Spain’s first fully digital bank Openbank in major transformation
Openbank, a subsidiary of Spain’s banking giant Santander, has undergone an enterprise-wide overhaul, from products and services, to technology, to corporate culture, to new branding.
Branch
Analysis: branches – coffee is not for closers
The vanishing branch offices… Could more coffee save them? Richard Buckle, founder and CEO of Pyalla Technologies, muses.
Emirates NBD steps up digital banking game with Cockpit Application launch
Emirates NBD has launched Cockpit Application, an intelligent new CRM solution for branches. The bank has also introduced biometric digital signatures and straight-through processing (STP) of digital forms.
U.K. Post Offices Become De Facto Bank Branches
The U.K.’s Post Office, which has a long history of providing financial services, including prepaid cards, has entered the banking market in a new way with an industry-wide agreement with the nation’s banks going into effect today. From Jan. 24, 99 percent of U.K. personal bank customers and more than 75 percent of business customers can do their day-to-day banking at the Post Office—described as the “biggest expansion in face-to-face banking access in a generation.”
“Humanoid” Ira to assist customers in HDFC Bank branches
India-based HDFC Bank is about to introduce its first “humanoid” branch assistant – Ira. The human-sized robot was built together with artificial intelligence (AI) company Asimov Robotics.
Top ten fintech opinion pieces in 2016
Look back at some of the most interesting and thought-provoking opinion pieces on all matters fintech published by Banking Technology in 2016.
Banks, stop thinking about branches as a place to transact
How would you respond if someone were to ask you: “What is the purpose of the bank branch?” For decades, the first answer may have been: “To allow customers to conveniently transact with the bank and manage their accounts”. This model has now changed drastically, and banks that still operate as they used to will very quickly yield to more forward-thinking competitors.
Commerzbank in major job cutting spree
Commerzbank has firmed up plans to lay off nearly 5,000 people. Around 3,000 job cuts will be across the bank’s branch network at home in Germany. Another 1,900+ jobs will be eliminated outside Germany and across Commerzbank’s subsidiaries.
Does the bank branch still matter?
The number of branches operated by major banking groups in the UK has halved over the last 20 years. In fact, Britain’s banks closed more than 600 branches across the UK between April 2015 and April 2016. This is hardly surprising as more and more people move online, often mobile-first, to complete most of their […]
Digital games banks got to play – part 2
Today, most banks want to be digital leaders because that is where the customers are! This has brought in a change in the attitude of many traditional banks. Arun S. Padaki, a seasoned corporate banker, credit risk and business process management consultant, explores what it takes to become a digital leader and who is already […]
Diebold unveils concept banking “experience” at Money20/20
ATM maker Diebold has unveiled a new concept banking platform with four “experience zones” at the Money2020 conference in Las Vegas. The concept aims to demonstrate how banks can combine convenience, security and self-service with a low cost ‘footprint’.
European branches will be cut in half by 2020
Half of Europe’s bank branches could be obsolete within the next seven years, according to new research by real estate advisory firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
