Finastra recently announced a Banking as a Service (BaaS) collaboration with Microsoft for bringing the latest lending prospects to thousands of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – a sector severely underserved when it comes to accessing finance. SMEs using Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be able to access and unlock vital financing offers without leaving their business management platform.
According to Finastra sources, this initiative will empower SME owners to access relevant and valuable business financing in a seamless and frictionless manner. Users will be able to unlock lending options within Dynamics 365.
It also stated that with consent from the SME, the solution will use information an SME already stores within Microsoft Dynamics 365, making it easier for them to apply for lending. The ability to provide banks with additional information, including accounts receivable and payable records, will improve lending decisions and time to cash for SMEs. Finastra’s expansive network of over 5,000 financial institutions in the US will allow SMEs to access the most relevant and valuable financing options for their specific business needs.
Angus Ross, Chief Revenue Officer, Banking as a Service, at Finastra stated: “We are extremely excited to bring this additional finance capability to SMEs to ease the process of accessing capital, and power competitive financing offers in less time. This lending proposition for Microsoft Dynamics 365 reinforces Finastra’s leadership in open and embedded finance. It demonstrates the huge benefit that embedded and contextual finance will bring to the industry and the communities within it. We look forward to continuing our long-standing collaboration with Microsoft and working closely on this and future impactful projects.”
Bill Borden, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft stated: “We are proud to further expand our relationship with Finastra to drive new value for small and medium enterprises, the backbone of job creation in the world’s economy. By embedding secure access to key financial services in the context of Microsoft Dynamics 365, our SME customers will have a faster path to the financing options and critical capital they need to thrive.”
Finastra stated further that the SME embedded finance solution on Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be integrated with open APIs through Finastra’s FusionFabric.cloud platform. The solution is anticipated to go live in Summer this year, with an initial focus on North American customers.
