Accelerating Business Lending via Pega Workflow Automation

Client overview

The client is a leading Dutch retail bank with a strong presence in business lending. Their business lending division processes commercial loan applications—up to €1 million—for small and medium-sized enterprises. These applications involve extensive due diligence and require coordination across multiple departments and legacy systems.

 

Challenge: From Months to Weeks

The bank faced a critical challenge: approving a commercial loan application could take up to nine months due to:

• Complex data gathering (financial records spanning years, credit-risk analysis, interest-rate comparisons).
• Multiple handoffs among people, systems, and departments.
• Processing across 15+ different systems—creating major delays.
• A lack of end-to-end visibility: applications often “disappeared” into the system with no transparency about the status.
• The long lead time risked losing applicants and inhibited satisfaction.

The bank’s business lending team needed to dramatically reduce processing time—transforming a cumbersome, opaque process into something efficient and transparent.

 

The Solution: Pega Workflow Automation (End-to-End Orchestration)

We collaborated with the bank to implement Pega Workflow Automation, underpinned by Pega’s case management and low-code process orchestration capabilities:

• Process mapping kick-off: The team first mapped the full end-to-end journey—identifying all data sources, decision points, people, systems, and workflows.
• Layered orchestration: Pega acted as a governance layer, coordinating data, tasks, and approvals across systems—bringing clarity and control.
• Visibility & control: Each loan application (case) could now be tracked in real-time within Pega’s interface, eliminating the “black box” scenario.
• Automation and standardization: Pega enforced standardized workflows and business rules, reducing human error and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Rapid proof-of-concept (PoC): A small-scale PoC was built in just a few weeks, demonstrating Pega’s ability to accelerate throughput and deliver immediate transparency.

After PoC validation, BPM Company worked closely with the client to roll out a full-scale solution—automating the workflow for business lending and reducing processing times from months to just a few weeks.

 

BPM Company as partner in Workflow Automation

As Pega partner we were the ideal partner for multiple reasons:

• Dutch local presence: Based in Utrecht, with deep understanding of local market and regulatory context—offering proximity and responsiveness.
• Pega expertise: First Pegasystems partner in the Netherlands (since 2011), with Pega Authorized Training accreditation and broad implementation experience.
• Low-code automation skillset: Specialists in model-driven, low-code platforms—enabling faster builds, flexibility, and maintenance ease.
• End-to-end automation capability: Solid track record in designing layered, scalable digital process automation solutions across complex ecosystems.
• Domain familiarity: Skilled in financial service environments, lending workflows, and integration across legacy banking systems.
• Efficient delivery: Proven ability to deliver fast PoCs and scale up rapidly—accelerating value realization.

 

Smooth Implementation Journey

The project proceeded swiftly and effectively:

• Within weeks, a limited Proof-of-Concept (PoC) was delivered—demonstrating process trackability and time-to-market improvements.
• Guided by PoC results, BPM Company and the client rolled out automation across the full lending workflow.
• The transition involved careful migration from manual handoffs to automated, system-driven routing and decisioning.
• Throughout, the client’s teams gained visibility, control, and ease of management—thanks to Pega’s intuitive, low-code interface.

 

Business benefits after the implementation of Pega Workflow Automation

The implementation delivered significant advantages:

• Operational efficiency: Processing time slashed from months to a few weeks.
• Enhanced client satisfaction: Faster clarity on loan status, quicker funding, and a more personalized experience.
• Improved risk transparency: Real-time visibility into data and workflow status reduced risk of lost or delayed applications.
• Increased approvals: Faster throughput resulted in fewer abandoned cases and growth in completed loans.
• Compliance and standardization: Built-in workflows and data tracking improved audit readiness and consistency.
• Scalability: The foundation now enables future expansion and addition of other loan types with minimal effort.
• Cost savings: Reduced manual effort, improved process control, and fewer delays led to operational cost reduction.

 

Let’s get in touch

Want to learn more about Pega’s Workflow Automation and what it can do for your organization? Get in touch and talk with an expert!