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Choosing the Right Fintech Partnership

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Choosing the Right Fintech PartnershipWithin banking and financial circles, fintech partnerships have become more common. Organizations have realized partnering with fintech companies will help them achieve more than if they try to work alone. When it comes to the banking industry, a partnership with a fintech company is a good idea. It lets the banks focus on what they do best while allowing a fintech company to provide extra value to customers.

In recent years, innovation in the fintech field has been growing consistently. New technology has been a welcome asset in all businesses despite their sizes. For instance, solutions that aim to advance technology in various fields, such as artificial intelligence, have been hitting the market in increasing numbers. Since they offer significant potential, a partnership allows access to financial institutions like banks that may lack the expertise or knowledge to develop such technologies themselves. In addition, this outsourcing gives banks insights offered by fintech companies. It is clear that banks can benefit hugely from such partnerships. However, how can a bank choose the right company to work with?

Pick a Partner That Is Established

Before a bank chooses a fintech partner, they need to understand the power that a brand name holds. If they partner with a fintech company whose name lacks credibility, that could be the beginning of their downfall. The bank should also factor in its history and reputation as it chooses a partner. To avoid damaging their name, the bank should ensure whatever the fintech company has said they can do, they have the capability of doing it. As advised by Cane Bay Partners, if they want to get the most from these partnerships, they should choose a partner with credibility, longevity, and the ability to meet the demands of the bank.

Innovative Technology

The advancement of innovation and technology witnessed in the past years is something that most banks have struggled to match due to the lack of expertise and knowledge in-house. That is why a bank needs to partner with a fintech company that offers them the edge they require to improve customer experience. When looking at the technology platforms offered by fintech companies, the bank also needs to ensure that the technology offered is compatible with its ERP solution.

Banks can benefit hugely from using technology platforms offered by fintech companies. For instance, a bank does not have to invest in the development of in-house technology. In addition, the bank gets access to current technologies that benefit customers as well.

Improve Customer Experience

Partnering with the right fintech company should give the bank an opportunity to understand the needs of the customer well to enhance the customer experience. One of the significant ways that fintech is shaping financial services is by increasing focus on a customer. Therefore, a bank should look for a fintech partner that gives them a better understanding of their customers. The fintech partner also needs in-depth knowledge of the regulatory requirements of the industry. This means they have standards in place that comply with the law.

Ability To Deliver

Another thing that banks should look at is that the fintech company can deliver. Just because the company has a shiny vision and roadmap, that does not mean you automatically partner with them. They should be able to accomplish whatever they claim in their vision.

In the end, choosing a good fintech partner allows a bank to tap into a sea of expertise, knowledge, and technology innovations that most of them lack. This gives them the opportunity to focus more time on their strengths while developing a more robust platform for offering products and services. By doing that, banks can enjoy the latest technologies, ensuring they are not left behind in an industry that is moving very fast.

StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 8 – An Interview with Steve Steinhilber, author of Strategic Alliances

StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 8 – An Interview with Steve Steinhilber, author of Strategic Alliances examines how businesses effectively establish and maintain profitable strategic alliance relationships. During our discussion, Steve Steinhilber, author of Strategic Alliances: Three Ways to Make Them Work and Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Cisco, shares with us his insights regarding:

  • what strategic alliances are and the steps taken to form them
  • business drivers and key characteristics of successful alliances
  • unique traits strategic alliance relationship managers should possess
  • the composition and structure of a strategic alliance organization

Additional Information

Complimenting the tremendous insights Steve shares in Strategic Alliances and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from the Cisco website including:

Steve’s book, Strategic Alliances, can be purchased by clicking here.

Special Note…

Please remember that profits from the sale of Strategic Alliances go to the Cisco Foundation; providing those less fortunate with improved access to basic human needs, education, and economic opportunities. To learn more about the Cisco Foundation, click here.


About the Author

Steve Steinhilber, author of Strategic Alliances: Three Ways to Make Them Work, is Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Cisco, where he is responsible for developing new and managing ongoing strategic alliances with top global companies including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, and Nokia; a portfolio valued at more than $4.5 billion in annual revenue for Cisco alone. He is recognized by both business and academia for excellence in alliance leadership.