Although I agree that Banks and Financial technology firms should be looking to partner and work together where possible to improve the proposition for customers, I don't necessarily believe that this strategy will make banks more innovative and provide better services for you, I and our businesses.
As I have stated before, innovation occurs at 4 levels correlated with increasing returns for the business and customers:
- Process
- Product/Service
- Business Model
- Industry - changing the way participants compete
My experience in financial services is that banks are pretty good at Level 1 - by buying in tech to improve process - and not too bad at Level 2 in certain areas.
Just look at the advances in process and products around capital markets such as electronic trading, algorithmic trading and prime brokerage. They are pushed to be innovative in these areas as buyers, other financial institutions, hedge funds, etc. have significant power.
Downstream, in commercial and retail banking, there is less evidence of innovation in practice; chip and pin was a startling improvement that put the UK ahead of most other countries, but then we look at areas such as international payments, where the correspondent banking system from the 70's is still in place, or invoice finance, where I have personally seen green screen terminals in a bank that run core processes.
It is still far too common that banks, rooted in tradition, try and keep the benefits of innovation for themselves rather than sharing with the customer equitably. This has to change; when it does, it will be the foundation of a new evolved industry.
For banks to become more innovative requires them to adopt a change in approach (be it slow and adaptive) to the way they do things, to the way they frame their role as a service provider, to they way they define and then execute their strategy.
This change requires buy-in from the top, from the board. It will be a take time and needs to be planned and controlled to fit with the bank's culture and to avoid widespread disruption. Openness and collaboration with the rest of the bank is key; not just for others to see the benefits in the new approach, but to be inclusive and create a stakeholding. Segregating the (innovation) team is the biggest mistake that can be made - it will stir resentment that will lead to failure.
The CEO of one of the larger European banks I have worked with put it to me quite eloquently,
"Our business is like a large oil tanker, it takes a lot of effort to make it change course. What we need are a few agile speedboats that buzz around the tanker. Eventually, as more speedboats catch the tanker, the wake of these boats will help make the tanker turn more easily."
We have not really seen a major bank challenge the industry with innovation at Level 3 and 4. Saxo Bank and Well Fargo are recent examples of business model innovation, but it has not called the larger players to account.
I am certain that, as has occurred in other industries over the past 20 years, a new entrant or existing player will grasp the reigns of innovation, be it organically, or, more likely, acquiring capability through external talent, so wholeheartedly that it fundamentally changes the way the industry competes - Level 4. This is where real value is delivered to all - Apple (Music industry), Ryan Air (airlines), Skype (communications). We are on the verge. I am so excited to be involved in the new dawn of financial services.