Overview
Team
3 software developers
Solution
Billy, Zervant, and Shine mobile applications
Country
Billy - Denmark
Zervant by Shine - France, Finland, Sweden
Shine - Netherlands, Germany
Industry
Bookkeeping and accounting for small businesses, banking
Services used
Software product engineering, MVP development, mobile development and consulting, UI/UX design
Time
November 2019 – present
About the client
Shine is a fintech company dedicated to empowering small businesses with a comprehensive suite of financial tools. Founded in 2010, the company has grown from its Danish roots into an international platform serving over 300,000 businesses across Europe and the USA.
Its ecosystem covers invoicing, accounting, taxation, payroll, banking, and financing, helping entrepreneurs reduce administrative burden and focus on growth. Accounting software development for Shine embraced both technology proficiency and deep industry expertise, aiming to simplify financial management and drive long-term success for small business owners.
Shine accounting software implementation in numbers
Project idea
Billy was founded more than a decade ago with the mission to make accounting accessible for entrepreneurs running very small businesses. At the time, financial platforms in Denmark were designed primarily for professional bookkeepers.
Billy’s founder envisioned small business accounting software that spoke the language of business owners. This vision quickly resonated with the market, and Billy grew into one of the country’s leading accounting platforms, fully integrated with Danish banks and serving thousands of small startups, tradespeople, and single-person companies who typically could not afford a bookkeeper.
Story
After the founder’s exit, a new product team took ownership of Billy and recognized that its mobile app was not meeting customer needs. The existing codebase was unstable, difficult to extend, and left the app feeling like an afterthought. Customers used it only a few times per year, often just before tax deadlines, which created frustration and a perception that Billy was “annoying.” Research revealed that the real challenge was behavioral—many small business owners postponed accounting tasks until the last moment, making the process stressful and error-prone.
To solve this, Billy’s product vision shifted. The mobile app for small business accounting was rebuilt from scratch by Apiko. We brought main web functionality into mobile, automated the workflows to minimize manual effort, and introduced customization features so the users could adapt the app to their specific needs. This change encouraged entrepreneurs to handle accounting in smaller, more manageable steps, directly from their phones. Within 12 months, mobile adoption grew by 70%, proving the success of the new direction.
Today, Billy continues to evolve as part of Shine Group’s portfolio. Our team at Apiko not only drives ongoing development of Billy for the Danish market but also supports Zervant, a sister solution tailored for France, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and Sweden. Together, these products help Shine deliver modern accounting software to more than 300,000 small businesses across Europe.
Challenges & Solutions
“We needed a tool to help us track tasks in business, assign them to employees, and see how much work they do. We hired Apiko to build a heavily tailored solution, as no solution available on the market could meet our business needs.”- Define priorities for the new Billy mobile app and create a roadmap for scalable growth
- Analyze the legacy app and user data to validate the product vision and IT strategy
- Rebuild the mobile app from scratch with full integration into existing systems and Danish banking APIs
- Extend development to Zervant, adapting functionality for multiple European markets
- Ensure quality through testing, compliance checks, and ongoing maintenance
Main modules of the product
The updated Billy mobile app consolidates the full accounting workflow — from invoicing and payments to VAT reporting and payroll — into a single, easy-to-use system. Its feature set reflects the realities of small business management, automating repetitive tasks and reducing the need for external bookkeeping services.
Users can create, customize, and send invoices or customer quotes in a few steps. Templates allow control over layout, color, and language. Approved quotes convert directly into invoices, maintaining a consistent audit trail.
The app supports instant payments via credit card or MobilePay. Businesses can also automate recurring billing for subscriptions or repeat customers, improving liquidity and reducing missed payments.
The mobile app mirrors the web platform’s main functions, enabling users to scan receipts, issue invoices, and monitor finances without switching devices. Billy automates everyday accounting operations — expense tracking, categorization, and VAT calculation. Integration with SKAT enables direct VAT submission in line with Danish regulatory requirements.
The built-in document scanner captures receipts and automatically fills in key accounting fields such as amount, supplier, and date. All materials are stored securely in the cloud for at least five years, meeting statutory retention rules.
Live synchronization with Danish banks imports transactions automatically. The reconciliation system highlights mismatches to help users maintain accurate, balanced ledgers without manual CSV handling.
Payroll can be handled directly inside Billy. The system supports pay-slip generation, tax and pension reporting to SKAT, and automatic transfers to employees — with per-payslip billing and no separate subscription required.
Through integration with Froda, users can apply for business loans of up to DKK 1,000,000 directly within the platform. The process includes eligibility checks based on company data already present in Billy.
Built-in dashboards and report templates provide visibility into cash flow, revenue, and expenses. Reports can be exported to Excel or PDF for accountants or auditors.
All data is encrypted using SSL standards and backed up multiple times per day. Billy complies with the Danish Accounting Act and automatically applies relevant legal formatting and reporting rules.
In-app help resources, articles, and live support guide users through bookkeeping and VAT processes, minimizing the need for professional bookkeeping assistance.
Integrations
Billy connects with over 80 external systems, including payment gateways, CRMs, payroll platforms, and e-commerce tools, allowing users to align their accounting data with broader business operations.
