The finance industry has undergone a massive technological transformation in the past few decades. This amalgamation of Finance and Technology has given birth to a new trend in the finance industry called Fintech. The Fintech industry is comprised of companies that leverage cutting-edge technology to provide creative solutions to traditional problems which were earlier unaddressed by the traditional system of banking and finance. The emphasis is on providing a seamless experience for the customer and boosting customer satisfaction by eradicating the roadblocks using technology.
With the proliferation of the internet and smart devices, consumer behaviour has changed in general. Consumers are more aware and more demanding today as compared to a few decades ago. The general technological advancement has been such that the need to provide instant solution to the problem is paramount. People are buying goods through the web using their smartphones. Now without the latest technological evolution this wouldn’t be possible, to cater to such growing demands from different industries the finance sector had to level-up and satisfy the needs of the customers. Digital wallet, digital banking, mobile banking, etc. are recent developments in the Finance industry that can be categorised under Fintech.
What’s Trending In The Fintech Domain?
The Fintech industry itself has evolved to a great extent in the last few years. With mobile banking and digital wallet being quickly adopted by the masses, some of the latest developments are still to be seen. Let’s delve deeper into the latest trends in the Fintech domain.
Contextual Banking
Contextual banking is the need of the hour, with the increase in hyper-personalization services customers are getting used to more specific products and services. The one size fits all approach is obsolete in the age of AI and machine learning. The contextual banking model is based on providing the right products or services to the customer at the right time and place. With the growth of big data and AI it is getting easier to provide contextual banking to customers based on their historical transactions and other relevant data.
Robo-Advisors
Technology has made it possible to train robots to carry out complex tasks that earlier required human intellect and interference. Robo-Advisor is a recent development in the Fintech industry where robots will provide complex investment and asset management solutions to customers. The advisory services can be availed online and require very minimal to no human involvements. Robo-Advisors factor in the risk-return profile of the customer and then accordingly provide investment solutions.
Robotic Process Automation
Robotic process automation continues to be a major trend in the Fintech segment. It not only helps the Finance companies to be more efficient in their functioning but also helps them to effectively comply with the latest rules and regulations set by regulatory bodies. The automation is not just limited to substituting human labour and performing a task but also includes suggesting improvements to the existing processes.
Blockchain
The recent technological developments have also exposed us to a new league of criminals who are tech-savvy and technologically advanced to break into our online portals. In the contemporary digital world, data is the real deal, identity fraud and theft of data, in general, is a major concern with increasing dependence on technology. Blockchain is being adopted to boost security in the financial services industry, from smart contracts to digital payments and identity management it has a whole lot to offer.
Innovations In The Mobile Payment Systems
With the increased internet penetration and affordable smartphones, the whole world has entered the digital revolution. Transferring payments using smartphone applications has been the norm since the past couple of years and rightly so given the convenience it brings to the customers. The technology however is not static and drives further innovations into this Fintech segment, like for example biometric access control that includes facial and finger print recognition. Other developments include suggesting users on their purchase decisions by factoring in their transaction history. There is much more going on in the mobile payment segment of the Fintech space.
Conclusion
The Fintech industry is still in its nascent phase and is growing by the day. It has proved to be a game-changer in the Finance industry and still has a lot more to offer.
