How to Connect Multiple Banks to Dynamics 365 Finance
Working with multiple banks shouldn’t mean working with multiple banking processes.
For finance teams using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, banking can become increasingly complex as the organization adds banks, countries, accounts and companies.
Different banks may require different payment formats, statement formats, connectivity methods and local payment types. Before long, the finance team is maintaining several ways of doing essentially the same thing.
The question is therefore not simply how to connect Dynamics 365 Finance to multiple banks.
It is how to do it in a way that remains manageable when your banking landscape changes.
Why does multi-bank connectivity become complicated?
Imagine an organization operating across several countries.
One entity sends payment files manually through a bank portal. Another has a direct bank connection. Bank statements arrive differently depending on the bank, while reconciliation processes vary between entities.
Each individual process might work.
The problem is what happens when you combine them.
Finance teams can end up dealing with:
- Different payment and bank statement formats
- Multiple bank portals and login procedures
- Manual uploads and downloads
- Country-specific payment requirements
- Different processes between companies
- Manual reconciliation and exception handling
- Separate integrations that need to be maintained
Adding another bank can then mean adding another process.
For a growing organization, that quickly becomes difficult to scale.
Three ways to connect your banks
There isn’t one connectivity model that is right for every organization.
1. Manual or file-based processes
Payments are exported from the ERP and uploaded to the bank, while bank statements are downloaded and imported again.
For organizations with limited banking complexity and relatively low volumes, this may be sufficient.
The downside is the manual handling required as the number of banks and transactions increases.
2. Individual direct bank connections
Direct connectivity can reduce manual file handling and create a more automated exchange of banking data.
However, banks can have different technical and communication requirements. Managing several individual connections can therefore introduce another type of complexity.
3. A standardized multi-bank integration
Instead of treating every bank as a separate ERP process, a bank integration layer handles the differences between them.
The basic principle is:
Dynamics 365 Finance → Bank integration → Multiple banks
The objective is to let the finance team maintain a consistent way of working while the integration handles the bank-specific requirements behind it.
Which approach fits your organization?
The answer depends on your banking landscape.
| Your situation | What to consider |
| Few banks and limited complexity | A file-based process may be sufficient |
| Several banks | Consider whether maintaining separate processes is sustainable |
| Multiple countries | Look for support for local payment requirements and bank formats |
| High payment volumes | Consider where manual handling can be reduced |
| Multiple companies | Look at how consistently banking processes can be managed across the organization |
| Complex approval or security requirements | Evaluate governance, roles, approvals and connectivity requirements |
| International growth | Consider how easily another bank or country can be added |
The important question is not simply “Can we connect this bank?”
It is:
“What happens to our process when we add the next five?”
6 questions to answer before choosing a multi-bank solution
Before evaluating technology or providers, map your current banking landscape.
1. How many banks, accounts, countries and companies are involved?
Don’t only look at the current setup. Consider planned expansion, acquisitions and potential changes in banking relationships.
2. Which payment types do you need?
Payment requirements can vary between countries and banks. Knowing the payment types you need helps determine the scope of the integration.
3. How do payments reach the bank today?
Identify where files are exported, uploaded, approved or manually handled.
These are often the points where automation can have the greatest operational impact.
4. How do bank statements return to Dynamics 365?
Look at how bank data is currently received, processed and used for reconciliation.
A payment process shouldn’t be evaluated in isolation from the statement and reconciliation process that follows it.
5. What are your approval and security requirements?
Consider who can create, approve and send payments, as well as requirements around segregation of duties and bank communication.
6. What happens when you add another bank or country?
This is an important test of the architecture.
If every new bank requires an entirely new finance process, complexity will continue to grow alongside the organization.
How AMC Banking approaches multi-bank integration
AMC Banking is built specifically for bank integration and cash management within Microsoft Dynamics 365.
At the center of the setup is XTendLink, AMC Banking’s cloud-based bank data conversion service. It helps handle bank-specific formats and requirements between Dynamics 365 Finance and the individual banks.
AMC Banking supports 600+ bank formats and APIs, allowing organizations to standardize banking processes across different banks and countries.
In simplified form:
Dynamics 365 Finance → AMC Banking → XTendLink → Your banks
Rather than forcing the finance team to adapt its workflow to each bank, the objective is to manage the differences at the integration level.
Think beyond the payment
A good bank integration shouldn’t only address how a payment leaves Dynamics 365.
The complete banking process also includes what happens before and after the payment.
With AMC Banking, payment instructions can be validated before being sent to the bank, and validation or bank errors can be returned at payment-line level.
Bank data can then be processed and used for reconciliation. AMC Banking includes automatic processing of bank data and intelligent matching logic to reduce manual reconciliation work.
That creates a more connected process:
Payment → Validation & approval → Bank → Bank statement → Reconciliation
The exact communication method and degree of automation depend on the individual bank and customer setup.
What happens when you add another bank?
This is where a standardized approach becomes particularly valuable.
AMC Banking uses a structured process when adding a bank, including identifying the required payment types and formats, configuring or developing the necessary formats where required, testing and validating the setup before go-live.
The new bank still has its own requirements.
But it can become part of an existing banking framework rather than forcing the finance team to create an entirely separate way of working.
Build for the banking landscape you will have tomorrow
If you only work with one or two banks, maintaining separate processes may not seem like a major problem.
But complexity grows with every additional bank, account, country and company.
That’s why the right question isn’t simply:
“How do we connect our banks to Dynamics 365 Finance?”
It’s:
“How do we create a banking setup that remains manageable as our organization grows?”
Planning a multi-bank setup in Dynamics 365 Finance?
Explore our supported banks or contact AMC Banking to discuss your banking landscape.