Paul Blowers, Commercial Director
The FinTech industry a decade ago looks very different to the sector we see today. The worldwide market was valued at $7.30 trillion in 2020 and is predicted to grow at an exponential rate of 26.87% by 2026. This is a result of the number of FinTech businesses making strategic technology-based investments, supportive government regulations and the rising popularity of Cloud and AI solutions. Additionally, where traditional financial corporations have been unable to meet rapidly shifting consumer demands, emerging FinTechs have had the opportunity to gain significant ground and fill the gap.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, FinTech adoption was doubling every two years and continued to grow at a rapid rate throughout the crisis. The pandemic was a game-changer, in line with consumers pivoting to digital payments, contactless and online shopping during periods of isolation and social distancing. This demonstrates that despite the unprecedented market challenges, FinTech companies proved resilient and flexible by adjusting their operations and offerings to meet new customer demands and taking advantage of the emerging growth opportunities.
Integrating technology in FinTech
Technology is at the centre of financial services and will continue to drive disruptive business models for companies in this space. It has been fully adopted by companies in this industry, becoming integrated within most financial institutions’ operations as it makes services more streamlined and accessible. In fact, a recent report from PwC stated that 48% of financial service organisations have embedded FinTech into their strategic operating model and 37% have incorporated emerging technologies into the products or services that they sell. The use of technology enables users to take advantage of automation to speed up banking processes that would have been previously managed by a human.
One of the biggest technological influences has been AI, which is set to generate as much as $1 trillion additional value for the global banking industry annually. FinTech can leverage AI to analyse and manage data from multiple sources to provide valuable insights. This valuable information can help banks overcome any challenges that they face on a day-to-day basis, whilst bolstering security and improving customer service. Looking ahead, businesses need to adopt an AI-first mindset when approaching data sources, collection and analysis, as well as identifying patterns and trends across complex financial networks.
Cloud computing in FinTech has been an accelerating trend driven by the significant impact the Cloud is having on solving many of the financial sector’s requirements. By bringing the benefits of security, service innovation and scalability, the Cloud is claimed to have helped grow the sector’s forecasted compound annual growth rate of 23.84%. For companies who are looking to provide customers with speed, reliability and 24/7 uptime, Cloud computing helps them achieve this in a cost-effective way whilst still meeting the growing demands of regulatory compliance. It also allows organisations of all sizes across the sector to build flexibility and innovation into their business models, helping them to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market.
Opportunities on the FinTech horizon
In recent years, FinTech has also shifted its focus to putting customers at the heart of businesses. Digital transformation was already underway, with many businesses moving toward a more customer-centric model but COVID-19 forced many organisations to speed up their innovation to stay competitive. The pandemic forced a number of changes to banking operations, which resulted in finance companies making their services more digital and accessible. This fundamentally changed the way in which the sector does business, ensuring that customers are at the forefront of everything that they do. This trend is unlikely to slow down, as businesses in the FinTech sector have come to realise that a customer-centric approach has a number of long-term benefits.
It’s all about building customer trust, as they are more likely to purchase a product or service and recommend them to friends and family. Building this level of trust and engagement is reliant on the quality of the interaction and customer experience they receive from the financial institution. Moving forward, organisations in this sector are now applying hyperfocus on customer experience by constantly evolving their offerings in order to meet consumers’ quick-changing needs.
In addition to customer-centricity, sustainability is a rising consideration in the FinTech space. As the financial sector has been one of the primary adopters of cutting-edge technology, the sector is synonymous with innovation. With that in mind, FinTech businesses should be a key driver in leading the transition to a low-carbon and more sustainable world. Organisations in this space can set a ‘green’ example for others to follow, in relation to reducing their carbon footprint, meeting Net Zero targets and providing financial inclusion. FinTech can help other businesses on a practical level by introducing environmentally friendly products and sustainable payment systems that will help set the standards that we need to take a stand on financial and environmental sustainability.
Bright future for FinTech
It’s clear that FinTech is one of the most exciting, and fastest-growing, sectors in the global economy today. In a relatively short space of time, the emergence of new finance solutions and technology has greatly impacted how we do business, interact with customers and drive the future of financial services. Technological advancements like AI and Cloud computing have ensured businesses have greater access to information through analytics that helps them to understand their customers on a larger scale. Many businesses are only scratching the service when it comes to the opportunities available for FinTech and now is the time to adopt new applications or solutions as part of their business models to win in the competitive marketplace.
