Bank Connectivity
The Hybrid Treasurer's Toolkit — Part 1
Five ways to connect your TMS or ERP to a bank — SWIFT, H2H/SFTP, EBICS, APIs, and multi-bank aggregators — how each works end to end, what it costs, and when to use it.
- → Explain how SWIFT, H2H/SFTP, and EBICS actually move a file from your ERP to your bank
- → Set up a bank API integration end to end — from developer portal to production OAuth calls
- → Know when a multi-bank aggregator is worth the middleman fee
- → Compare all five methods on real-time capability, setup time, cost, and complexity
Alina Turungiu | TreasuryOS · treasuryease.com
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
The global standard for bank-to-bank messaging — one network, thousands of banks.
Relationship Management Application. Your BIC and your bank's BIC must exchange RMA keys before any message flows between them. No RMA = message blocked. Think of it as a mutual whitelist.
Alliance Lite2: cloud-based, low cost, <50K messages/year.
Service Bureau: managed by a 3rd party, faster setup, no infra needed.
Direct: Alliance Gateway, enterprise only.
- BIC code (your bank's address)
- RMA exchange with each bank
- SWIFT membership or bureau
- Message types: MT940 / CAMT.053
- Cost: €10K+/year, depending on setup
Direct file-based connection to your bank
No network intermediary — just an encrypted tunnel straight into the bank's server.
- Request H2H from your bank/TMS provider
- Bank provides SFTP endpoint + port
- Generate SSH key pair (keep it private)
- Send public key to bank
- Bank whitelists your IP
- Test connection → go live
- /outbound → you upload payments
- /inbound → bank drops statements
- /archive → processed files
- /error → rejected files
- Batch only — not real-time
- Bank-specific formats possible
- IP whitelisting = firewall work with IT
- Each bank = separate connection
- Setup: 2-8 weeks per bank
Electronic Banking Internet Communication Standard
Dominant in Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland — one client, many banks.
3 RSA pairs: Auth, Encryption, Signature
Initialization letter with key hashes, sent to bank
Upload auth + encryption keys to bank server
Bank verifies letter vs. keys, activates user
Download bank's public keys, verify fingerprint
Send FUL/CCT payments, receive STA/C53 statements
Security. The INI letter is physical — printed, signed, mailed. The HIA is digital. The bank compares both to ensure the person requesting access is who they claim. No match = no activation. No shortcuts.
- Dominant in: DE, FR, AT, CH — growing in EU
- Transport: HTTPS (internet-based)
- Multi-bank: same client for all EBICS banks
- Order types: FUL, FDL, CCT, STA, C53, CDZ
Real-time connectivity via REST / JSON
The only method on this list that's actually real-time.
- Register on bank developer portal
- Get sandbox credentials
- Test with mock data
- Apply for production access
- Bank reviews & approves
- Get production keys
- Go live with real data
PSD2: EU regulation that forced banks to open APIs.
Individual bank APIs: direct connection, you build and maintain each integration separately.
Aggregators: one connection, many banks — they handle the integrations.
SWIFT/H2H/EBICS = file-based, batch. APIs = real-time, request/response.
- → Instant balance checks
- → Payment status in seconds
- → Webhooks (bank pushes to you)
- → No file parsing needed (JSON)
When a middleman makes sense
One connection to the aggregator; they hold the SWIFT, H2H, and EBICS connections to each bank for you.
TMS providers, SWIFT for Corporates (via bureau).
5+ banks · Multiple countries · Big enterprise
Which Method Do You Need?
There's no single right answer — it depends on your banks, geography, and volume.
| SWIFT | H2H/SFTP | EBICS | APIs | Aggregator | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time? | No | No | No | Yes | Depends |
| Setup time | 2-6 months | 2-8 weeks | 1-3 weeks | 1-4 weeks | 4-8 weeks |
| Cost | €10-50K+/yr | Low/free | Low/free | Varies | €5-30K/yr |
| Best for | Global, high volume | Established relationships | DACH / FR / AT / DE | Modern, real-time | Multi-bank |
| Complexity | High | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
| Multi-bank? | Yes (1 pipe) | No (per bank) | Yes (1 client) | No (per bank) | Yes (1 pipe) |
There's no single right answer — the setup depends on your banks, geography, and volume.
What you know now
"Which connectivity method do we need?" felt like a vendor decision
→ You can weigh it yourself on real-time capability, setup time, cost, and multi-bank support
SWIFT, EBICS, and H2H sounded interchangeable
→ You know EBICS is one client for many DACH/FR banks, H2H is one connection per bank, and SWIFT is one pipe worldwide via RMA
"Real-time banking" was a vague marketing claim
→ You know only APIs are actually real-time — everything else is file-based, batch
Aggregators looked like an unnecessary extra cost
→ You know they earn their fee past ~5 banks or multiple countries, trading per-bank complexity for one connection
SWIFT Corporate Connectivity Masterclass
A deep dive into SCORE, identity, messaging, ISO 20022, GPI, and the future of cross-border payments.
Next step · CourseAI for Treasury: Build Your Own Tools
Now that your data has a way in — the INPUT/PROCESS/OUTPUT model for building on top of it.
Built by a treasurer, for treasurers. · treasuryease.com