The Regulatory and Operational Context
A Geneva private bank specializing in wealth management for entrepreneurs and wealthy families faced a heavy and fragmented client onboarding process. Opening a new banking relationship required coordination of multiple departments: client relations, compliance, back-office, wealth management, and management. The process involved collecting numerous documents (ID, proof of funds, tax declarations), strict regulatory checks (KYC, AML), and configuring many internal systems.
The average opening delay reached 18 days, with complex cases exceeding four weeks. This delay was perceived as a competitive handicap, with some prospects turning to more responsive institutions. Moreover, the manual process caused errors: lost documents, forgotten steps, missing follow-ups. Management sought to modernize and streamline this journey while strengthening regulatory compliance.
The Solution Architecture
We designed an integrated onboarding system orchestrating SharePoint, Microsoft Forms, Power Automate, Teams, and Power Apps. The architecture covers the entire client journey from initial request to complete account activation.
The process begins when a relationship manager validates the opportunity to open a relationship. They fill out a mobile Power Apps form during the initial meeting with the prospect, capturing essential information: complete identity, nationalities, tax residence, investor profile, origin of funds, and specific needs. This form includes intelligent conditional logic that automatically asks additional questions based on profile (for example, for an entrepreneur, questions about the company, for a politically exposed person, additional checks).
Once submitted, the form automatically creates a dedicated SharePoint team site for the new client, structured according to a standardized template. This site includes a document library with predefined folders (identity, financial evidence, contracts, correspondence), an automatically generated task list according to client profile, and a Teams channel for team coordination.
A Power Automate flow then orchestrates the entire process in several parallel and sequential phases. The first phase concerns document collection: the client automatically receives an email with a secure link to a Microsoft Forms form allowing them to upload their identity documents, proof of address, and declarations of fund origin. Microsoft Forms offers the advantage of being simple to use for the client while integrating perfectly with SharePoint for secure storage.
Upon document receipt, a second flow triggers for compliance verifications. Identity documents are analyzed by a custom AI Builder model that extracts key information and verifies consistency with declared data. The client's name is automatically checked against international sanctions lists via API integration with the World-Check provider. If an alert is raised, the file is immediately escalated to the compliance manager with all details.
In parallel, back-office and IT teams are notified via Teams to prepare the technical infrastructure: creation of e-banking access codes, profile configuration in management systems, preparation of bank cards, etc. Each team has a task checklist in Planner accessible from the client's Teams channel.
A Power BI dashboard updated in real-time allows the relationship manager to track file progress and immediately identify blockages. This dashboard displays each step's status with color coding, still-missing documents, pending validations, and estimated time before complete account activation.
When all verifications are completed and documents signed, the final workflow automatically activates the relationship in the core banking system via a secure API integration. The client receives a personalized welcome email with their access codes, and the manager is notified that the account is operational. A kickoff meeting is automatically proposed via Bookings.
Measured Benefits
After twelve months of deployment, results exceed initial objectives. Average account opening delay dropped from 18 to 7 days, a 61% reduction. For simple files without regulatory particularities, the delay reaches even 4 days. This responsiveness is now a strong commercial argument highlighted by managers.
The abandonment rate during the onboarding process dropped 35%, going from 12% to 8%. Clients appreciate the process clarity, the ability to upload their documents at their convenience from their smartphone, and transparency about their file's progress.
Operational efficiency considerably improved. Administrative time per file decreased 55%, going from 6.5 hours to 3 hours distributed among several staff. Relationship managers now spend less time on administrative coordination and more on client relations. The error and oversight rate dropped 78% thanks to standardization and automatic workflows.
Regulatory compliance strengthened. All files now follow exactly the same verification process, eliminating incomplete check risks. The automatic audit trail records each action with timestamp and responsible person, greatly facilitating FINMA audits. During the last inspection, the auditor qualified the system as exemplary.
Governance and Security
The system handles extremely sensitive data subject to Swiss banking secrecy. The architecture respects the strictest security standards. All documents are stored in SharePoint with encryption at rest and in transit. Permissions are granular and based on the principle of least privilege: each staff member only accesses information strictly necessary for their function.
Client SharePoint sites are created with automatic retention policies compliant with banking legal obligations (10 years minimum retention). Power Automate flows use service accounts with managed identities rather than user identities, ensuring operational continuity even if staff leave.
A monitoring system detects any abnormal activity (unusual access, massive document download) and immediately alerts the CISO. Each quarter, a security audit verifies permissions and process compliance.
Technical Architecture and Scalability
The system is built exclusively on Microsoft 365 and Power Platform, guaranteeing native integration with the bank's existing environment. The architecture is designed to scale: currently about 15 new clients per month, the system can handle without modification up to 100 monthly new clients.
SharePoint templates used for client sites are managed via PnP Provisioning, allowing rapid deployment of improvements or regulatory adjustments to all new files. Power Automate workflows are organized in reusable modules, facilitating maintenance and evolution.
Monthly operational cost including Power Platform Premium licenses, additional SharePoint storage, and houle support represents approximately 800 CHF. Savings in administrative time (60 hours per month) and the reduced abandonment rate (estimated at 4 additional relationships per year representing 400,000 CHF average assets under management) generate a largely positive ROI.
Future Evolutions
The bank plans to extend this model to other client processes like mortgage credit opening or implementation of complex wealth structures. Integration with Swiss qualified electronic signature (SwissID) is also under study to completely eliminate paper signatures.
Conclusion
This onboarding system illustrates how digital transformation can reconcile operational efficiency, client experience, and regulatory rigor. By intelligently orchestrating Microsoft 365 tools, we created a smooth process that positions the bank as modern and responsive while strengthening its compliance. This type of solution constitutes a true competitive advantage in a sector where trust and service quality are paramount.