GET COMFORTABLE OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE RETAIL BANKS | Well-prepared for Digital Innovation Retail banks consider digital capabilities foundational to their competitiveness—and therefore their success. As fintech firms, online-only banks, and non-financial platform companies move into this segment of the financial services industry, retail banks are making technology a major strategic focus: according to our latest research, 87% have a formal, long-term plan for digital innovation. Accenture and Oxford Economics surveyed Banks understand the importance of 90 technology executives in the financial overcoming those obstacles, as they keenly services sector, including a statistically feel the pressure from new rivals and shifting significant sample from the retail banking consumer expectations. Two-thirds of survey segment. Our survey results show that respondents say that within five years, for banks, digital transformation isn’t consumers will do most of their saving, just a matter of improving efficiency or investing, and borrowing online, through controlling costs. Retail bank executives companies like Amazon.com, Inc., Google expect technology to accelerate their LLC, Venmo® (PayPal, Inc.), Earnest LLC, company’s growth. Among the key findings: and SoFi (Social Finance, Inc.). Falling behind on the technology curve is not an option. • 43% of retail bank executives expect their technology investments to improve “Customers want real-time information, customer loyalty—critical in an industry and they expect us to come to them that’s all about asset-gathering. anywhere. So we want to make sure we’re building services that allow the customer • A third of banks think technology will to get all the capabilities we have to offer boost their market share. in a seamless way,” says Scott Dillon, chief • More than a quarter (27%) expect technology officer at Wells Fargo & Co., one it to create new revenue streams. of the executives interviewed for this study. But retail banks face hurdles in implementing Our survey results suggest retail banks are their ambitious digital plans. More than half working to meet these higher consumer (53%) worry that upgrading their technology expectations in an industry where change systems will disrupt daily business activities. comes slowly. Harnessing digital innovation Other pain points include regulatory to boost customer loyalty, without disrupting concerns, a siloed IT function, and lack day-to-day business activities, presents of change management expertise. a challenge. But to remain competitive, retail banks have little choice. 2 RETAIL BANKS THE GROWTH GOAL ‘Sticky’ Customers The financial services industry has moved beyond viewing technology as primarily a means to cut costs. Asked to name their top three goals for The focus on AI makes strategic sense. digital innovation, 43% of retail bank Smart technology, which can personalize a executives say they expect their investments music playlist or fill a gourmet’s refrigerator, to improve customer loyalty; 33% think is proving to be a powerful force in retail technology will increase market share; and banking. Indeed, 77% of bank respondents 30% think it will improve employee retention think that in five years, virtual assistants* (Figure 1). These results suggest banks will substantially handle more than half are prioritizing the right mix of objectives of customer interactions. for their technology investments— In anticipation of that sea change in deeper customer loyalty and growing customer relationships, banks are market share are key to competitiveness, devoting significant resources to digital and to maintain growth, employees transformation. As we have noted, nearly need to be engaged and committed. nine in 10 respondents have a coherent Banks have already seen a payoff from their strategy for technology innovation across technology investments. For example, 86% their entire business. In addition, 80% of respondents investing in data analytics have developed metrics that they apply say these tools have been critically important consistently to monitor the value of their in helping them reach their goals. In fact, technology investments, and two-thirds a majority say their company is getting the maintain an in-house team dedicated to most bang out of foundational technologies digital innovation. These results suggest like data analytics (63%) and cloud most retail banks aren’t just throwing capabilities that improve efficiency (53%). money at the latest trendy technology. They are carefully measuring how digital But banks see their technology needs transformation is moving the bottom line. evolving, and know that cloud and data analytics are key enablers of next- Nearly half of retail banks expect their generation tools like artificial intelligence technology investments to improve (AI) and machine learning. More than half customer loyalty, and a third hope for (53%) think that in three years, AI-based increased market share. These results technologies to improve operations will align with previous Accenture research have the biggest impact on their bank, and into customer loyalty. 47% say the same about client-facing AI. * To find out more on the potential of responsible AI please see: https://www.accenture.com/ t20180319T114329Z__w__/gr-en/_acnmedia/PDF-74/Accenture-Realising-Economic-Societal-Potential- Responsible-Ai-Europe.pdf, Realising the Economic and Societal Potential of Responsible AI in Europe. Well-prepared for Digital Innovation 3 Figure 1: Retail banks expect technology to boost customer loyalty Thinking of the technologies you are investing in today, how do you expect those technologies to improve your company’s competitiveness? Retail banking respondents, top-three ranked responses. Imrove customer loyalty 43% Increase maret share 33% Imrove emloyee retention 3% Create new revenue streams 27% Imrove IT security 27% Protect current revenue streams 23% Enhance enterrise rofitaility 23% Reduce oerational costs 23% Comete with fintech 23% insurtech startus Reduce cost of customer 2% acuisition Reduce systems downtime 17% (lanned and unlanned) Increase technology scalaility 1% 4 RETAIL BANKS BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR TOMORROW’S PLATFORMS Our survey data suggest that retail banks are laying the foundations for long-term digital transformation. The sequential approach is a prudent one And in three years, 43% of retail banks in this heavily regulated industry: banks see themselves investing heavily in should extricate themselves gradually operational and customer-facing AI. from legacy systems, make sure they are Conversely, the percentage of banks getting strong value from proven tools investing in cloud-based technologies like cloud computing, then strategically to generate business value looks set to bring emerging technologies like artificial drop significantly, suggesting that by intelligence and agile development 2021, most retail banks will be using into their digital mix. For many, this is cloud as a core enabling technology a tall order. More than half of our retail supporting more advanced digital tools. bank respondents say updating their Banks expect technology’s impact to grow technology without disrupting day-to-day in all areas of their business. For example, business activities is a major challenge. while only 33% of survey respondents say Wells Fargo’s Mr. Dillon is levelheaded about technology is having a significant effect the challenges banks face. “Old processes on their home mortgage line of business don’t work in the new way,” he says. “You (LOB) today, that percentage more than might have four things that helped in doubles, to 70%, when respondents the legacy environment in the past, but envision their mortgage business three now a platform can transform those four years from now. And 77% of retail bank things into one. That takes a lot of rigor. respondents say technology will have a It’s not going to happen overnight, and significant impact on their commercial it’s where we see a lot of our peers fail.” lending business in three years. According to our survey, retail banks are using increasingly sophisticated tools to reach their goals (Figure 2). Their current and planned investments reflect this technology continuum. Today, 47% of banks say they are investing heavily in customer-facing blockchain. That percentage drops to 13% in three years— perhaps because by then, respondents expect to have fully integrated these capabilities into their business. Well-prepared for Digital Innovation 5 Figure 2: Technology investments move from foundational to cutting-edge Please indicate which technologies you are investing in or plan to invest in significantly. Retail banking respondents. AIased technologies 23% to imrove oerational rocesses 43% Cloudased technologies 27% to imrove oerational efficiency 23% Customerfacing 47% locchain 13% Cloudased technologies 47% to generate usiness value 13% Data analytics 23% 17% AIased technologies 17% to imrove clientfacing rocesses 43% Internal locchain 17% alications 33% Agile develoment 13% 3% We are not investing or 7% lanning to invest in any of these technologies 3% Investing today Plan to invest in three years “We want to make sure we’re building services that allow the customer to get all the capabilities we have to offer in a seamless way.” Scott Dillon, Chief Technology Officer, Wells Fargo & Co. 6 RETAIL BANKS VAULTING THE HURDLES All financial services providers operate within a tight regulatory framework. Retail banks can ill afford to miss a compliance