Happy Wednesday!
In This Post:
Financial Services Technology 2020: Embracing disruption
Banks May Need Political Help to Survive Big Tech
What’s next for investment in tech?
Digital transformation in credit for commercial and corporate lending
A UK bank is testing a key fob that uses your fingerprint to make payments
Tech investment into Europe is surging — but it’s more than just a hedge for the US-China trade war
Financial Services Technology 2020: Embracing disruption
This recent paper from PwC examines the forces that are disrupting the role, structure, and competitive environment for financial institutions and the markets and societies in which they operate.
The report discusses ten key themes that IT executives will need to address as they begin their strategic planning for 2020 and beyond. These ten themes include: FinTech will drive the new business model; the sharing economy will be embedded in every part of the financial system; and ‘Customer intelligence’ will be the most important predictor of revenue growth and profitability.
Each of these themes is likely to affect financial services companies and their leadership teams in far-reaching ways. And while each may have a disproportionately strong effect on a given geography, customer set or industry segment, they all present opportunities for the thinking executive to get ahead.
Banks May Need Political Help to Survive Big Tech
Today, the big threat for banks is the rapid spread of big tech into financial services. The competitive tool is personal data and the playing field is far from even.
Banks are constrained in what they can do with data, even across business lines. The concern is that banks need to comply with strict regulatory requirements to protect client data. But their industry is being infiltrated by competitors that aren’t necessarily subject to the same rules. Political intervention might be the way forward, if banks are to have a fighting chance.
What’s next for investment in tech?
Domestic political risk is back in a big way as far as investors are concerned. Uncertainty over future regulations – and even which regulatory regime might be expected to apply – makes it harder for equity investors to back earlier-stage disruptive businesses, hence investors in 2020 are likely to focus on businesses with more established platforms and less grandiose ambitions. The status of the UK and London fintech sector as the hottest European fintech start-up scene may be under threat from the likes of Paris if the uncertainty persists.
Digital transformation in credit for commercial and corporate lending
As banks rapidly ramp up their commitment to digital banking, a full‐scale transformation is increasingly becoming a competitive necessity. Credit and lending, which is still in the initial stages of digital, will be at the centre of transformation in the corporate banking sector.
Three key objectives are emerging as necessary “guiding principles” of successful transformation: promoting “ease of doing business”; integrating the corporate ecosystem; and ensuring data integrity.