Soluz.io: “Investing in e-invoicing expected to return tenfold.”

Many companies have their work cut out for them when it comes to invoice flow management. Not to mention the European e-invoicing requirements they must comply with. According to Wim Eraly at KBC and Olivier Smekens at Soluz.io, too few companies are feeling the pressure.

Wim Eraly, Senior General Manager at KBC Commercial Banking, and Olivier Smekens, CEO of Soluz.io, have joined forces in a mission to improve invoice flow management. The 1 January 2026 deadline certainly adds some urgency to their mission. The European requirement for all B2B transactions to be invoiced electronically using a standardised digital format also takes effect in Belgium on 1 January 2026. Too few companies are aware of this deadline, stresses Olivier Smekens, CEO of Soluz.io. “From a recent survey, it emerged that only 8 per cent of companies already have a solution in place, or at least know what solution they will implement”, says Smekens. Spreading the word about e-invoicing is therefore a key priority for Smekens. Wim Eraly is raising the ante on this matter. “2026 may seem far away, but it’s really only another four hundred or so working days to implement a complex transformation.”

Clearly, KBC has been providing services to companies to help them manage their financial flows for much longer, including services that go far beyond lending solutions, for example. “We also offer our customers tooling solutions”, says Eraly. “If a customer needs a quality reporting solution, we refer them to a partner. If a good forecasting tool is what they need, we can help them on our own platform.”
Exploring ways for companies to simplify and digitalise their invoice flows was the logical next step. “We found that many companies could still significantly enhance their efficiency in that area”, says Eraly. In 2019, Soluz.io, a joint venture between KBC and Mechelen-based Arco Information, which had already acquired considerable experience with document management in the social-profit sector, was born from this ambition.
With KBC’s capital contribution and Arco Information’s software code, Soluz.io built and launched its e-invoicing solution, which is now already used by some 280 customers. But for Eraly the time has come to introduce Soluz.io to the market with full force, using KBC’s distribution network.

The chosen timing is no coincidence. The deadline for the digitalisation of all B2B invoice flows is approaching fast, and many companies are yet to grasp the immensity of the challenge. “We’re not talking about e-mailing PDF invoices”, Smekens stresses. “While this is indeed a form of electronic invoicing, from 1 January 2026 these invoices must be issued and sent according to a standardised digital format. The Peppol network will be used through authorised access points for this purpose. This requires financial data to be structured in a way that requires a fundamentally different approach.”

Naturally, Soluz.io is not the only provider of such solutions. Smekens prides himself that his platform can rely on a number of Unique Buying Reasons (UBRs – “I prefer this term to USPs”). An important UBR is data security in an international context. And this is where the power of the joint venture with KBC comes in. “Given the security requirements KBC has to comply with as a bank, including in terms of cybersecurity and KYC (Know Your Customer), I would even say, without hesitation, that we are one of the highest-performing and most secure e-invoicing solution providers out there”, Smekens reiterates.

Because Soluz.io users log in through KBC’s systems, correct processing – and legal validity – is automatically guaranteed. This is when we start to truly experience the synergy of our partnership. The data on the invoice flows – with each customer being able to determine how much and what data they share – allows KBC to offer the highest level of customisation in areas including factoring and other financial products.

But the main strength of the partnership between KBC and Soluz.io is the added stability. “Switching to an e-invoicing platform is not a decision you take lightly”, says Smekens. “Especially in larger companies, it requires a change project and a true culture shift across departments. You certainly don’t want to have to make another huge change again after six months because you took an operational risk by opting to do business with a smaller or unstable player.”

Soluz.io’s core business is to support customers on their digitalisation journey towards a comprehensive, well-structured e-invoicing process. “We will make sure your invoices are ‘PEPPOLised’ in accordance with the rules of all countries involved”, Smekens adds. Digitally and efficiently. This additional complication is not to be underestimated, especially for companies with a high volume of international inbound and outbound invoices. “Although Europe has stipulated that companies must switch to e-invoicing for B2B transactions, all member states still have significant autonomy in deciding exactly which rules to follow. This may lead to differences in data requirements between member states. And this is where Belgian business owners need our help.”

The solution being 100 per cent Belgian seems trivial in this regard. But not to Smekens. “We are proud of our Belgian roots, even though we have attracted some international talents in the meantime”, he says. But this has nothing to do with chauvinism. “It literally means we speak our customers’ language. If an invoice comes back from, say, Portugal – yes, in Portuguese – because it contains an error of some kind, we can immediately translate the information returned to us and ensure the problem is dealt with quickly and efficiently.”
What about companies that worry about the cost of the mandatory switch to e-invoicing? Eraly and Smekens admit that this transition will require an investment. But it all comes down to the payback effect of effective invoice flow management. “I am convinced that this investment will pay itself back tenfold thanks to the optimisation of your invoicing process”, Smekens concludes.