Zanoo at the BSA Annual Conference 2025: Celebrating 250 Years of Building Societies
Last week, Zanoo had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Building Societies Association (BSA) Annual Conference in Birmingham. This year’s event was particularly special, marking 250 years since the birth of Building Societies, an idea first sparked in a local Birmingham pub. We had a fantastic time and would like to thank everyone who visited our stand to chat about the value of independent software testing. Building Societies know that quality and reliability are key to serving their members well, and testing plays a vital role in achieving both.
Connecting with new and familiar faces
It was a real pleasure to meet so many new and familiar faces throughout the event. A heartfelt thankyou to everyone who stopped by the Zanoo stand to talk with us. Building Societies remain a cornerstone of the UK’s financial services landscape. At Zanoo, our mission is not only to advocate for the importance of software testing in this sector but also to deliver trusted solutions that help societies meet the high expectations of their members. We look forward to continuing the conversations we started.
Speaker highlights
The two-day programme was packed with insightful keynotes and engaging breakout sessions. The passion for member-first service, customer choice, and the mutual model came through in every talk. Here are three standout themes we took away:
🔷 Local first still leads. Investing in local communities remains a top priority. Building Societies continue to show their commitment through support for grassroots initiatives, living proof of the mutual ethos in action.
🔷 Loyalty, reimagined. From first homes to final mortgage payments, Building Societies play a key role in life’s biggest milestones. Recognising these and maintaining customer loyalty is more important than ever before. Innovative approaches, like Nationwide’s "NationFried" campaign using influencer marketing and food vouchers, demonstrated how modern tactics can supercharge engagement, especially with younger audiences.
🔷 Stronger together. A real sense of camaraderie exists across the sector. The idea of shared services or greater collaboration between societies was floated, an exciting possibility that could enhance efficiency without compromising identity.
Putting nerves (and steady hands) to the test
Our nostalgic buzz wire game was a crowd favourite! Despite being for "ages 4+", it proved surprisingly challenging and a fun way to highlight how small mistakes can have big consequences, much like in software testing. Congratulations to Megan from SS&C Blue Prism, who completed the challenge in record time and took home an Amazon Echo Show 5!
Here's to BSA 2026 – we’ll see you in Edinburgh!
Let's keep the conversation going
If we missed you at the conference (or you’d just like to learn more), we’d love to hear from you. Let’s talk about how independent testing can elevate the quality and reliability of your society’s digital services.
📧 Email us:
info@zanoo.co.uk





