In contrast to other gambling conferences, ICE London seeks to forge a connection between the offline sector and the online ‘iGaming’ sphere. The attendee list and event's floor reflect this amalgamation, with major brands from both land-based and online casinos showcasing their products alongside one another.
Organisers describe ICE as ‘the entire gambling ecosystem in one place’, referring to how not only casinos, but affiliates, payment solution providers, software developers and marketers are also represented. The jam-packed three-day event gives a good overview of the trends and topics shaping the multi-billion dollar industry. Here are a few themes at this year’s ICE which give us strong indications of what to expect for the future of gambling.
Blockchain Solutions
The relationship between cryptocurrencies and online gambling is a natural one; both crypto-technology and iGaming stem from digital innovation, and both concern varying degrees of risky investment. As more online players wish to preserve their privacy, cryptocurrencies present themselves as a practical alternative to traditional payment methods. FinTech companies offering integration of crypto-payment solutions to online casino platforms will be making their rounds at ICE, networking with those interested in the prospect of committing to the still burgeoning world of blockchain technology.
Facial Recognition Software
There are a number of focus points specifically for the land-based casino sector, as evidenced by this year’s exhibitions at ICE. One such technology which is peaking the interest of many attendees is that of AI facial recognition for land-based gambling establishment. The technology is developed to heighten security, strengthen statistics, and improve player experience. One provider of facial recognition is Fincore, a company which is demonstrating the benefits of monitoring player behaviour through assigning IDs to faces.
The suggestion is that this technology will allow casinos to more efficiently identify valuable players, problem gamblers, and trouble makers. “The Facial Recognition system uses the latest developments in Data Science (AI) to create a more easily managed and personalised offering,” says the B2B Commercial Director Jamie Maskey. Monitoring individual players with facial recognition will help casinos personalise VIP offerings and share information on cheaters and problem gamblers with other casinos.
Customer Verification Solutions
The importance of complying to KYC (Know Your Customer) particularly in the gambling industry can not be understated, and at this year’s ICE there will be a few FinTech companies showcasing their KYC solutions. One such company is Safened, a FCA-licensed payment institution that claims to make customer verification process faster, simpler, and more thorough. With so many regulated brands looking for cost-effective means of complying to KYC in light of the 4th EU Anti Money Laundering Directive and GDPR, it’s clear to see why these solutions are proving a hot topic at ICE. “We believe that the cascading of checks is an effective way to form a holistic view on a client and in the process to filter out fraudsters. There is a lot of activity in the digital KYC space, but what sets us apart is the fact that we are a regulated financial institution that can offer an end-to-end solution”, says Kirk Gunning, CCO of Safened.
Content Marketing
For online casinos, the increasing trend of outsourcing marketing and content services is evident by the growing number of creative agencies present at ICE. “Many online casinos that have traditionally relied entirely on affiliates are realising the value of increasing the degree to which they invest in their own marketing”, explains Lucy Jacobs from PlayFrank UK. “Stricter marketing regulation means online casinos want to retain control over their own advertising for 100% compliance, but it’s also a matter of realising how important a brand’s own content marketing is for a sustainable online presence and long-term brand awareness.” Offered by the many agencies at ICE are branding services, content writing, translation and localization and SEO. A number of discussion panels will also be held with regards to the topic of marketing gambling products.
Game Providers
Major casino game providers will, as usual, be present at ICE - including the biggest names in the industry such as NetEnt, Play’N’Go and QuickSpin. However, this year also marks the debut of some smaller but fast emerging providers. Red Tiger Gaming Limited is a relatively young name but is making waves at ICE where the developers are showcasing their unique Daily Jackpot games. Online casinos are continuously looking to strengthen their game portfolio and will be keeping a close eye on the next big providers in the industry.
Esports
Although esports betting has not yet exploded quite as exponentially as some have predicted, many existing sportsbooks believe there simply been a failure to seize the market. As such, a lot of networking is focused on bringing esports expertise together in developing a successful esports betting product. An ICE workshop held on the 6th of February will look at the potential of esports in relation to the gambling industry, focusing on an esports market overview, forecast and valuation. With the global esports market currently valued at $493 million, it seems that there are plenty of opportunities in this sphere. What sportsbooks have realised is that there are unique challenges of establishing a brand within the esports community - a community rather unlike the fanbase of traditional sports. It is these perceived challenges that the workshop intends to tackle.
Affiliate Programs
A record number of gambling affiliates have led to a need for more - and better - platform management tools than ever before. From casino operator's perspective, affiliate management tools have become increasingly important in keeping track of various partnerships and their costs. The London Affiliate Conference (LAC) will be held right after ICE so that those offering and seeking affiliate deals can attend both conferences. A panel talk will initiate discussion on how to organise affiliate programs and find appropriate partners, as well as how to offer better deals as an affiliate name in an increasingly competitive field.
There are 8,500 operators and 150 countries in attendance at this year’s ICE - most likely beating the record of last year's 3,000 attendees. Though the full scope of ICE’s impact on the gambling industry is better understood in the context of an annual overview, there’s no doubt that this year’s conference will be pivotal in helping shape and reflect the discussions central to the gambling industry and its future.
Fortunately, Viktoria Ruubel, Chief Product Officer at IPF Digital, is here to help you stay ahead of the curve, looking forward to 2019 and the top trends that will dominate the industry over the coming year.
Mobile banking has been around for barely five years, but now it is ubiquitous. In the next five years, 72% of the UK population is expected to be banking via their phones. Paper money is dated – new transactional experiences define our daily spending, with contactless cards sharing a crowded market with mobile tech like tap-and-pay.
2018 saw millennials flocking to digital wallet providers like Monzo and Revolut. In 2019, this sort of tech will go mainstream, with a wider range of providers and services, all targeting improved customer experience, financial inclusion, and digital service.
The global payments industry processed over $1bn per day in 2017. In Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where traditional institutions shied away from investing, fintech firms have plugged the gap in the market.
The restrictions enforced by old-fashioned lenders have catalyzed the development of mobile banking. Mobile payments enabled by technology grant financial inclusion to users who wouldn’t meet the criteria for traditional banks
Smartphone adoption lies behind the accessibility of mobile banking – with a smartphone and internet access you can be part of the financial system without a bank account. More people than ever can contribute to the movement of money around the world, resulting in more opportunities for individuals to improve their financial situations, and for business to leverage credit for growth.
In 2019, fintech companies will recognize the massive markets that await outside of the traditional financial ecosystem.
Open Banking has won over its early sceptics and now has a strong place in the market, driven by the adoption of PSD2 regulation, new strategic partnerships, and increased customer expectations. 2019 will see open API reach maturity, with new products, customer experiences, business models, and opportunities created along the way.
Stripe, Mint, N26 – these are just some of the players using open API to offer products to both banked and unbanked segments. Meanwhile companies like Alipay and WeChat are building exciting new infrastructure which could drive the financial services revolution globally.
The rapid advances in AI-enabled customer intelligence will drive the great leap forward in the 2019 financial industry, notably consumer lending. Chatbots and virtual assistants grew in popularity over the last two years, and consumers are increasingly comfortable using them to request information. Advances in voice tech mean that virtual assistants could soon submit loan applications on your behalf with a vocal signature.
Meanwhile, digital devices and pay for each other, to each other. Lending will become ‘real-time’ and AI learning will allow credit products to be personalized to each customer’s behavior.
For example, AI technology could analyse customer spending, and then suggest saving plans, helping consumers budget and borrow more sustainably. AI would then remind customers when they might need to borrow, how much to borrow and the schedule they should follow for repayments.
In developed global markets with high levels of smartphone use, biometrics are the next big step for financial services, in 2019 and the medium term as well. Biometrics will soon be integral to verification processes and payments - mobile banking apps already allow users to log in and pay with facial recognition, voice recognition and fingerprints.
The more financial institutions rely on digital, the more data security becomes a concern. Biometric technology one solution, maintaining the transactional security crucial to any sound financial environment.
In fact, according to a Capgemini report, digital laggards in the financial services industry are in danger of losing up to 35% of their total market share to digital pure-plays. So, from upgrading ATMs to give them iPad-esq interfaces, to making mortgage applications possible from a smartphone, we have seen a mass of new innovations from the traditional banks this year.
But this hasn’t been an easy process. While some financial institutions have been slow to adapt, others have attempted such a myriad of new innovations that they’ve been at risk of trying to achieve too much change at once. Below Matt Phillips, VP, Head of Financial Services, Diebold Nixdorf UK/I, provides several reasons 2019 is set to be the year financial institutions focus on what really matters.
In 2019 we’ll see a new approach. This will be the year when financial institutions hone their technological direction. Many will pick one key area to focus on, and they’ll do it really well. Here’s a look at why, and what else is in store for the industry in 2019…
In Africa, the want for cryptocurrency is growing, and according to Iggi Vargas at Paxful, this could affect the wider markets.
The interest in bitcoin has continued to grow at a rapid pace. Exchanges are reporting that a lot of Africans, especially millennials, are taking over the platforms.
The term “Cheetah generation” was coined by Ghanaian economist and author George Ayittey. It refers to the young and hungry generation of African graduates and professionals. This is the generation that is trying to change the status quo for the better.
“The Cheetahs do not look for excuses for government failure by wailing over the legacies of the slave trade, Western colonialism, imperialism, the World Bank or an unjust international economic system… To the Cheetahs, this ‘colonialism-imperialism” paradigm, in which every African problem is analyzed, is obsolete and kaput. Unencumbered by the old shibboleths, Cheetahs can analyze issues with remarkable clarity and objectivity.” (Ayittey, 2010)
The Cheetahs offer the people of Africa a new way of thinking. Ayittey says that their outlooks and perspectives are “refreshingly different” from past African leaders, intellectuals, and/or elites.
Ayittey compares them to what he calls the “Hippo generation”. This refers to the generation before the Cheetahs.
“ [The Hippo generation] lacks vision - hippos are near-sighted - and sit tight in their air-conditioned government offices, comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems.” (Ayittey, 2010)
According to Ayittey, the Hippos are the ones that “are lazily stuck complaining about colonialism, yet not doing anything to change the status quo.”
With that being said, how does the Cheetah generation translate to the Africans’ new-found passion for crypto?
When it comes to cryptocurrency, Africa is a shining star. This is because of one major factor: peer-to-peer finance. Africans have joined the peer-to-peer revolution. It is doing wonders not only for their economy but also their culture. The Cheetahs seem to be embracing this as a good number of African millennials have been joining peer-to-peer marketplaces. This is important for many reasons.
First, it shows that peer-to-peer platforms have an amazing reach. Africa does not have, by any means, cutting-edge technology but they find a way to make a living off of cryptocurrency. Being able to send money around the world without the bank’s high fees are a big deal. Whether it be to a sibling halfway around the world or to your neighbor, being able to send money anywhere is an advantage for Africans.
Second, it shows that peer-to-peer platforms are easy to use. Many non-users will find bitcoin intimidating at first and give up on learning. This shows not only that everyone can use peer-to-peer platforms, but also that it's easy to learn if you’re willing.
Third, it shows that the underbanked aren’t a lost cause. With Africa being so underbanked, bitcoin serves multiple purposes for them. It serves as both a way to hold your money and a way to send out money.
Fourth, it shows that everyone has the power to take control of their own finances. Some Africans actually make a living by trading cryptocurrency, and you can too.
Lastly, it shows that a revolution is in the works; a peer-to-peer revolution. The benefits of peer-to-peer exchanges are being seen all over Africa. The idea of fast transactions and innovation flawlessly aligns with the Cheetah Generation. Clearly cryptocurrency and peer-to-peer finance are the right tools for the new generation of Africans to get ahead and prosper. But it doesn’t just have to be Africa. All over the world, peer-to-peer platforms are showing significant amounts of growth. They are also becoming a popular method to buy bitcoin.
It seems like we can learn a lot from the Cheetah generation, including how to make money with bitcoin. If they can have the right set of mind, the world can follow suit. The drive of these young prodigies is something to look up to. They have the attitude that can conquer and inspire the world. Taking control over your own finances is a big deal, and it seems the Cheetahs have figured it out. The peer-to-peer revolution is here and it’s time to get in on it.
As an enabler for increased competition and customer choice, open banking is transforming the banking sector for consumers, challenger banks, FinTechs and traditional players alike. The UK’s version of the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2), open banking is forcing UK banks to open their data sets via secure application programming interfaces (APIs), resulting in them re-positioning their services away from being one-stop shops for financial products, to open platforms, where consumers can embrace a more modular approach to banking by allowing third parties to access their financial data directly.
As we enter the second full year of an open banking environment, Kevin Day, CEO of HPD Software, the asset based lending and factoring software platform, discusses the opportunities and challenges that the sector is likely to face in 2019.
Rapid and significant innovation in financial services to grow the market considerably
Open banking’s data sharing rules are aimed at developing new technologies and innovation, which have been advancing at a rapid pace, and which is expected to continue, resulting in increased competition between banking providers and FinTechs. The open API data, which includes account aggregation, improved financial management, credit scoring thin-file customers and integrated lending and accounting platforms allows companies to create bespoke products and target potential customers in a completely new way.
Through such innovation, customers will be able to quickly compare accounts, helping them to understand where to find the most suitable products. Financial management meanwhile could now be offered by an array of financial service providers, from established banks to charities, in a move that encourages customers to shift from traditional ‘under one roof’ banking services to specific, individualised services that are suitable for their personal financial situation. The potential revenue opportunity across a range of SME and retail customer propositions is estimated by PwC to be £2.3bn at the end of 2018, of which £1.8bn could be cannibalised by existing or new players in the market, with the remaining £0.5bn representing new revenue opportunities. Based on forecasts for adoption across the same markets over the next four years, PwC expects incremental revenue will total £1.3bn, where £5.9bn is ‘revenue at risk’.
A lack of homogenous technical standards may make operating processes susceptible to corruption and companies need to be clear on how they will safeguard their data against fraudulent activity.
Enhanced industry collaboration
Another considerable advantage of open banking is the enhanced industry collaboration that will result from data sharing as providers, traditional banks and FinTech companies will between them be able to offer something that the other cannot. With so many players in the financial services industry, the formation of partnerships between banks and their FinTech competitors will result in increased choice for customers, and will help both players to survive and expand their services in a rapidly evolving industry. Any new products formed through such forward-thinking partnerships will likely see the benefits at both ends of the spectrum.
Traditional customer platforms are going to change
Open banking will enable a new league of consumer profiling that will require minimum effort to find the most relevant information on products and services across the industry that are tailored to their individual needs and history. From personalised investment solutions to retail overdraft decoupling, the shift in data optimisation will become the new normal, altering the way traditional price comparison platforms operate. This movement won’t stop there: bank account and transaction data can provide an opportunity to collaborate across different sectors where retailers, utility providers and tech companies can function together on aggregated data platforms.
Access to consumer data increases responsibility around security
The opportunities created by initiatives such as open banking, which have the potential to transform the industry, of course come with responsibilities, and one of the major challenges will be around managing risks related to security. A lack of homogenous technical standards may make operating processes susceptible to corruption and companies need to be clear on how they will safeguard their data against fraudulent activity. Any major data breach is likely to negatively impact retail customer uptake – many consumers consider their financial data more personal than their medical information. With complex chains of data access, both banks and FinTechs must also consider the obstacles associated with responsibility for any security breaches, and ensure that their software is able to identify, predict and react to risks or breaches in good time.
By bringing third-party providers into the banking system, there is a considerably increased risk of scammers gaining access to customer information.
Liability becomes an issue
By bringing third-party providers into the banking system, there is a considerably increased risk of scammers gaining access to customer information and the finance provider will be liable, unless there is evidence of fraud or negligence. With both banks and FinTechs alike facing increased security threats, without proper legal clarification, it’s inevitable that finance providers will do what is necessary to push liability on third parties.
Open banking is still a relatively new initiative
A lack of awareness and education around the capabilities of open banking will be its greatest challenge in the short term. Finance providers will need to convince customers of the benefits of sharing their data in the first instance, and as yet, banks are not marketing open banking, which directly impacts the ability for it to innovate and provide new propositions.
While the corporate sector and SMEs in particular seem far more willing to embrace open banking, consumer review body Which?, has found that 92% of consumers had never even heard of the initiative. As such, banks and FinTechs need to embark on a considerable education programme for consumers to better understand the benefits of open banking and how it can help them take control of, and better manage their finances, from monitoring spending to making better savings and investment decisions.
For finance providers in the Asset Based Finance space, there are opportunities to leverage efficiencies from open banking, in particular in the area of cash processing with the potential for virtual bank accounts to streamline cash reconciliation. There are also value added services that can be offered to SMEs to assist them with other aspects of running their businesses. Finance providers will need to have an open mind and be prepared to collaborate with FinTechs and other technology providers.
Once banks have stronger propositions to offer their customers, they will become more vocal and the lack of awareness will gradually cease to be an issue. For the financial services industry and new entrants alike, it is important that all parties embark upon this education programme with the proper systems in place for proper levels of monitoring, security and scalability to ensure a success of the industry.
Website: https://www.hpdlendscape.com/
These challenges have been widely overlooked to date and businesses have been left to cope with these cashflow difficulties themselves, with minimal support made available from banks or other financial services. Zoe Newman, Head of Partnerships at Capital on Tap, explains below.
Fintech enterprises have begun to recognise the need for a solution here and are helping to innovate trade credit through new partnerships and co-branded trade card products. This innovative and automated trade credit solution enables wholesalers to better support their customers by issuing them with co-branded trade cards which provide instant credit with which to fund business purchases.
For many independent retailers, short-term cash flow issues are a familiar experience which will have had a significant impact on their business and impeded their ability to buy goods. Typically for independent retailers or restaurants, this experience often involves a cycle of not being paid by clients and customers and, as such, not being able to afford to purchase goods from wholesalers. Often, when looking for an alternative solution, many will turn to short-term loans, the majority of which have high-interest rates which make them unsustainable economic solutions, with the perils outweighing any perceived benefits. Needless to say, this cycle is detrimental not only to these retailers but also to the independent wholesalers who are reliant on them for business.
For many independent retailers, short-term cash flow issues are a familiar experience which will have had a significant impact on their business and impeded their ability to buy goods.
However, the new partnerships between fintechs and wholesalers are providing a much-needed solution to this problem and offering SMEs access to trade credit for business purchases without the strings of many short-term alternatives. The co-branded cards also give customers a sense of security should they come into any unforeseen costs and doesn’t restrict them to only spending with the wholesale partner.
By partnering with a fintech finance specialist, wholesalers are able to help SMEs access funding which will allow them to grow their organisation and take advantage of business opportunities, while also encouraging more sales with them. This scheme is a far cry from many bank-issued credit cards or short-term loans, as not only does this give their customers more freedom and flexibility, but it also removes some of the costs and burdens associated with the high-interest short-term loans that many will have had to resort to previously.
Through these partnerships, wholesalers are also set to benefit. This is in part due to it increasing their customers’ spending potential with them. Additionally, thanks to the branded nature of the cards issued, customers are reminded of the wholesaler every time they take out their wallet or use the card, providing valuable exposure for the brands.
Ultimately, these partnerships are a welcome development for many SMEs who are finding that banks are not providing sustainable or suitable funding options for their businesses. For many of these businesses, the sums and terms on offer to them do not fit their needs and meeting the strict repayment fees can be difficult due to the peaks and troughs in their trading periods. In addition, it can take several weeks for these businesses to be approved bank-backed funding, while many fintech partnerships guarantee a decision and access to funds within hours or days. It is the hope that this will remove the reliance some businesses have on short-term loans, which have historically allowed instant credit but with high-risk terms and extreme interest rates. As such, many SMEs will see the advent of partnerships between fintechs and independent wholesalers as offering a much-needed solution to these problems.
For many of these businesses, the sums and terms on offer to them do not fit their needs and meeting the strict repayment fees can be difficult due to the peaks and troughs in their trading periods.
At Capital on Tap, we have developed a number of relationships with independent businesses and wholesalers, such as JJ Food Services, to help these businesses overcome many of these issues. The partnerships between fintechs and independent wholesalers are enabling these businesses to inspire increased customer-loyalty and customer satisfaction by recognising a need in their customers and providing a viable solution. The initiative also means that these businesses are no longer just wholesalers, but they are also service providers - adding a new string to their bow.
Three quarters (75%) of UK small businesses have been rejected by banks when trying to access funding, according to independent research commissioned by Capital on Tap.
The research discovered that access to funding was especially difficult among smaller and micro businesses. Over two fifths (43%) of sole traders have had funding requests rejected while 44% of organisations with 10-49 staff experienced the same fate.
The study also revealed that almost half (48%) of UK small businesses have been left waiting for more than two weeks to receive a funding decision from banks, while more than a quarter of firms (27%) have had funding requests rejected outright.
David Luck, CEO and founder at FinTech Capital on Tap, said: “It’s clear that banks are denying small businesses the chance to fulfil their growth opportunities. Typically, smaller businesses have limited access to credit so the importance of having a facility that can provide a quick cash injection to invest in equipment or make the most of a busy trading period is essential to stability and future growth.”
The research also revealed that there is a strong diversity in the types of credit that businesses are looking to secure. The most popular funding application was for term loans (51%) with overdrafts (28%) and business credit cards (19%) also being very popular options. Out of those companies that had sought funding in the past five years, the majority (35%) had been looking to secure relatively modest amounts of funding, generally under £5,000.
“What we see from the study is that businesses are generally looking for small, flexible credit facilities, whether at times of need or opportunity. This is exactly where banks struggle to service the millions of SMEs in the UK as they are geared for consumers or large corporate clients. The next generation of entrepreneurs expect the flexibility and quick service from banks that they can attain in their personal lives, which includes easy access to funding. We are seeing the success of alternative lenders in the UK because there is a clear demand for this type of fast, transparent service.”
(Source: Capital on Tap)
Gold has long been known as a store of value to help investors weather turbulent financial markets. Below, Shaun Djie, Co-Founder and COO of Digix, explains why digital gold is a forward moving solution for everyone.
In recent years, it has also become far easier for the average individual to buy and sell gold. There are online bullion dealers and high-street shops selling gold, as well as exchange-traded funds for gold, which are effectively investment funds that track the price of gold.
However, while it’s now easier to purchase, the spread between what individuals pay for this asset and what dealers sell it for can be very big. This is especially true for small denominations of gold. Exchange traded funds overcome many of the associated complications of investing in gold but they tend to be more expensive than physical gold because of the inclusion of brokerage and management fees.
But for those interested in investing in gold and getting a better deal for it, the good news is an alternative to owning physical gold and relying on ETFs is emerging – thanks to blockchain technology.
Understanding blockchain’s potential
Blockchains are shared digital ledgers that record every transaction ever made on them. So physical assets like gold can be divided and represented by tokens, and blockchain technology can keep track of the ownership of those tokens.
Gold has become one of the first real-world assets to be tokenised and freely traded on the blockchain. With this comes a level of divisibility that hasn’t been seen before. Emerging gold ownership and trading protocols can ensure that tokens are minted on a proportional basis – so, for example, one token is equivalent to one gram of a physical gold held in a secure vault.
In some systems, the delivered gold is subject to verifications at the point of deposit into the vault, as well as at quarterly reviews by independent auditors. Hence, there should never be more tokens created than the total weight of physical gold bullion backing them.
Simplicity and liquidity
In this way, gold-backed tokens not only bring divisibility but also an easy, reliable and secure way to own and trade gold. Liquidity would increase, which would be good news for current gold investors and any prospective investors who may have been put off by an inability to access small denominations or by the fees that ETFs charge.
For existing investors, more profits from gold can end up in their pocket too. Buying a gram of gold through leading smart asset companies on the Ethereum blockchain costs under US$40, where as the retail price for a 1g bar hovers around the US$77 mark.
That’s because, by removing the physical and administrative costs of creating 1g gold bars, tokenised gold can get as close to the the spot price of gold than any method – regardless of the size of purchase.
Stability that investors can rely on
While these benefits will sound appealing to many investors, some may point to the historical volatility of cryptocurrencies as a sign that they won’t appeal to gold investors’ needs. It’s certainly true that the huge speculative bubble in virtual currencies has led to immense volatility.
However, gold-backed tokens are totally different to existing cryptocurrencies because of the bridge they have to the real world asset. To build confidence in crypto markets, gold-backed tokens are needed. They can also diversify portfolios and be used as collateral for lending and other financial products.
For existing investors, gold forming a central part of the crypto economy would be beneficial, pushing up the demand for the metal even further. These investors have always been able to see the value of their investment in this asset. However, through the tokenisation of physical gold, they can benefit from the liquidity, divisibility and security of these digital assets just as much as entirely new investors can.
Artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Cloud are no longer just buzzwords as enterprises globally are embracing all types of next-gen technology to drive significant business transformations. Blockchain, a more recent addition to the roster, fits within the same technology bracket and is poised to become a major disruptive force across all industries. However, despite emerging applications across supply-chain logistics, healthcare and FinTech that are promising ‘game-changing’ solutions leveraging the technology, to date, very few companies have been able to tap into the complete potential of blockchain.
The Growth of FinTech
Thanks to the rapid global proliferation of the Internet and coming of age of tech-savvy millennials, the marriage of technology and financial institutions has expanded from simple credit card and ATM transactions to online money transfers and payments. In fact, the FinTech industry has already staked its claim in adapting emerging technologies such as wireless payments and AI-enabled chatbots.
Leveraging these next-gen technologies to complete traditional financial transactions, such as money transfers and loan applications has resulted in many consumers looking to deal with FinTechs over traditional banks. Their ability to promptly, securely and successfully complete transactions have helped build customer trust over time. With the continued improvement in security and privacy measures backed by new technologies such as blockchain, the ‘trust quotient’ in the financial services industry is bound to rise manifold. Looking ahead, 77% of financial institutions are expected to adopt blockchain by 2020, according to PwC’s 2017 Global FinTech Report.
What is Blockchain?
Oftentimes incorrectly used interchangeably with the term Bitcoin, blockchain is actually a distributed ledger that is capable of maintaining an ever-growing list of records. Although it resembles a spreadsheet like Excel, there are certain unique features that set blockchain apart from traditional databases:
• Decentralised: Blockchain promotes a decentralised system where data is distributed across several servers. Its lack of a single authority makes the system fair and more secure.
• Immutable: Blockchain is a tamper-free environment. It has immutable and irreversible records that do not permit changes once a ‘block’ is written. Only new records can be written.
These key benefits make blockchain a vital tool in building trust between businesses and customers, which is especially critical in the financial services industry, by providing access to accurate data from retail banking to investment banking to insurance.
How Blockchain Helps Build Trust
In the digital era, the rate at which consumers adopt next-gen technology is among the top growth metrics for the FinTech industry; however, FinTechs face big challenges in generating trust among consumers. This is where blockchain comes into the picture. In a complete shift from how traditional banks operate - where customers have little to no insights into their banks’ operations and processes, blockchain maintains its data in a centralised repository. This shifts the ‘power’ into the hands of the consumer, effectively cutting out intermediaries and ensuring complete transparency in all transactions.
Blockchain provides companies with access to a decentralised network where they can share information in a secure environment that guarantees unalterable data transfers and ensures an agreement of obligations from both parties when processing a transaction. In addition, it simplifies financial services, such as money transfers, loan applications, and mobile payments, something that every customer yearns for in terms of augmenting their overall experience.
Ensuring the accurate authentication and authorisation of every customer and transaction is another big challenge for FinTechs when it comes to establishing trust. Blockchain technology makes these functions, as well as identity management, a lot simpler and more convenient by enabling users to choose the mode of identity and with whom they want to share it while registering. The information is then stored on a secure decentralised network, with user-only access to alter it. This helps FinTech companies save on paperwork and data servers.
Blockchain Applications in FinTech
Cross-Border Payments
Cross-border money transfers can be expensive and slow due to complex procedures. Blockchain technology is able to simplify, speed up, and make cross-border payments less expensive. Peer-to-peer transactions cut out the ‘middlemen’, resulting in faster and less expensive transactions. In fact, blockchain also helps lower the remittance costs on the total transfer amount from about 20% to a mere 3%.
Smart Contracts
Smart Contracts are arguably one of the most promising applications of blockchain in the FinTech industry. They are nothing but computer programs developed to verify or enforce agreements. These contractual clauses are either partially or fully self-executing or self-enforcing. Smart Contracts using blockchain help in recording information on a shared ledger, making it an unquestionable digital proof, thus empowering everyone from regulators to individual artists and authors with strong security features, a lowered risk of internal hacking, and the prevention of plagiarism of work by intermediaries.
Share Trading
Share trading involves several third parties, such as brokers and the stock exchange. This makes the clearing and settlement process time-consuming and cumbersome with multiple stages and bureaucracy to navigate that can take up to three working days to complete. The decentralised nature of blockchain technology, however, helps remove the unnecessary intermediaries and optimise the whole lifecycle of the trade by enhancing trade accuracy, speeding up the settlement process, and reducing risks.
Trade Financing
Trade financing – financial activities related to commerce and international trade – involves lots of tedious paperwork and bureaucracy, making the process highly time-consuming and risky. Blockchain-based trade financing helps overcome these bottlenecks, streamlining the process. It eliminates the need for participants to maintain a personal database of documents as well as the risk of an error in one document being duplicated to its copies by creating a single digital document that contains all the necessary information. Blockchain also supports real-time updating of the document, which ensures all members have access to the most up-to-date information at all times.
Happily Ever After: FinTechs and Blockchain
In today’s increasingly digitised world, there is a growing need for a bridge between new technologies and financial institutions in order for the industry to meet the demands of consumers who want a convenient yet safe and secure way to complete their financial transactions. Blockchain has the ability to build that bridge and FinTechs leveraging this new technology will reap the rewards of an exponentially increasing customer base.
With the support of a trusted service delivery partner with experienced customer service agents who can knowledgeably address questions and concerns about blockchain, these new FinTech kids on the financial block are poised to take on traditional banks.
About Neeraj Sabharwal
Neeraj Sabharwal, Director of Cloud and Big Data Solutions at Xavient Digital - powered by TELUS International, has more than 15 years of experience in the next-gen technology industry, helping customers derive incremental value from their data. He is a true data enthusiast and enjoys writing his popular blog and regularly contributes to articles as a member of the Forbes Tech Council.
About Xavient Digital - powered by TELUS International
Xavient Digital is a US-based provider of digital IT solutions and software services, headquartered in California with offices throughout the United States and an international network of delivery centers. Xavient Digital leverages its global footprint to deploy the best talent, time to market and cost optimisation benefits for its customers. Xavient Digital’s corecompetencies are in digital transformation stacks and full lifecycle IT services across telecom, media, BFSI and consumer technology verticals.
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Trust, context, the story, the relationship; these and many more are the strategy picks of today’s challenger banks, and the weapons of choice in today’s battle for the high street consumer. Below Finance Monthly hears from Yelena Gaufman, strategy partner at Fold7, who explores the current banking landscape and the increasing dominance of social good.
There is an undeniable disruption currently occurring in the world of banking. Innovative and cost-effective fintech and 'neobank' startups such as Revolut, Monzo, Tandem, Starling and Monese, are offering a fresh spin on an old formula and winning customers across the UK and beyond as a result. These are digital-first banking brands boasting features borne from bold, utility-first strategies and, more recently, a drive towards social good, and it's predominantly these features that have won them such good press and such good custom.
There is still a catch, though. This disruption might be well-documented, but it's not a foregone conclusion. Even if they are the “banks of the future,” these challenger banks could still learn a thing or two from their brick’n’mortar forebears when it comes to building trust, and they should start by asking one simple question: What is it that makes a person commit to one brand over another? Something so powerful it can transcend convenience and commodity? Emotional connection.
These challenger brands might offer a convenient, forward-thinking service, and they certainly represent significant value, but they often struggle to communicate their value proposition to consumers, particularly outside their traditional audience of urbanite early adopters. They also might offer a compelling vision of a different kind of banking, but what they really need to develop if they want to sow the seeds of genuine, lasting displacement, is an emotional connection with consumers.
A foundation of trust
The most obvious hurdle facing our fresh-faced fintech brands is the legacy and authority established by the incumbents. Consumers are far more likely to place their trust in the hands of an institution with a proven history, especially when it comes to parting with their hard earned bucks.
Building trust takes time, of course. But fresh-faced fintech brands do have a pair of aces up their sleeves. They are still figuring out what they want to be, and, perhaps more pertinently, whom they want to be trusted by. The clay is still wet, and willing to be mold into a prism through which all future brand decisions can be made and understood. When building their brands, however, and forging an emotional bond with their consumer, they should take two things into serious consideration:-
Growth, storytelling and worth
In order for new banking and fintech brands to truly demonstrate their worth, a compelling brand story and a brand purpose is an absolute necessity. It all starts with understanding the context of what you're offering and how it plays into the lives of your intended audience. Being a feature-led, innovative company is great, but what is it that defines your work beside it being new and convenient?
Making a brand feel like it's actually worth something is no mean feat though. One way of doing this is to underline the role that your brand's innovations can fulfil in our daily lives, effectively tying the business and its services together with a wider sense of purpose. This is a method ably demonstrated by one of our recent campaigns for Gumtree.
Aptly titled “Turning Points,” the campaign visualises, in a very bold and unique way, how the app can help users to seize opportunity from change. We see a young couple moving through various stages of their life together, with Gumtree a facilitator of the natural changes that affect a lot of us at “that stage in our lives.” The app is used to swap a bike for a crib and then that crib for a bunk bed, before the crib is finally shown being sold on to another young couple, ready to begin their own adventure. It's a snappy, visually striking idea that reinforces the power of using familiar emotions to bridge a brand to its potential customers.
We currently sit at an intriguing juncture in banking for both disruptors and incumbents, with the industry forcing older brands to think about how they operate and vice versa. If the startups of today can organically forge and nourish emotional relationships with their customers and build lasting legacies of their own, the banking landscape of the near future could look very different indeed.
What are really the concerns, risks or benefits of incoming Brexit changes? Below Finance Monthly hears from Todd Latham, CMO & Head of Product, Currencycloud, who explains what’s truly rocking the fintech sector.
Am I the only one who has had enough of all the “Brexit is coming; the UK is doomed” headlines dominating the news?
The truth is, no one can really know what impact Brexit will have. Combine this uncertainty with the fast pace of modern business, and you might be tempted to throw your ten year plans out of the window.
Should businesses really be worried? Or are there, in fact, more pressing things to be concerned about?
The concerns
The main concern for the fintech industry post-Brexit is that the UK is going to lose its fintech crown, becoming less attractive to both business and workers. Will companies migrate their head offices to the continent? Will the world’s top talent still want to work in the UK? These are the questions keeping some of our fintech leaders awake at night. In reality, contrary to what the scaremongers would have you believe, the fintech industry in the UK is thriving, with firms attracting close to £3bn in venture capital funding in 2017. At Currencycloud, for example, we are expecting to double in size this year, and we had our first ‘billion-dollar month’ in terms of cross-border payments processed in December 2017.
Despite the rocky political times, it’s clear that the strength of fintechs means they are unlikely to be deterred. In addition, our home talent pool is impressive, and many industry essentials are exclusive to the UK. Whether it’s specialised legal firms, a friendly regulatory environment or something as basic as the time zone, there are many factors that are difficult for other nations to replicate, meaning the influx of job seekers to the UK’s fintech sector is unlikely to be affected.
But unfortunately, Brexit will not be all plain sailing. The regulatory and financial hurdles surrounding the loss of passporting will certainly result in logistical challenges for firms operating out of the UK. However, it’s important to see this as just another bump in the road for the fintech industry – no more so than previous obstacles from regulation and investment.
What is clear is that in this volatile business climate, predicting what effect Brexit will have in the future is a minefield of speculation, and ultimately, a waste of time. Instead of worrying about the what-if’s, the sector should be diverting its attention to a regulation that is affecting the industry right now: open banking.
Open banking – The fintech revolution nobody knows about
Open banking, part of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) requirements, is aimed at increasing opportunity in the sector, as fintech companies can now offer traditional banking services – but with a faster, more seamless and exciting user experience.
Fintechs can provide the fresh ideas and agility the banking sector desperately needs, while capitalising on the customer trust and ability to scale the traditional institutions’ offerings. The regulation also ensures that any third party wishing to have access to customer data is subject to greater regulation in accordance to data protection laws - providing a safety net for businesses and customers.
A potential partnership between UK banks and fintechs, if executed correctly, could see a global revolution of the financial industry, and could lend a hand in securing the UK’s place as a top competitor in the market - regardless of EU status.
Innovate – before it is too late
As well as being a safety net for businesses, the key reason open banking is being hailed a monumental change for the fintech and wider financial sector is because it is enabling innovation in a previously stale market and is creating opportunities for fintechs to capitalise on.
In this age of AI and machine learning, customers have grown to expect a level of personalisation, which the traditional banking industry currently lacks as is shown by growing customer interest in alternative banking methods, such as Revolut, Starling and Monzo.
Open banking presents an opportunity for the sector to respond to these customer demands by tailoring traditional banking services to individual customer’s needs and wants. This could be through things such as detailed spending graphs or gamification techniques such as nudging for improved user behaviour.
Although the benefits are clear, this drive for innovation has created a pressured environment for businesses. Our research found that 49% of businesses believe their offer will lose appeal within just two years from launch and 60% of businesses agree that their companies will eventually become irrelevant if they don’t innovate constantly. Working with external organisations could offer businesses a solution to bridging the gap between idea and action. This is where the partnership between banks and fintech could be beneficial for both parties.
Brexit may, or may not, have an impact on where consumers bank down the line – but fintechs should be focusing their attention on the possibilities in the market now. By investing the time and energy on open banking, the fintech sector could have the public shunning high-street bank branches for AI and robo-advisers sooner than we think.
Change is happening – be it political, regulatory or otherwise – but you must determine which change will have the most impact on your individual business. With all the focus on Brexit, it’s easy to understand why less consideration has been given to the impact of open banking regulation. However, perhaps this is where you should be diverting your attention, as the opportunities are endless. As more and more fintech companies are jumping on the bandwagon, the initiative is picking up momentum and, we believe it will soon transform the banking industry as we know it.
Banking apps are set to have the biggest impact on commercial banking within the next five years according to more than two thirds (68%) of commercial bankers, a study has revealed.
Banking apps are also predicted to become one of the most disruptive technologies during the same time period. Only cryptocurrencies (56%) and virtual assistants (48%) are expected to be greater disrupters, according to a study by Fraedom that polled 1000 decision-makers in commercial banks including senior managers, middle managers and shareholders.
The research also found that just under half (45%) of respondents listed digital wallets to have a substantial impact on the industry while nearly one third (32%) noted machine learning as having a future influence.
Kyle Ferguson, CEO, Fraedom, said: “The research highlights that the commercial banking world is beginning to shift towards a more consumer focused approach. Business executives are increasingly wanting a real-time view for their payments, just like they can in their personal lives. This trend is also mirrored by commercial banks who are planning to invest in the key technology areas to make consumerisation possible.”
The study revealed that data analytics (55%) and enhanced mobility (41%) are two of the most likely areas of a commercial bank to receive investment within the next five years. Unsurprisingly updating security systems was most likely area to receive an investment boost, as cited by 65% of respondents.
The research also uncovered that almost half (45%) of financial services organisations believe that increased regulation will drive the adoption of new technologies, with 32% predicting it will lead to better customer engagement. In addition to this, nearly two thirds (60%) of commercial bankers believe that a more ‘consumer focused’ approach to engagement is the most important factor when strengthening relationships with SME customers.
“Regulations have transformed the commercial banking sector over the past few years, and while this appears to be restrictive approach, this research proves that banks are seeing regulation as an opportunity to adopt new technologies and improve customer engagement,” said Ferguson.
(Source: Fraedom)
