By simplifying complexity, enabling real-time decision-making and delivering unmatched flexibility, NETSOL’s solution positions its clients for long-term success in an increasingly digital world.

Conclusion

Being named a finalist for ‘Best as-a-Service Solution’ at the Banking Tech Awards 2025 is a proud moment for NETSOL and a powerful endorsement of the Transcend Retail platform. As the company prepares to join industry leaders at the iconic 583 Park Avenue in New York City on May 29 to celebrate technological excellence, the nomination itself affirms NETSOL’s role as a true innovator — not just in automotive retail, but across the broader financial services landscape.