Finastra Partners with Microsoft to bring BaaS to Businesses

Finastra has announced a Banking as a Service (BaaS) collaboration with Microsoft to provide new lending options to thousands of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The sector is severely underserved when it comes to accessing finance. Small to medium-sized businesses using Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be able to access and unlock vital financing offers without leaving their business management platform.  

Small to medium-sized enterprises will benefit from the BaaS services

The partnership will enable 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. 

The solution will utilise data 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.

Microsoft and Finastra partnership will offer better lending services

The Finastra SME embedded finance solution on Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be integrated with open APIs through Finastra's FusionFabric.cloud platform. The solution is expected to go live in Summer this year, with initial focus on North America customers.

Speaking about the new collaboration, Angus Ross, Chief Revenue Officer, Banking as a Service, at Finastra, explained, “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.”

He continued, “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.”

Embedded finance will boost global economy, says Microsoft

Meanwhile, Bill Borden, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft said the collaboration will be a boost to the current economic climate. “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.”

He added, “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.”