Earlier this year, computer scientist Andrej Karpathy coined a term that challenged developers everywhere to think differently about how far they can go with AI and large language models (LLMs). Simply defined, vibe coding is describing project requirements in plain language and letting the LLM generate the code. It’s meant to encourage iterative experimentation, where the code is refined through a natural conversation.
At Q2, vibe coding challenged us to think differently, as well. At our recent Dev Days 2025, we showcased a demonstration of vibe coding in action within the Q2 SDK, proving how AI can accelerate development, amplify creativity, and lower the barrier to innovation across digital banking.
Why it matters
Developers are the creative engine of financial innovation, but building in today’s complex digital ecosystems often requires navigating countless lines of code, documentation, and debugging. Vibe coding changes that paradigm.
By letting developers “talk” to an AI assistant that generates working code in real time, vibe coding would help financial institutions and fintech partners move from concept to prototype in minutes—empowering teams of any size to deliver more, faster.
How it works
Vibe coding is built on a simple but transformative idea that building software can be as natural as having a conversation. Instead of hunting through documentation, writing syntax, or debugging code line by line, developers describe what they want to build in plain language, and the system does the heavy lifting.
At the core of our vibe coding use case is the model context protocol (MCP) server, a secure bridge that connects the AI assistant directly to the Q2 SDK’s documentation, design standards, and data models. When a developer types a request like, “Create a travel notification form with fields for destination, dates, and a submit button,” the AI immediately interprets the intent, retrieves the right SDK components, and begins writing the code in real time.
Behind the scenes, the MCP enables the AI to access live context about the SDK environment, including information that traditional AI models can’t “see” on their own, such as technical documentation and standardization components.
As the AI generates the form, developers can switch between plan mode—where it explains the steps it intends to take—and vibe mode, where the code simply flows. It’s a back-and-forth process that feels less like writing software and more like collaborating with a skilled teammate. Developers can prompt the system to fix bugs, adjust layouts, or add new features, and it responds instantly with updated code.
That conversational loop is where the magic happens. Rather than waiting for a compile-test-debug cycle, developers iterate in minutes. The AI remembers the conversation’s context, learning from feedback and evolving the code on the fly. The result is a workflow that combines the speed of automation with the judgment of human creativity, a synergy that redefines what’s possible in digital banking development.
Ryan Hollister, Q2 VP of Engineering, described it as “bridging the gap between idea and execution. By reducing the cycle time of the developer feedback loop, vibe coding gives developers more time to focus on architecture, usability, and business logic—the work that truly differentiates a product.”
See it in action
The bigger picture
For financial institutions and fintech partners, the impact would be immediate. Developers could produce working prototypes in hours instead of weeks. Smaller teams could ship faster. More junior engineers could contribute meaningfully without years of SDK experience. And for banks and credit unions that rely on the Q2 SDK to customize experiences, vibe coding would mean an unprecedented ability to respond to market shifts and account holder needs with speed and precision.
Vibe coding is not just an incremental improvement. It’s a fundamental change in how creation happens inside the Q2 ecosystem. It would bring AI into the development loop as a true collaborator, not just a copilot, empowering every developer to move faster, think bigger, and build smarter.
This technology also sets the stage for a future where anyone with a great idea—not just trained engineers—can build within Q2’s digital banking environment. It embodies Q2’s vision of democratizing innovation and fueling a new generation of AI-enabled creativity.
Ready to explore more AI innovation?
Q2’s commitment to experiment boldly and deliver responsibly means we’re embedding AI where it matters most to help financial institutions, developers, and account holders move faster and smarter. Learn more