Digital-Only Banks: Threat or Motivator?

Digital-Only Banks: Threat or Motivator?

Summary

The emergence of digital-only banks has piqued the interest of valuable and cheap-to-serve customer segments. Their efficient operating model has staved off the necessity of achieving scale for the meantime, enabling them to build propositions around specific customer segments whilst offering competitive rates, services, or value-added money management features. Hitherto, customer inertia and low brand awareness have shielded incumbents from fierce competition. This will not last forever. It is a window of opportunity that incumbents must seize to reduce the functionality gap with digital-only banks and improve their future retention prospects.

Key Highlights

- Indian consumers are the most willing to use a digital-only bank as their primary banking relationship. The potential pool of customers for digital-only banks in India is 800m+.
- The most valuable customers in terms of products and assets held are also the most interested in switching to a digital-only bank.
- The industry is shedding its reputation for undifferentiated propositions. Innovation is now the second most common reason consumers give for switching provider.
- 1 in 3 of the customers segments identified as most at risk believe digital-only banks offer better rates, better service, better digital banking functionality, and better security.

Scope

This report assess the threat posed by digital-only banks and highlights changes incumbents could make to their digital banking platforms to mitigate the risk by -
- Analyzing the unique environments shaping demand across a range of different markets.
- Identifying customer segments most at risk within affluence and generational bandings.
- Highlighting the PFM tools and mobile banking features that are most in-demand.

Reasons to buy

- Build a more targeted retention strategy
- Make more informed decisions about investments in PFM tools
- Determine which mobile banking features to implement first.