Bankloch

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Electronic invoices don’t automatically create automated finance departments

For many years, electronic invoicing has been presented as one of the major milestones in the digital transformation of finance. In Belgium, that transformation accelerated significantly with the mandatory adoption of PEPPOL for B2B invoicing (since 1st January 2026). The promise is compelling: invoices become structured, digital and standardized , allowing companies to exchange them securely and efficiently while improving transparency, reducing administrative overhead and creating a foundation for further automation. On paper, it sounds like the moment finance departments have been waiting for. If invoices can move automatically from one ERP system to another, shouldn’t Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable departments become dramatically smaller? Interestingly, that is not what we are seeing in practice. While PEPPOL adoption is undoubtedly an important step forward, most organizations have not experienced the dramatic reduction in headcount that some initially ...

Stablecoins Have Left the Crypto Niche. Now They Are Entering Everyday Finance.

The momentum behind stablecoins has become impossible to ignore. Hardly a month passes without another major bank, payment provider, fintech, or technology company announcing a new initiative. What was once considered a niche crypto instrument has rapidly evolved into one of the most important developments in modern payments. Looking only at the past few months illustrates this acceleration. In April, the stablecoin market surpassed $312 billion in market capitalization while annual transaction volumes were estimated at more than $33 trillion . Additionally HSBC obtained a stablecoin issuer licence in Hong Kong, PayPal expanded the availability of its PYUSD stablecoin to millions of users across more than seventy markets, and several Swiss banks began testing a regulated Swiss franc stablecoin. May brought the first regulated Canadian dollar stablecoin, Coinbase listed its first British pound-backed stablecoin, and Nium partnered with Coinbase for USDC-powered cross-border p...

Beyond Buy versus Build: Rethinking Software Strategy in the AI Era

For decades, one of the first questions asked at the start of every IT project was remarkably simple: Should we build the solution ourselves or should we buy a package? Entire sourcing strategies have been built around this seemingly binary decision. Some organisations adopted a "buy before build" philosophy, believing packaged software would reduce costs and implementation risks. Others preferred custom development, convinced that unique software was essential to differentiate themselves from competitors. Over time, this discussion expanded with additional questions. Should development be done in-house , outsourced, or somewhere in between? Should the solution run on-premise or in the cloud? Should it be implemented using Agile or Waterfall ? Should one choose a single vendor or a best-of-breed landscape? These remain valid questions today, but they no longer describe the reality of modern software delivery. The traditional buy-versus-build discussion assumes on...

Insurance Products Become Commodities. Claims Don't.

For decades, the insurance broker has been one of the cornerstones of the Belgian insurance market. Unlike in many other countries, brokers have built strong local relationships, often becoming the trusted face of an insurer without actually working for one. They know their customers personally, advise them on suitable policies and frequently become the first person people call when disaster strikes. That human connection has always been their greatest strength. After all, people rarely buy insurance because they enjoy reading policy conditions or comparing premiums. They buy insurance because they want peace of mind . That trust did not emerge by accident. Insurance remains one of the few financial products where customers pay every year in the hope they will never have to use it. When a claim eventually occurs, emotions quickly take over. Suddenly, policy wording, exclusions and legal nuances become critically important. Having an experienced professional who understands both ...