Neo Banking

Neo Banks Use Cases
FinTech Trends, Neo Banking

Neo Bank – Use Cases, Impact and how it is challenging the incumbents

The post first appeared on linkedin. To get more such insights, please connect with me here. I often get this question – How different is a Neo Bank from a traditional bank? I love to quote : Neo Banks are “INCH wide and a MILE deep” platforms for users addressing their day to day decision making and banking integrated. Neo Bank initiative is just the right balance of banking and daily use tools/transactions in a user’s life, and my post of today would discuss in detail about them. In case you are new to Neo Bank and its concept, please refer to my first post here. Neo Bank Use Cases | Neo Banking application Neo banks are packed with innovative features that help in overcoming the challenges of traditional banking with the ease and convenience of availing services at a reasonable cost. As you would see Neo Banks in Europe, US, Australia, and India are already making an impact with offerings like instant account, speedy credits, and seamless cross border payments. So, let’s explore into some of the interesting use cases of Neo Bank– Instant Personal Bank Account, Business Bank account with Neo Banking How often landing into a new city, you have to struggle to get a bank account as an individual or a businessman? With rules, legalities, and formalities one has to spend days and weeks to open a bank account. Not anymore, with the Neo Banks concept, you can open an instant bank account within a few minutes. So for a student, he/she can concentrate on studies, and for a businessman, he/she could surround himself with business strategies and revenue generation plans while Neo Banks take care of their banking needs. As briefed, a student would definitely need an easy access to banking for easy inwards of money from home, spending from the same account in/around the campus, access to credit/loans and building their credit history right from their campus engagement. Similarly, a business needs tools to have easy reconciliation of their payable/receivables, collections automated with reminders and updates, linkage of their purchases / sales, inventory and so on. A neo bank is not just another mobile app, it addresses the needs of the target market 360 degrees around. Neobanks address all nine yards of their customers’ needs in depth. Examples – Tide, Hylo, Monzo, Revolut Hassle-free Remittances and International Payments with Neo Banks The challenges faced by migrants globally, within the country borders or across borders remains an issue. However, with an easy access to open bank accounts, digital transactions and remittances the challenges could be resolved. The neo age challenger / Neo Banks are focussed on addressing the needs of billions of these individuals, delivering a delightful consumer experience and at the same time addressing convenience & lower cost of transaction. Neo Banks acting as the authorized banks can release instant payments at reasonable charges. User can set recurring payments, transfer money globally, or send and receive money instantly. Neo Banks proposes a customized solution to each problem. Examples – Revolut, NiYO Take your bank with you with a Mobile Neo Banking While banking apps have been in the market for you to carry your bank in your pocket, the exciting part of a neo bank is that you do not need to own an bank account and then register for mobile banking. You can get a personal or business bank account on your mobile. So funds transfer, instant notifications, savings and a lot more with Neo Banking on mobile. Many Neo banks also offer premium options like early access to credit or cashback with Mobile Neo Banking. Neo Banks are truly Mobile Banks with no conditions apply. Example – Chime, Starling, Varo Money, N26 Access to quick credit, loans and different Mortgaging Options with a Neo Bank Got an idea but looking for financing options? The traditional banks offer loans and credit options but only to select few – who are backed by corporates or have an asset to show or even a guarantor. With Neo Bank that all could be wiped off, you have a requirement, and you would have a customized banking service. Got cash in hands – put it in a fixed deposit, got a killer idea – get an instant business loan, that all is possible with a Neo bank. Neo Banks are a bouquet of banking services but customized for each user. Example – Atom, Masthaven Spend Management and Account Aggregation, a possibility with Neo Bank You have a bank app, and then either you would need a third-party app to look for your spending’s or wait for your bank to launch the analytics. But with Neo Bank – you can not only open a bank account but visualize your spending’s, and if you have multiple bank accounts, that could also be integrated into Neo Banking application. All on one screen at a single click. The power of Neo Banking! Neo Banking empowers its users in true sense. Example – Chime Customize Financial Products and Enhance Savings with a Neo Bank Would someone be interested in designing a financial portfolio for underserve market? Well, traditional banks can do that, but it costs them a lot on their operational and capital expenditure. With Neo Bank a digital platform; it could assist any individual to design a portfolio based on his income and needs. You don’t need huge assets or a good score, based on how a customer repays his loan; he is awarded a score that decides his next lending activity. Example – Chetwood Financial Limited   Credit cards reward a possibility with Neo Bank A bank with no physical walls also provides access to credit cards and reward points for every purchase you make. Example – Nubank, Tandem Neo Bank Impact and Challenging the players Variant market research predicts immense growth in the neo-banking sector with the category growth going up by 45% in 2025 from 2017. As I write this, the Neo Banks or Challenger banks are more than 100 in numbers at a global level. Europe has Nu bank, Solaris Bank, N26, or tandem. While Mybank, Webank, Digibank, Open, Jibun Bank,

Why-should-banks-go-digital
Data Banking, Digital Banking, FinTech, Mobile Banking, Neo Banking

Why Should Banks Go Digital?

First, it was customers pushing banks to adapt to the digital wave, and now non-bank enterprises growing as competitors are pushing traditional banks to become digital enterprises. And why not – when data shows retail banks that digitize could achieve a 20% increase in revenues and a decline in expenditures by 30%. On the other hand, for wholesale-banking digitization plans can reduce the cost-to-income ratios by 12%. The data seems intriguing? Isn’t it? Let’s take a closer look at some of the other reasons of Why should a bank go digital? Banking Has Evolved The customer of the modern era is not satisfied with a withdrawal and deposit services; he is looking for customized banking like daily interest on saving bank account, 5-min loan approval, or trip-based insurance. All these features cannot be provided via a physical-only branch. And so to meet customer’s expectation, you need to go digital. Banks aka business Well, a hard known fact that irrespective of you calling yourself as Bank, NBFC or anything, you are running a business and business means revenue. Revenue could be generated either by getting more clients or board or cutting the operational cost. And adapting to a digital strategy provides you an advantage of doing both. With digital branch you don’t need to setup a physical branch, recruit new employees, buy office furniture, etc. but still can board a new client on customer’s devices [more like BYOD(Bring your Device)] like a smartphone or desktop. In fact, globally, many banks are shutting down their bank branches with digital channel initiative. Banking needs to speed up to 5G The traditional banking is not at all fast, flexible, and scalable. They need to integrate with 5G speed, or they die. In fact, one of survey 80% of the technology effort in the bank’s digital program was spent on integration, and this was because the current systems are not able to cope up with high-speed digital applications. So better to adapt now. Banking is a fundamental right I often repeat this, but banking is not legally but humanely a fundamental right to every person living on this earth. I mean you think about a person in some other country, but he has a bank account, wouldn’t things be so easy for him/her to shop, travel, pay bills, get a loan, invest and exposure to hundred such services. Setting up a branch, getting each person on board physically is a challenge only banks via digital means could make it happen. Banking is Fun Think about it, a guy every 1st day of the month with his passbook goes to the bank, waits patiently, meets the cashier, withdraws cash and returns. You need to provide some options to your customer. Isn’t it? I wouldn’t be surprised if riding on a national highway in India or any other developing nation I stop by at a tea point and the owner asks me to pay via a card or digital wallet. Let your customer connect you via a video call? Or how about offering your customer a customized credit card. It’s all possible if you decide to sail on digital wave. After reading our post, if you feel you have made up your mind and looking for a technology provider, we are just a call away. Teknospire, a technology provider, is helping banks, NBFC’s, and other financial institutions across the globe to ride the digital transformation wave smoothly. Our Digital Banking, Mobile Banking, Data Analytics, Reconciliation, and Neo Banking are just a call away.

Sahamati
Data Banking, Digital Banking, FinTech, Mobile Banking, Neo Banking

Sahamati and Data say – I Do! A match made on earth for fintech, banks, and customers

Data the new Oil has been under scrutiny these days. When Microsoft bought LinkedIn or when Facebook acquired Whatsapp, the speculation was that they were eyeing the data these acquired company have gained in recent years. Then recently I saw a video floating on WhatsApp [authentic or not no clue], but it claimed that every time you get a copy of your identity proof from Xerox shop they keep a copy of it that is sold in the market at some x rate. Even the boarding pass that we simply dump in the dustbin can be scanned, and the credit/debit card information could be extracted. And lastly, if you have seen “The Great Hack” documentary trending these days on Netflix, you would know the story of how Data helped in targeting individuals during US elections. Scary isn’t? But with all this floating around, we still provide consent to third-party apps to read ourdata, would regulation help? Would a legal entity manage our data? How could customers trust any service provider withtheir data? To all of this Nandan Nilekani, came with a solution named as Sahamati – the financial account aggregator. Our post of today would help you understand Sahamati in detail and how it is a helping hand to customers,banks, and fintech. What is Sahamati? | Define Sahamati? | Financial Account Aggregator in India Image src – sahamati.org.in As mentioned on their website – Sahamati is a Collective of Account Aggregator[AA] ecosystem being set up as anon-Government, private limited company (With the new Companies Act of India, not for profit companies are governed under Section 8). It’s an initiative to collate and share data digitally and legally with no strings attached or no conditions apply, i.e. assuring the safety, security, and privacy of the data for the user. Ideally, the AA[account aggregators a new class of NBFCs approved by RBI] would provide a digital platform for easy sharing and consumption of data from various entities with user consent. So what’s new in this? Aren’t we already providing consent to any third party apps/products? Yes, we are doing it, but users do not have a control on How is privacy handled? Is data reaching out to third parties or spammers? Is data only seen by whom it is intended to? What’s the duration for which data is accessible once the user provides the consent? What about the data sharing transactions? Are they traceable and auditable in the future? All of these questions would now be answered via Sahamati, as the concept of data sharing and collating would be human-centric rather than organization-centric and is backed up by RBI and Financial Services Regulators (FSRs). To adopt a human-centric approach, data management is targeted via a new consent framework called as DEPA [ Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture ]. DEPA open the doors to trusted sharing of data by giving them control of their data, thus enabling them to become economically rich. DEPA opens up whole new models for privacy protection, and auditing data flow while keeping the user in the center. For more details on DEPA, click here. So, Sahamati would store my data? And could be prone to hacks? The AA are “Data-blinds” and while processing a request made by Financial Information User[FIU]to Financial Information Provider [FIP] with user’s consents, the data would be encrypted and can only be processed by the FIU for whom the data is intended. As AA would not be storing any data, probability of misuse or leakage may not be seen. Again, as the whole model is designed keeping the user in mind, the timing, access rights, and feature to audit the data transactions would also be available. How would Sahamati help Customers? With Account aggregators in place, users could Open a bank account in the paperless mode as relevant KYC can be processed digitally reducing turnaround time. Access multiple third-party apps for investment, Spending, Mutual Funds, Taxor GST and make an informed decision without the fear of data leakage/theft. Control on “what to share” with whom and in case of violations could take action against them. Empower themselves with AA expansion to other domain like healthcare and telecom that open access to better financial, healthcare, and other socio-economically essential services in real-time while preserving the safety, security, and privacy of the user. How would Sahamati help Fintech? Regulation of any form brings “discipline” to a process. The financial industry that is now moving on digital channels was in dire need of this initiative. It would not only streamline banking processes but also would open ways for banks to access quality and authentic data. Banks and fintech can design and innovate more data-rich products to help consumers in wealth management. As Teknospire and Hylo Founder, Vishal Gupta says – AA (account aggregator) licensing is another step forward by RBI, building a highway for aggregated financial data access. Today the FinTech’s like us have to work with tens of different financial institutions to get limited access of user information, with massive spends on integrations and ensuring data security. With an initiative like Sahamati, and through the user consent driven model AAs will be great avenue to get secured access to the data while we focus on solving the use cases for consumers! With Sahamati, we are a step closer to data democracy.The new wave would not be about banks, fintech, or NBFC’; it’s about using the data effectively to provide an enriching banking experience to your customer. And we all should work towards it. If you are a Bank or Fintech firm and looking to explore more about Sahamati, they are conducting workshops, and you can enrol here

Neo Banking - Banking beyond physical walls
Digital Banking, FinTech, Neo Banking

Neo Banking – An exclusive Digital Bank

Image Credits – cryptohead.io The post first appeared on linkedin. To get more such insights, please connect with me here. Could a bank without the physical walls exist? If you had asked me this, a few years back, I would have said – may be, but in 2019 I feel proud to be associated with many of these initiatives by Financial Institutions, across the developed and developing markets, who are extending  Banking beyond physical walls, trending with the name Neo Banking or Challenger Banking or Digital Banking. Welcome to the new age Banking – Neo Banking What is Neo Banking?| What is Neo Bank? Neo Banks is a type of bank that does not have any physical branch but offers all its banking services through digital/mobile channels like a smartphone or via web interface. As Wikipedia stats – The term neo banking was first coined in 2017 to describe fintech based financial services providers that were challenging traditional banks. So, Neo Banking is – Banking beyond physical walls Neo banks are the digital extension of traditional financial institutions via web / mobile interfaces in the hands of the users. Neo Banks / Challenger Banks identify their customer / target market very closely and solve their day to day needs / transactions with integrated banking and payments. Examples could be diaspora / immigrant banking or student banking or MSME/SMB banking. If you look at daily use cases of these customer segments they would need different kind of products and services from their banking partners. A student is looking for ease of receiving money, using it in/around college/university, loans etc, while an immigrant expects banking to delivery easy remittance, lighter KYC / on boarding etc. This is where Neo Banks deliver a great value to the end user as well as the financial institution. Banking Digitally Neo banks are 100% digital; that brings down the costs packed with great customer experience. At the same time given its all-digital, there is a lot better transactional data details with trails allowing the banks to think of more innovative products and services. Banking at your convenience Neo banks are all about customer choices, accessibility, and any time services.  Banking @reduced cost With a reduction in CAPEX, customers enjoy competitive pricing with more significant savings. Banking that is technology driven Neo Banks open doors to seamless integrations into open APIs provided by other platforms as well as offering APIs from their Neo Banking platforms for other institutions, making them a complete solution to all banking needs. Are Neo Banks Licensed?| Different Types of Neo Banks  Well, certainly yes. Any firm which wishes to provide Neo Banking could align their legalities in one of the following way – One with Banking License If your start-up willing to offer banking services, you can secure the banking license and start offering your services. Some of the examples could be Paytm in India ,Atom bank and Revolut Ltd in the United Kingdom and N26 in Europe. One in collaboration with a licensed bank If your start-up/firm wishes not to get into owning of a banking license, collaborate with an incumbent / regulated financial institution, and start offering banking services. A quick example would be Monese, a bank from UK who do not have a banking license but works with banks across Europe who hold customers’ money, and holds an e-money license, issued by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. As Monese stats – keeping an e-money license helps them in showcasing them as bank’s partners rather than their competitors. Another flavour that exists in this collaboration is where a bank has a subsidiary or a joint venture, and the subsidiary gets an opportunity to launch neo banking services while existing banks being the central owner. An example of this would be Simple a startup from Portland, Oregon, which was acquired by BBVA and now Simple is offering 100% digital banking services across the US. A Traditional Bank expanding its services under Neo Banking umbrella Lastly, the traditional banks to keep up with the pace of modern technology and innovation launch their services as a new product/offering – Neo Banking. Kotak Mahindra Bank in India launched their neo banking services as 811 [ a digital bank], even SBI has its neo banking offerings pinned under YONO. And in Australia ING Bank has a digital bank named as ING. What are the Advantages of Neo Banks?  While experts may argue that in-branch services offer reliability and a “human touch,” there are certain benefits neo banking or digital banking offers like – Real-time Tracking from anywhere anytime Gone are the days when a credit or debit to reflect into your account would take days, with instant fund transfer you can track your financial portfolio and bank accounts in real time from anywhere at any time. Reduced Costs Agree to the fact that with no expense on a physical branch, the CAPEX can be significantly reduced that means competitive prices and better savings for the customers. Integration with innovative technology for a better experience With a bank in your hand, you can integrate with fascinating apps like Artificial intelligence or a Virtual reality to make spending and saving a fun experience.  Banking may have transformed from Cheques to Demand drafts to Mobile banking to invisible banking to connected banking to Digital banking, but the underlying statement remains intact and, i.e., – Customer need to be valued. And Neo Banking is just the right offer to its tech-savvy customer who attracts savings in time and money.  If you a Bank or NBFC looking to use technology and innovation in expanding the business and enable Neo Banking or Challenger Banking, we are here for you. Teknospire a fintech firm offers Bank-in-a-box solution with omnichannel, agent/digital branches capability. The 360-degree banking solution reduces the CAPEX for a bank to set up a physical branch, but yet opens doors to expand their business. Our Neo Banking, Mobile Banking, and Agent Banking solution could help regional banks and cooperative banks to push Banking beyond physical walls. For details, please contact us here 

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