Will MFIs survive the fintech onslaught?
Digital disruption of financial service industry is fundamentally altering the way customers use to interact with the financial institutions. In the changing landscape and context, traditional financial institutions, or incumbents, risk becoming obsolete. Digital transformation of financial institutions paves the way for the incumbents to leverage the disruptive power of technology, innovation, and digital disruption to retain or enhance the market share, revenue, and profits.
Technological progress has played an integral role in the transformation of the global financial sector. Over the last decade, the emergence of technological innovations have enabled the introduction of new business models and products, as well as ways to conduct financial transactions.
Technological, cultural, demographic, and regulatory changes have enabled growth of alternate service providers for the financial services. Technology-enabled start-ups or the entrants have transformed all areas of the financial services sector, generally focusing on a particular financial product or service, and using new technologies and ways to do business to serve customers in a more efficient and transparent manner. Providing financial products and services through digital channels allows entrants to be nimble, asset-light, and quickly adapt to changes in the market and customer preferences.
In the changing landscape and context, a large number of traditional financial institutions are facing existential crisis. Incumbents are experiencing a gradual decline in their significance to the financial services industry as defined by reduction in market share, revenue, and profits. Digital disruption not only has the potential to shrink the role and relevance of the incumbents, but also, simultaneously, to help them create better, faster, and cheaper services that can render them well-equipped to better serve their customers. In order to best embrace these opportunities, traditional financial service providers need to acknowledge the digital disruption, overcome institutional complacency and embrace digital transformation.
This week we present a set of publications that highlight the changing nature of the financial services industry, impact of digital disruption on the traditional financial institutions, and ways the incumbents may carry out digital transformation to leverage the disruptive power of technology and innovation.
Look out for the hashtags #DigitalTransformation #FinancialInclusion in LinkedIn and Twitter
Market & Social researcher in East Africa and a smallholder Cocoa Farmer, Bean Aggregator and Chocolate Maker in Uganda, the pearl of Africa.
6 年My take home is the importance of supportive regulatory changes that promote digitization of the financial sector.? In some countries you find that before there is sufficient uptake to allow thourough appreciation and entrench a culture of using digital services (both by the financial provider and their customer) the sector is hit by taxes that ultimately make it more expensive to use compared to traditional banking. Where it's an MFI that deals with the poor and often handles clients that commercial banks won't touch, cost is a key considerstion for everyone.? An example is the recent 0.5% tax on mobile money withdraws in Uganda which makes it cheaper to grab a bus with someone's money and physically hand it to them or deposit it on their account than say sending it via mobile money. It might in the short term remain a service for a certain economic class that values convinence over cost but is this the target clientele for an MFI??
Head, Innovation & Strategy at ECLOF Kenya | Member, Internal Audit Subcommittee of ICPAK | Chairman, Bylaws review committee and Immediate past Board Treasurer at ISACA Kenya Chapter.
6 年Indeed, digital disruption is relatively more intense in the financial services sector. Particularly in the area of digital/ paperless intermediation channels, and further compounded by the associated evolving risk landscapes.
-Certified Leadership Coach (LLC) -Leadership Coaching -Executive Leadership Training -Board of Directors Coaching & Training -Strategic Planning -Training of Trainers -Governance Coaching -Board of Directors
6 年Traditional MFIs are already feeling the pressure of fintech. A key success factor will be how quickly MFIs recognize #digitalfinancialservices as an opportunity to extend their services and to leverage existing customer relationships. We are likely to see many casualties as the leadership of some MFIs may fail to appreciate the enormity of the threat of fintech.