Transforming Internal Processes at a Large Eastern European Bank

LeverX helped one of the major banks to automate more than 90% of its business processes through SAP implementation.

Customer

One of the largest banks, founded in the early 1990s, is now a leader in the region's financial market. Its network of branches covers key economic centers in several countries. The bank offers a broad spectrum of financial services, including lending, investment solutions, corporate banking services, and retail banking.

The bank has 15,000 employees and serves millions of clients. It has significant influence in the regional financial market and actively participates in the development of economic projects. It also focuses on the adoption of modern technologies and the implementation of innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and service quality.

Defining Challenges

However, even the most successful companies encounter the need for modernization and optimization. The bank’s internal processes had become outdated and were not delivering the desired efficiency. Manual task execution and information duplication resulted in data redundancy and errors, negatively impacting management performance.

Disparate systems did not provide transparency and hindered swift decision-making. The lack of a cohesive approach to managing warehouse liquidity and budgets raised concerns among the leadership. All these issues determined the need for launching the automation project. The client sought a solution that would integrate disparate systems and automate key processes, thereby improving control over financial and material flows.

The project objectives were clearly set:

• Reduce the volume of manual processes
• Automate operations
• Enhance reporting capabilities
• Improve scalability

The need to increase warehouse liquidity and monitor budgets became the primary tasks for the new solution. A system needed to be implemented that could adapt to the requirements of all branches while ensuring data transparency and relevance.

LeverX Suggested System Integration through the SAP

After analyzing all the client's systems and business processes, we proposed creating a unified ecosystem on the SAP platform, including the FI, MM, FM, RCM, PS, RE-FX, HR, CO, FI-AA, and BW modules. This solution was intended to eliminate system fragmentation and create a cohesive information space for all bank divisions. Special attention was given to integrating electronic document management and budget control, enabling the bank to see a complete picture of its operations in real-time.

Implementing New Solutions and Process Transformation

Our team of nine experienced professionals reviewed the bank's business procedures and highlighted areas for improvement. We knew we had to take on challenging tasks that involved strengthening communication between departments and changing staff members' functional roles. The work on solution implementation spanned two years.

The project began with an emphasis on maintaining control over processes from planning to implementation. We also took extra care to ensure that automated accounting and reporting followed international IFRS standards and met strict information security standards.

LeverX professionals integrated the system and adapted it for several user categories, ranging from purchasing and finance to accounting and management. We thoroughly tuned each system function and module to ensure that they matched precisely with the bank's activities.

Reformulating long-standing procedures to incorporate automation necessitated a reassessment of how certain jobs were carried out. Following the technological setup, we provided extensive training. LeverX’s experts explained how the new procedures would change their duties and assist the staff in getting ready for the transition to a new work format.

Results

Over 90% of the client's business operations were automated. As such, the bank improved operational transparency and substantially decreased manual activities. With real-time information at their fingertips, bank executives are now able to make quicker and better-informed choices. Additionally, process automation reduced operating expenses and increased the bank's overall performance.

More than a thousand workers across multiple departments — budget management, purchasing, human resources, accounting, finance, and inventory — are currently using the system.

The project was finished on time and within budget.