Highlights from the SAP & SAP Fioneer FSI Forum 2024

Back in May, SAP & SAP Fioneer hosted the Europe Financial Services Forum. This year’s event, proudly sponsored by bancon, was attended by our co-founders Jörg Mauelshagen and Bernhard Stricker, along with Brad Jarrett, Group Director for Financial Services.

We sat down with Jörg, Bernhard and Brad to learn their highlights from the forum.

Enhancing Banking Efficiency with Virtual Cash Management

Wouter Roest of ING delivered a compelling presentation on their Virtual Cash Management offering. By leveraging the SAP Fioneer Virtual Account platform, ING is revolutionising the banking experience for commercial clients across the Netherlands and continental Europe. This innovative solution promises to reduce friction and enhance efficiency in cash management processes.

“Wouter’s insights into how ING have been able to decommission several legacy systems and replace this with an end-2-end suite of SAP Banking applications showcased how cutting-edge SAP technology can streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction in commercial banking. It was insightful to hear Wouter’s perspective of the journey taken to implementation SAP & SAP Fioneer technology.” said Bernhard.

Bridging the Gap with Virtual Accounts

Charlotte Bullock from The Bank of London highlighted the significant differences between ‘real ledger accounts’ and ‘off-ledger virtual accounts’. She explained how Virtual Accounts are helping to attract and service a broader range of clients, and more efficiently addressing non-traditional use-cases such as providing essential services to the underserved ‘unbanked’ community. This approach is pivotal in fostering financial inclusion and expanding banking services to more individuals and businesses.

“Charlotte’s discussion on Virtual Accounts was particularly interesting, emphasising the importance of tight scope control and the role of virtual accounts in enabling innovative use-cases,” said Jörg..

Transforming Legacy Systems for Future-Ready Banking

David Faull of Nationwide shared his vision for modernising the world’s largest building society through a series of ambitious transformation programs. By simplifying their complex legacy IT estate, Nationwide aims to enhance the reliability and quality of banking services for its members.

“During the session David spoke on society’s journey to date and the role strategic partners play within it. He provided a humorous, but fair assessment, of how partners can better enable the adoption of new technologies across the organisation.” comments Brad. “Insights like these from leading financial institutions are what make the SAP and SAP Fioneer FSI Forum so valuable to attend.” he concluded

Strengthening Connections and Collaborations

One of the most rewarding aspects of the forum was the opportunity to spend time with friends and industry partners. We had meaningful interactions with Dan Graham, Juergen Mauk, Nikhil Raj Kizhakkeveettil, Peter David from Accenture, Joe Torres, Carlos Bonilla from DYSCI, and many others. These connections are invaluable as we continue to collaborate and innovate within the financial services sector.

“Engaging with our partners and peers provided fresh perspectives and reinforced the importance of collaboration in driving industry progress,” comments Jörg. “It’s always great when attending events like the FSI Forum that we get to reconnect with our contacts in the industry, meet new people and network with global experts.” he said.

Building Personal Bonds

The three-day event allowed Brad, Jörg and Bernhard to spend time together in person, catching up on all things bancon over a beer or two.

“Attending events with Jörg and Brad is always a pleasure,” says Bernhard. “Being a global company means that we’re not always together in person, so sharing time together always leaves us feeling inspired, with a strengthened sense of camaraderie.”

As we wrap up this year’s forum, bancon looks forward to continuing the conversations and partnerships forged here. The insights and experiences gained over the three days in Munich will undoubtedly influence the work bancon does and drive the business to achieve greater heights.

Thank you to SAP and SAP Fioneer for organising another fantastic event. We eagerly anticipate next year’s forum and the new opportunities it will bring.

See you next year, SAP & SAP Fioneer!