Viewpoints

While the digital banking market in South Asia is undergoing an exciting period of change brought on, in part, by new technologies and initiatives, many FIs in the region are being weighed down by a lack of connected digital infrastructure and, as such, are struggling to keep pace with market demands.

The failure to address systemic weaknesses is leaving FIs at risk of limited customisation, with an inability to integrate with modern payments applications, and they are finding themselves tied-in and restricted by their vendors. Bethan Cowper, Vice President, Business & Market Development at Compass Plus Technologies discussed this with Payments, Cards & Mobile.

Alexey Osipov, Executive VP, MEA Managing Director & Adil Ahmed, Vice President & Deputy Managing Director, MEA, of Compass Plus Technologies, discuss on FinextraTV payments tech, rising vendor independence, eCommerce, and what’s going on in the Middle East & Africa banking & payments sector.

In conversation with Finextra, experts from OakNorth Bank, Nationwide Building Society and Compass Plus Technologies elaborated on their experiences with maintaining strong technology partnerships, and the many opportunities and challenges that come with it.

It's no secret that a mobile banking revolution has been sweeping across the globe. Many consumers have now adopted mobile as their primary banking channel and are demanding better digital experiences from banks. Inspired by the topic of our new white paper, our latest infographic explores this sentiment further, revealing the impact that mobile banking is having on the world at large and how consumers are now taking action to get better mobile experiences.

In recent years, there has been significant progress made towards financial inclusion. According to the latest data from the World Bank, more than 1.2 billion adults worldwide have gained access to financial services since 2011, and today 69% have a bank account. However, there is a long way to go, with close to one-third of adults (2 billion) unable to access financial services.

The payments landscape in Asia is diverse. With almost half of the world’s population calling the region home, and huge differences between cultures, it is understandable that meeting the needs of both consumers, merchants and financial institutions (FIs) is far from simple.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) is often reported as having one of the smallest payments markets in the world in terms of available services. Despite this, it is extremely fast-paced. This is, in part, due to the number of new disruptive players entering the market.

Traditionally the word ‘underserved’ is reserved for the B2C sector of financial services, however, this terminology has become increasingly relevant to the financial institutions themselves, whereby they are being underserved by their technology partners. Underserved FIs often underserve their customers.

It’s strange to think that 20 years ago, payments didn’t really exist as an industry in its own right. Fast-forward to the start of this decade and it’s a very different story – payments, banking, fintech, commerce (and much more) are all part of a thriving, complex, interwoven ecosystem.