The Challenge
Kuda is a fast-growing digital banking group. In Q1 2025, the neobank processed over 300 million transactions worth ₦14.3 trillion. As the organisation scaled, its email- and Slack-based SaaS governance model began to show strain.
On paper, the approval matrix clearly defined the chain of responsibility: department head → division head → finance → legal → InfoSec. In practice, enforcing it was difficult:
- Approvals weren’t tidy. Requests moved through inboxes, email threads, Slack messages, and ad-hoc calls. It was possible to miss stakeholders and hard to confirm that all approvals had been obtained.
- Contracts were scattered. Agreements, order forms, and amendments were stored across multiple shared drives and systems, requiring manual effort to find the correct version.
- Security reviews were repeated. Without a central record, new owners often couldn’t tell whether InfoSec had already assessed a SaaS, so reviews were repeated from scratch.
- Duplicate vendors grew. Negotiations sometimes overlapped because there was no consistent framework to check for existing suppliers.
As Kuda’s headcount and footprint expanded, the team needed a single source of truth for SaaS: a place to see contracts, approval history, risk reviews, and commercial terms, and to respond quickly to regulatory information requests.
“When you reach a certain scale, emails and Slack don’t cut it anymore. You need proper systems for approvals and governance that provide a complete record of the process.”
The Solution
Kuda chose Omnea as the structured “front door” for SaaS onboarding and renewals, bringing finance, legal, and InfoSec into a single workflow.
Co-designing the workflows
Kuda worked closely with Omnea to map the real approval journey from request to signature. Extensive internal testing and role-plays ensured edge cases were caught, and training materials prepared stakeholders to use the new workflow confidently from day one.
“We co-designed the workflows with Omnea and spent time testing them with role-plays, with finance acting as supplier, legal, InfoSec, and requester. This meant we caught edge cases and launched with a robust workflow.”
Request and division head approval
Department teams initiate requests directly in Omnea. Each request first goes to the relevant division head, who ensures it fits within budget and aligns with priorities. This preserves business ownership while ensuring finance only sees validated requests.
Finance review and commercial negotiation
Finance verifies budgets and purpose. Omnea’s intake questions guide better decisions by checking for alternative quotes, overlaps with existing SaaS, and concrete use cases.
“You can buy the best dishwasher with 12 buttons, but if you only ever use one, what’s the point? Omnea helps us bring that mindset to SaaS.”
Embedded InfoSec checks with smart routing
Omnea automatically triggers proportional InfoSec assessments, skipping checks for vendors previously assessed.
Legal review and DocuSign execution
Once finance and InfoSec approve, vendors submit commercial terms, legal entity details, and order forms within Omnea. Legal reviews documents in context, capturing amendments and comments. Finalised agreements flow to DocuSign for signature and sync back into Omnea, creating a complete, auditable history for each vendor.
The Result
Kuda’s team is already seeing clear differences compared with the old, email-driven approach.
A single source of truth for SaaS governance
- No more untidy approvals; all requests, comments, and decisions are captured in Omnea.
- Contracts are easy to locate alongside each vendor’s approval history.
- Historical context is preserved, allowing new team members to see how relationships evolved.
“We wanted this to stop being personal, not stuck in someone’s email or Slack. Now, even if half the company left, whoever comes in can easily see what was agreed with each vendor.”
Stronger governance at scale
- Every request follows a consistent approval path: division heads → finance → legal → InfoSec.
- Reviews are traceable and repeatable.
- Regulatory and audit requests can be fulfilled instantly, rather than spending hours updating spreadsheets and chasing approvals.
Productivity and cultural shift
- Requesters are prompted to consider cost, necessity, and overlap.
- Finance can challenge submissions more effectively without blocking important tools.
- Legal and InfoSec receive clearer, more complete submissions, reducing back-and-forth.
More success stories
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Supporting description if you need to talk about it more.
Kuda
With Omnea, Kuda moved SaaS onboarding and renewals out of email and Slack into a structured, auditable workflow, with all contracts stored alongside their approval history and risk reviews.
Uluç Yurtal
Group Financial Controller
Industry
Digital Banking
Company Size
700+
Location
Nigeria, UK, Canada, South Africa, Europe
Challenge
Life before Omnea
What problems needed solving?
Kuda is a fast-growing digital banking group. In Q1 2025, the neobank processed over 300 million transactions worth ₦14.3 trillion. As the organisation scaled, its email- and Slack-based SaaS governance model began to show strain.
On paper, the approval matrix clearly defined the chain of responsibility: department head → division head → finance → legal → InfoSec. In practice, enforcing it was difficult:
- Approvals weren’t tidy. Requests moved through inboxes, email threads, Slack messages, and ad-hoc calls. It was possible to miss stakeholders and hard to confirm that all approvals had been obtained.
- Contracts were scattered. Agreements, order forms, and amendments were stored across multiple shared drives and systems, requiring manual effort to find the correct version.
- Security reviews were repeated. Without a central record, new owners often couldn’t tell whether InfoSec had already assessed a SaaS, so reviews were repeated from scratch.
- Duplicate vendors grew. Negotiations sometimes overlapped because there was no consistent framework to check for existing suppliers.
As Kuda’s headcount and footprint expanded, the team needed a single source of truth for SaaS: a place to see contracts, approval history, risk reviews, and commercial terms, and to respond quickly to regulatory information requests.
“When you reach a certain scale, emails and Slack don’t cut it anymore. You need proper systems for approvals and governance that provide a complete record of the process.”
Solution
Omnea solved their problems fast
How did Omnea help?
Kuda chose Omnea as the structured “front door” for SaaS onboarding and renewals, bringing finance, legal, and InfoSec into a single workflow.
Co-designing the workflows
Kuda worked closely with Omnea to map the real approval journey from request to signature. Extensive internal testing and role-plays ensured edge cases were caught, and training materials prepared stakeholders to use the new workflow confidently from day one.
“We co-designed the workflows with Omnea and spent time testing them with role-plays, with finance acting as supplier, legal, InfoSec, and requester. This meant we caught edge cases and launched with a robust workflow.”
Request and division head approval
Department teams initiate requests directly in Omnea. Each request first goes to the relevant division head, who ensures it fits within budget and aligns with priorities. This preserves business ownership while ensuring finance only sees validated requests.
Finance review and commercial negotiation
Finance verifies budgets and purpose. Omnea’s intake questions guide better decisions by checking for alternative quotes, overlaps with existing SaaS, and concrete use cases.
“You can buy the best dishwasher with 12 buttons, but if you only ever use one, what’s the point? Omnea helps us bring that mindset to SaaS.”
Embedded InfoSec checks with smart routing
Omnea automatically triggers proportional InfoSec assessments, skipping checks for vendors previously assessed.
Legal review and DocuSign execution
Once finance and InfoSec approve, vendors submit commercial terms, legal entity details, and order forms within Omnea. Legal reviews documents in context, capturing amendments and comments. Finalised agreements flow to DocuSign for signature and sync back into Omnea, creating a complete, auditable history for each vendor.
Outcome
The result
What were the business impacts?
Kuda’s team is already seeing clear differences compared with the old, email-driven approach.
A single source of truth for SaaS governance
- No more untidy approvals; all requests, comments, and decisions are captured in Omnea.
- Contracts are easy to locate alongside each vendor’s approval history.
- Historical context is preserved, allowing new team members to see how relationships evolved.
“We wanted this to stop being personal, not stuck in someone’s email or Slack. Now, even if half the company left, whoever comes in can easily see what was agreed with each vendor.”
Stronger governance at scale
- Every request follows a consistent approval path: division heads → finance → legal → InfoSec.
- Reviews are traceable and repeatable.
- Regulatory and audit requests can be fulfilled instantly, rather than spending hours updating spreadsheets and chasing approvals.
Productivity and cultural shift
- Requesters are prompted to consider cost, necessity, and overlap.
- Finance can challenge submissions more effectively without blocking important tools.
- Legal and InfoSec receive clearer, more complete submissions, reducing back-and-forth.
More success stories
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