Financial institutions are steadily redefining how working capital is delivered. Rather than focusing only on new financial products, many banks are investing in digitisation, better use of data, and modern platform strategies that enable faster, more inclusive lending while strengthening operational resilience.
At Lendscape Live, Michelle Ware, Head of Digital Innovation, Global Trade Solutions at HSBC, shared her perspective on the forces shaping innovation in trade finance today, highlighting how customer expectations, data capabilities, and cloud considerations are influencing the next phase of transformation.
Watch the interview with Michelle Ware, Head of Digital Innovation, Global Trade Solutions at HSBC:
Customer-first digitisation is driving transformation
For many organisations, innovation begins with improving how customers access funding. As Michelle explained, the focus remains firmly on usability and accessibility: “At the heart of what we do, we want to put our customers first. And we want to make things simpler for them to get access to working capital.”
Digitisation plays a central role in achieving this, but successful transformation extends beyond deploying new technology. Financial institutions are also investing in customer training, process adaptation, and internal capability development to ensure that new digital services deliver meaningful value. When adoption is well supported, digitisation can significantly streamline working capital journeys while improving transparency and responsiveness for clients.
Data is enabling broader access to finance
One of the most significant shifts in the industry is the expanding ability to use data to support lending decisions for businesses that historically may not have met traditional underwriting models. Smaller enterprises often operate with less standardised financial structures, which can make conventional assessments for finance providers more challenging.
Advances in data availability and analytics are helping to address this gap. As Michelle noted, “What’s making me excited is being able to use data and hopefully lend it to people we couldn’t lend it to before.” By leveraging richer datasets and more flexible approaches, lenders are increasingly able to extend working capital solutions to a wider segment of the SME market.
Cloud strategy as part of long-term resilience planning
Alongside digitisation and data innovation, institutions are also evaluating how cloud technology fits into their long-term operating models. Many finance providers continue to manage complex on-premise environments while assessing how cloud adoption can support scalability, agility, and future innovation. Reflecting on this, Michelle highlighted the importance of asking, “why would it be better to move to the cloud… [and] what is going to be the benefit to moving to the cloud?”
As these conversations continue across the industry, the combination of customer-focused digitisation, intelligent use of data, and scalable technology platforms is helping shape a more accessible and resilient working capital ecosystem, supporting the next generation of lending innovation.
