What is the biggest challenge for traditional banks? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 9

From 11:FS. Banks are facing a lot of challenges compared to their fintech rivals. From issues of organisational structure to culture, it's a race against time to adapt and survive.

What are fintechs? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 8

From 11:FS. It's not just a buzzword. Fintechs have changed the landscape of financial services forever but how did they get here and what threat do they pose to traditional banks?

"Most People Have No Idea What Is Coming..." - Charlie Munger's WARNING

Charlie Munger warns investors of what’s ahead for the markets. He says, the trouble that’s coming could be worse and harder to fix than what was experienced during Volcker’s era that ended up with a huge recession. Being a vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and the closest partner (right hand man) of Warren Buffett, Charles T. Munger has a net worth of around $2 billion. He is a profoundly wise man who is absolutely worth listening to, especially when it comes to investing, the psychology of wealthy people, rationality, and life experience.

How has software evolution influenced banking? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 7

From 11:FS. The invention of the computer revolutionised banking in the 1950s. But in the decades since, advances in software have left banks out in the cold. Then, in the 1990s, the Internet changed everything.

How does banking regulation work? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 6

From 11:FS. Regulation is essential. It stops banks from going bust or behaving badly. But how does it work? What are the different types of regulation? Will we ever see a global regulator?

Why is identity important in financial services? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 5

From 11:FS. There are one billion people globally who can't prove their identity. That's a big problem for accessing financial services. Banks need to know your identity for a number of reasons. It helps them to combat money laundering, which they spend £28.7bn on every year. So you know they're not messing around. But why else? What is KYC? And does financial services have an identity problem?

Why Fintechs won't replace traditional banking

There’s been a lot of talk about whether traditional banks can survive the digital revolution. Industry experts have mused about the fate of brick-and-mortar banks as the pandemic fueled a shift toward digital options, but is the assessment that traditional banks are destined to disappear a fair one?

Find out more and read the full article HERE. 

How does lending work? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 4

From 11:FS. Lending has been around for thousands of years and is one of the cornerstones of banking. Although ledgers aren't made out of clay anymore, the principles have largely stayed the same. Curious to know more about lending? We get into how it works and what's in it for the banks.

How do card networks operate? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 3

From 11:FS. Mastercard and Visa are the two biggest credit card networks in the world. But what is a card network? How did they begin? How do they operate?

What are payments rails? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 2

From 11:FS. Ever wanted to know what’s going on behind the scenes every time we make a payment? We break down what a payments rail actually is, the different types, and why achieving real time payments is so difficult.

What Trends Are Going To Transform Business Banking in 2022 and Beyond?

Financial institutions are especially vulnerable to losing small-to-medium sized businesses to fintech entrants.

SMBs have typically been underserved when it comes to tech innovation or new digital services. More than six in ten businesses in this large segment go outside their primary bank for business services such as payments and receivables.

An innovation revolution is roiling business banking just as it has consumer banking.

When it comes to sleek new tech and shiny new digital products and features, much of the innovation has long been focused on the consumer side of banking. Business banking, meanwhile, remains stuck in neutral, saddled with legacy tech and processes, many of which are still largely paper-based.

But banks that can ramp up their game when it comes to business banking services stand a good chance of getting a leg up on competitors and driving revenue. Individuals that use business banking services are, after all, consumers as well, and increasingly they are demanding the same type of innovation they get in their consumer lives from their business banking relationship.

So, what trends are going to transform business banking in 2022 and beyond that?

Find out by reading the report from The Financial Brand HERE. 

Fixing Banking’s Pain Points

"Years ago in a TV commercial for Wittnauer fine watches, a young woman approaches a jewelry counter and says, “I want a Wittnauer.” A dimwitted sales rep insists on showing her other items. She continues murmuring, “I want a Wittnauer.” He doesn’t catch on. Finally she shouts her request: “I want a Wittnauer!” Finally it sinks in, and the sales rep gets the sale… despite doing everything possible to undermine the experience by ignoring even the most obvious buying cues.

Are financial institutions listening any better to the voice of the consumer? Not really.

In a BAI webinar, “Trends In Marketing & Customer Acquisition,” serious questions were raised about banking providers’ ability to give consumers what they want, how they want it, when they want it."

Read the full article on The Financial Brand HERE

How Starbucks Operates Like a Bank While Serving Coffee - WSJ

Starbucks, a $124.4 billion company, trails only McDonald’s as the largest restaurant chain by market capitalization. In this video, WSJ’s Heather Haddon explains how Starbucks used technology to garner its loyal customer base and why mobile orders are shifting the chain’s business priorities.

How to Solve Product Design Questions -The Great PM Interview

Product design (also known as Product sense) is the most common question asked during PM interviews. It should not be confused with the UI-UX or system design challenges. Here, product design is a journey where you explore diverse questions and challenges pertaining to product discovery & development. The journey begins with the search for answers to Why, Who, What, Where, When and How. However, all of these need to be investigated in a limited time frame of 30-45 mins during an interview. Product design problems can be either case studies or open ended questions on technology or physical products.

Discover the ten steps needed to crack the Product Design/ Sense Interview - HERE.

How to Build Blockchain Financial Services Applications

Are you a start-up founder or an enterprise leader with plans to launch a financial services application? You might be wondering whether, and indeed, how to use blockchain for this.

Industry observers highlight the steady growth of blockchain in the financial services market.

A Markets and Markets report states that the FinTech blockchain market will grow from $0.23 billion in 2017 to $6.2882 billion by 2023. The report projects a CAGR of 75.9% during the 2018-2023 period.

You are no doubt wondering how to build blockchain financial services applications?  Find out how, HERE.

 

Neobanking: Pros, Cons, and How to use them Efficiently for your Business

 

Neobank is a term for banks that exist only in digital form, as an app, web app, or other software solution, and doesn’t have any physical branches. It can work in several jurisdictions and is usually not limited to a single country or region.

In 2020, the number of e-commerce transactions made with digital or mobile wallets reached roughly 45 percent and by 2024 this number is expected to be over 50 percent. 

What does it have to do with neobanks or EMIs? Read the full article HERE.

Digital Services that Changed the Face of Banking

The convenience and speed of digital banking services are at a point of no return. Here’s a look at some innovations in fintech and banking that make our money lives easier. 

Banks have always been at the forefront of the digitization revolution. Internet banking became a reality as early as the 1990s. Mobile banking was possible by the early 2000s. The last two decades have seen several digital innovations that have made banking more accessible to customers. Fintech apps and platforms have just added to the convenience of customers.

The COVID pandemic has given a push to the banking ecosystem to rapidly embrace digitization. We take a look at the digital technologies that have transformed the way we bank.

Read the full article HERE.

 

The Fed Plans to Taper. Here’s What That Means

The Federal Reserve says it will accelerate the wind-down of its bond-buying program, the biggest step the central bank has taken in reversing its pandemic-era stimulus. Here’s how tapering works, and why it sends markets on edge.

Watch Crypto expert explain the Blockchain to Congress

At a congressional hearing on crytpocurrency, Bitfury CEO Brian Brooks explains the blockchain and how it plays an integral role in Web 3.0.

 

Marc Winitz, CMO at Rapyd, on the fast-paced payments industry

On this week's episode of Spotlight Mariette Ferreira is joined by Marc Winitz - CMO at payments fintech Rapyd. The pair dive into Marc's career, his role at Rapyd and what the team there are working on, before taking a look at the wider payments industry - one of the most exciting areas of financial services.