TOP FINTECH STORIES 09/04/15
The influence of the Millennial generation and how to capture them as customers gets increasing attention in the financial services media. As we move into the final stretch of the year—the fall conference season upon us and planning markets for next year—I’m reviewing trends and market research in the news. U.S. readers wanting to spend part of their holiday weekend planning how to exploit the next markets in banking will have plenty to labor over in this week’s long reports.
Millennials and the future of finance: A different kind of trust
A new research report from Innotribe, the innovation arm of the SWIFT financial networking organization, defines the Millennial generation’s disposition in one word: “trust.” The three themes that will guide the future of finance from a Millennial point of view are trust in technology, trust in networks, and trust in social causes.
The future of retail and investment banking according to the large consultancies
Throughout the year, the large U.S. consulting firms have been publishing their take on the future of banking, focusing on both emerging markets and Millennials. Ernst and Young notes in its global trends report the importance of an “older more urban generation.” Pwc finds most retail bankers know they need increased customer focus but few are prepared for it. KPMG reminds investment banks to add FinTech to their innovation model, while Accenture focused on emerging markets for investment banks.
Offering of Mobile Payments Expected to Skyrocket by 2016
“With the vast majority of banks and credit unions having implemented mobile banking services, the next step is to concentrate on building a mobile payments strategy that serves the increasingly digital consumer,” writes Jim Marous. Earlier in the year, BAI published an executive report tracing the evolution of mobile and its possibilities for becoming a robust banking platform (registration required). The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s survey on consumer mobile trends in 2015 is worth reviewing as well.
Blythe Masters Tells Banks the Blockchain Changes Everything
Bloomberg Markets profiles Blythe Masters, a high-profile Wall Street innovator in the derivatives industry at JPMorgan who moved to a cryptofinance startup this year. This link goes to a preview of the long profile on the cover of the October issue of the magazine. I find it significant that Bloomberg Markets has “It’s All about the Blockchain” as its cover focus. Thanks to my hometown reader Andrew Page for noting that Chicago proprietary trading legend Don Wilson is Masters’ co-founder in the startup, Digital Asset Holdings.
As a supplement, see Venture Scanner’s “The State of Bitcoin in Six Visuals.”
For additional background, see Blockchain Blues, my recent overview of cryptofinance articles.