Insights
Data Republic website
Published
Share

How can banks maintain a competitive advantage?

In his previous article, Jeroen de Bel explained how fintech start-ups are changing the rules of the game for banking. How, then, can banks determine their competitive advantage and best position themselves in the market?
By Jeroen de Bel, Independent Consultant, Olympus Advisory Services
During the last decade, banks have faced increasing pressure from fintech start-ups. New players are unbundling the bank’s value chain, with better products tailored to specific segments and more efficient organisational models.
Bank are trying to follow suit with large innovation departments, new ‘fintech strategies’ and a change in culture, including the start-up attire of a t-shirt and sneakers. But despite their sheer size and efforts, most banks seem to struggle.
We can compare the battle between banks and start-ups with the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament. Goliath was a strong man, with full body armour, a spear and a sword. Seemingly no one could conquer this giant. Then there was David, a small shepherd boy without any protection. Assuming a traditional single close combat, no one would expect David to stand any chance.
However, David did not honour the traditional rules of warfare. By engaging in a different type of battle, he turned Goliath’s strength into his weakness. Goliath was a large and strong man, but his heavy armour made him slow and he had poor eyesight. David was not so strong nor well protected, but his lack of armour made him fast. More importantly, David was a skilled slinger. David ran up to Goliath, took a stone out of his bag, and slung it onto the forehead of Goliath. Thereby the underdog was able to win the battle.
What we can learn from this story is that people, or companies, have certain characteristics. Whether these characteristics are an advantage or disadvantage largely depends on the situation or ‘the rules of the game.’ Seemingly great characteristics can quickly become a disadvantage, and vice-versa (as described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants)
The underlying principle is competitive advantage. This is a set of conditions that best suit a company’s characteristics and make it most efficient relative to others. By creating your own rules, or in business term your own market, you can alter the circumstances to best suit your characteristics.
Competitive advantage can be based around a variety of things including a product suite, customer segment, capabilities or themes. This principle holds not only in case of competition but also, or especially, in case of a partnership between companies.
To translate this to the world of fintech: start-ups have changed the rules of the game for banking. Banks are trying to follow the rules of the start-ups by trying to offer the same customer experience and efficient processes. But should they?
I certainly believe banks should respond by raising the bar, and continue their efforts to be more efficient and customer friendly. Due to technological advances and better services offered by tech companies, customers nowadays simply do have higher expectations on banking.
However, banks should have a good understanding of their competitive advantage, to stay close to their home environment that best leverages their characteristics. What makes the incumbent bank different from start-ups?
First of all, the fact that fintech start-ups typically target one specific niche is the very point that sets banks apart. Banks are typically one-stop shops for people’s finances, offering a large variety of products and services. Banks are typically also the first contact point for people’s finances and still enjoy a high level of trust when it comes to financial services. They could leverage its primary customer relationship to become the spin in the web, for example through partnerships with alternative lending providers.
Second, most banks have large physical distribution networks. This offers customers a multi-channel customer experience with the option to walk into a branch and talk to an advisor – something that is still valued by large segments of the population. Plus, these branches enhance the branding of the bank. This allows banks to distinguish themselves in the digital world, with a more human, personal touch.
Third, in contrast to start-ups that must build a new company from scratch, banks have large existing organisations, with many customers and existing business that provide diverse sources of income. Due to the low churn rates, banks are likely to maintain their foundation in the foreseeable future. This gives banks a strong platform to experiment with a variety of initiatives to diversify their business risk.
There are many other unique characteristics of bank, for example banks have large balance sheets, strong risk management functions and regulatory compliance in place with extensive KYC.
While these characteristics are generic to all banks, every company is unique and has its own competitive advantage. Ask yourself what sets you apart from the rest. Why are customers choosing you? In which areas do you perform better than the benchmark? Then, instead of following the ‘rules of others,’ you can create your own ‘rules,’ to position yourself in the market to best leverage your characteristics.


Jeroen de Bel

Jeroen de Bel is the founder of Olympus Advisory Services, a management consulting firm specialized in the financial services sector. He helps his clients with insights, market research and strategy consulting, tailored to client needs and situation. Jeroen has in-depth knowledge of both the traditional banking sector and new innovative players in the market. He is well positioned to help bridge the gap between the incumbents and new entrants.]]>

Share this Article
Related Insights
Featured
Holland Fintech Digital Transformation Paper 2024
Holland Fintech is proud to present the Digital Transformation Paper 2024. This whitepaper, led by the Holland Fintech working group Digital Transformation in collaboration with Accenture, provides valuable insights into the dynamics and key factors influencing successful collaborations between fintechs and incumbents.
Holland Fintech Pavilion at Money 20/20
Money 20/20 – Join our Pavilion! The Holland Fintech Pavilion offers a unique opportunity to connect with a global audience of fintech professionals. Located at the heart of Money 20/20, the pavilion provides a central hub for networking, collaboration, and exposure.
Amsterdam Fintech Week
Amsterdam FinTech Week is back on 2-4 October 2024! Be a sponsor, co-organizer, or just participate in our community events.

How likely are you to recommend Holland FinTech?