Financial Services: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance (website only) 

1. Initial situation: Paper-based processes and limited digitization 

Bank Avera previously used ABACUS to handle its accounts payable processes. The entire invoicing process was paper-based, time-consuming, and prone to errors: stamping, scanning, manual entries in Excel, and physical archiving were part of everyday life. At the same time, there was a growing desire to use modern technologies such as AI-supported automation, digital approval processes, and intelligent analysis functions—but the existing setup did not provide a sufficient basis for this. 

2. Project goals: Efficiency, cloud capability, and future-proofing 

Bank Avera pursues a clear Microsoft strategy: processes should be digitized, data consolidated, and future innovations such as AI-supported analyses made possible. The goal was to implement a scalable, secure, and cloud-based ERP system that also meets the regulatory requirements of the banking sector. The solution should also support performance analyses and scenario planning in the future. 

3. Solution: Dynamics 365 Finance Premium with Invoice Capture 

With support from AlfaPeople, Bank Avera implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Premium. The decisive factors in choosing the Premium Edition were the extended functions for business performance planning and business performance analytics, in addition to the lower license order quantity at the time. These not only enable the bank to achieve a high degree of automation in accounts payable processing, but also provide powerful tools for strategic financial planning, scenario analysis, and decision support based on intelligent data evaluations. 

Another key feature of the project was the introduction of Invoice Capture, which will radically simplify invoice receipt. Incoming invoices are now scanned, displayed in the system, and processed via a digital approval procedure. For individual users such as CIO Ralf Luchsinger, the processing effort per invoice has been reduced by a factor of ten. 

4. Integration with Finnova: First Swiss bank with Dynamics interface 

Another highlight was the development of a custom interface to the Finnova core banking system, which is used by over 100 Swiss banks and thus accounts for a large share of banking software in Switzerland. As far as is known, Bank Avera is the first bank in the Swiss ” ” that has implemented direct integration between Finnova and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance.  

5. Collaboration: Dynamic, pragmatic, on equal terms 

AlfaPeople provided both functional consulting and technical support for the setup on the bank’s existing Microsoft tenant. Despite some major challenges during the course of the project, the collaboration remained trusting, flexible, and solution-oriented. Ralf Luchsinger particularly emphasizes the short decision-making paths, direct communication with the general manager, and the high willingness to make pragmatic adjustments:  

“The dynamic, agile adaptation to our needs as a bank was a decisive factor.” – Ralf Luchsinger, CIO, Bank Avera 

6. Results: Digitalization and a strategic basis for more 

• Paperless invoice processing 
• Integration with Finnova as a technological milestone 
• Fully cloud-based operation from the Microsoft Azure Cloud in Switzerland 
• Strategic basis for AI-based analysis and planning 

7. Outlook 

With the introduction of Dynamics 365 Finance, Bank Avera has not only digitized its accounts payable processes, but also laid the foundation for further digitization and the expansion of AI. Additional modules and functions are planned for the future to make Bank Avera’s entire financial world intelligent, efficient, and future-proof.