In recent years, the focus for client onboarding and client lifecycle management (CLM) has been primarily on meeting regulatory requirements and minimising compliance risks. However, more recently, banks have started to recognise this area as a strategic opportunity that enables them to gain valuable insights on their customers, develop tailored products and solutions, enhance the customer experience and drive new streams of revenue. But leveraging this opportunity requires additional investment in the client onboarding function, in a time when budgets are tight. Below I outline some of the steps that can help secure buy-in for securing investment in this critical area.