仮想口座:誤解されているのか、それとも機会を逸しているのか?
With the fall conference season winding down, several members of the Celent banking team have written blog posts reflecting on the themes and news across these events. Whether Sibos, Money 20/20, AFP, or the Singapore Fintech Festival – there has been no shortage of newsworthy innovations. This is also the time of year when Celent publishes our “previsories” - essentially a preview of the major technology themes and investment areas for 2023 (and in many cases extending beyond). If you haven’t had the chance, I encourage you to listen to the on-demand replay of the Technology Trends Previsory Webinar: Corporate Banking 2023 Edition that aired on November 7th.
All that said, one major theme that seemed to be missing at AFP was the topic of Virtual Account Management (VAM), and solutions from banks in particular. Of course, the concept of virtual accounts and sub-accounting is not new. However, as several major banks have rolled out virtual account solutions over the past few years, I was surprised not to see any sessions covering this on the educational session agenda. Bank of America did announce an expansion of VAM capabilities at AFP and, just last week, Citi also issued a press release (post AFP) stating that adoption of their solution had increased 33%. Of course, I may have missed something while walking 12,000 steps a day in the convention center!
I did ask every bank I met with about their plans to deliver VAM solutions. VAM is often seen as way to drive efficiencies in receivables (an area that remains important for corporates), but it also offers some unique industry solutions. The ability to manage virtual/sub-account structures is also an important component of Banking as a Service. So – despite the lack of emphasis at AFP, I do think this solution space has room to run.
Is VAM misunderstood, or just missing an opportunity?
Please let me know your thoughts– and look for more from me about this evolving space in 2023.