Europe

I hope I am not about to shatter anyone’s egos here but this is something that has puzzled me for a long time; Why are most innovative banks outside the UK? So what’s the deal? The UK is the center of the FinTech world, on most people’s listings. We have the regulator who supports innovation and we have a blossoming design and technology pool to pluck talent from. So why I ask are UK banks the “also rans” of European banking innovation fronts? How can this be the case?

Do you remember where you were when you first spotted that hot coral card in the queue at a coffee shop? For me, it was early 2016. A short while after they’d changed their name from ‘Mondo’ but still early enough to feel like I was an ‘early adopter’. This is taken from our Unfiltered newsletter. Subscribe now for a no BS, uncensored analysis of fintech news and hot topics delivered to your inbox each fortnight.

11:FS CEO David M. Brear reached out to his followers on LinkedIn to ask for their thoughts on the following conundrum: what do you think the future operating model looks like for financial services and why?

Death. It's inevitable. It's also a financial nightmare most don't see coming. But what if you could save tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars during this grim process?

Our CEO, David Brear, talks everything PSD 2 for HotTopics. Legislation is usually brought in to reduce stupidity amongst individuals, or groups exhibiting behaviors that may cause harm. PSD 2 is no different in terms of its purpose and overall need to exist. The European Commission has tried to foster innovation and filter banks toward more inclusive ways of working. PSD, miData and a number of other “carrots” meant to foster innovation have been used with limited success. Banks have treated all of these as purely compliance driven; tick box exercises, and tend to deliver the bare minimum to meet legislation. With regulators and governments now losing patience with banks, we now have the “go to your room” moment; PSD 2.

It’s all very quiet. Almost too quiet for my liking. The UK banking system is under more stresses and strains than it has ever faced, but yet it is seemingly business as usual for many. The time is now upon us. Fundamentally, the decisions banks make in the next 24 months and the changes they implement in the next five years will define the industry’s winners and losers—period.