Banking
MAKING OPEN BANKING PAY WITH A SUPERIOR API
Published
4 years agoon
By
admin
One early lesson from the introduction of open banking in Europe is the importance of the API in determining how ambitious banks and third parties can be. If the aim is to create value-added experiences that boost customer loyalty and attract new revenue, it pays to choose wisely, says Todd Clyde, CEO, Token.
The success of open banking will ultimately depend on the difference it makes to customers. It’s one thing for people to be able to see all of their various account balances in one place. But if the process for moving money or managing payments remains largely unchanged, is this really much more than a gimmick? It will take something more to influence customer loyalty.
If banks want to maximise the payback from open banking, they must come up with new linked customer-centric services – which, ideally, they can monetise. Under open banking regulations, basic third-party account access must be provided for free. But if banks can build on this facility, they could set themselves apart in the market and develop new revenue streams, by providing richer data sets to third parties which they can charge for.
All APIs are not equal
The first thing to realise as part of this journey is that not all APIs (application programme interfaces – i.e. the software interfaces enabling the connections to banking systems) are equal. Although early adopters of open banking in Europe have developed APIs using current PSD2 open banking specifications, each bank has tended to apply them in its own way. This has created complexity as third parties try to gain access to different institutions’ data.

Todd Clyde
When combined with the general lack of a broader vision for open banking, this has led to a fairly lacklustre first generation of new customer experiences. Most financial institutions have settled for a rudimentary pipeline to allow other banks and third parties access to very basic customer account data, which they are duty-bound to do by PSD2 (the Second Payment Services Directive).
This entry-level, DIY approach has compromised the impact. Banks have incurred more cost and effort than necessary, while restricting their scope for innovation.
Beware being leapfrogged
The danger now is that next movers, including financial services innovators outside Europe, will step into the breach. They will cut straight to the interesting use cases with a next-level, standard API – one that is globally applicable, provides consistent system integration and data exchange with all banks, and which has been designed to support value-added services for consumers.
A typical service innovation might include providing the ability to manage personal finances more readily across diverse accounts, loans and investments with different institutions, using easy-to-adjust rules to rebalance funds, irrespective of where each account is held. Another might provide the flexibility to adjust recurring payments effortlessly – say, to a mobile phone contract or subscription service such as Netflix or HelloFresh – or complete high-value purchases or finance agreements instantly, using an on-tap ID verification/affordability assessment service.
Furthermore, offering banking access privileges to a range of other organisations (with customers’ permission) is something banks could charge a premium for. Retailers and brands looking to enhance customer loyalty would relish the ability to understand more about household budgets and consumer spending.
This broader data-sharing potential needn’t be seen as sinister, if those brands respond with more meaningful customer rewards. With an advanced API, it should be possible to create robust controls around all of these scenarios – including first-rate secure customer authentication, permissions management, and more. All of which are critical in building and maintaining consumer trust.
These are just some of the value-added consumer use cases that are opened up by an advanced, standards-based API.
The path to profit
Those banks that command an API advantage today have much to gain as innovative first movers in a next-generation financial services environment – by transforming the customer experience, and cementing and winning more business in the process. This is especially true at a stage when third parties are willing to pay for superior functionality and the ability to roll out their own superior experiences.
Banks that fail to seize the moment, by contrast, could see others commanding all the attention and applause. The latter might include newer challenger banks, or institutions in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, which have been studying and learning from developments in Europe, and as a result hope to cut straight to the profitable opportunities.
The other risk from complacency and conservatism is that established banks give away free access to their crown jewels, before conceiving and formalising new revenue streams. Rather than lose any more ground now, European banks would do well to partner strategically to bolster their opportunities.
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Banking
Are SaaS platforms challenging banks for a piece of the payments pie?
Published
2 days agoon
September 26, 2023By
admin
Attributed to: Ralph Dangelmaier, Global CEO of BlueSnap
The finance industry is at a tipping point with software firms on the brink of becoming banks. This may seem like a farfetched idea, but now that software platforms come equipped with payment capabilities, their SME customers may want to receive more financial products from these platforms.
This is part of the wider trend of ‘embedded finance’ – when companies which aren’t banks incorporate financial services such as lending, insurance, and payments into their product.
Software firms are particularly leveraging ‘embedded payments’ – where the ability to accept and process payments comes with the software itself. Think of a school consolidating all the payments a parent would make for their children – tuition, books, extracurricular activities – in one software platform. This trend has exploded in popularity because there’s a desire among companies, and their customers, for everything from products to payments to happen under one roof.
With the market value of embedded payments expected to reach £2.08 trillion by 2026 and customers becoming increasingly married to their software, let’s look at how we ended up at this turning point in payments.
How chasing convenience puts money in platforms’ hands

Ralph Dangelmaier
The growth of embedded payments is propelled by the need for ease, trust, and convenience. As platforms are selling payments hand-in-hand with their software, customers don’t need to integrate with additional service providers just to accept payments. And they’re already bought into using the platform for its other functions.
Not only is this kind of back-end reconciliation easy and convenient but it helps software platforms generate revenue too. That’s because software companies that embed payments become Payment Facilitators (a.k.a PayFacs) – allowing them to monetize transactions that happen within their platform.
By selling payments, software firms can see up to a fivefold increase in value per client. Rather than depending on software subscriptions alone, these platforms now receive a cut of every transaction that’s facilitated using their software too. This provides them and the businesses they serve with a mutual incentive – shared profits.
Software platforms are passionate about helping their customers create the most easy-to-use experience to drive a higher volume of transactions. Of course, there are many ways to launch new revenue streams, but why leave money sitting on the table when all you have to do is become convenience-obsessed?
Why finance teams want software and payments in one
As a payment expert who’s worked in a bank’s back office, I know how important a financial software stack can be. In its highest form, it can steer a business’ entire financial strategy.
Often these stacks are well curated, but the biggest drawback is the manual collection of data across platforms. Trying to build a financial picture of a business using your ERP, CRM, human resource and billing system can involve hours of laborious data entry.
For everyday finance teams, this isn’t an efficient use of time. They need to be able to pull data swiftly to advise their executives on financial strategies. CFOs are also under pressure to choose the right software stack to streamline processes and ensure payments ROI.
That’s why payment technology that removes the manual work for finance teams – to get from A to B more quickly – is growing in popularity.
Software firms using embedded payments are saving them hassle and time. Not only that, it helps the key financial decision makers of SMEs stay in a constant state of financial planning, where they can change their strategy whatever the market conditions may be.
The end of traditional banking for SMEs?
Increasingly, SMEs are struggling to get the payments support they need from traditional banks. The ‘higher risk, lower return’ view of the small business market among banks leaves software platforms in a ripe position for a takeover.
There are over 90,000 software companies in the UK alone. With nearly half of software platforms (48%) turning to embedded payments to gain a source of competitive advantage, this figure could represent a threat to corporate banking as we know it.
SMEs don’t have the deep pockets that multinational businesses have. The Amazons and BMWs of the world have long reaped the benefits of a corporate account with a large bank – and the round the clock support this offers.
But SMEs face high conversion fees and often receive minimal support chasing late payments, leaving them between a rock and a hard place. If these businesses can save money by moving from banks to software platforms, then banks are at risk of losing their position over the middle market.
Looming regulation
Until now banks have been able to defend their position because safety and security is key. Once platforms become regulated, then what? It won’t be long before regulators eye up the software industry as their next big focus.
But regulatory bodies like the FCA, PRA and more favour ‘controlled innovation’, so this will take time.
Currently, to process transactions in Europe, businesses must go down the lengthy and costly process of becoming Payment Service Providers (PSPs). That’s why many software platforms are choosing to partner with a licensed payment provider which sells the payment package to them, instead.
In fact, 89% of software platforms choose to work with PSPs rather than become a PayFac themselves. It makes sense when it’s taken more than a year for some platforms to begin processing payments on their own.
Given the sizable financial risk of processing your own payments and the administrative burden this brings, it’s no wonder software firms are looking to fintech for a better way.
After all, it’s not just about processing the payments. A partnership with a payment technology partner comes complete with support in onboarding, underwriting, compliance, risk, payouts and customer support.
In short, software platforms see the benefits of selling payments and are primed to become the next big financial players.
Not only is there revenue for the taking but their customers benefit as well. With software platforms ready to offer SMEs a banking alternative and a superior customer experience, they’re offering a truly win-win solution for all involved. And it’s payment technology partners that can help them make this vision a reality.
Banking
Emerging technology will power long-term sustainability within the UK banking industry
Published
2 days agoon
September 26, 2023By
admin
By Peter-Jan Van De Venn, VP Global Digital Banking at Hexaware Mobiquity.
Sustainability has been a big focus for the banking industry in recent years, with the issue becoming increasingly important for consumers. It’s no wonder that sustainability has become baked into the purposes of almost every bank, from Natwest to HSBC.
However, the economic uncertainty of the last year has led to many banks putting it on the back burner. Challenging market conditions have forced financial institutions to change their priorities to concentrate on protecting the bottom line. Our research found there’s been a significant drop in the number of UK banks saying that sustainability remains a key business strategy. 12 months ago it was a major priority for 100 per cent of banks, but now that number has shrunk to 60 percent.
Whilst it’s understandable that banks are feeling the pressure at the moment, there’s a risk that they will miss out if they hit the pause button. From cost savings brought by innovative digital products and services, to improved brand reputation and increased profitability, there are a lot of longer-term benefits they could be failing to unlock. So how can they keep moving forward?
Losing momentum
Emerging technology holds the key to their success, with the power to disrupt current behaviours and promote a more sustainable culture. Banks are already aware of this, with 76 percent using digital transformation to drive sustainability, but a lack of leadership has made it difficult to build momentum in the last 12 months. Currently just over half (54 percent) of banks have tasked an executive at board level with overseeing sustainability – way down from 83% just 12 months ago.
This lack of board authority means banks are struggling to engage the entire organisation to move ahead with sustainable initiatives. As a result, almost two-thirds of banks are seeing progress slow, admitting they are not actively taking steps to foster more sustainable behaviours throughout the organisation. Those that have taken their foot off the gas need to find a way to move forward again.
No time for standing still
Banks know that technology can drive sustainable behaviour. For instance, many of them are already encouraging their workforce to work remotely, as a way of reducing travel. This has two benefits – not only does it cut the costs of running physical offices at full capacity, but also reduces the bank’s carbon footprint. There has never been a better time to invest in technology to drive more sustainable behaviours.
New digital products and services can also extend the benefits beyond employees to encompass the wider customer base. A fair number of banks are already investing to make this happen. More than a third (35 percent) of banking organisations are using Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud and analytics to make digital services more easily accessible. Investment in these technologies will be critical as the number of physical bank branches continues to decrease, with figures from Which? showing this is taking place at a rate of 54 branch closures each month.
Hitting environmental and social responsibility goals
Emerging technologies can also help banks keep pace with tightening ESG rules and regulations. Banks are faced with demands for increasingly granular reporting and transparency on ESG – demanding a new approach. In line, 41% of them are developing data visualisation tools to improve stakeholder engagement and understanding of ESG risks and opportunities, while 37% are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify and track ESG risks and opportunities across a wide range of data sources.
More than one in three are also using the blockchain to improve transparency and traceability in supply chains, and implementing digital tools and platforms to collect, analyse, and report ESG data and metrics in a standardised and consistent manner. All these applications of emerging technology will put banks on track to address global environmental challenges and unlock a greener future.
Long-term sustainability
As the economic pressures hopefully start to subside, increasing numbers of banks will start investigating how they can use emerging technologies to provide engaging experiences and value-added services for customers, to drive greater revenue and efficiencies.
Whilst banks are right to focus on their revenue under difficult trading conditions, it’s important they don’t miss out on the long-term benefits that sustainability can bring. To capitalise on this, banks must keep pushing the boundaries and invest in emerging innovations to drive more sustainable banking behaviours, benefiting the planet and driving great digital experiences for customers.
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