Latest opinions that Bo Harald has shared on Finextra

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Bo Harald

Chairman/Founding member, board member

Trust Infra for Real Time Economy Prgrm & MyData,

Member since

04 Nov 2008

Location

Helsinki Region

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Bo's opinions

What we would do differently today

If launching e-Invoicing today: 1. The SME-sector’s organizations were not involved strongly enough in the beginning. They should have been co-owners of the productivity issue with e-invoicing and thus taking responsibility to tell enterprises that it is not only cost-saving in the core invoicing and payment process – but an innovation platform ...

08 October 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

What we did right

What we (collectively) did right when launching e-invoicing in Finland and recommend: 1. Banks joined collectively with invoice portals and file transfer > payment automation was improved, financing aspects added and non-bank service providers were much invigorated. Only banks have the capability and business case to sign up the SME-sector qui...

02 October 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Putting the horse before the cart

I have long been arguing that the natural way to SEPA-payments is through e-invoicing – especially now when ISO20022 for e-invoicing is ready. Here you do not need to force anybody to do SEPA-payments – they materialize automatically. And as posted before – a u-turn in direct debit – should also be done – e-invoicing becoming the master would save ...

27 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Still time for u-turn

SEPA direct debit is a huge step in the wrong direction - making direct debit more complicated for users and more expensive for invoice senders (who naturally add these costs into higher prices - the consumer always pays - every cent). The obvious much better alternative is to integrate direct debit into e-invoicing - which is any way on the rise a...

24 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

First in the world

Now the first e-invoice using ISO20022 e-invoice standard has been exchanged - cross-border and using SWIFT! http://boharald.blogspot.com/2011/09/first-in-world.html Now it is time for all interested in improving interoperability and starting cost lowering trend for the benefit of enterprises, society at large and also themselves to join the pionee...

24 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

See you at SIBOS

Just posted a blog on e-invoicing - the obvious next service layer and innovation platform for banks. Will be at SIBOS - hope to connect there.

17 September 2011

Tax payer's money - and much more

We all know how burning the need to save costs is in the public sector - to have to borrow less and avoid competitiveness destroying tax hikes etc. When this is coupled with a need to move a soon scarce workforce to more productive, better paid and more motivating tasks - which will take time - it is obvious: NO TIME TO LOSE - structural and wide...

17 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Disruptive innovations

Rereading Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma. Some takes (emphasis mine) : - most successful enterprises get into deep trouble sooner or later and one theme common to these failures is that the decisions that led to failure were made when the leaders were widely regarded as the best in the world - Good management was the reason for failing to stay a...

12 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Domestic issue - false picture

We often come across statements that e-invoicing is a domestic issue - the cross border part is so small (some 5%) that we do not really need to care. This is a false picture as can be arrived at by just looking at the volumes of cross-border trade. The reason for this misunderstanding is that enterprises have to establish local subsidiaries and t...

01 September 2011 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Typical - especially in banks?

There is a lot of evidence that hunch is the best guide to good business. Due to scarce IT-budgets and even scarcer key skills many organizations have resorted to a systematic "business case" process approach. This all sounds very logical and orderly and is often difficult to argue against. And when we are dealing with big investments it...

26 August 2011 Innovation in Financial Services

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