Introduction
In our latest webinar, Beyond APIs: Building the Open Finance Ecosystem for Commercial Growth, Backbase’s Alex Jimenez and Datos Insights’ Enrico Camerinelli unpacked the commercial banking opportunity hidden in plain sight, and how banks can seize it before it’s lost to aggregators, fintechs, and challengers.
The commercial client has evolved. Have you?
Commercial clients increasingly expect banking services inside the systems they already use. That includes ERP, accounting, and treasury platforms.
They want connected payment workflows, real-time visibility, embedded reporting, and proactive service. Banks that cannot support those expectations risk losing relevance in the client's daily workflow.
APIs are table stakes. The ecosystem is the game.
APIs were supposed to be the answer. But as the conversation revealed, they’re only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
Corporate clients say banks are falling short in four major areas:
- Real-time payment access
- Embedded reporting
- Payment file integration
- System-wide interoperability
This isn’t just a tech shortfall, it’s a strategic gap. Banks have opened up APIs but haven’t transformed how those APIs drive real outcomes for clients. As Jimenez put it,
Just having APIs isn’t enough. You need to turn those APIs into intelligence, automation, and trust.
That’s where the true opportunity lies.
Growth demands more than connectivity, it demands intelligence
A key insight from the webinar: the future of open finance is intelligent, secure, and composable. Not just pipes for data, but platforms that orchestrate action.
The below diagram shows the evolution from raw data to decision and execution. It illustrates how banks need to transform data flows into real-time automation, analytics, and proactive services, all while managing entitlements, permissions, and trust.
“Composability and intelligence matter more than marketplace size,” emphasized Jimenez. Banks can’t keep relying on broad, inflexible marketplaces. They need purpose-built solutions that plug into their ecosystem and scale with business needs.
Legacy holds you back. A platform pushes you forward.
The fundamental challenge isn’t client demand. It’s bank capability.
Too many banks are still trapped in legacy environments that create disconnected, reactive experiences. But the commercial banking opportunity calls for proactive, personalized, end-to-end journeys.
The AI-native Banking OS helps banks connect client channels, workflows, and governed services across the commercial relationship.
Built with modular architecture, Backbase enables banks to:
- Embed services directly into client workflows
- Activate intelligent decisioning at every touchpoint
- Secure every interaction with role-based entitlements
- Scale across segments from SMBs to corporates, retail to wealth
And because it's fully composable, you don’t need to rip and replace. These changes form part of a broader commercial banking transformation agenda, connecting APIs with client experience and operational execution. You modernize where it matters most (onboarding, servicing, or activation) and build momentum with every step.
How embedded finance changes the commercial banking relationship
Embedded finance moves banking services into the systems where commercial clients already manage daily work. Payments, invoicing, cash visibility, and treasury decisions can happen inside ERP, accounting, and treasury platforms.
This creates a distribution risk for banks. The bank may still provide the account and payment rail, while another provider owns the workflow, interface, and daily client interaction.
The commercial relationship then becomes easier to replace. Clients may compare providers based on workflow integration and service speed, not only products, pricing, or balance-sheet strength.
Banks can respond by connecting their services to client workflows. Open APIs, embedded payments, treasury services, and clear operational support help the bank remain present where clients work.
Why this matters now
Commercial banking is no longer about maintaining relationships. It’s about earning them, every day, through better experiences and smarter services.
Banks that succeed in open finance won’t be the ones with the most APIs. They’ll be the ones that turn connectivity into capability.
We’re here to set bankers free from legacy constraints, outdated stacks, and slow-moving systems. We give them the tools to move fast, scale smart, and drive real growth.
Watch on demand. Stay ahead of what’s next.
This conversation was just the beginning.
👉 Watch the full webinar on demand and hear directly from industry experts on how to build your open finance ecosystem.
This is part of broader commercial banking transformation. For the solution scope, see Digital Services and Open Banking and the commercial banking solution.
Frequently asked questions
How does embedded finance threaten commercial banks?
Embedded finance moves payments, treasury, invoicing, and financial workflows into the systems businesses already use. Banks risk losing relevance when another provider owns those workflows.
How can commercial banks respond to embedded finance?
Banks can connect accounts, payments, data, and treasury services into client ERP, accounting, and treasury systems through governed APIs and embedded workflows.
What is the role of open banking in commercial finance?
Open banking lets commercial banks connect account data and payment services with external systems. This can support distribution, client convenience, and new service models.
