Financial Institutions Can Out-Innovate Fintechs Through Greenfield Approach, According to Oliver
Wyman
Annual State of Financial Services Report “Time to Start Again” Released at Davos
The next big wave of innovation in financial services will be driven by incumbents starting with a blank canvas, according to
Oliver Wyman’s 2019 State of Financial Services report titled “Time
to Start Again” launched today at the World Economic Forum Annual Global Meeting in Davos.
The report describes an emerging new approach – “Greenfield” – where existing firms break free from the constraints of their
legacy systems, business and talent models. It is based on new subsidiaries, new technology, and new customer solutions.
“For an industry whose product - the movement and storage of money – is electronic, the processes are still far too manually
intensive” said Ted Moynihan, Managing Partner and Global Head, Financial Services, Oliver Wyman. “Established firms will look to
free themselves from the shackles of their legacy infrastructure and embark on future journeys unencumbered.”
Examples are beginning to be rolled out. RBS Group will soon launch Bó, a greenfield digital offering, built with new technology
in under 12 months. National Australia Bank (NAB) has had success with QuickBiz, a fully digital unsecured lending solution, and
German insurer ERGO has built Nexible as a challenger to its existing auto-insurance business. Goldman Sachs launched Marcus in the
US and Europe, allowing it to enter consumer banking.
The Power of New
Digital challengers are providing the inspiration and motivation for existing firms to embark on new builds. South Korean
digital bank Kakao attracted 6 million signups in less than a year. Monzo, Revolut, and others in the UK grew their customer base
from 0.6 to 2.5 million customers in a year. In the US, Chime has opened more than 2 million no-fee transaction accounts. In the
foreign exchange market, XTX gained 10 percent market share in just three years, making it the second-largest player in 2018.
Some of these businesses may not yet be profitable, but over time the digital challengers and greenfield businesses will use
what the report calls “flywheel momentum,” collecting more data, developing new propositions with that data, and attracting more
talent.
Enter Existing Financial Services Firms
To be successful in the future, financial institutions need to have the same advantages as digital challengers. For example, the
average number of customers each person in a challenger bank serves is over 2,500, compared to 1,000 in existing banks. Digital
challengers launch new products or services in two weeks, compared to three to six-month release timetables for traditional
firms.
Greenfield is an attempt to deliver a customer offering to match or exceed the challengers. Using modern technology, an open
platform, and third-party services, new banking and insurance platforms can be built within a year, at a cost of between $10
million and $60 million. Financial services firms will hope to outcompete fintechs with greenfield platforms, while having the
advantage of tremendous resources and an existing customer base from day one.
In the process, the new greenfield businesses will help catalyze and drive change across the organization. “The new will
transform the old and create a better financial system overall”, concluded Moynihan.
The Oliver Wyman Time To Start Again report is available
here. This year’s report is broken into four segments: The Power of New, How the New Can Transform the Old, The Greenfield
Approach and Flywheel Momentum. The report features the
first in-depth interview with Mark Bailie, former Group COO of Royal Bank of Scotland and current CEO of Bó.
Key exhibits from the report include:
- Exhibit 1: The Impact of New Business Models
- Exhibit 3: Introducing Greenfield
- Exhibit 4: The Old vs. The New
- Exhibit 10: A Year in the Life of a Greenfield Build
About Oliver Wyman
Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 50+ cities across nearly 30 countries, Oliver Wyman
combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization
transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business,
improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive
opportunities. Oliver Wyman is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies [NYSE: MMC]. For more information, visit
www.oliverwyman.com. Follow Oliver Wyman on Twitter @OliverWyman.
Media:
Francine Minadeo
Oliver Wyman
Direct: +212-345-6417
Mobile: 917-573-8826
Francine.Minadeo@oliverwyman.com
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190121005494/en/