Founded in 1983, Oney provides banking and payment services through partnerships with retail and ecommerce traders, a model known as business-to-business-to-consumer. It also provides loans, insurance and savings direct to consumers.
This “B2B2C” approach means Oney has an indirect relationship with many of its consumer users, so it relies on accurate data to maintain, expand and support those relationships. Operating primarily in France, Spain, Portugal and Poland, Oney also provides services in other countries.
Challenges
Technical debt: Legacy architecture and limitations
Oney implemented a master data management (MDM) solution years ago, but over time the use case for the solution shifted. As requirements evolved, duplication and data quality issues emerged, occasionally creating friction in customer interactions. Outdated matching rules also meant that if a customer used a shortened version of their first name on one account, and their full version on another, the system created two sets of customer records.
“We realized our current master data management system was creating some issues. It wasn’t because the tool itself was wrong, but because of how it was originally implemented and how it had evolved over time.” - Magalie Cordier-Jubet, Chief Data Officer, Oney
Minor inconsistencies in customer information sometimes resulted in delays in resolving service requests. In some cases, representatives had to wait for data refresh before completing an action.
Beyond these operational challenges, inconsistent data made it difficult for Oney to achieve a complete customer view or execute targeted marketing campaigns. The existing architecture also no longer met the growing expectations for governance and compliance.
To address these concerns, Oney sought a modern MDM that would enable it to enhance its data practices and processes. Oney’s Chief Data Officer Magalie Cordier-Jubet wanted to simplify the existing architecture by creating a single master reference system that provided trustworthy data to the business, enabling it to deliver excellent customer insight and experiences.
To summarize, Oney faced the following challenges.
- Its legacy MDM solution was creating duplication and data quality issues, leading to incomplete customer views and occasional service delays.
- Inaccurate or inconsistently matched data increased the risk of errors and impacted customer relationships.
- Growing focus on governance and compliance required a more robust architecture.
Solution
From on-premises to cloud-based customer experiences
Oney decided to replace its existing on-premises MDM with the Customer Experience Data Cloud. Together with European consulting group ARHIS, Oney chose a data rotation approach, gradually migrating data to the new solution as new customers open accounts. As older products and customers rotate out, outdated data is phased out as well. This approach suits Oney’s business model, as many products, such as store credit agreements, are relatively short term.
“This natural rotation allows us to progressively clean and refresh our data. By focusing on new customers first, our data stock gradually becomes cleaner, and we estimate that within the next 12-18 months, we’ll reach a satisfactory level of data quality.” - Magalie Cordier-Jubet, Chief Data Officer, Oney
The project kicked off in early 2023 with a framing task to define personas, business use cases and impacts on Oney’s IT systems.
Oney, ARHIS, and Stibo Systems grouped the data being touched into two categories, data producers and data consumers, and structured the rollout across two phases accordingly. First, they connected all producers of customer data into the new reference system, keeping the new MDM and the legacy system running in parallel. During testing, the team ensured stability and performance, minimizing risk while ensuring business continuity before the second phase of going live.
The new MDM solution enabled Oney to redefine match-and-merge rules using fuzzy logic algorithms, improving accuracy even when names or emails contain minor errors. Fine-tuning these rules became a valuable addition to the project’s scope.
Additional benefits included data quality monitoring and automated data cleansing, which Oney did not have before. The migration also provided an opportunity to remove obsolete data, making the process lighter and ensuring ongoing cleanup.
“We strengthened our data governance by implementing automated cleansing processes that will now run continuously, rather than as part of separate projects.” - Magalie Cordier-Jubet, Chief Data Officer, Oney
The new solution supports a “golden client” approach regarding customer data, including centralized consent management, ensuring consistency across all systems and processes.
Oney realized the following benefits:
- Improved customer experience: Customers benefit from smoother access and faster identity resolution, strengthening trust.
- More efficient customer service: Customer service representatives can locate profiles faster, increasing efficiency, call handling and capacity.
- Better data for business decision-making: Marketing teams can accurately segment customers and target campaigns. A complete customer view improves risk assessments and subscription analysis.
- Reduced compliance risk: Automated data cleansing and centralized consent ensures Oney is compliant with GDPR requirements.
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Summary
The right partners, the right approach
As of September 2025, Oney is still migrating data, so it is too early to assign firm numbers to the benefits. However, the team has already noted improvements in customer interactions. Customer trust has increased as reliable data has resulted in improved application logins, user experiences and transparency. Cordier-Jubet describes this improvement in customer trust as “priceless.”
“You can’t just plug in a new solution and switch overnight. We knew it would be a long-term effort, and we wanted a joint, collaborative process with ARHIS and Stibo Systems, with shared accountability. These projects are long, and you need everyone aligned and engaged from start to finish. If I had to do it again, I would choose the same approach.” - Magalie Cordier-Jubet, Chief Data Officer, Oney
Customer service teams now handle requests faster, with improved call-handling capacity and service quality. Oney also reports better operational efficiency and decision-making.
