Digital transformation, flow automation, and strategic risk vision: this was the path taken by Banco Inter alongside Linkana to revolutionize its supplier qualification and certification process in Brazil and the United States. The result? An integrated, secure, and efficient journey that strengthened governance, reduced risks, and boosted the productivity of the purchasing area.

In this article, you'll see how this strategic partnership created a cutting-edge supplier management model with a direct impact on ESG, compliance, and innovation.

The challenge: scale procurement without compromising governance

With the accelerated growth of the volume of bids – about 100 new suppliers per month – Banco Inter faced a complex scenario:

• Decentralized and poorly traceable processes

• Multiple disconnected systems and excessive email interaction

• Low risk visibility during the purchase cycle

• Delay in certification and risk of data inconsistency

The transformation needed to happen without increasing the verification lead time. The goal was clear: automate and integrate the entire supplier certification flow, from the beginning of the bid to the creation of the final registration, with governance, security, and intelligence.

The solution: total integration with Linkana as the certification hub

The project began in August 2024, with Go Live at the beginning of 2025, and had Linkana as the central pillar of the operation. The platform was integrated with several strategic systems:

• Coupa (BID, SIM and Risk Aware): automation of qualification, registration updates, and creation of risk dashboards.

• Microsoft Azure: corporate login with secure authentication.

• Internal AML engine: enrichment of risk analysis via Banco Inter's proprietary database.

Furthermore, Linkana became the only qualification interface for the certifying teams, concentrating analyses, reports, and validations in a single tool.

Results: more productivity, more security, more visibility

Since Go Live, the benefits have been immediate and significant:

🔄 Integrated and centralized processes

Each area accesses the system specific to its function: buyers use Coupa, certifiers work directly on Linkana. The integration is smooth, without friction.

📈 Increase in productivity

Over 300 certifications completed in just 3 months, eliminating manual errors and reducing the SLA for analysis.

🔍 Structured risk vision

Creation of a customized risk panel in Coupa, with automatic feeds provided by Linkana. The buyer now has immediate access to indicators such as:

• Financial risk

• Labor risk

• Information security

• ESG rating

• Detrimental media

• Related parties

🔐 Strengthened governance and compliance

Processes are 100% auditable, with total traceability and automated data validation, reducing fraud and increasing trust.

♻️ Sustainability and ESG impact

The digitization of the process reduced paper, commuting, and response time, directly contributing to a reduction in carbon footprint. Additionally, Linkana's platform allows for mapping and expanding the diversity of the supplier base.

ROI and expansion: a strategy that pays off and scales

The transformation wasn't just qualitative: the project achieved a 21.8% ROI, with a productivity gain of 4 hours per process, simply in the time saved by buyers.

And the journey is just beginning. Among the next steps already mapped are:

• Integration with Serasa Score 2.0, strengthening financial analysis.

• Adjustments and expansions in the Coupa-Linkana integrations, improving data extraction and processing.

• Automation of decisions based on Risk Score, eliminating manual analysis in low-risk cases.

• Study of integration with new Coupa modules, expanding access to data intelligence.

Innovation and governance that inspire

This project marked a milestone in how large companies can approach supplier management with intelligence, technology, and responsibility.

Linkana not only delivered cutting-edge technology — it was a strategic partner in building a new process, working directly with Banco Inter's Procurement, Compliance, Security, and Privacy teams. The synergy between teams and the robustness of the solutions were essential for success.

Moreover, the model created served as a reference for other Linkana clients, demonstrating the platform's scalability and adaptability in complex and highly regulated projects.

Conclusion: technology, risk, and ESG in practice

The Banco Inter + Linkana case is proof that it is possible to automate, scale, and innovate in purchasing processes without sacrificing governance and responsibility.

By transforming the supplier certification journey, the project strengthened critical pillars such as compliance, risk, ESG, productivity, and digitization — and positioned Banco Inter as a reference in supplier management in the financial sector.

And the best part: with Linkana as a strategic ally throughout the journey.

If you are looking for a real transformation in your supplier qualification process, with security, efficiency, and risk vision, find out what Linkana can do for your company.