EXCLUSIVE – The two fundamental keys to most challenges #retail #banks and payment companies face on the #innovation front are personalization and efficiency, according to Alberto Corvo, a founding partner at #fintech focused investment firm #Motive Partners. To help banks find these solutions, Corvo’s Motive Partners, along with Allied Irish Bank, Bradesco, Emirates NBD, Royal […]
Bank Innovation
EXCLUSIVE- Bank of America has quietly shuttered its #free #checking account, now requiring #customers to keep a certain minimum balance in their #accounts, or set up direct deposit of at least $ 250, to avoid a $ 12 monthly fee, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The #banks’s eBanking customers, all of which were switched into accounts […]
Bank Innovation
The American square #dance evolved from 16th-century English folk dances, in which the dancers are prompted or cued through a sequence of dance steps by a caller to the beat of the music. The caller is typically on a stage beside the musicians, giving full attention to directing the dancers.
Payments stakeholders in Europe are gearing up for #Open #Banking, a new type of square dance where they are answering the regulatory compliance calls of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). If they pick the right partners and are skilled enough in the dance, then they’ll stick around long enough to benefit from the new value being created. But if they are not careful, they risk falling over their own feet. #Banks need partners in this new dance and some of the most important are retail #merchants.
PSD2 allows consumers to grant merchants access to their bank accounts for direct payments, rather than using a credit or debit card. By using bank-to-bank payments, merchants can clear and capture funds faster and significantly reduce—if not eliminate—the fees they pay for card and processor interchange services. The British Retail Consortium estimates that merchants in the UK alone could save £650 million per year1, thanks to the PSD2-required Interchange Fee regulation. Innovative application programming interfaces (APIs) will play an important role in enabling retailers to deliver faster, more personalised shopping experiences at a lower cost.
Smart banks will view merchants as attractive dance partners—and will help them optimise Open Banking to reap benefits and grow their business—despite it cannibalising existing bank revenue streams. If banks sit on the sidelines, then the merchants will undoubtedly find other partners.
For example, banks can offer APIs that give merchants access to the bank’s capabilities. A recent Accenture online #pulse #survey of 50 payment executives within the European retail industry indicates that most plan to implement PSD2-related APIs over the next two years. Only nine percent of the retailers who are familiar with PSD2 do not have any immediate plans to do so; 63 percent of them cited slow customer adoption as the main reason. Most of the retailers we polled would consider embedding bank account balance displays, payment initiation, and bank account transaction history APIs into their point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Considering high levels of consumer confidence in banks handing their data and transactions, banks are in a strong position to take on and dominate the new role of registered account information service providers (AISPs). In that role, banks can aggregate their massive amounts of customer transaction data (that is approved by regulation and authorised by consumers) to isolate and identify spending patterns based on age, region, store location, and so forth. (Think Nedbank Market EdgeTM) Merchants will value and pay for such insight to gain a better understanding of their market and to tailor their offers. Seventy-four percent of retailers familiar with PSD2 say that access to better consumer information is most important to their organisation, followed by API-initiated payments (53%), fraud reduction (53%) and the ability to generate offers at the POS based on insight from bank account data (51%). As AISPs, banks can serve as financial advisors to both merchants and their shoppers to monetise their data.
Like the AISP role, banks are well positioned to serve as PISPs, initiating direct payments to merchants on behalf of their customers. Seventy-six percent of consumers we surveyed are likely to choose traditional banks as their PISP over third-party PISPs. Merchants are also likely to choose to partner with PISP banks to accelerate the bypassing of card networks for online payments, improve their merchant service fee structure, and gain access to ancillary services. Over the next three years, 65 percent of European merchants plan to use a third party to provide AISP or payment initiation service provider (PISP) services. In operating a PISP service, a bank would have the opportunity to capture an additional slice of transaction revenue while also providing opportunities for customer loyalty schemes and cross-selling. Accenture estimates PISP services could account for up to 16 percent of online retail payments by 2020. It’s an opportunity for banks to help merchants deliver more seamless shopping while also protecting their own relationships with customers, and avoiding being cut out of the value chain by merchants and other non-bank players.
Whether collaborating in promenade or do-si-do style, banks and merchants can perform a variety of Open Banking dance moves to strategically lead the migration away from card payments. Banks can become “the dance caller,” giving full attention to directing the migration towards new revenue models and market relevance. Those who sit with their arms crossed on the sidelines are unlikely to be part of the long-run future of the industry.
I invite you to share your thoughts on the near-term dance partnership between banks, merchants and consumers.
[i] Currencycloud.com, “How Will EU Interchange Caps Affect the Industry?, February 27, 2016. https://www.currencycloud.com/en-us/news/blog/how-will-eu-interchange-caps-affect-the-industry/
The post Pulse survey results suggest banks should ask merchants to the Open Banking dance appeared first on Accenture Banking Blog.
This post marks the beginning of my career as an Accenture blogger. I’m looking forward to communicating with you in 2018 and beyond and to commenting on developments in the #banking industry in Europe. I joined Accenture late last year as head of the banking practice in Europe. I am an industry veteran with extensive experience both as a consultant and as a banker.
This is an enormously exciting time to be working in the banking industry, particularly in Europe. There is #massive change taking place on many fronts:
As Accenture has noted, most banks in Europe have been vertically integrated, covering all aspects of the value chain from origination to servicing. The universal bank concept is well-established, with the retail sector more stable in recent years than the commercial and investment banking side. Within Europe, there has been more regulation, but regulatory barriers to entry have enabled intra-industry competition. While regulation has deterred cross-industry threats from retailers, telecoms and consumer tech giants, it has also fostered a wide variety of institutions, including private, mutual and cooperative banks.
This is all about to change. The combination of competitive disruption and regulatory actions like PSD2 in Europe and the Open Banking initiative in the UK is forcing banks to open up faster than other industries while maintaining the security that is part of their DNA. Before too long, bank customers will be able to share access to their financial data with non-bank third parties, and third parties will be able to integrate their services with those of a bank to create a better banking experience while keeping client data secure.
#European banks are facing many other challenges, including continuing low levels of profitability and the need to formulate and execute digital strategies. Digital strategies, in turn, call for a new look at how people are selected, trained and motivated as banks shift from product-driven to customer- and people-driven organizations.
I will be writing about these and other topics in the months to come, particularly as they pertain to Accenture’s own vision and its view of banking strategy, #technology and operations. I welcome your comments and questions, and look forward to a lively exchange of ideas.
The post Confronting massive changes in European banking appeared first on Accenture Banking Blog.
EXCLUSIVE— While #mobile banking usage appears to be steadily increasing, some #banks are getting better at it than others. Bank of America, which reported its fourth quarter earnings for 2017 today, stated that the bank now has 24.2 million mobile active banking users, up 2% from 23.6 million last quarter and up a respectable 12% […]
Bank Innovation
Financial #technology (#fintech) firms have been disrupting the financial landscape through innovative products and efficient operations. That disruption is now entering the realm of operating models, as leading #fintechs recently initiated efforts to #become #banks. SoFi1 and Square2 applied for Industrial Loan Company charters in June 2017 and September 2017, respectively. SoFi since withdrew its application, citing recent leadership transition as the primary reason3. Varo applied for a National Bank Charter in July 20174. Others may pursue Special Purpose National Bank Charters, should they become available. Achieving such charter status could increase fintechs’ ability to gain market share and would place them in direct competition with legacy providers. The decision on the applications—whether yay or nay—is likely to have significant implications for the future of the financial services industry.
The U.S. financial services industry is highly regulated. Bank charters are required for membership in the U.S. Federal Reserve System and to engage in a breadth of banking services, including accepting customer deposits. While fintechs offer a myriad of financial products and services, none have yet to obtain national banking status. This limits their ability to quickly expand nationwide and hold and lend against deposits. Fintechs typically rely, instead, on bank partnerships or state-by-state banking licenses to grow their businesses.
1. Bank partnerships—sometimes referred to as a “rent-a-charter” model—allow fintechs to leverage three key assets of their bank partner:
In return, the partner bank gains fees or revenue sharing value generated by the fintech.
2. State-by-state bank licenses allow fintechs to obtain bank charters for the specific states in which they operate. While often helpful for small and new start-ups, established fintechs with national operations often find that differences in individual state laws limit their profitability and agility. State-by-state strategies can be costly and complex and, as such, typically serve as backup plans to the rent-a-charter model.
While fintechs, so far, have relied primarily on these two options to grow business, the array of viable options may be expanding.
Industrial Loan Company (ILCs) charters enable non-financial institutions to establish a bank to engage in lending and other specific banking activities. ILCs have two important distinctions: ILCs may be owned by a commercial company; and ILCs are exempt from the Bank Holding Act and are not subject to supervision or regulation by the Federal Reserve.
ILCs have been around for over a century, and are commonly used by automakers such as GM, Toyota, BMW and others to support their in-house financing activities. However, ILCs have fallen out of favor since Wal-Mart’s 2005 ILC application. An ILC would have enabled Wal-Mart to process its stores’ electronic check, debit card and credit card transactions, eliminating its cost of paying a third-party financial institution to perform these services6. Many large banks pushed back, claiming that an ILC would unfairly advantage Wal-Mart by allowing it to offer financial services without comprehensive regulatory oversight. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) implemented a statutory moratorium on ILC applications for commercial companies while it evaluated Wal-Mart’s application, which the retailer withdrew in 2007. The FDIC’s moratorium was followed by a Dodd-Frank imposed moratorium that lasted until 2013. At this point, no ILC applications have been approved in over a decade.
The FDIC recently eased the capital requirements for ILC applicants to encourage new participants. Fintechs are testing the waters. An approval on their applications could re-open ILCs as an attractive, viable alternative to bank partnerships. It would enable fintechs to operate commercial businesses, make loans and accept deposits.
The other option available to fintechs is to apply for a National Bank Charter directly. Under this charter, a bank is not subject to individual state usury laws in exchange for consolidated regulation. While a National Bank Charter would allow a fintech to operate more easily across the country, it comes with significant regulatory burdens (outlined in the Bank Holding Act), which would likely constrain broader commercial activities. As such, most fintechs have chosen not to pursue this path. Varo Money is a recent exception.
Recognizing that modern innovation may warrant a different type of charter for non-banks offering alternative financial solutions, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced in 2015 that it was exploring a Special Purpose National Bank Charter for fintechs. Although still under review, recent proposals indicate that it will differ from a National Banking Charter by specifying which banking services fintechs may offer (for example, make loans but not accept deposits) and suspending the requirement for charter holders to comply with the Community Reinvestment Act or the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Proponents of this charter view it as a responsible way to bring fintechs under the broader regulatory umbrella; opponents argue that the charter would unfairly advantage fintechs over regulated financial institutions. Whether the OCC will eventually offer Special Purpose Charters—and whether fintechs will apply for them—remains to be seen.
Regulators have understandably struggled to keep pace with the evolving landscape of innovative financial services products and providers. Recent activities by the OCC and FDIC (for example, exploration of the Special Purpose Charter and easing of capital requirements for ILCs) suggest that regulators have a vested interest in ensuring that all banking activities fall under regulatory supervision. With this shift in sentiment, an approval of an ILC applicant (e.g., Square) in particular could very well encourage other commercial companies such as Amazon or Google to consider similar paths for their financial services. All eyes will be on the OCC and FDIC as these applications undergo the review process.
[1]TechCrunch, “Sofi applies to be a bank,” June 12, 2017. https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/12/sofi-applies-to-be-a-bank/
[2]TechCrunch, “Square will apply for an industrial loan company license this week, September 6, 2017. https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/06/square-will-apply-for-an-industrial-loan-company-license-this-week/
[3]LendEdu, “SoFi Withdraws Industrial Loan Charter Application, Cites Leadership Changes,” October 18, 2017. https://lendedu.com/news/sofi-withdraws-industrial-loan-charter-application-cites-leadership-changes
[4]BusinessWire, “Varo Bank, N.A. Applies for a National Bank Charter,” July 25, 2017. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170725005537/en/Varo-Bank-N.A.-Applies-National-Bank-Charter
[5]Interest Rate Exportation refers to the way a bank will use its National Bank Charter to “export” the interest rate cap of its headquarter state, and therefore, potentially lend at higher rates than individual state caps.
[6]CNN Money, “Wal-Mart withdraws industrial banking push, March 16, 2007. http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/16/news/companies/walmart/index.htm
The post Might fintechs become banks? appeared first on Accenture Banking Blog.
EXCLUSIVE – After more than two years of planning, #Payments Services Directive II or #PSD2 finally arrived in Europe on Saturday. The #regulation has been dubbed as one of the more substantial regulatory changes of its kind in Europe. While many traditional #banks and FIs might not be thrilled #about having to open their APIs […]
Bank Innovation
Big #banks say they want to invest in #fintech. But which are the ones actually putting their money on it? Well according to a report by CB Insights, of the ten bulge bracket banks, that would be Goldman Sachs. Based on the new report by CB Insights, which looked at top bulge bracket budget banks, […]
Bank Innovation
EXCLUSIVE – Major European #payments #regulation, #PSD2 is set to go live tomorrow in #Europe. #Banks across the European Union have been preparing for the revised Payment Service Directive or PSD2 since it was first passed in 2015 by the Council of the European Union. The main objective of this new regulation is to level […]
Bank Innovation
EXCLUSIVE—With mobile #banking services offered at the majority of financial institutions, innovating the #digital space is becoming more important in the #fintech ecosystem, especially for smaller players like regional #banks or credit unions. So, how can these smaller institutions move their digital platforms #beyond the simplest (and expected) mobile banking service? “First off, we need […]
Bank Innovation
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