Banks target embedded accounting for mid-sized corporates

An online webinar hosted with BankiFi brought together banking and fintech figures to discuss embedded accounting for companies with revenues between £20 million and £500 million. The session was moderated by researcher Sharon Kimathi. Participants included Mark Hartley, CEO and founder of BankiFi; Sanela Dulic, head of embedded banking and business development at Nordea; and Phoebe Zhou, head of client solutions, global payment solutions at HSBC.

Panelists characterised a “missing middle” of firms that have outgrown basic business banking tools but do not require full enterprise treasury management systems used by large multinationals. These mid-sized companies commonly operate across multiple legal entities, use several payment rails and hold banking relationships in different jurisdictions. To manage those requirements they often rely on a mix of ERP systems, third-party payment providers, accounts payable and receivable platforms, and multiple bank portals, which can fragment workflows and limit banks’ visibility into daily financial operations.

Discussion focused on gaps in current transaction banking and treasury offerings and on the growing role of ERPs and fintech platforms as the primary customer interface. Panelists identified opportunities for banks to integrate payments, cash management, invoicing and treasury workflows into a single environment. They highlighted payment orchestration, embedded finance and e-invoicing as functional areas where banks could add services.

Speakers said emerging regulatory changes, including e-invoicing mandates and VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA), will affect corporate processes and vendor requirements. On data sharing, participants reported many firms would share additional information with banks if it reduced operational complexity, lowered costs and improved service, while maintaining concerns about transparency, privacy and control.

The panel described technical approaches for banks to re-engage with corporate workflows, including API-based integrations with ERPs and fintech platforms and partnerships that embed banking features into existing client systems. The webinar closed with a recommendation that banks consider how payment orchestration, regulatory developments and embedded accounting features can be aligned to deliver practical services for mid-sized corporates.