Member Article

UK banks must collaborate with fintechs to transform payments industry

The UK payments industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven by the twin engines of growing adoption of technology and changing consumer expectations.

This has led to a race to launch innovative new payment products, services and business models to meet growing customer demand.

This is according to new research, Paytech: Reinventing Transactions. Commissioned by Enterprise Ireland, the second largest investor in fintech companies in the world by deal count. The research demonstrates traditional banks are being increasingly disrupted, as technology-enabled businesses carve out a completely different payments ecosystem. The result is a proliferation of new opportunities, as banks, long the cornerstone of the payments sector, are both challenged by - and themselves embrace - new digital payment options.

The customer demand and business case for an improved payment experience is clear. The UK market, in the past 10 years, has seen a 33% decline in the number of cash payments.[1] 2018 alone representing a 15% drop.[2] The changing consumer preference in the UK is further exemplified as the UK ranks higher than every other EU market for cashless payments. In addition, a consumer survey[3] showed 82% of respondents were dissatisfied with the service received from incumbent money transfer operators and banks, citing slow, complex, non-transparent and inflexible traditional payment options.

Due to the slow pace of innovation over the years, incumbents are seen to lack the agility and capabilities needed to enable a seamless transition to more open, intuitive and secure methods for card-based payments, cross border payments and account-to-account payments. However, according to J.F. Clarke, Fintech Market Advisor at Enterprise Ireland, collaboration between the traditional banks and fintech companies is essential.

“In an environment where smart phones are ubiquitous, consumers have come to expect payment solutions that are seamless and available 24/7 across different channels. The UK market is no different. The pace of life in the UK has changed, consumers are more cash-rich and time-poor than ever before and businesses must adapt effectively to maintain their customer base. Traditional forms of banking have become almost obsolete, particularly across the younger generations who are far more familiar with digital software like Apps than cheques. UK banks must employ fintechs to modernise their systems and ensure the Paytech industry is striving for greater stakeholder collaboration and creating a more unique, innovative and competitive solution for customers.”

Enterprise Ireland client, Webio, The Conversational Middleware Company, recently launched WebioPay which enables enterprises to take payments directly within conversational messaging streams such as SMS, Messenger and Whatsapp; across 120 Payment Service Providers. “It makes perfect sense to combine the explosion in messaging apps with the revolution that’s now taking place in the payments industry.” Said Cormac O’Neill, CEO of Webio. “British consumers are more comfortable conversing with brands via messaging so why not empower them to make payments within the same conversation? That’s what WebioPay does, it’s an exciting opportunity for businesses and consumers alike”. Webio are currently deploying WebioPay in some of the UKs leading brands in Retail, Utilities and Financial services.

The research also outlines how recent mandatory regulations such as PSD2 and GDPR and their impact on the payments industry, will encourage the use of technology, such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics and Blockchain.

“As the global payments industry undergoes unprecedented transformation, Irish innovation is helping to reinvent payments around the world. This is due to the expertise that has emerged in Ireland, as an internationally acknowledged global fintech hub” added J.F. Clarke.

“Implementation of advanced technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data analytics facilitate automation and predictive analytics; applications based on these capabilities add value across multiple functions. Innovative products, services and business models create new growth opportunities and increase agility of enterprises,” said Adrian Drozd, ICT Research Director at Frost & Sullivan and author of the new research.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Enterprise Ireland .