Banking

Banks are supposed to put up sturdy walls to protect the sensitive financial information that they closely guard, but sometimes these silos work to the benefit of the fraudsters intent on breaking in and stealing it. When bank teams work together, they present a much stronger unified barrier against cyber-criminals. What five steps do banks need to take to make this collaboration happen?

“We put our clients’ interests at the heart of what we do and strive to offer them at all times a high-quality service and relevant solutions.” That is one of the four cornerstones that make up the overarching business strategy of KBC Group, the Brussels-headquartered bank-insurer that has emerged over the last few years as one of Europe’s strongest and most formidable financial institutions.

Open Banking, which allows third parties to build applications around the activities of established banks, is curtailing the way banks have always functioned. The tried-and-true vertical-integration model, through which a bank maintains a firm grip on all of its operations, is being replaced by a more cooperative approach. How will innovative banks fulfill their roles as suppliers, producers and retailers of financial products and services in the Open Banking era?

2018 will go down as a landmark year for the UK banking and payments sector; marked as it was by regulatory changes that have opened the way for new modes of service provision. Here, I want to look at some of the main forces that have shaped the banking and payments landscape in 2018 and look ahead to what this might mean for the sector in the year ahead.

A bank is only as good as its staff, so ensuring that they really do know what they are supposed to know is of utmost importance. Traditional testing is like a sheep dip, messy, time-consuming and stressful – and it will not help individual staff get up to speed. The best way to keep the business healthy – and customers and regulators happy – is to apply diagnostics.

Three years ago, Union Bank of the Philippines reached the unprecedented decision to transform itself to be “digital to the core”. Most every bank is introducing digital innovations, but UnionBank’s all-out approach to digital transformation is setting an example that other banks will choose to follow. Throughout its onward march of progress, UnionBank has remained committed to its customers and staff, ensuring that not one of them is left behind.

UnionBank’s “moonshot” determination to undergo a complete digital transformation pervades the entire organization, not only the IT Department. UnionBankers are united in their vision for “making the diff” for their customers and wider communities by excelling in innovative products and services. In our interview, we discussed the bank’s progress with leaders from four separate areas of this ambitious Philippine bank.

If it feels as if artificial intelligence is taking over, there’s a reason for it. It is. The democratization of AI has begun, and the technology is set to change the world as we once knew it. Banks won’t be left out of the transformation. While bank senior executives cheer the cost-saving and efficiency-boosting potential of AI, bank employees may fear for their jobs. But that’s where reskilling steps in

The economy of the Central Asian nation of the Kyrgyz Republic has been challenged since the collapse of the Soviet Union 30 years ago. Its financial institutions, especially those supporting its commercial entities, have been invaluable in adding fuel to economic growth. In our interview, Mr. Bektur Aliev, Deputy CEO & Chief Retail Officer of Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank, shares how KICB is progressing in its goal to become the country’s leading commercial bank.

Open banking is an emerging global trend and is expected to drive increased choice for how individuals and businesses consume financial services, is driving significant change as the financial services industry adjusts to a digitally-enabled economy, and is working to appropriately manage the risk of a new digital ecosystem.