Strategies and budgeting for banks and financial institutions describing a barrage of economic, technological and demographic forces, converging to create unprecedented challenges and opportunities for financial Banks and institutions of all sizes. How individual banks navigate this complex landscape in 2024 will determine their competitiveness, profitability and even survival in the coming years. Those who effectively leverage data, build digital capabilities, and forge strategic fintech partnerships stand to gain market share. Covering institutions’ risk of…

The year 2023 is over and 2024 has already started. Unemployment has been low and, crucially, inflation is marking fall in most of the world. And yet, the economic outlook remains deeply uncertain. Higher interest rates are grinding their way through the system, wars are wreaking havoc around the world, and climate disasters are becoming more and more common. The macroeconomic situation in 2024 will remain difficult and uncertain, but there are key themes and…

Driven by a combination of at least five converging trends: the growing availability of real-time payment rails; increased interest from businesses seeking to avoid card processing fees and gain faster access to funds; increasing democratisation of payments; a move away from subscriptions to micropayments, and even a potentially big push. Compared to much of the world, has lagged on adoption of pay-by-bank, which is also commonly called “account-to-account,” or “A2A,” payments. Pay-by-bank entails payments being…

Attentiveness glows going off among bank credit cards suggest that lenders in general and card lenders specifically will have to watch spending trends closely as the return of inflation continues to exert new pressure on purchasing patterns. As consumers lean more and more heavily on credit cards, the effects of marketing efforts hatched during the pandemic and before may produce unpleasant side effects. And the impact of credit limit increases intended to promote “top of…

Over most of the past decade, fintech firms have experienced rapid growth and increasing consumer adoption, fueled by digitization, changing consumer behaviors, and abundant investor funding. In response to a continued inflow of investment funding, many fintechs prioritized hyper-growth above all else, focusing on acquiring users over achieving profitability.The funding environment shifted significantly as economic conditions deteriorated. Investors grew more risk-averse and emphasized profitability over growth. As a result, fintech valuations dropped precipitously. During the…