Sibos 2015: banks reacting to the threat of blockchain and other FinTech

Singapore hosted Sibos this year, and judging by the reported 8,000 attendees, transaction banking is alive and well. That also means there were 8,000 different experiences, impressions and takeaways. Here are mine: Banks are fully aware of the threat of posed by technology and are beginning to act on it. Two technology vendors I spoke to said that every single bank they met with asked about blockchain, an extraordinary change from six months ago when it was only beginning to be seriously discussed. It’s encouraging that banks have evolved their positions so quickly. While no one know yet what the killer blockchain uses will be, banks are ramping up experiments along all facets of the value chain. Celent will have more to say about that shortly. Another facet of technology change is the need for banks to partner with FinTech innovators. Based on my conversations with many of these vendors, banks were a lot more willing to discuss new ways of working together. There may even me some movement toward value pricing (that is, mutual sharing in beneficial outcomes), but it’s still very early days; banks seem loathe to give away upside and are unsure how to structure enforceable deals. Sibos’ ambivalence about innovation manifested itself physically with Innotribe. The space was relatively small, and every time I went by I was unable to get in because it was filled to overflowing. Innovation clearly needs to be given even more attention despite the threats it presents to the existing structure. Was this perhaps a physical metaphor of Banking’s relationship with and attitude towards FinTech? Having had four straight nights of canapés for standing dinners, getting home to digest the whirlwind that is Sibos was very welcome. On to Geneva next year!