ebankIT and Centrilogic Team Up to Deliver Secure Cloud-Based Solutions

ebankIT and Centrilogic Team Up to Deliver Secure Cloud-Based Solutions
  • Digital banking solutions provider ebankIT announced a partnership with public and private cloud services provider Centrilogic.
  • The partnership will help banks and other financial institutions leverage cloud services to accelerate their digital transformations.
  • ebankIT made its Finovate debut in 2015. The company most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateEurope 2023.

A partnership between digital banking solutions provider ebankIT and multicloud services provider Centrilogic will bring secure, cloud-based solutions to financial institutions. ebankIT will combine its adaptable architecture and core-agnostic capabilities with Centrilogic’s expertise in private and public cloud services to help banks and other financial institutions innovate quickly and achieve their digital transformation goals.

“Centrilogic has extensive experience helping financial institutions achieve success through their digital transformation journeys by delivering reliable and secure cloud-based systems and infrastructure,” Centrilogic CEO Robert Offley explained. “Together with ebankIT, we look forward to empowering banks and credit unions with the foundation necessary to provide industry-leading digital experiences to their clients.”

Courtesy of the collaboration, ebankIT will leverage Centrilogic’s Managed Security Service. This technology provides comprehensive security monitoring to enhance data protection with capabilities such as security logging, vulnerability scanning, and intrusion detection systems.

“An efficient infrastructure management is essential for seamless operations,” ebankIT CEO Renato Oliveira said. “Centrilogic’s expertise will help ebankIT optimize infrastructure, enhance scalability, and improve overall performance.”

Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Centrilogic offers both private and public cloud services to mid-market businesses. The firm offers multicloud management, application innovation, data and analytics, and IT advisory to help businesses turn their technology platforms into “business-driving assets”. Centrilogic began 2024 with the appointment of Doug Tracy as the company’s President. The privately-held firm counts TriSpan LLP and Long Point Capital among its investors.

A Finovate alum since its Best of Show winning debut at FinovateEurope in 2015, ebankIT most recently demoed its technology at FinovateEurope 2023. At the conference, the company showed a number of new features on its Omnichannel Digital Banking Platform, including a new tool to help banks better anticipate customer needs. More recently, the company has forged partnerships with financial institutions like Metropolitan Commercial Bank as well as with fintechs like fellow Finovate alums Finotta and Glia.

Founded in 2014, ebankIT is headquartered in Porto, Portugal.


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First 40+ Demos Selected for FinovateFall 2024

First 40+ Demos Selected for FinovateFall 2024

FinovateFall 2024 takes place in New York over September 9, 10 and 11. Register to attend by Friday, July 12 and save up to $800.

FinovateFall returns this September where 60+ companies will have just 7 minutes to show why they’re industry leaders and disruptors. Make sure you’re there to see it!

Curated to reflect fintech’s state of play, this year’s demo lineup hits all the high notes for emerging tech from all tiers of organizations. Plus, 80% are first-time demoers at Finovate. Here’s some of what you’ll see in New York:

  • Modern wealth for the masses
  • Democratized data access without code or queries 
  • Streamlined account offboarding 
  • Third-party oversight for fintech partners
  • Cross-selling to declined borrowers
  • Client investments starting at $1

Here’s a look at who’s demoing so far:

Apply before it’s too late! 75% of the demo lineup has been selected, so if you’re innovating in financial services, learn more now.

AI in Financial Services: Automation, Profitability, and Fraud Prevention

AI in Financial Services: Automation, Profitability, and Fraud Prevention

The role of AI in financial services is rapidly evolving. Not since the heady days of the Internet boom has an emerging technology so powerfully captured the imagination of companies, investors, workers, and consumers around the world.

As financial services companies search for ways to take advantage of AI to improve efficiency, better understand data, and engage more proactively and personally with their customers, it is all the more worthwhile for us to listen to those entrepreneurs, analysts, and investors who have taken the time to understand both AI’s promise as well as its limitations. Here, in our latest series of Streamly interviews, we present three individuals whose insights into AI are worth hearing and sharing.

Generative AI: Extending the boundaries of what automation can do

In this interview with Sarah Hinkfuss, Partner of Bain Capital Ventures, we learn how generative AI is transforming the way financial institutions leverage unstructured data, streamline processes, improve underwriting, and expand their product offerings. The conversation also touches on the importance of data quality and change management in AI adoption for financial institutions, providing valuable lessons from early adopters.


How can you make AI adoption profitable?

Chris Brown, President of Intelygenz USAA, talks about two decades of optimizing banking and fintech through deep tech and AI solutions, and shares his top takeaways from his keynote address at FinovateSpring earlier this year. Brown discusses some of Intelygenz’s strategies to overcome common AI project pitfalls, and explains the company’s end-to-end approach to client engagement.


Navigating fraud prevention challenges with AI

Intellicheck CEO Bryan Lewis explores contemporary challenges in fraud prevention, the limitations of traditional methods, and the role of AI in enhancing security measures. Lewis discusses how AI can both help and hinder fraud prevention, as well as how you can protect yourself and your business from fraud.


Photo by Tara Winstead

Conversations Platform Provider Eltropy Unveils Voice+

Conversations Platform Provider Eltropy Unveils Voice+
  • Unified Conversations Platform company Eltropy has introduced a range of new enhancements to its offering.
  • The enhancements include Skill-Based Routing, new Lobby Management features, and a voice and contact center solution, Voice+
  • A Finovate alum for more than seven years, Eltropy most recently demoed its technology at FinovateFall 2022.

Unified Conversations platform provider Eltropy recently unveiled a set of new enhancements to its offering. The upgrades include Skill-Based Routing (SBR 2.0), new Lobby Management features, and a modern voice and contact center solution, Voice+.

“These enhancements reaffirm our commitment to quality and mark one of our most significant engineering efforts to date,” Eltropy CEO and Co-founder Ashish Garg said. “We’re excited about the opportunities these improvements will create for credit unions and community banks to elevate their overall member, customer, and employee experience in banking.”

Eltropy Voice+ brings voice functionality to digital channels such as text, video, and chat. Enhanced by an AI layer, Voice+ provides a unified contact center solution for voice, digital, and AI interactions, and gives agents a single interface to support greater efficiency. Skill-Based Routing (SBR 2.0) provides users with several features including the ability to prioritize high-value interactions, match agent proficiency based on language skills, and identify simultaneous channel handling via cross-channel concurrency. Lobby Management, first introduced earlier this year, now combines the best of digital banking with traditional branch services with efficient check-ins, queue management, branch traffic analytics, and resource planning tools.

Howie Meller, President and CEO of People First Federal Credit Union — which was among the early adopters of Eltropy’s Voice+ — praised the enhancements as a benefit for members and credit union employees alike. “Voice+ will make a big difference in how we serve our members,” Meller said. “Our agents can now use voice alongside text, video, co-browsing, and AI help. This means we can solve problems faster and better, all in one place. It’s a real improvement for our members.”

Eltropy made its first Finovate appearance in 2017, and most recently demoed its technology on the Finovate stage at FinovateFall 2022. In the years since then, the company has partnered with several community financial institutions such as Cyprus Credit Union and InRoads Credit Union, as well as fintechs like Magnifi Financial, and fellow Finovate alums Jack Henry, Fiserv, and Alkami. In fact, Eltropy began the year celebrating its 600 customer milestone. The company opened the doors to its new headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in May.


Photo by Alex Andrews

Anodot Inks Strategic Partnership with YäRKEN

Anodot Inks Strategic Partnership with YäRKEN
  • Cost management platform Anodot has inked a strategic partnership with FinOps and TBM platform.
  • The partnership will integrate technology from both firms to help clients better manage cloud costs.
  • Virginia-based Anodot made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2022.

Cloud-based cost management platform Anodot has forged a strategic partnership with FinOps and TBM platform YäRKEN. The partnership will integrate technology from both firms to enable clients to manage cloud costs – both on-premises and in the private cloud – from a single interface.

“Anodot and YäRKEN are a perfect strategic match,” Anodot CEO and Co-founder David Drai said. “Our technology uses AI to help enterprises discover inefficiencies in their cloud spend, and YäRKEN’s platform helps those same organizations manage cloud spend across on-prem and cloud deployments.”

YäRKEN offers a tech cost management platform that gives users comprehensive cost optimization across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments to enhance profitability and reduce tech spend. YäRKEN’s platform features legacy platform TCO, Application TCO, IT planning, and Showback/Chargeback. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, YäRKEN announced earlier this year that the company’s solutions were now available on the AWS Marketplace. This news followed confirmation that YäRKEN had secured FinOps platform certification from the FinOps Foundation, underscoring the firm’s commitment to excellence and industry best practices. Ravi Kuppan is YäRKEN CEO and Co-founder.

For its part, Anodot is a cost management platform that identifies waste, tracks savings, and gives users transparency into both current and future costs. The platform enables users to facilitate strategic financial planning and management of multi-cloud, Kubernetes pods and SaaS tools. The solution also features a multi-tenant, multi-billing platform that optimizes costs across departments, teams, products, and unit economics.

“Anodot’s AI capabilities in cost optimization are a perfect match for YäRKEN, enabling us to cover the full spectrum for Anodot’s and YäRKEN’s existing client base,” Kuppan said. “Together, we extend the power of FinOps to include on-prem tech spend.”

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, Anodot made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2022. At the conference, Anodot demoed its payments monitoring tool that leverages AI to constantly monitor and correlate payments activity and business performance to identify revenue-critical issues and provide real-time actionable alerts.


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Curinos and Adrenaline Forge Strategic Partnership

Curinos and Adrenaline Forge Strategic Partnership

A partnership between data intelligence business Curinos and brand experience company Adrenaline will help banks and credit unions leverage data to make better decisions. The integration of Curinos’ Distribution Optimizer data solution into Adrenaline’s Connected Intelligence offering will also help financial institutions maximize the growth potential of their retail networks.

“We’re excited about incorporating Curinos’ leading-edge data into our already robust analytics offering and making more decision-making tools available to our clients, particularly smaller community banks and credit unions,” Adrenaline Managing Director of Retail Strategy Ben Hopper said. “Now, we’ll be able to quickly and efficiently gather the same data that big banks get and focus our team’s efforts more on translating the information into meaningful insights to drive strategy, for expansion and growth – something that all financial institutions need.”

Curinos’ Distribution Optimizer data tool integrates large volumes of both public bank and proprietary data into a consistent analytical framework that banks and credit unions can use to evaluate their networks and spot potential future opportunities. Adrenaline’s Connected Intelligence is an online platform that supports the access, analysis, visualization, storage, management, receipt, and distribution of market analysis and research. Integrating the technologies will help level the playing field between smaller and mid-market financial institutions and their larger rivals.

“The retail network in banking is undergoing massive transformation as traditional banking institutions are losing share to digital competitors,” Curinos Managing Director of Distribution and Sales Performance Andrew Hovet said. “No matter what their size or service area, these providers are looking for ways to amplify their impact through their branch networks. To maximize growth, they need to leverage analytics and smart strategies to make the best decisions for their networks. This partnership provides them with exactly that.”

Founded in 2021, Curinos made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2023 in San Francisco. At the conference, the New York-based company demoed its Amplero Personalization Optimizer, which uses machine learning and AI to enable bank marketing teams to deliver hyper-personalized, omnichannel experiences in minutes rather than months.

Earlier this month, Curinos introduced new Chief Technology and AI Officer Olly Downs. Downs joined the company as Chief Data Scientist in 2023. In April, the company announced a partnership with mortgage pricing technology firm Lender Price and reported that Achieva Credit Union ($2.8 billion in assets; 194,000+ members) had become the first customer to integrate Curinos’ Deposit Optimizer Essentials system. Deposit Optimizer Essentials enables credit unions and community banks to leverage data analytics to better manage member deposits and reach funding targets.

“As rates shift, we needed a robust, easy-to-navigate solution, enabling us to reach quickly and efficiently to changing market conditions,” Achieva Product Development Manager Veronica Schornheuser said, “We chose Curinos for the exceptional level of service we have received from them in the past and the intuitive nature of the Deposit Optimizer Essentials platform.”

Craig Woodward is Curinos’ CEO.


Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

AutoRek Teams Up with JP Morgan Payments

AutoRek Teams Up with JP Morgan Payments
  • Automated reconciliation software company AutoRek has announced a partnership with JP Morgan Payments.
  • The partnership will help insurance companies better manage financial data flows from banking sources.
  • AutoRek made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2023 in London.

Automated reconciliation software provider AutoRek has teamed up with JP Morgan Payments to enhance premium processing for insurance companies. The partnership will help insurance firms better manage financial data flows from banking sources, as well as improve their ability to manage cash allocation, matching, and credit control.

“Working with a specialist company like AutoRek will complement our existing solutions to help deliver an end-to-end solution across the entire insurance value chain,” JP Morgan Payments Head of Insurance, EMEA, Darren Snoxell said. “Together we will deliver tangible benefits to brokers, carriers, reinsurers, multinational insurance programs, captives, and across the London Market. We look forward to working with the team.”

Processing nearly $10 trillion payments a day, JP Morgan Payments operates in more than 160 countries and transacts in 120+ currencies. The firm combines treasury services, trade and working capital solutions, and card and merchant services to facilitate payments to both customers and employees around the world.

“We are proud of this partnership, which presents a powerful combination of proven solutions, and will deliver optimal results for clients in the insurance market,” AutoRek Global Insurance Lead Piers Williams said. “By working together, we will unlock many opportunities for insurance firms to streamline the premium receivables process. This will help them to increase efficiency, accelerate cash flow, reduce write-offs and enhance controls.”

Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, AutoRek made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2023. At the conference, the company showed how its automated reconciliation technology helps banks, insurance firms, building societies, and other financial services companies overcome high-volume reconciliation challenges, improve auditability, and keep operating costs low.

Earlier this month, AutoRek was named “Best CASS Solution” at the Systems in the City Fintech Awards 2024. The recognition marked AutoRek’s fifth consecutive win in this category. In May, the company announced that insurance broker Howden had selected AutoRek to drive digital transformation and boost efficiency for a number of key back-office processes using intelligent automation.

“Insurer statement reconciliations are especially onerous on our resources and we expect AutoRek to significantly reduce the expenditure of effort in this area, which in turn will not only enhance our service to our markets, but will also release our staff to concentrate on more value-added tasks,” Howden Head of IBA UK Operations Guy Turner said. “We are very much looking forward to deploying the solution in this regard.”

AutoRek was founded in 1994. Gordon McHarg is CEO.


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Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Fintech Rundown: A Rapid Review of Weekly News

Partnerships in digital banking, identity management, and payments lead off the fintech news headlines as July begins in earnest. Be sure to check back all week long for updates and fresh announcements on the latest industry happenings.


Payments

AFFIN Bank turns to ACI Worldwide to modernize payments for businesses in Malaysia.

Dispute management and collections specialist Fintegrate Technology launches new image and data conversion suite, FusionLRS.

E-money institution Outpayce chooses Mambu to launch its multi-currency digital wallet for travel payments.

Cross River Bank teams up with MassPay to broaden access to domestic instant payments.

Yuno forges strategic partnership with BBVA Group digital payments company, Openpay.

Cross-border payments solutions company dLocal announces strategic partnership with Wakanow Group.

Payments infrastructure solution for software companies Payabli secures $20 million in Series A funding.

Instant payments solutions company Zimpler announced a new technical partnership with Swedish payments app, Swish.

Lending

ClearScore secures $4.4 million (£3.4 million) in funding from Fair4All Finance to develop debt consolidation loan technology for the financially vulnerable.

Ireland’s CreditLogic raises $3.8 million (EUR 3.5 million) from Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC).

Crypto / DeFi / Web3

Crypto payments company Kulipa partners with cryptocurrency wallet provider Argent and Mastercard to launch its new crypto-based payment card.

MoonPay and Mesh ink an exclusive partnership to ease the process of depositing and transferring crypto from exchanges.

Swiss layer-1 blockchain Shardeum partners with Web3 security services platform Immunefi to launch bug bounty program.

Fraud and identity management

Fraud prevention specialist GBG unveils its KYB solution, GBG Detected.

Germany’s IDnow unveils a pair of new e-signature solutions, InstantSign and eID eSign.

NatWest partners with digital identity identity solutions provider OneID.

iDenfy and UAE-based SIMPal forge strategic partnership to enhance security in the telecom industry.

Insurtech

AutoRek partners with JP Morgan Payments to enhance premium processing for insurance companies.

Digital banking

First Federal Bank of Kansas turns to Jack Henry for its hosted core processing solution.

Financial services company Ethos teams up with Thought Machine to provide Shariah-compliant banking solutions.

Digital banking experience platform Plumery forges strategic partnership with core banking provider Fimple.

South Africa’s Tyme Bank appoints new CEO Karl Westvig.

Capital markets

Enterprise platform for data automation Duco launches its reconciliation capability for unstructured data.

Credit

U.K.-based consumer credit fintech Fairlo secures B Corp certification.

Investing and wealth management

Brokerage-as-a-service platform lemon.markets raises $13 million in funding from CommerzVentures, Heliad, and existing investors.


Photo by Suzy Hazelwood

Ascend Money Lands $195 Million from MUFG

Ascend Money Lands $195 Million from MUFG
  • Ascend Money has received a $195 million investment.
  • The funding round was led by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Bank with contributions from Finnoventure Private Equity Trust I.
  • The Thailand-based fintech will use the funds to build inclusive financial services in the region.

Thailand-based Ascend Money announced this week it has received $195 million in funding from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Bank. The bank led the round, and Finnoventure Private Equity Trust I fund managed by Krungsri Finnovate Co. also contributed.

“This is a significant milestone for Ascend Money, which not only validates our commitment to innovation and financial inclusion in Thailand but also demonstrates a growing interest and confidence in Ascend Money’s potential,” said Ascend Money Founder and Chairman Suphachai Chearavanont.

Ascend Money anticipates the funds will help it accelerate its mission to provide inclusive financial services for underserved consumers and small businesses and ultimately foster economic growth and financial well-being in Thailand.

Ascend Money is Thailand’s largest digital financial services provider, with a presence in seven countries across Southeast Asia. The fintech’s TrueMoney platform offers e-payment, lending, BNPL, investment, and insurance. Ascend Money has 30 million active users in Thailand and serves its customers through its network of leading corporations, businesses, and merchants.

“MUFG considers the Asia Pacific its second home market, and as part of our commitment to this region, we have been making  strategic investments in leading digital finance players in the region,” said Senior Managing Corporate Executive, Head of Global Commercial Banking Business Group Yasushi Itagaki. “Ascend Money is a promising fintech player in Thailand with widespread penetration in the country’s consumer segment and deep understanding of their daily payments and financial requirements. With this investment,  we are making a significant contribution to the ongoing development of Thailand’s digital economy and financial inclusion, further underscoring MUFG’s commitment to the sustainable development of the country and the broader region as a whole.”

Ascend Money was founded in 2013 and has since processed $14 billion in the region. In 2021, the company received a $1.5 billion during its $150 million funding round.

“We are confident that Ascend Money’s strong growth trajectory, combined with MUFG’s expertise and network, will enable us to create a more inclusive and vibrant financial ecosystem to accelerate both regional and local digital transformation, benefiting millions of people and contributing to the country’s economic development,” said Chearavanont.


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Eight Alums Raised More Than $292 Million in Q2 2024

Eight Alums Raised More Than $292 Million in Q2 2024

“A little better all the time?” Can we use that classic refrain from Lennon & McCarthy to describe the performance of fintech companies seeking funding in the second quarter of 2024?

Most broad-based surveys of fintech funding for Q2 2024 have yet to be published. But, for our Finovate alums, “a little better” aptly describes the difference between Q2 of this year and Q2 of last. Our Finovate alums raised more than $292 million in the second quarter of this year, an increase of nearly 40% over last year’s Q2 mark. The accomplishment was completed by fewer alums this year compared to last, as well.

Previous quarterly comparisons

  • Q2 2023: More than $209 million raised by 10 alums
  • Q2 2022: More than $984 million raised by eight alums
  • Q2 2021: More than $2.8 billion raised by 14 alums
  • Q2 2020: More than $975 million raised by 15 alums

That said, the relatively low funding levels of the past two years are indicative of the broader slowdown in funding that fintechs have been experiencing of late. Again, we are looking forward to seeing some more reports from the field on fintech funding for the past few months, writ large. But, for now, the post-COVID retrenchment in fintech funding continues.

Top Equity Investments

  • Blend: $150 million
  • FintechOS: $60 million
  • SpyCloud: $35 million
  • Hawk: $30 million

The biggest alum fundraising of the quarter was the $150 million reeled in by Blend. A digital lending platform based in San Francisco, California, Blend made its Finovate debut at FinovateSpring 2016 and also participated in our developers conference, FinDEVr SiliconValley 2016. With total capital of $815 million, according to Crunchbase, Blend began this year with news that the publicly-traded company would join the Russell 2000 index.

Also noteworthy among fundraising alums in Q2 of 2024 was the $60 million secured by FintechOS. Headquartered in London, U.K., FintechOS offers a low-code platform that enables banks, insurers, and other financial services companies deliver a range of digital financial experiences for their customers. The company made its Finovate debut in 2021, demoing Sunglow, its Super App for Banking.

FintechOS has raised more than $151 million in funding. In February, the company reported year-over-year revenue growth of 40% for 2023.


Here is our detailed alum funding report for Q2 2024.

April: More than $43 million raised by two alums

May: More than $150 million raised by two alums

June: More than $99 million raised by four alums

If you are a Finovate alum that raised money in the second quarter of 2024 and do not see your company listed, please drop us a note at research@finovate.com. We would love to share the good news! Funding received prior to becoming an alum not included.


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U.S. Marshals Service Selects Coinbase to Hold & Trade Digital Assets

U.S. Marshals Service Selects Coinbase to Hold & Trade Digital Assets
  • The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has selected Coinbase Prime to hold and trade the agency’s “Class 1” (large cap) digital assets.
  • The agency will use Coinbase Prime for asset seizure and forfeiture, evidence management, and to support in financial investigations.
  • Coinbase Prime launched in 2021 and currently safeguards $330 billion worth of digital assets.

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced it has selected Coinbase to hold and trade the agency’s “Class 1” (large cap) digital assets. The USMS will use Coinbase Prime to centrally manage these Class 1 digital assets to facilitate various law enforcement activities.

The USMS, a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice, holds multiple roles within the U.S. judicial system. The agency may be able to use Coinbase Prime the following instances:

  • Asset seizure and forfeiture: The USMS often seizes digital assets from criminals as part of legal proceedings. Coinbase will help the agency manage the assets in a way that they are preserved, can be liquidated, and that the proceeds can be used to fund law enforcement activities or be returned to victims.
  • Evidence management: Digital assets often serve as evidence in investigations or court cases. Coinbase will help to ensure the assets are properly managed to maintain their integrity and will ensure they are easily accessible for legal processes.
  • Supporting financial investigations: By handling large cap digital assets in a central location, Coinbase can help the USMS track and analyze transactions related to criminal activities to aid law enforcement in combating financial crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and cybercrime.

Launched in 2021, Coinbase Prime is a full-service prime brokerage platform with everything that institutions need to execute trades and custody assets at scale. Coinbase Prime currently has $171 billion in institutional assets under custody and safeguards $330 billion worth of digital assets.

Coinbase began supporting law enforcement agencies in 2014 when it founded its law enforcement program. The California-based company currently works with every major U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agency, as well as multiple international agencies.

“Growing the cryptoeconomy means promoting safe and efficient markets,” the company said in its blog post announcement, “and these partnerships are critical to our mission.”

Coinbase was founded in 2012 and is currently under fire from another U.S. governmental agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, for allegedly operating as an unregistered securities exchange. Earlier this week, Coinbase sued the SEC and FDIC, demanding more transparency when it comes to crypto regulations.


Photo by Zach Lisko on Unsplash

State Bank of India Launches SME Lending Solution

State Bank of India Launches SME Lending Solution
  • State Bank of India unveiled MSME Sahaj, a digital lending solution for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
  • The tool leverages data from the applicant’s Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, bank statements, and credit card payment histories to underwrite a loan for short-term, working capital.
  • MSME Sahaj will be available on State Bank of India’s YONO digital banking app.

State Bank of India (SBI), the nation’s largest bank, announced a new digital lending solution for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) this week. The new offering, MSME Sahaj, is a web-based digital business loans solution for MSMEs’ invoice financing.

“The launch of MSME Sahaj aims to provide the fast and most intuitive lending solution, further solidifying our position as the leading MSME lender in the country,” said SBI Chariman Dinesh Khara.

MSME Sahaj is what the SBI is calling a “data-driven invoice financing credit assessment engine.” The holistic tool will allow MSMEs to apply for and receive a loan within 15 minutes. The system will also automatically close the loan on the due date.

Leveraging data from the applicant’s Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, bank statements, and credit card payment histories, MSME Sahaj allows businesses to take out a loan against their GST registered sales invoices of up to around $1,200 (₹1 lakh).

“MSME Sahaj – Digital Business Loans for Invoice Financing will offer a proposition to our existing Micro SME units who are part of the GST regime to get immediate on tap short term credit for working capital requirement through digital mode on SBI’s Yono app,” said SBI MD – Retail Banking & Operations Vinay Tonse.

SBI said that the purpose of the loans is to offer businesses a quick way to access short-term credit on its digital banking platform, YONO. YONO, which stands for, “You Only Need One” is a mobile app designed to meet a variety of customer needs, including banking, investment, insurance, travel booking, and daily shopping needs.


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