Corporate banking, sometimes referred to as wholesale banking, occupies a large but often poorly understood corner of the financial services industry.
Corporate banking — which includes foreign exchange, securitization, cash management, trade and lease finance, and other sophisticated products — doesn’t fit neatly into investment banking or commercial banking. But esoteric as these services may seem, they are critically important to the financial operations of large, often multinational corporations.
What corporate banking has in common with investment banking is the degree to which both have historically been underserved by horizontal CRM and deal management software applications. Corporate bankers who have to use these types of non-industry-specific solutions are at a real disadvantage. That’s because their origination and execution processes are unlike conventional sales or fulfillment — which are the very processes that horizontal CRMs were designed for.
To add to the difficulty (and to the need for industry-tailored software), corporate and investment banking processes can intersect, often giving rise to confusion and friction. Take, for example, when a corporate banking pursuit involves a client decision-maker who also influences banker selection decisions for M&A and capital markets. (Classic example: A WKSI issuing investment-grade bonds).
This complexity and interconnectedness is the thinking behind many universal banks combining, nominally at least, corporate and investment banking (“CIB”) into one business unit.
While it is neither necessary nor compliant for corporate bankers to have visibility into their investment banking partners’ pursuits with common clients, the inverse is often different. Most investment bankers have neither the time nor incentive to get involved in corporate banking pitches or execution but with rare exception they want to be aware of corporate banking pitches and mandates, and be able to monitor corporate banking work being done for their clients. If that activity and transaction log is securely online, well organized, and exportable, even better. It is the rare investment banking pitch, after all, that doesn’t include a slide or three reminding the client of the full range of services — including corporate banking, where applicable — that the bank has provided to that client.
At Intapp, we understand these kinds of complex, specific dynamics. As so many of our team members come from the industries we serve, our solutions are designed around nuanced insights about our clients’ work — and we think that the 1,700 private capital, investment banking, and real assets firms we proudly call clients can speak to our ability to deliver products that meet their unique needs.
A solution built for corporate and investment bankers
Intapp’s value proposition for corporate (or, again, wholesale) banking is simple, and twofold.
First and foremost, Intapp DealCloud was built for corporate and investment bankers specifically. The platform enables coverage and product professionals to cultivate and pursue every prospective mandate, identify and collaboratively cover key corporate and private equity decisionmakers, and execute deals efficiently.
Secondly, we understand — and with apologies for the anthropomorphism, DealCloud “understands” — the complexities surrounding an integrated approach to corporate and investment banking. This includes, especially, the need for dynamic and reliable information barriers that expose client information only to those who need and are approved to see it. With respect to CIB specifically, we sometimes refer to and recommend a one-way-glass approach to client data visibility — wherein a firm’s investment bankers can see all corporate banking activity, but not by default provide for the converse.
This, in essence, is the Intapp DealCloud difference: We deliver industry expertise via a highly tailored, nuanced software platform that’s built on best practices — designed from end to end by insiders who know your work and how to help you succeed.
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