Interim accounting reinforcement: absorbing a multi-entity banking migration

At the end of 2024, French companies were already paying their suppliers 13.6 days late on average, according to the Banque de France. Add a bank switchover on ten accounts and a new ERP, and this figure can quickly climb. A transitional accounting reinforcement exists precisely to avoid this.

Contents

• A multi-entity banking migration, an invisible burden for a small team
• Why a change of ERP and bank puts an accounting team under pressure
• What this reinforcement

brings in concrete terms

• An international events group switches ten bank accounts in the middle of an ERP

migration

• WAYDEN, accounting and finance interim managers ready to intervene quickly
• Frequently asked

questions

• Sources

 

A multi-entity banking migration, an invisible burden for a small team

Switching a corporate bank account seems trivial from a distance. Put ten of them, divided between a holding company and an operational subsidiary, and the calculation changes completely.

Each account requires reconfiguring access, re-notifying suppliers and resynchronising direct debits. Nothing should be lost in the process. At the same time, salaries must fall on time and cash flow must remain legible day after day.

In an accounting team of two people, this burden is added to an already full daily life. This is not a project that is dealt with between two fences. It is a project in its own right, with its own schedule and risks.

Data from the Banque de France on the cash flow of SMEs and mid-caps confirm this: companies are now holding higher levels of cash than before the health crisis. A real safety net, provided that bank reconciliations remain reliable during the changeover.

 

Why a change of ERP and bank puts an accounting team under pressure

The real trap is not the bank migration alone, nor the change of ERP alone. It is the conjunction of the two that transforms a manageable workload into a lasting overload.

An ERP project redefines the way entries are generated, how invoices are approached, how cash flow reports are built. During the changeover phase, habits no longer work, and the new automations are not yet reliable.

A profession already under pressure

This double shift rarely comes at the right time. The accounting profession is going through a period of lasting pressure on the workforce. An article published by Daf-Mag mentions nearly 30,000 positions to be filled in the accounting and financial sector over the period 2025-2026. Two-thirds of financial firms and services say they are experiencing recruitment difficulties.

A small team cannot absorb a peak in workload by recruiting in a hurry. It would require a senior profile, already trained in the company, its new ERP and its new bank. The integration time alone would often exceed the duration of the project.

 

The concrete risk: late payment

The real danger is silent error. A supplier transfer to the old account, a late bank reconciliation, a poorly migrated entry that distorts cash flow. According to the Banque de France, late payments already weigh on the cash flow of SMEs and microenterprises for around 15 billion euros per year. A poorly controlled bank changeover adds this risk to an already tense team.

 

What this reinforcement brings in concrete terms

This type of profile does not come to observe or audit. He comes to produce, alongside the team in place, from the first days of his mission.

In concrete terms, his scope covers several aspects:

• The daily security of bank reconciliations on all accounts being migrated.

• Direct coordination with the banks concerned to set the changeover dates on an account-by-account basis.

• Monitoring supplier payments and payroll, so that no deadlines slip during the transition.

• Checking the flows migrated to the new ERP, before discrepancies accumulate

.

• Transferring the method to the permanent team, so that they can keep control once the mission is over.

This last point is particularly important. A good interim manager does not try to make the team dependent on his presence. He structures simple, documented procedures, which the two accountants in place can take over without him.

 

International Events Group Switches Ten Bank Accounts in the Midst of ERP Migration

Let’s take a representative example of the type of situation that WAYDEN regularly supports. An international events group had to migrate a dozen bank accounts. These accounts were divided between its French operating entity and its holding company, which is in the midst of deploying a new group ERP.

The two-person general accounting department was already managing the month-end closing, declarations and ongoing follow-up. Adding a multi-entity bank switchover and a technical migration at the same time was beyond its actual capacity.

WAYDEN presented an interim manager capable of intervening without acclimatization delay. Her mission: to directly strengthen the team in place and secure the bank changeover account by account. It was also necessary to guarantee that supplier payments, salaries and reconciliations continue to run smoothly.

The result is less a spectacular figure than an absence of incidents. No disruption in payments, a migration completed. The team was able to focus on its business rather than on crisis management.

 

WAYDEN, accounting and finance interim managers ready to intervene quickly

Faced with a double shift between ERP and banking, the factor that matters most is the speed of implementation. A reinforcement that arrives three months after the start of the construction site is no longer of much use.

WAYDEN relies on a pool of more than 8,000 qualified executives and managers. The accounting and finance profiles generally have fifteen to twenty-five years of operational experience, and the firm presents candidates within 48 to 72 hours.

The firm deploys its interim managers in less than a week. This period is designed for situations where every day of delay weighs on the cash flow. Each mission is monitored by an associate director, from the initial scoping to the final balance sheet, with more than 100 missions carried out each year across all sectors.

For this type of reinforcement, WAYDEN generally mobilizes a profile from its interim CFO division, experienced in multi-entity environments. The firm also regularly supports transition projects related to financial information systems. Changing ERP or redesigning treasury, the principle remains the same.

 

Frequently asked questions about the transition accounting reinforcement

What is a transitional accounting reinforcement?

It is an experienced manager, assigned for a defined period, who joins an existing accounting team to absorb an exceptional peak in load. A bank migration or a change of ERP are typical examples, without waiting for the deadlines of a traditional recruitment.

How long does an accounting back-up assignment take during a bank migration?

The duration depends on the scope of the project, the number of entities and accounts concerned, and the complexity of the ERP deployed. It is generally based on the duration of the changeover project, until the flows are completely stabilized.

How does an interim manager fit into an existing accounting team?

He joins the existing team without taking the hierarchical direction when this is not the purpose of the mission. His role is to produce, support the accountants in post and document the procedures so that the team remains autonomous after his departure.

What risks limits an accounting reinforcement during a change of ERP and bank?

Above all, it reduces the risk of silent errors: transfer to the wrong account, late bank reconciliation, incorrectly migrated entry. These errors, which are difficult to spot in times of overload, can have a direct effect on cash flow and on relations with suppliers.

Sources

• Banque de France, “The annual report of the Observatory of Payment Periods calls for continued vigilance”, published on 11 July 2025: average late payment of 13.6 days at the end of 2024 and an estimated impact of €15 billion per year on the cash flow of SMEs and micro-enterprises.

• Banque de France, “The financial situation of SMEs and mid-caps”, published in July-August 2025: cash levels of SMEs and mid-caps higher than the pre-Covid period in 2024.

• Daf-Mag, “How to automate your accounting: the CFO guide to freeing up your teams in 2026”, published on 22 May 2026: around 30,000 positions to be filled in accounting and finance over 2025-2026, two-thirds of structures having difficulty recruiting.

• vif Talent, “Financial and accounting profiles: a worrying shortage for companies in 2025”, published on February 12, 2025: nearly 30% of chartered accountants will retire in the next ten years.
• Le Monde du Chiffre, “ERP migration: understanding the challenges and guaranteeing success”, published on December 10, 2025: aging systems generate high maintenance costs and hours of manual reprocessing for accounting teams.