The Future of Banking Is Open PDF
The Future of Banking Is Open PDF
The Future of Banking Is Open PDF
banking is open
How to seize the
Open Banking
opportunity
Contents
Foreword 1
What is Open Banking and why does it matter? 4
The UK banking market is due for transformation 4
Open Banking regulation has evolved from the original intent 5
There is a wider societal shift towards transparency and API-based data sharing 9
It is more than half a However, atop the glass towers of In our report we cover why Open
the country’s largest banks and Banking matters and how the banking
year since the UK’s Open within the Shoreditch offices of landscape may change going forward.
Banking experiment FinTechs, executives are discussing We also size the market for potential
Open Banking as a hugely important revenue opportunies, and outline how
began, and yet, on the strategic issue due to its power firms could respond to capitalise on the
surface, very little has potentially to both disrupt and create opportunity and address the disruptive
new opportunity. threat head on.
changed in the retail
banking landscape. In fact, By conducting interviews with
executives and Open Banking leads at
if you were to bring up the the country’s most influential financial
topic at a dinner party, services organisations and FinTechs,
combined with a survey of over 1,000
you would mostly likely retail and SME customers, we have
be met with blank stares distilled the key insights in the Open
Banking space. Jonathan Turner
or apathy.
Open Banking Leader
PwC
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 1
A message from the
Open Data Institute
At the Open Data Institute, we work As such, Open Banking has the
with companies and governments potential to radically transform
to build an open, trustworthy data the way in which we engage in
ecosystem, where people can get banking services, receive money
value from data and its impacts do no and make payments. It is likely
harm. We are proud therefore to have to cause significant disruption to
partnered with PwC Strategy& on how consumers (personal and
this report which takes insights from particularly small businesses) think
current market players and outlines about banking, who should provide
key actions to seize the opportunity banking services, who will inform
and benefit Open Banking brings for and guide us, how, when and why
businesses and consumers. will we allow organisations that
are not our banks to have access
We are more aware than ever before
to our financial data. Could this
of the importance and value of
even change the composition of the
data about us, and how it is shared
traditional banking institutional
and used. This not only applies to
landscape? Some think this could
financial services, but across a wide
be the catalyst behind a revolution
range of sectors from utilities to
in how we perceive personal and
retail to transport. Whilst the value
SME banking.
of this data is not disputed, questions
around who has access to it and for Finally, Open Banking has trust and
what purpose have become ever more consent at its heart the exchange
relevant, both for us as consumers of data will be for services that
but also for those organisations that add value and it is that which will
have access to data. drive the adoption of new products
and services.
Open Banking touches on all of
these important themes. A thriving We hope you find this report
community of innovators is ready to insightful and useful and please do
translate our transactional statement get in touch.
data into valuable tools to help us
manage our finances better, to find
new and better services more easily,
and to connect our banking data to
other services in housing, travel,
health and utilities.
David Beardmore
Commercial Director
Open Data Institute
Our clients are treating Consistent with wider social shifts Over time more innovative propositions
towards transparency, data standards should completely change how financial
Open Banking regulation and sharing, Open Banking is an services are delivered and integrated
as a critically important enabler for increased competition, into everyday experiences. Our
innovation and customer centricity. analysis also suggests that companies
strategic topic that cannot should target affluent, young, urban
be ignored due to the size The UK is at the forefront of Open populations as an initial customer
Banking innovation globally, with the market although this will grow and
of the opportunity and Competition and Markets Authority widen as propositions mature.
the potentially disruptive (CMA) mandating that from January
2018, the nine largest current account Companies need to ensure that they
impact it could have on providers must offer standardised have a compelling vision of how they
the financial services application programming interfaces will stand out in a highly competitive
(APIs) for current accounts to Account and transparent environment. It is
landscape. Information Service Providers (AISPs) not feasible to chase all the potential
and payments for Payment Initiation Open Banking opportunities, so firms
Service Providers (PISPs). will need to focus on developing
differentiated propositions and
By providing access to this data to capabilities. They will need to make
third parties, Open Banking levels choices about addressing capability
the playing field between traditional gaps through acquisition, partnering
incumbent financial services providers or operating as part of an ecosystem
and new disruptors. Incumbents are at of providers.
risk of falling behind more technology
enabled peers as well as new market Regardless of positioning, there
entrants, such as FinTechs. They are are some common characteristics
challenged by the potential entry into we believe are required to succeed
financial services by prominent players in an Open Banking environment
in other industries, in particular which include: a customer centric
technology giants who may now operating model, strong data analytics
be encouraged to innovate in areas capabilities, integrated and secure
like payments. technology platforms as well as an agile
and open working culture.
While many customers’ concerns
about security and privacy currently Although the future is uncertain,
outweigh the perceived benefits, there companies cannot afford to wait and
is already a large target market for see how it unfolds. A strategic approach
Open Banking solutions. We estimate to Open Banking is critical if companies
that Open Banking has the potential to want to be confident of success.
create a revenue opportunity of at least
£7.2bn by 2022 across retail and SME
markets. Examples of the numerous use
cases enabled by open API data include
account aggregation, better financial
management, credit scoring thin-file
customers, and integrated lending and
accounting platforms for SMEs.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 3
What is Open Banking
and why does it matter?
Whatever the motivation The UK banking market is The industry faces a number of
challenges. These include the fact
and the mechanism for its due for transformation that banking still suffers from a poor
introduction and despite reputation and relatively low levels
The UK has long been recognised as a
the potential pitfalls, global leader in banking. The industry
of trust2 when compared to other
industries. Many of the incumbents are
the application of Open plays a critical role domestically,
still struggling to modernise their IT
Banking principles could enabling the day-to-day flow of money
platforms and to embrace digital in a
and management of risk that are
significantly change the essential for individuals and businesses.
way that fundamentally changes the cost
base and the way customers are served.
shape of banking for It is also the most internationally
There are also growing service gaps in
the better. competitive industry in the UK,
the industry, with 16m people trapped in
providing the greatest trade surplus of
the finance advice gap3.
any exporting industry. As outlined in
our thought leadership piece for The City In the face of these challenges, Open
UK, ‘A Vision for a Transformed World- Banking provides an opportunity to
Leading Industry’ 1, the UK has a mature open up the banking industry, ignite
and sophisticated banking market innovation to tackle some of these
with leading Banks, FinTechs and issues and radically enhance the public’s
Regulators. However, with fundamental interaction and experience with the
technological, demographic, societal and financial services industry. As we
political changes underway, the industry highlighted in our recent report ‘Who
needs to transform itself in order to are you calling a challenger?’ 4, a wave of
effectively serve society and remain new challenger banks have entered the
globally relevant. market with these opportunities at the
heart of their propositions. However,
increased competition is no longer the
only objective of Open Banking.
Source: 1www.pwc.co.uk/FutureofFRPS
22018 Edelman Trust Barometer
32015 Financial Advice Review
4 The future of banking is open 4www.pwc.co.uk/Challenger-Banks
Open Banking regulation has evolved from the original intent
The UK started introducing an Open While the UK was developing Open The common theme within these
Banking Standard in 2016 to make Banking, the European Parliament initiatives is the recognition that
the banking sector work harder adopted the revised payment individual customers have the right
for the benefit of consumers. The services directive (PSD2) to make to provide third parties with access
implementation of the standard was it easier, faster, and less expensive to their financial data. This is usually
guided by recommendations from the for customers to pay for goods and done in the name of increased
Open Banking Working Group, made services, by promoting innovation competition, accelerating technology
up of banks and industry groups and (especially by third-party providers). development of new products and
co-chaired by the Open Data Institute PSD2 acknowledges the rise of services, reducing fraud and bringing
and Barclays. It had a focus on how payment-related FinTechs and aims more people into a financially
data could be used to “help people to create a level playing field for all inclusive environment.
to transact, save, borrow, lend and payment service providers while
invest their money”. The standard’s ensuring enhanced security and strong
framework sets out how to develop customer protection. PSD2 requires
a set of standards, tools, techniques all payment account providers across
and processes that will stimulate the EU to provide third-party access.
competition and innovation in the While this does not require an open
country’s financial sector. standard, PSD2 does provide the legal
framework within which the Open
Banking standard in the UK and future
efforts at creating other national Open
Banking standards in Europe will have
to operate.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 5
Figure 1: Open Banking timeline (2013-2020)
2017
PSD2 deadline CMA 9 deadline
(EU, January 2018) (UK, January 2018)
• Requires all payment service • 9 largest UK current account
providers (PSP) to allow open data providers to open API for current
access to customer account and accounts
payment services to 3rd parties • Only FCA approved businesses will
• Applies to all payments where one PSP be provided access to open APIs
is in the EEA • Customers will have to opt-in to
share data
2019
PSD2 RTS deadline
(EU, September 2019)
• Prohibits access of data beyond
that explicitly authorised by
2020 customers
• Screen scraping techniques will
be banned
• Strong customer authentication
required for electronic payments
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 7
Figure 3: Global Open Banking league table
Country Initiatives
Group • The CMA set a deadline of January 2018 for the UK’s
1 9 largest current account providers to Open APIs for current accounts
UK • Banks will also be impacted by additional PSD2 Regulatory Technical Standards regulation in
September 2019 that bans screen scraping
Group • Western European countries (e.g. Italy) are adopting the Berlin Group standard (Germany’s API
2 standards for compliance with PSD2)
EU • In Germany, current account APIs are already being used for processes such as onboarding and
credit scoring (e.g. Fidor)
• Nordic banks, due to operations across the region, are waiting for a regional API standard
• The recommendations published in December 2017 for the Australian Treasury gives customers a
right to direct that the information they already share with their bank be safely shared with
Australia others they trust
• Open Banking is part of the ‘Consumer Data Right’ in Australia, a more general right being
created for consumers to control their data, including who can have it and who can use it, with
Banking the first sector to which this right is to be applied
• Mexico’s law regulating Financial Technology Institutions (‘The FinTech Law’) became effective
in March 2018, permitting Open Banking and also giving FinTechs greater regulatory certainty
Mexico around crowdfunding, payment methods and cryptocurrencies
• The Mexican authorities have looked carefully at the UK experience and applied a number of
features of the UK framework, including the customer consent model and a regulatory sandbox
Group • The payments association, NACHA (National Automated Clearinghouse Association), has
3 spearheaded efforts with their API standardisation programme announced in 2017 built around
USA ‘16 API Use Cases That Will Transform the Financial Services Industry’, grouped around: fraud &
risk reduction, data sharing and payment access
• It is unclear yet whether the US will introduce an open API standard which would allow
customers to choose services to which they want to give access to their banking
• In May 2017, the Amended Banking Act decided to introduce a registration system for ‘Third
Party Providers (TPPs)’ and to announce policies for collaboration between banks and TPPs with
Japan the Japanese government expecting more than 100 banks to open APIs in the next few years
• Individual banks are launching their own efforts to enable secure access to its data from its online
banking systems from third-party applications – e.g. the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG)
is reportedly examining such opportunities
• The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is focused on a commercially driven rather than a
regulatory driven approach to Open Banking, working with many banks opening up APIs as part
Singapore of their ongoing developments
• For example, Singapore’s largest bank, DBS Group Holdings, recently launched a platform
enabling third-party developers to access more than 150 APIs to integrate functionality into their
own services, like real-time payments
• The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published its draft Open API framework in January
2018 marking the start of a public consultation outlining its intentions to move towards a ‘New
Hong Era of Smart Banking’
Kong
• New Zealand is developing their Open Banking framework predominately through the
voluntary cooperation of its major financial services players, led by a forward-looking payments
New association
Zealand
• There is no centrally directed policy but a number of API-driven initiatives have been introduced
(e.g. Unified Payment Interface – an account to account payments system) to increase
India competition and act as a catalyst for Open Banking
• The Canadian government launched an Open Banking review in February 2018 to explore the
benefits and risks associated providing third parties access to customer data
Canada
Source: 5 Amazon
6 Transport for London
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 9
Figure 4: Non-financial services API case studies
• All public data is released • App developers use API to • Aggregators use APIs from
free of charge for develop income airlines, hotels, etc. to
developers to use management and tax tools compare offerings
Use case • Mobile apps use the feed to • Driving activity data used • Combining APIs can facilitate
develop integrated transport to develop reward apps the sale of package deals
and navigation tools
• TfL save cost developing • Driver experience improved • Travel companies receive
customer apps in-house without Uber incurring higher customer traffic
• Customer benefit from additional cost through aggregator platforms
Benefits innovative applications • Drivers access benefits that • Increased price competition
are not normally received in the market
by contractors
12 The future of banking is open The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 12
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 13
Figure 7: AISP and PISP providers
Firm #FTE Years active
bud. 75-100 3
Consents Online 15-30 1 Aggregation
21%
Emma 5-10 1 platform
bean 0-5 2
ClearScore 100-150 4
CreDec 75-100 22
TrueLayer 15-30 2 Process
32%
Credit Data Research 15-30 5 improvement
We analysed all AISP and PISP Figure 8: Enablers of Open Banking proposition development
providers currently registered to the
FCA at May 2018 and categorised them
Availability and
in our framework. standardisation of data
(e.g. Standard APIs)
New propositions are likely to be
developed and deployed in waves, with
progressive levels of creativity and
value to customers. We envisage three
such waves, driven by the availability
of different forms of open data, which
will expand as the technology, security
arrangements and customer acceptance
of data sharing mature. Technology Consumers' interest
and maturity of and demand for Open
At present, with only current account data analytics Banking propositions
data available via API, propositions are (e.g. Machine/AI learning) (i.e. Willingness to pay for services)
Revenue Pay for use: upfront Commission model: Advertising: use Sell data: sell
fee or a subscription commission fee mobile platforms to aggregated data and
based model for charged for advertise other trend analysis
services recommended 3rd services (both internal
party services and external)
Cost Opex reduction: use more efficient 3rd party Capex reduction: reduce technology change
services in place of internal operations to lower spend by using 3rd parties and developer
cost to serve communities to develop customer applications
Valuation Market share: maximise customer acquisition and retention to drive a higher equity valuation
through offering products for free or at heavily discounted rates compared to incumbents
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 15
Market players CMA9 Banks
are responding in
Large banks are treating Open Banking Defensive: Most large banks recognise
different ways to as an important programme, both for that Open Banking may lead to a
the opportunities regulatory compliance and strategic weakening of their relationships with
and threats reasons. Executives we interviewed customers. It is highly plausible that
discussed deploying offensive and customers will increasingly engage
Most financial services firms defensive strategies. directly with well-designed 3rd
recognise the disruptive potential party applications and use this as
Offensive: Open Banking is seen the interface to an array of banking
of Open Banking, and cite it as
as a key factor within banks’ digital products and services from multiple
being a key strategic priority to be
strategies. Banks appreciate that they providers. Taken to an extreme,
addressed. Although currently only
have strong brands and are trusted to banks may ultimately become
the CMA9 are forced to implement
look after customers’ money, identities undifferentiated utilities with lower
Open Banking standards, a far
and data. They already have large returns. Banks are reacting by seeking
broader group needs to respond
established customer bases, and see to enhance the customer centricity of
to other related regulation like
Open Banking as a way of enriching their products and platforms and retain
GDPR and PSD2, and indeed are
the functionality and experiences that relevance to customers. If they are able
considering how best to use APIs.
they can offer. This would typically to keep pace with the innovation and
In order to build out an be through better use of analytics usability of new competitor offerings,
understanding of how the banking and personalisation, combining data most customers will likely continue
landscape could change in the future already held by the bank with data to use banks for the majority of their
we interviewed a wide range of gathered from other institutions and financial services.
industry leaders to understand how sources. In this way, banks hope to
players will react to Open Banking. provide more relevant products and Banks are also concerned that
services to their existing customers, customers may be exposed to a range
and to increase their market share by of threats associated with security
attracting new customers. Banks who and data loss. Even if an incident
recognise that they lack the agility, is not caused by the bank, there is
speed or innovation of competing start- a likelihood that they will suffer
ups, can complement their offerings collateral damage to their reputation,
through partnerships with FinTechs and may be expected to help remedy
who can add value to the bank’s the issue which will incur cost. Many
customers as part of a controlled and banks therefore feel it important that
trusted ecosystem. they help educate customers about
the risks of data sharing; ensure that
the APIs are used to increase security
and safety, not decrease it. They also
plan to rigorously validate that firms
are appropriately authorised to access
their APIs.
16 The future of banking is open The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 16
id-sized banks and
M Specialist lenders
building societies
Perhaps due to the scope of the first
Mid-sized banks and building societies
wave of Open Banking regulation
are generally waiting to see how the
that emphasises current accounts,
CMA9 respond, what new competitors
specialist lenders have been slower to
emerge and how customers respond
respond to Open Banking. Progressive
to new Open Banking offerings.
companies do however recognise that
While they have similar concerns to
better sharing of data could result in
the big institutions about the risk of
a rethink of their distribution models.
disruption and disintermediation, they
Better integration with marketplaces,
are often constrained in their ability
aggregators and comparison sites
to treat this as a top strategic priority.
means being able to increase the
They do not have the same pressing
speed with which product variants
regulatory imperative to re-architect
can be introduced and presented to a
their systems, and do not have the
wide audience.
budget to invest in adventurous Open
Banking propositions. The ability to analyse rich data used
for pricing specialised risks could
Furthermore these organisations
transform the way they operate. It is
appreciate that they are typically not as
expected that specialist lenders will
nimble as smaller technology-centric
pay more attention as the sharing of
firms, and are concerned by a risk of
banking data matures and expands,
falling behind. They have therefore
and in particular if an array of new
starting developing propositions and
lending propositions is introduced
partnerships to offer the functionality
by FinTechs.
which will be seen as hygiene factors
in future. Although the mid-sized
banks and building societies see the
potential to use Open Banking to leap-
frog their competition (for example
by rapidly extending their geographic
reach or product offering) they are not
yet willing to take significant risk to
pursue this.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 17
Digital-only banks Figure 10: Monzo and Revolut customer growth (000’s, 2015/16-2018)
Open Banking is a core concept Monzo digital bank
for many digital banks, who have Customer growth 000’s (2016 – 2018) Total PCA (568k)
built their systems with customer-
centricity, partnerships and continuous
innovation in mind, and whose
platforms have modern, modular 600
architectures that lend themselves +1,276%
to API-based sharing. Although the 400
digital-only banks are not mandated
to implement the same standard APIs
200
as the CMA9, some have voluntarily
adopted the use of open APIs and
many have already developed bespoke 0
Mar-16 Mar-17 Mar-18
open APIs that offer extended
Source: PwC Strategy&
functionality. These are offered to
developer communities and customers Revolut
to encourage creation of relevant Total prepaid
Customer growth 000’s (2015 – 2018) accounts (1.5m)
new propositions, and digital banks
have also looked to form partnerships
with other providers to extend their
1,500
usefulness to customers. While
the digital-only banks do not need +19,283%
Open Banking to succeed, in many 1,000
respects they are seen as the natural
champions for it, with positively 500
predisposed customers.
0
Evidence of the potential success of
Jul-15 Jul-16 Jul-17 Feb-18
digital-only banks is already forming,
with an impressive uptake of financial Source: Monzo, Revolut
services offerings by customers and an
increase in the number of application Figure 11: New UK Digital banks (banking licence issue date, 2015-2018)
for banking licences by these players.
Revolut
Monzo N 26
Financial advisors
There is a long history of companies providing automated solutions to help individuals and companies to manage their
finances better. These range from online personal finance management tools that help people categorise their spending,
set behavioural goals and track their financial activity with easy to use dashboards; to cloud-based software packages that
integrate functionality for business management, payments, cash and credit management, accounting, and management
information. In many cases these tools already have direct links to users’ bank accounts, with customers entering their
banking login credentials into the 3rd party solution. Open Banking will help these solution providers by simplifying the
development effort needed to integrate with banks, improve security and ultimately to enhance their functionality. However,
the fact that it is easier to integrate with banks will mean that others can increasingly do the same. This opens up the
possibility of existing players or new competitors entering the space to try become customers’ preferred provider of financial
management solutions.
Comparison sites
Product comparison sites have developed an influential position in customers’ decision making journeys as they enable
individuals to survey the market for new products, compare providers’ offerings and make informed decisions about the
relative features and benefits (e.g. BillMonitor in the telecoms industry). At present these sites ask users to enter personal
data about their own financial position, behaviour and needs, and use this to filter a list of products available in the market.
Open Banking provides the opportunity to gather more accurate and comprehensive customer data with far less effort, and
also allows 3rd parties to gather up-to-date information about the products available from major financial services providers.
It is therefore likely that Open Banking would help to enhance, streamline and accelerate the way comparison sites work.
The challenge for these firms is that other parties should be able to replicate similar analysis using Open Banking data,
potentially challenging the comparison sites’ unique selling point.
Technology giants
Many executives at incumbent financial services providers expressed concern about the potential entry of technology giants
into the financial services space. With investment power, a proven ability to innovate at pace and release sophisticated new
products, and a reputation for really understanding what customers want, technology companies seem well positioned to
enter the market. They have large existing customer bases, unparalleled reach and brand strength, and customers who
regularly share significant amounts of personal data with them.
However, technology giants may not wish to be burdened with the regulatory expectations of being a fully licensed bank,
especially when operating in multiple jurisdictions internationally and as of yet none have been authorised as a PISP or
AISP. Technology companies are therefore more likely to choose specific sections of the value chain to disrupt, for example
payments. Some technology companies will choose to partner with banks, to offer integrated solutions that utilise their scale
and platform technology, whilst allowing the bank to focus on services (i.e. risk management, compliance) that they are
better placed to deliver.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 21
Figure 13: Open Banking key threats and opportunities (non-exhaustive)
Banks Falling behind more technologically advanced Develop greater customer understanding and
competitors (new and existing) increase market share
Building societies Loss of customers to incumbent banks or new Offer existing customer base better functionality and
players due to new propositions that better meet attract a wider pool of customers
changing customer needs
Payment providers Reduced use of debit and credit cards as customers Become part of the core payments infrastructure for
shift to PISPs Open Banking participants
Credit reference Open data enables superior credit scoring that Utilise open data to supplement existing capabilities
agencies reduces need for CRAs and improve their services and increase usage
Digital banks Incumbent banks develop equivalent digital Become the platform of choice due to first mover
platforms and customer mistrust hinders adoption advantage and superior customer engagement
FinTechs Increased competition due to the emergence of more Significantly increase customer base through access
3rd party providers to integrated platforms and market places
A B
Rapid innovation
Domination by
driven by
large progressive
incumbents and
corporates
new entrants
C
Increase in market Steady Increase in market
consolidation evolution fragmentation
D E
Big entities
Price war and
survive in
undifferentiated
highly regulated
offerings
environment
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 23
A number of different Domination by large progressive corporates:
scenarios may emerge A Corporates invest heavily in new digital platforms and marketing
initiatives, developing innovative products and fairer pricing whilst
with different groups leveraging their large customer base.
benefiting
Rapid innovation driven by incumbents and new entrants:
Open Banking could lead to a number
of market scenarios impacting B FinTechs take discrete parts of value chain, driving banks to innovate
through new propositions and revenue streams underpinned by
profitability and competition:
updated infrastructure.
Steady evolution:
C Large banks continue to dominate the value chain due to their large
deposit base, customer trust, and account switching inertia, with some
innovation and fairer pricing through FinTech offerings.
Bank Updated banking Persistent lack of clarity over However, protecting customer data
infrastructure infrastructure and enhanced regulation leading to delayed should remain the main priority and
data management implementation and uptake regulators should carefully monitor
data usage and security protocols. A
major data breach could significantly
Product Development of new Increased capital/funding
impact Open Banking customer
innnovation propositions given the issues due to deposits moving
availability of customer data rapidly between different uptake. Regulators need to ensure
to approved FinTechs banks and countries (i.e. cash that customers receive adequate
sweeping) value of service in exchange for
Pricing Competitive pricing and Reduced ability to price for the data they share through Open
value for money given a bundle products and price Banking.
larger number of providers wars due to commoditised
products and providers There is also a risk that Open
Banking leads to financial exclusion,
Source: PwC Strategy& as those with poor spending habits
or those that refuse to opt-in are
charged higher prices or even
rejected as potential customers.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 25
What will it mean for
customers and what is the
size of the opportunity?
Current awareness is Following its launch on 13 January 2018, customer awareness of Open Banking
has remained relatively low amongst retail customers, with only 18% aware of
low but is significantly its meaning. However, 42% of SMEs are already aware of Open Banking.
higher for SMEs than
retail customers Figure 16: C
ustomers aware of the meaning of Open Banking/PSD2
(% of customers surveyed, 2018)
42
24
18
Retail SME
Figure 17: U
K search data for term "Open Banking" (Google search
“For Open Banking to trends, Jan-May 2018)*
succeed providers need to 100
Source: Google
*Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time.
A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A
score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term.
“Open Banking? I think I'll keep my “We are not pursuing PISP accreditation
door shut” yet as it’s so up in the air what it means”
(The Guardian) (CEO, UK Digital Bank)
“Fraud fears over ‘Open Banking’ “T here is still ambiguity over who needs
revolution” to get an AISP licence”
(The Times) (CEO, UK Open Banking FinTech)
“Open Banking’ revolution will leave “Open Banking is overrated right now,
account holders at mercy of ‘hackers and but underrated in the long term – there
thieves’, banks warn” is no pressing urgency to do anything
(The Telegraph) right now, the market posture is to wait
and see”
(Head of Digital Strategy, UK Challenger Bank)
28 The future of banking is open The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 28
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 29
Satisfaction with Although Open Banking was initiated on the premise that the concentrated
incumbents and data banking landscape was not providing enough choice for customers and by inference
that incumbents could get away with poor service, there are a high number of
security concerns customers who seem to be satisfied with their existing banks and are not looking to
create headwinds for switch providers in the near future.
new players
Figure 18: C
ustomers’ satisfaction with their main current account provider,
and likelihood to switch (% of customers surveyed, 2018)
33
23
19
13
4 4
1 2
1 0
1- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-
Very dissatisfied Very satisfied
23
20
17
15
11
25
18
17
13
8 8
3
2 2
1
1- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-
Very dissatisfied Very satisfied
Excludes 1% of respondents who did not know & 4% of respondents who said N/A
25
22
19
13
11
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 31
Moreover, customers and SMEs Figure 20: C
ustomer & SME consideration of different providers
generally prefer incumbent banks to
manage their financial products over Average net brand consideration for financial products / services
challenger banks, digital banks and
technology companies. This trend to 72%
favour larger incumbents is also in
part due to low awareness of FinTech 65%
offerings, for example 69% of SMEs
surveyed were unable to name any
digital start-ups or FinTechs.
Customer SME
Figure 22: Customer spontaneous concerns to Open Banking data sharing (% of Customers surveyed, 2018)
0
5
Vulnerability to fraud/identity theft/hacking Source: PwC Research survey
Security – in general 10
Net%
How will the data be used/ How can you keep track of this
Security 48%
7
Unsolicited contact/spam No concerns 3%
7
15
Invasion of privacy
6
Concerns with the regulation – i.e. who can access this data
15
5
Excludes 26% who did not know
Abuse of information 4
Concerned – in general 2
20
Need to ask for permission 1
A lot of data is shared already 1
25
30
35
38
40
Figure 23: S
ME spontaneous concerns to Open Banking data sharing (% of SMEs surveyed, 2018)
0
5
Security – in general Source: PwC Research survey
GDPR 2
18
Data loss 1
20
25
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 33
This low awareness and hesitation to Figure 24: Customers who agree that Open Banking means…
share data manifests itself most clearly (% of customers surveyed, 2018)
when customers and SMEs are then
asked what they believe Open Banking Financial providers will offer you
46 25 11 18
actually means. A large proportion more personalised products
of both customers and SMEs believe You will save money on your 28 26 21 24
that Open Banking could mean more financial products
personalised products with the benefits Financial products will have
more competitive rates 36 26 16 23
of saving money on existing products as
(e.g. interest rates)
well as on new ones. However, a greater
proportion believe that Open Banking is
a potential security issue with increased
Your details will be more at
opportunities for fraud, invasion of 64 14 8 14
risk of fraud
privacy and loss of control over financial
data. There is also a large proportion Your privacy may be impacted 68 15 6 11
who are unsure on the implications of
Open Banking. You will have less control over 47 18 18 17
your financial data
Figure 25: SMEs who agree that Open Banking means… (% of SMEs
surveyed, 2018)
Financial providers will offer you
37 29 17 17
more personalised products
40
36
30
23
In the face of this current low awareness and hesitation on the part of customers,
all of our interviewees agree that until there is a meaningful proposition that grabs
people’s attention, customers cannot be expected to know (or care) about specific
banking regulations or the technology architecture that links different systems.
“General awareness of Open Banking is low and there is a lot of reticence around sharing
data. Until a meaningful proposition is developed no one will care”
(Head of Digital Strategy, UK Challenger Bank)
“It took Amazon and Ebay to come along before it was worth customers undertaking
e-banking payments. Until customers see the types of services that could be developed
using Open Banking, they will not be willing to share data”
(Head of UK Open Banking FinTech)
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 35
Similar challenges have This lack of awareness and appetite accelerated by merchant adoption of
is not unique and need not be too contactless Point of Sale platforms and
been overcome before in concerning. As one digital bank in particular through the accelerated
adjacent industries executive claimed, customers do not adoption of contactless payment
need to be aware of Open Banking to for public transport. For example
enjoy the benefits of the propositions Transport for London’s investment
which it enables. Moreover, examples in a contactless programme, which
of successful banking technology has resulted in more than 2 million
deployments have shown that a slow journeys being made every day using
start can often be followed by a rapid contactless, accounting for 40% of all
exponential uptake. pay-as-you-go journeys.
500
400
300
200
100
0
Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17
Number of monthly contactless transactions (mn) Number of bank owned POS terminals (000’s)
Number of Contactless Cards issued (mn)
3.4
5.7
2.3
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 37
Retail customer uptake Figure 31: Open Banking addressable retail customers (millions, 2018)
of Open Banking is
expected to scale over
the next five years
While retail customers have a lower
awareness of Open Banking than
SMEs, they still represent a significant
addressable customer base. A total of
23% of survey respondents indicated
that they would not be averse to sharing
a range of personal financial data.
Controlling for individuals that do not
bank online, which were excluded from
the survey, results in an addressable
market of 16% of the total UK adult
population (8.1m retail customers).
Source: PwC Strategy&, PwC Research
However, in contrast to the industry Figure 32: Open Banking addressable retail customers by age (%, 2018)
view, older people still constitute a
Total UK OB
sizeable proportion of the addressable
addressable (m)
retail customer base, with Open
Banking expected to impact 1.55 1.58 1.89 1.27 0.89 0.93 8.1
all demographics.
UK population by age
Scotland
OB addressable % of regional adults OB 14
market addressable
8.11
Wales 0.34
NI 0.38
0.55 North 16
Scotland
% of regional adults OB
addressable
London 1.34
15
Northern Ireland
South 1.58 % of regional adults
OB addressable 17
Midlands
% of regional adults OB
addressable
Wales
North 1.82 14
% of regional adults OB
addressable
21
South 15 London
Midlands 2.10
% of regional adults OB % of regional adults OB
addressable addressable
OB
addressable
market (m)
UK population by age
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 39
The likelihood of participating in Open Banking varies depending on attitudes towards technology and banking. Comfort
with new technology and openness to using FinTechs are strong indicators of a willingness to participate in Open Banking.
Likeliness to switch current account and the extent of multi-banking also correlates with a greater willingness to share data.
Figure 34: Open Banking addressable retail customers key characteristics (2018)
1 2 3 4
Attitude
towards tech
Very Very
low high
Attitude to
multibank
Very Very
low high
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 41
Similar to the adoption of other European social networking (steady adoption):
new technologies, growth in uptake
for retail customers will likely be
1 Adoption of social network reflects customers’ willingness to share
personal data online, comfort with a new platform and desire for a
heavily influenced by the benefits personalised service.
created from new Open Banking
enabled propositions. Three previous UK contactless cards (late adoption):
technology adoption growth cases, that
have a range of similarities to Open
2 Adoption of Contactless cards reflects customers’ willingness to share
financial data, comfort with increased risk of fraud and desire for
Banking, have been used to forecast
convenient products and services. Importantly, contactless cards also
future scenarios:
reflect the latency associated from benefits of a new technology as the
adoption rate increases over time with the number of use cases (e.g.
London Underground contactless card acceptance).
30
28 27.7 2 54%
26 25.5
1 50%
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
4 3.7
Retail overdraft decoupling
Revenue at
3 risk
2.3
2018
2
£1.8bn
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Source: 7PwC Strategy& ‘The Essential Advantage: How to Win with a Capabilities-Driven Strategy’
There are three archetypes of models which firms are adopting: in-house, partnership and market place.
Operating
Model Third
Third party
service party
Digitally enabled bank provider provider
Third Third
Incumbent
party party
In-house services bank
Incumbent bank provider provider
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 45
In-house model Partnership model Marketplace model
Under this model, firms continue to Under this model, firms would Under this model, some firms would
provide full end-to-end service in- select specific 3rd party providers to become ‘hubs’ of capital and customer
house. Firms would ensure their digital collaborate with (e.g. FinTechs, software data, providing open marketplaces
offering and associated capabilities solution providers or industry utilities). for propositions. Firms embracing
are compelling by expanding The firm would assess potential partners this model would develop multiple
organically and replicating innovation to ensure they are trustworthy, secure open APIs for developer communities
in the market (where this is valued by and would add value to their customers. to accelerate innovation. 3rd party
customers), or by acquiring FinTechs Partners may be limited from working providers would not enter into exclusive
or other disruptive players. The with direct competitors through partnerships but could provide services
firm would encourage customers to exclusivity agreements. Firms would to customers on multiple marketplaces.
remain on own-brand platforms and form ‘ecosystems’ with their partners Customers would be able to access
the organisation would only provide and provide service propositions to functionality and services from multiple
the minimal open APIs required customers that use the combined solution providers and would play an
by regulation. capability of the group. Customers active role in selecting which products,
would be encouraged to use solutions features and services they wish to
from others members of the ecosystems, use. They would also decide which
and closed APIs would be used so application to use as their primary
partners can significantly enhance and interface. In this ‘best API wins’ model,
differentiate their offerings. all other participants risk becoming
utilities, not engaging directly with
customers, but relying on the strength
of their brand and the competitiveness
of their specialist product offerings to
remain relevant.
1
They will be truly customer centric, using deep insight about what their
customers really value to drive product development, design of channels
and experience, and pricing.
2
They will be outstanding at data analytics, not only as the basis for
decision making and proposition design, but embedded in products
to provide tailored experiences, real time risk management and
dynamic pricing.
3
They will be excellent at building exciting and secure technology
solutions that allow for new functionality to be developed and deployed
rapidly, and enable safe and easy integration with internal and
external systems.
4
They will be agile and able to adapt to a rapidly changing environment,
with mechanisms to screen what is happening in the market,
assess changing customer preferences and re-orient the business to
remain relevant.
5
They will be skilled at working with other companies in a complex
ecosystem of partnerships and marketplaces, to provide seamless
offerings that integrate the best services available on the market to
their customers.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 47
Firms need to address a number of important areas to be confident of success
In order to prepare for Open Banking and be confident that Companies need to be clear on how they will manage cyber
they are taking the right actions to position themselves for security to keep customers, systems and data safe, and how
success, participants will need to address a number of diverse they will safeguard customers against fraud. They will have
questions. These start with strategic topics, including what to make sure that their approach to assessing and managing
the company’s value proposition will be, what capabilities to risk is relevant and practical; assure themselves that they
develop, how to embed customer centricity and develop value can stay abreast of the changing regulatory and legal
adding products, and how to organise and leverage external expectations; and make sure business model choices are
capabilities (whether through partnership or acquisition). informed by a proper understanding of the tax implications.
They include important themes relating to technology,
including how to build and embed differentiating capabilities
like data analytics and AI; and how to architect and develop
modular platforms that facilitate integration and the
deployment of innovative new functionality.
What will your value proposition be and what market How can you build truly customer centric
leading capabilities will you use to compete? propositions and operations?
Strategy
and Customer
How will you achieve full compliance business centricity How can you use partnership,
in a rapidly changing regulatory and model restructuring and deals to stay
legal landscape? ahead of the market?
Deals and
Regulation structure
While the future is unpredictable, there are many practical steps that firms can take immediately. Forming a deliberate and
definitive view on the questions above will enable companies to embark on the Open Banking journey with confidence,
equipped to make crucial decisions about which capabilities to build in order to compete, regardless of the eventual scope,
timeframe or uptake of Open Banking.
48 The future of banking is open
Our team
We hope that you have found our report to be interesting and useful. For more
information, please visit www.pwc.co.uk/openbanking or if you would like
to discuss any of the issues raised, please feel free to contact one of the authors
listed below.
The future of banking is open - how to seize the Open Banking opportunity 49
www.pwc.co.uk/openbanking
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