Revolution Accelerated

How Digital Transformation is Shaping the Future of Banking
Like all businesses, banks have had to act fast to
respond to the unprecedented human and economic
impact of Covid-19.
First, they needed to keep the lights on and ensure
business continuity. Second, they had to meet the
changing ways customers wanted to engage. Finally,
they sought to balance their business priorities with a
responsibility to support society. Previous crises cast
the banks as part of the problem — this time they are
part of the solution.
Banks who have embraced modern banking
technology have fared better in meeting these
challenges. They’ve moved seamlessly to remote
working, kept up service for their customers, coped
with huge increases in demand and quickly adapted
their products. In contrast, banks using legacy
‘spaghetti’ software have struggled.
Covid-19 has accelerated the need for modern
banking technology, but it didn’t create it. Before
coronavirus, the 2020s were already being framed as
the decade for digital in the banking industry. Banks’
return on equity were too low and their cost-income
ratios were too high. Meanwhile, regulation like open
banking was disrupting the industry and increasing
competition from new entrants like the GAAFAs
(Google, Amazon, Alibaba, Facebook, Apple).
Providing seamless digital customer experiences
was therefore already a ‘must’. Every year, Temenos
partners with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
for a global study on the future of banking. More
than 300 banking leaders are interviewed from retail,
commercial and private banks. Over half of these are
at C-suite level.
In 2020, the study took place amid the Covid-19
crisis. The results give a fascinating insight into banking
leaders’ approach during these unprecedented times.
But they also show how they see their industry in the
years to come.
And the findings suggest three trends which will
shape the future of banking:
1. New technologies will be the key driver
of banking transformation over the next 5 years.
77% of respondents strongly believed that Artificial
Intelligence (AI) will be the most game-changing of
these technologies. They see a diverse range of uses
for AI — from personalised customer experience to
fraud detection.
2. Banks will overhaul their business models
to create digital ecosystems. 80% of respondents
believe that banking will become part of a platform
of services. 45% are committed to transforming their
business models into digital ecosystems.

3. The sun will set on branch banking. World
Bank data shows that visits to branches have been
steadily declining globally over the last decade. As
a result of coronavirus, customers are now more
concerned about visiting their branch, and so even
more people are willing to try digital applications.
This combination of pandemic and increasingly
transformative advanced technology has led a
majority of respondents (59%) to our survey with the
EIU to state that traditional branch-based banking
model will be dead in just five years. That’s a 34%
increase from last year.
The current environment is undoubtedly
challenging for banks. But they have the capital,
customer relationships and customer data. They are
regulated. And most importantly: they still enjoy their
customers’ trust.
In short, banks are best-placed to succeed if
they commit to end-to-end digital transformation.
That means a fully digital front office which creates
hyper-personalized experiences and ecosystems.
And a back office driving efficient operations and
rapid innovation. By embracing modern banking
technology, banks can support their customers today,
create new value for the future and drive new levels
of future growth.
Available at: <https://www.cnbc.com/advertorial/how-digital-
-transformation-is-shaping-the-future-of-banking>. Retrieved on:
July 13th, 2021. Adapted.