The selection mindset
Don’t choose a portal based on the demo. Choose it based on how well it supports controls, visibility, and day-to-day operations under real cutoffs.
Checklist: questions to ask
- Entitlements: can you separate create/approve/release? How granular are roles?
- Approvals: can you enforce dual approval above thresholds?
- Alerts: do alerts cover user changes, payee changes, and payment releases?
- Reporting: are BAI2, ISO 20022, or APIs available?
- Support: escalation path and after-hours coverage for urgent releases.
Red flags
- Admin users with too much power and no audit trail
- Weak MFA options or limited device controls
- Hard-to-export reporting that forces manual workarounds