While the use of websites and mobile apps for managing financial services has been steadily growing for some time, the global pandemic created an unprecedented need for digital or “branchless” banking solutions at scale. Now, branchless banking has fully come of age, and more and more customers are demanding that their banks provide them with…
Today’s customers have come to expect highly personalized experiences from organizations they interact with online, especially the banking institutions they work with to manage their money. However, many established regional banks and credit unions are still operating with legacy technology systems that simply can’t meet customer needs without a radical (and costly) overhaul. In fact,…
As financial institutions shift their focus from business continuity back to growth in a post-pandemic world, they must firm up defenses even further in order to keep fraudsters at bay. According to the 2021 Identity Fraud Study by Javelin Strategy & Research report, identity fraud cost U.S residents a total of about $56 billion in 2020…
In simple terms, a cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual form of payment that can be exchanged online for goods and services. Bitcoin and Dogecoin are two of the most widely known cryptocurrencies in existence today, and both have seen their share of news coverage and fluctuations in value in the first half of 2021.…
Based on brand value, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon – or FAMGA for short – are among the most valuable companies in the world. Each is a leading provider of their respective core offerings, yet these days all of them are laser-focused on expanding their presence in the digital payments business. It makes sense…
Buy Now, Pay Later – The Modern Way to Do Layaway The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) industry is a booming business. If you are unfamiliar with the term, or don’t fully understand the concept, think of it as a modern take on the layaway model that rose to popularity during the Great Depression, but…
Introduction IT will be rightly focused on integration following any M&A program, but there are other considerations, notably regulation and what regulators demand of financial services companies. This falls into business resilience, including skills and security, and the management of fintechs – the likely takeover targets. Valuations One of the more surprising effects of the…
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has shown the benefits of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in detail, as large incumbents eye competitors, nimble entrants, and fintech companies as potential targets. Business synergies will presumably be clear, but the IT synergies that underly them need to be assessed in detail. Due diligence is the key to…
One of the consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown was the sudden shift away from traditional modes of financial services, notably the branch, to internet-based services. Whether the end user is a trader, an analyst, an actuary, a business owner, or a consumer, they will have been affected by these changes. These changes are likely to…