Vlerick Expertise in Financial Services Management

In view of data-driven and customer-centric user experiences becoming ever more important, BNP Paribas Fortis developed ‘James’, an online and personal investment advice service that is both human and digital. Since the launch in 2009, the James’ customer base expanded from 20,000 to 100,000. This case study analyses the implications of using digital technologies for customer interactions in retail banking.

The financial services sector is facing its most radical change in decades. At the origin we find increased regulation, changing customer behaviour and technological innovation. Moreover, both small start-ups as well as large established tech companies are challenging incumbent organisations. If you want to prepare for the future you need to master four capabilities: design superior customer experiences, set-up data-driven experiments, build multi-party collaborations and provide platform-based solutions.

By 2030, the purchasing power of the so-called Millennials will be greater than that of all other consumer groups put together. In order to be able to better meet the needs and fulfil the expectations of this young generation, it is vital that we better understand them. On behalf of Prime Foundation Partner Belfius, Vlerick Business School studied what Millennials expect from the interaction with their bank.

The traditional banking model is undergoing a substantial transition towards a customer-centric model due to several challenges currently facing retail banks. The Beobank benchmark proposes three focal points in order to meet these requirements: choose the right customers, provide the experience they expect (either digital or face-to-face) and use short-term and long-term metrics. Throughout the report, examples of financial institutions are provided to emphasise that retail banking will not look the same in 2020.

The case takes us back to June 2013, a few weeks after the BNP Paribas Group, a leading bank in the Euro zone, had introduced an innovative mobile retail bank - 'Hello Bank!' - in Belgium and Germany, with France and Italy set to launch later that year. We follow the reasoning behind the development of Hello bank! and offer insight into why the Group’s senior management gave the utmost strategic priority to this project.

The financial sector is operating in a rapidly changing environment with new regulations coming up and with a growing dependency on macro-economic developments. In this context, banks and insurers are both confronted with the, Basel III and Solvency II regulations that will soon be effective. To get a better insight in the consequences and opportunities of these new regulations for their investment behavior, Ageas has asked Vlerick to make a detailed study.

ING Direct USA reinvented banking in the States and in the process rose from a crowd of over 12,000 banks to become one of the 30 largest banks by assets and deposits in the States. The company revolutionalised the American retail banking industry with a simple savings bank model, built around the customer. Nevertheless, the company faced a tough period during the financial crisis. What went wrong? Has ING Direct been able to recover?

Changing consumer needs and expectations, combined with ‘post-digital’ technologies – such as big data, social, mobile, cloud, and cyber – are pushing the financial sector to fundamentally rethink operating and business models and to investigate new opportunities – especially mobile opportunities. A major strategic theme for the coming years will be how best to deploy one or more of these technologies to drive post-digital business innovation.

Belgian banks are currently operating in a low growth, low interest rate environment, which is putting pressure on the main value driver for most banks: net interest income. At the same time, a vast body of regulatory rules is heading for the sector, which will require implementing new requirements and compliance procedures. So, how are Belgium’s banks navigating this post-crisis landscape – and what is the outlook for the next few years?

This case study describes the benefits and drawbacks of going public, what the IPO process typically entails and the role that underwriting investment banks take up.