The banking and payments industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation owing to ever changing consumer expectations. The rapid technological developments in the areas of banking and payments that aim to offer seamless experience to consumers are now becoming even more vital for industry participants as competitors leverage new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and embedded finance as they compete to stay relevant and grow in the market. In the last three years alone, there have been over 92,000 patents filed and granted in the banking industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in Banking: automated invoicing.  Buy the report here.

However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity. 

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have. 

60+ innovations will shape the banking industry 

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the banking industry using innovation intensity models built on over 195,000 patents, there are 60+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry. 

Within the emerging innovation stage, AI-assisted OCR is a disruptive technology that is in the early stage of application and should be tracked closely. Transaction splitting, automated payment card scanning, and automated clearing houses are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas is the metadata extraction for payments, which is now well established in the industry.  

Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the banking industry

Automated invoicing is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence 

Automated invoicing involves raising of invoices automatically at a specified time and date. Merchants raise an online invoice that allows their customers to check the purchase invoice and make online payment. 

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established banking companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of automated invoicing. 

Key players in automated invoicing – a disruptive innovation in the banking industry   

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators. 

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’. 

Patent volumes related to automated invoicing

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Nant Holdings Ip 210 Unlock Company Profile
Memjet Technology 92 Unlock Company Profile
Givewith 80 Unlock Company Profile
Trax Technology Solutions 36 Unlock Company Profile
American Express 36 Unlock Company Profile
Huawei Investment & Holding 28 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 26 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
Lyst 6 Unlock Company Profile
Audible Magic 6 Unlock Company Profile
Thales 5 Unlock Company Profile
Apple 5 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Nant is one of the leading patent filers in the automated invoicing space. The company has a patent filed on a solution that captures the digital image of an object and the data is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object. The objects to be detected and identified may be three-dimensional objects or two-dimensional images such as paper. Some other key patent filers in this space include Memjet Technology, Givewith, Trax Technology Solutions, and American Express

In terms of application diversity, Memjet Technology leads the pack. Thales and Huawei Investment & Holding stand in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Sony Group holds the top position, followed by Lyst and Givewith. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the banking industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Banking. 

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.