Digital bank : strategies to launch or become a digital bank

316 Pages·2014·1.6 MB·English

DIGITA L
BANK
STRATEGIES TO
LAUNCH OR
BECOME A
DIGITAL BANK
BUSINESS/BANKING
CHRIS SKINNER
digital bank case new.indd 1 23/4/14 4:16 PM
“Chris’s theorem of why digital banking is not only here to stay, but critical to the survival
of the retail bank as we know it, starts with some pretty basic assertions, but is backed up
with his usual scholarly approach. Chris compares the likes of Apple and other industries
and businesses that have adapted to digital by taking a revenue-led and customer-led
approach to reform and innovation. He starts off by saying we have to wipe the slate clean.
“The key problem for retail banks right now is that they don’t capture revenue
effectively through mobile, web, tablet and other channels like most other industries.
While there is a role for the branch moving forward as Chris points out, the bias that
exists in serving and selling to a customer through the branch is still alive and well. That
distribution channel is hopelessly ineffi cient and overburdened with a ton of process and
complexity that simply adds to the cost structure. However, there is strong defensibility of
that model because there’s no commitment to alternative revenue streams.
“Chris defi nes the causes of this intractability well. From the problems of skill sets
(‘...you fi rstly need to rehire’), through to the design of processes and interactions, and the
very understanding of consumer behaviour. I think Chris has added tremendously to the
conversation with this book and I highly recommend it.”
Brett King,
author of Bank 2.0 and founder of Moven
“It’s always tough to read and review a book where (a) you know the author and (b) you
read his daily blogs fairly regularly. Liking him slightly diminishes his authority and daily
reading means you’re sure you know what he’ll say.
“Well, Chris Skinner has done a great job here. This is very much an up-to-the-minute
look at the challenges banks face as the information age goes into overdrive. And it’s not
pretty. Banks are unprepared, incapable and slow.... If banks can’t handle information—the
core of money—then perhaps they should get out of the game. A genuinely valuable read
for anyone who thinks banks can return to the same old after the fi nancial crises since 2007.”
Michael Mainelli,
Emeritus Gresham Professor of Commerce at Gresham College, London
“There are very few people in the fi nancial services industry who can cut through the
complexities of the business to provide truly valuable insights. Chris has a strong track
record for understanding the present and accurately predicting the future in fi nancial
services. The combination of his knowledge of changing customer preferences and his
understanding of the strategic priorities of the fi nancial services industry results in highly
valuable insights.”
Debbie Bianucci,
president and CEO of the Bank Administration Institute (BAI)
“Chris is perhaps the fi rst writer I know who successfully captures the pulse of the fi nancial
services industry not from a European or American but from a truly global perspective.”
Emmanuel Daniel,
founder and editor-in-chief of The Asian Banker
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“Chris is renowned in London for his provocative and deeply insightful views on the future
of fi nancial services in its various forms. His presentations always challenge the status quo
and open minds to the possibilities that the future brings. Likewise, his writings articulate a
true vision of a rapidly changing world where industry-standard assumptions fall to pieces.
If you really want to understand how the fi nancial world is changing, you must read this
book, which you will enjoy for its irreverence and earmark for its brilliance. Good luck!”
Roy Vella,
mobile services expert, speaker and entrepreneur
“Chris Skinner is a leading expert, media commentator and blogger on technology in
fi nance. In this book he brings together his thoughts on how the delivery of fi nancial
services will change as banks realise their ‘digital future’. Drawing on three decades’
experience of developments in banking technology, he provides an invaluable guide
entertainingly illustrated with an array of fascinating case studies to the changes we can
expect to see in this fast-moving and vital industry.”
Annie Shaw,
Daily Express columnist and money expert for Radio London
“Digital Bank is a welcome contribution to the study of emerging digital trends in fi nancial
services by a writer who has long distinguished himself in this fi eld. Chris Skinner is well
known in the industry for his perceptive observations on how technology is changing the
business model in banking. As always, his commentary in Digital Bank is couched in clear,
direct language—with a nice touch of wry, Monty Pythonesque English humour—that
readers of all levels of expertise will fi nd accessible. You don’t have to be an academic or
even a banker to appreciate his work! While one can debate any particular point that
Chris makes, the depth of his knowledge and research always shines through to enrich the
discussion and provoke the reader’s engagement with the topic. All in all, a must read for
anyone interested in the future of fi nancial services.”
Kenneth Cline,
managing editor of BAI Banking Strategies
“I have been reading Chris for a long time and I can certify his great ability to understand and
anticipate well in advance what banks should and should not do. Whoever reads this book
full of great insights, without swiftly moving to action, in three years’ time may regret it!”
Guido Poli,
head of Market Intelligence, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena
“I am glad to be able to thoroughly endorse him as a person who has both the intellectual
acumen as well as the drive and dedication to his industry, which is so sadly rare in the
business world today.”
Steve Edwards MBE,
head of Fraud for eBay Europe
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“In Digital Bank, Chris Skinner shows why he is considered the foremost fi nancial industry
scholar. As the banking world is being transformed from a world of branches to digital
fi nancial experiences, with new partnerships, new forms of commerce and even new
currencies, Chris captures the scope and impact of these changes in an easy-to-read format.
While nobody can be sure exactly how all these changes will impact tomorrow’s fi nancial
landscape, Chris combines his perspectives with interviews of some of today’s most
innovative FinTech leaders into a book that no traditional or digital banker should ignore.”
Jim Marous,
senior vice president at New Control
“Way too many business books blather on about how the world will be different because
of emerging technologies. Way too few go into details about the how and why to create
that future vision. This book belongs in the latter category. The depth of examples the
Skinner offers up on how digital technologies is transforming banking is staggering. More
importantly, though, is the in-depth analysis of how banking will change from how data
is the new competitive battleground to the impact of data on bank processing to the new
economics of banking. This is not simply a must-read book for fi nancial services execs. It
should become a discussion tool for management teams, who should be assigned to read
chapters to be discussed in management meetings.”
Ron Shevlin,
Senior Analyst, Aite Group and author of the Snarketing Blog
“Chris’s call to arms for the banking industry to embrace its digital future. What does the
future hold for existing banks and can they transform their operations and relationships
to compete successfully against digital newcomers? Will legacy bank customers trust them
with their data and permissions, given the lack of confi dence and trust in banks and
bankers, and the search for a new banking? Digital Bank brings these, and many other
dilemmas out into the open. One of the greatest strengths of the book is the wealth of
examples and case studies from around the world, showing just how much of the future
is already here, now. A very useful resource for bankers, would-be bankers and business
students alike.”
Simon A. Thompson,
Chief Executive, Chartered Bankers Institute
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DIGITA L
BANK
STRATEGIES TO
LAUNCH OR
BECOME A
DIGITAL BANK
CHRIS SKINNER
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© 2014 Chris Skinner
Cover image by zentilia/123RF Stock Photo
Published by Marshall Cavendish Business
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
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National Library Board Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Skinner, Chris.
Digital bank : strategies to launch or become a digital bank / Chris Skinner. — Singapore :
Marshall Cavendish Business, 2014.
pages. cm.
ISBN : 978-981-4516-46-4 (paperback)
Internet banking. 2. Electronic funds transfers. 3. Electronic commerce. I. Title.
HG1708.7
332.024002854678 — dc23 OCN873962825
Printed in Singapore by Craft Print International Ltd
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THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY MUM,
SOMEONE I’VE NOT SPENT ENOUGH TIME WITH
OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS BUT
SOMEONE WHO NURTURED MY SUCCESS
AND HAS BEEN MY INSPIRATION.
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Acknowledgements
This book is an amalgam of ideas, insights and thoughts written on my blog
since 2007. The blog is fed by lots of news from around the world thanks to
the Financial Services Club, a business I created with my business partner,
Andy Coppell, in 2004. It is because of Andy that this club exists and I am
forever in his debt for his stalwart support.
So fi rst and foremost, my utmost thanks to Andy Coppell and his family
Margaret, Heather and Lynn. Without their unfaltering support of the
Financial Services Club and our activities, I would not be doing what I
am doing today. Equally, thanks to Michael Baume, Thomas Labenbacher,
Lydia Goutas and Sandy Davison for all of their efforts in keeping this
network alive. Words cannot say enough.
A specifi c group of people who are real movers and shakers are the guys
at Moven, a bank start-up in the United States led by my good friend Brett
King, author of Bank 2.0, Bank 3.0 and more. Brett, alongside Alex Sion,
Richard Nearn, Scott Bales and the team, is launching something really
interesting and I am excited to be a small part of it.
Another group that has fed me so much good content are the guys at SWIFT
who created Innotribe, an innovation stream within the industry group. I
specifi cally would like to cite Matteo Rizzi, Mariela Atanassova, Konstantin
(Kosta) Peric and Peter Vander Auwera for including me in their efforts.
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9
There are a number of people in the banks that I would like to pick out
but the list is too long. Given the chance, I guess I would start with the
following as they have been particularly supportive in recent times: Amanda
Brown, Andy Hutchinson, Darren Armitage, David Ellender, Ian Lloyd,
Mark Mullen, Jim Marous, Jeffry Pilcher, Paul Smee, Roy Vella, Ruth
Wandhofer, Tim Decker, Aden Davies, among many others who help me
with my work.
Equally, there are others who feed me regular news about the banking
markets and I need to give a specifi c nod to Anthony Thomson, David
Birch, Michael Mainelli, Bob Fuller, Neil Burton, Edith Rigler, John
Bertrand, Bonita Osgood, Bikash Mathur, Arun Jain, Jim Marous, Jeffry
Pilcher, Kenneth Cline, Jim Bruene, Brian Caplen, Giles Andrews, Chris
Dunne, Julia Whittaker, Tony Virgo, Bob Ford and Katie Gwyn-Williams,
alongside many more, who provide me with the ability to blog and analyse
this industry. I would like to name you all but this book would then be just
a collection of names of thanks!
Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to Kamila Nosarzewska,
my partner, for putting up with me and my passion. Yes, banking and
technology and the future are my passion, and I hope this book will provide
you with some useful insights.
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