This book demystifies the developments and defines the buzzwords in the wide open space of digitalization and finance, exploring the space of FinTech through the lens of the financial services professional and what they need to know to stay ahead. With chapters focusing on the customer interface, payments, smart contracts, workforce automation, robotics, crypto currencies and beyond, this book aims to be the go-to guide for professionals in financial services and banking on how to better understand the digitalization of their industry.​ The book provides an outlook of the impact digitalization will have in the daily work of a CFO/CRO and a structural influence to the financial management (including risk management) department of a bank.

This book, one of three volumes, showcases the effective transformation of companies providing banking and insurance services. This first volume gives a business-oriented introduction to the setting and the current challenges of fintech, regtech, and insurtech and provides an outlook on what will be needed in the future. Specific sub-departments in financial services are examined with a view to accounting, risk, and regulatory segments. The book also addresses the importance of cultural aspects of the coming digital transformation with an eye to requirements that will enable a digital bank or insurance company to thrive in 2025. The angle shifts over the volumes from a business-driven approach in “Disruption and DNA” to a strong technical focus in “Data Storage, Processing and Analysis”, leaving “Digitalization and Machine Learning Applications” with the business and technical aspects in-between.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,3, University of applied sciences Frankfurt a. M. (FOM), language: English, abstract: The beginning of the digital revolution at the turn of the millennium has ushered in a structural change in many sectors. Due to the increased use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT), several sectors have already experienced existential economic implications. This is especially evident in the music, media and publishing industries. For example, music is not only purchased on CDs from local retail stores, but is also increasingly consumed via the Internet through streaming services such as Spotify. Videos store rentals compete with the comfortable video-on-demand services available in customers’ own homes. The Internet as a medium for information and consumption for products and services has established itself as a faster, more comfortable and more efficient channel in comparison to traditional sales channels. Stationary retail stores were also not spared from digital disruption. The market research institute Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK) predicts a doubling of the online share of retail sales from currently to 20% by the year 2025. At the same time, new and innovative market participants known as financial technology or FinTech companies are edging into the financial sector and trying to gain market share from established banks through customer-friendly products and services. Nevertheless, the banks do not seem to recognize the seriousness of the situation and therefore are reluctant to adapt to the new situation. However, experience has shown that ignorance of an industry’s digitization has already led to the fall of large and established companies. As a well-known example in the technology industry, Kodak is often referred to in this context. The company’s reaction to the digital disruption took place too late, whereas other companies had already recognized the trend towards digital photography at an earlier stage and prepared corresponding products. As a result, Kodak plummeted from the top of the photography technology industry. Evidence of ongoing digital disruption of the financial services sector has already been provided in the form of a new type of bank, the direct bank, which was first introduced in the early 1990s . FinTech companies seek to take advantage of this success and gain customers and market share by offering innovative solutions for financial products and services.

The book provides deep insight into the processes of digital transformation of banking according to economic, institutional, and social dimensions. Together with the transformation of incumbent banks, the processes result in changes in the scope of existing banking services. Moreover, new entities (FinTech firms) partner with incumbent banks and reshape the banking sector and its financial environment. The far-reaching transformation of banks and the banking sectors is accompanied by some institutional and socioeconomic processes. Regarding institutional processes, the book provides insight into the digitalization of the banking sector from a legal point of view. Traditionally, banking is strongly regulated by norms and rules and this status should be maintained when new entities are entering the sector and/or when new technological solutions contribute to the provision of banking services. Regarding socioeconomic processes, it must be highlighted that digitalization is exerting a powerful impact on societies. One significant example, among others, is the increase in the financial inclusion of disadvantaged groups (especially customers either underserved by the traditional financial sector or unbanked). The socioeconomic aspect, however, has a much greater dimension and its selected aspects are described in this book. The principal audience of the book will be scholars in the fields of banking and finance, but also other related disciplines in the social sciences that are of particular relevance to the banking sector’s digital transformation. This includes legal science, management, and psychology. The book also targets professionals in the financial industry interested in the impact of new financial technologies on banking sectors and bank services, particularly with a main focus on legal and socioeconomic dimensions.

New technology and changes in the regulatory framework have had a significant impact; various new players have emerged, and new business models have evolved. API-based ecosystems have become the new normal and collaboration in the financial and banking industry has reached new levels. Digital Project Practice for Banking and FinTech focuses on technology changes in the financial industry and their implications for business practice. A combination of practical experience in the field as well as academic research, the book explores a wide range of topics in the multifaceted landscape of FinTech. It examines the industry’s various dimensions, implications, and potential based on academic research and practice. From project management in the digital era to the regulation and supervision of FinTech companies, the book delves into distinct aspects of this dynamic field, offering valuable insights and practical knowledge. It provides an in-depth overview of various unfolding developments and how to deal with and benefit from them. The book begins by exploring the unique challenges and opportunities project management presents in the digital era. It examines the evolving role of project management and provides strategies for effectively navigating the complexities of digital transformation initiatives. The book then covers such topics as: Financial Technology Canvas, a powerful tool for facilitating effective communication within fintech teams Process automation implementation in the financial sector and related benefits, challenges, and best practices to drive operational efficiency and enhance customer experiences Robotic process automation in financial institutions Cyptoeconomics and its potential implications for the diffusion of payment technologies The efficiency and risk factors associated with digital disruption in the banking sector. At its core, this book is about real-world practice in the digital banking industry. It is a source of different perspectives and diverse experiences from the global financial and banking industry. .

This book exemplifies the potential of FinTech to deliver important economic and societal gains, such as enhancing competition and financial inclusion to deliver tailored financial products and services at more affordable prices and at greater convenience. The emergence of FinTech directly challenges the business models of incumbent financial intermediaries like banks, which are adapting by developing their own FinTech offerings and partnering with FinTech and large technology firms. FinTech also constitutes both known and unknown risks to financial stability and challenges regulators to evaluate whether existing regulations are sufficient. The emergence of FinTech as a global phenomenon requires insightful cross-country analysis and different perspectives to evaluate its development and associated opportunities and challenges. This book will be of interest to practitioners, regulators and students of this essential enabling technology that is a major component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This Palgrave Pivot analyses the evolution of strategies and business models adopted by financial operators that employ technological solutions to deliver financial products and services. The analysis is performed on a proprietary dataset built on different sources that highlight important differences in strategical approaches taken by FinTech companies, TechFin and BigTech, and banks (traditional and digital native). For each type, the authors underline their distinctive patterns, strengths and weaknesses. The main focus of the analysis in on the European market that is investigated also in the light of the difference and similarities with other markets (such as US and China). The unbundling and re-bundling of productive processes in finance, the treatment of information and the level of innovation in the customer relationship highlight the intense change that the banking activities of new financial services providers are currently dealing with, especially the retail segment. Despite the main international banks’ implementation of innovative strategical approaches to take advantage of the digitalization of business and cope with competition, so far the level of the disruption brought by FinTech is not fully understood or widespread. This holds especially true for the smaller banks: the latter need to take a proactive approach to individuate a business model able to satisfy the new customer needs and the competitive pressure that are destined to increase and further evolve. This book addresses this and would appeal to academics, researchers and students of banking, FinTech and financial innovation alongside policy makers, regulatory authorities, FinTechs and banks.

The latest advancement in financial technology has posed unprecedented challenges for incumbent banks. This paper analyzes the implications of these challenges on bank competitveness, and explores the factors that could support digital advancement in banks. The analysis shows that the traditionally leading role of banks in advancing financial technology has diminished in recent years, and suggests that onoing efforts to catch up to the digital frontier could lead to a more concentrated banking industry, as smaller and less tech-savvy banks struggle to survive. Cross-country evidence has suggested that banks in high-income economies appear to have been the digital leaders, likely benefiting from a sound digital infrastructure, a strong legal and business environment, and healthy competition. Nonetheless, some digital leaders may fall behind in the coming years in adopting newer technologies due to entrenched consumer behavior favoring older technologies, less active fintech and bigtech companies, and weak bank balance sheets.

How FinTech companies are rapidly transforming the traditional retail banking industry through disruptive financial innovation.