ScalePoint Research · Process map · Cluster

Reconciliation

Matching what should have arrived with what did, and working out why the two differ. Ten processes on the map come down to the same job, from a merchant's card income to an EMI's safeguarding account and a stablecoin firm's on- and off-ramps.

Vendor scan: Next Model test: Next Agent fit: Agent workflow 10 processes · 5 types of firm

The processes in this cluster

Card settlementMerchant
Scheme settlementAcquirer · Issuer
APM settlementMerchant
Cash applicationMerchant
Merchant payoutsPlatform · Acquirer
Split payoutsPlatform
SafeguardingEMI
Nostro accountsEMI · Cross-border
On- and off-rampsStablecoin
Stablecoin reservesStablecoin

The work, step by step

The fit isn't the same at every step. Matching is already done well by rules. The time goes on the breaks left over, and that's where AI helps: one model call to find and value them, then an agent to chase each one to a cause.

StepTodayWith AIFit
01
Collect the records
Settlement files, bank lines and the ledger for the period.
Today
A person downloads files from provider portals, or a scheduled export drops them in.
With AI
An agent fetches them, where the systems can be reached by API. Where they can't, this stays manual.
Agent, where systems allow
02
Match
Pair up the records that agree, by amount, date and reference.
Today
A matching engine, or a spreadsheet at smaller firms.
With AI
Nothing to add. Rules do this well and cost almost nothing per run.
No AI needed
03
Find and value the breaks
Spot every difference left over and put a number on it, ignoring timing differences that will clear.
Today
A person works through the unmatched items.
With AI
One model call over the unmatched items. We test this step: several AI models get the same month of records, and we score how many breaks each one finds and values correctly. See the model test
Single step, tested
04
Investigate and explain
Trace each break to its cause, such as a missing settlement, a fee at the wrong rate or a chargeback debited without a case.
Today
A person looks each break up across two or three systems.
With AI
An agent chases each break through the records until it has a cause, and writes it up.
Agent workflow
05
Adjust or escalate
Post the adjustment, or raise a claim with the provider.
Today
A person drafts and posts the journal, or emails the provider.
With AI
An agent drafts the journal or the claim. A person approves before anything is posted or sent.
Agent-assisted

Step 03 is shaded because it's the one step we test AI models on. The other steps are covered by the vendor scan.

Agent several steps on its own, checked at the end Agent-assisted drafts, a person decides Single step one model call No AI needed rules already do it

Why we rate reconciliation as agent work

Every process on the process map is rated against the same five tests. Reconciliation passes four and partly passes the fifth, which is why it's rated Agent workflow.

Several steps across systemsYes

Each break needs a look in two or three places: the settlement file, the bank line, the ledger and sometimes the contract.

Many similar casesYes

Breaks turn up every day and most fall into a few recurring types: timing, fees, refunds, chargebacks and missing settlements.

A result you can checkYes

The month balances, and every break has a cause and an amount. Either the agent got there or it didn't.

Leftovers that rules missYes

Matching engines clear the easy cases. What's left needs a judgement on the cause, which is where rules stop.

A person signs off before money movesPartly

Adjustments and claims can wait for approval, since little here is real time. The catch is access: many provider portals have no API, so collecting the records may still need a person.

The rating holds across the cluster with two exceptions. Cash application is Agent-assisted, because matching payments to invoices is mostly automated already. Stablecoin reserve checks are a single step: two data sets compared once a period.

Where vendors cover it

For each type of firm in this cluster, which processes vendor products cover today and where the gaps are. Where the gaps sit shows whether buying is realistic. The call for your own business depends on your volumes and systems, and that's what the bespoke work covers.

Type of firmProcessesVendor coverage
MerchantCard settlement, APM settlement, cash applicationComing soon
Platform or marketplaceMerchant payouts, split payoutsComing soon
Acquirer or issuerScheme settlement, merchant payoutsComing soon
EMI or cross-borderSafeguarding, nostro accountsComing soon
Stablecoin or cryptoOn- and off-ramps, stablecoin reservesComing soon

Vendor landscape

Coming soon

The scan covers every vendor selling reconciliation into any of the ten processes: reconciliation platforms, AI-first start-ups, modules in ERP and finance suites, and features built into PSP and acquirer platforms. For each vendor it records which processes and which steps the product covers, and how far its AI goes:

None: no AI in the product.Copilot: the AI suggests, and a person does the work.Agent in production: the AI takes a break from start to finish, from spotting it to proposing the fix, and paying customers already use it.

Each vendor checks its own entry before it's published, and no vendor pays to be included. If you sell reconciliation software and want to be covered, email me at martin@scalepointpartners.com.

Model test

Coming soon

A month of an invented merchant's settlement files, bank lines and ledger in one go. Each model has to find and value every break. Models are scored on money missed and false alarms, against price per run.

How the testing works →

Related clusters

Disputes and claims

Chargebacks debited without a case show up as reconciliation breaks first.

Payment exceptions and tracing

The same investigate-and-explain step, on failed and missing payments.

Statement and contract reading

Fees at the wrong rate are found by reading the statement against the contract. Read the paper →

I can run the same scan and test on your own reconciliation: your files, your volumes and the vendors you're talking to.

Email me