Bottomline Technologies has gone live with a secure, real-time solution for sending and receiving invoices electronically via the global SWIFT network.

E-invoicing presents a significant opportunity for banks and their corporate customers to streamline paper-laden processes and reduce costs while increasing visibility into the financial supply chain.

UK-based Bottomline customer Spirax Sarco is leveraging Bottomline's SWIFT Access Service to exchange e-invoices via SWIFT with a Finnish customer. Bottomline claims is the first time that the SWIFT network has been used for the automated exchange of invoices between buyer and supplier through their service providers.

Unlike using SWIFT for payments, with the right service provider and banking partnerships, corporates who are not SWIFT members can leverage SWIFT's new e-invoicing standards and network.

"Bottomline is uniquely positioned to facilitate e-invoicing," said Eric Campbell, CTO.
"This implementation demonstrates how collaboration between banks, their customers and industry providers can create true cross-border invoicing solutions utilising standards supported by SWIFT, creating a win for all contributing parties."