What’s in a name? EBADay revisited

Having just about finished all my EBADay follow-ups, I thought it might be worth a few moments thought about my impressions and take-aways from the event. I always attend, but this year I was invited to speak again, and joined the e-invoicing panel, a topic many of you will know that is close to my heart.

For those of you unfamiliar with EBADay , it is now one of the two events I tend to recommend my clients ought to attend, alongside Sibos. Originally almost an afterthought to the AGM for EBA members, it has grown to become a must-do fixture.

The title refers of the post to a couple of points. Firstly, now in its sixth year, it’s actually grown to be 2 days in length, so if nothing else we should be adding an “s” to the title! Even then, the event felt as if it could grow even further. The theme of EBADay is very much around dialogue, and so the vast majority of sessions are panel based, with typically 4 panelists and a moderator. That allows for a breadth of views but perhaps doesn’t allow for some of the themes to be debated and explored in more detail. Perhaps next year’s event in Edinburgh ought to have some sessions with fewer panelists or longer sessions. Or add a third day. I can imagine the organizers cursing me as I write! They did a great job as usual in organizing.

Secondly, whilst I understand the name, I do sometimes have to explain to those less familiar, that this is very much an industry event. There is a strong influence from the EBA naturally, but the topics that concern them also concern us all. I think that’s why it has grown to be so useful. Which other event can cover CSMs, mobile, e-payments and e-invoicing?

So, my observations:

• SEPA loomed large, naturally. In the background though, and something we’re seeing at Celent too, was a real increase in banks re-visiting their SEPA strategies. Some banks seemed to almost going back to square one. With the 1^st reading of the end-date proposal imminent, it would seem that some banks are only just waking up to the fact that it is going to happen
• There has been a lot of talk about liquidity management, but there seems to be more of a practical application starting. It’s a topic I shall be delving into more, but I was struck by how the topic has risen up the agenda. Basel 3 and risk management have undoubtedly played a part, but equally a few banks seem to have recognized that understanding their liquidity better and pricing accordingly can deliver some real competitive advantage
• It felt like this was the best attended event so far, and there were certainly more exhibitors than ever before, including a few I was unfamiliar with, yet the size was manageable. Whilst I saw a number of non-European banks there, of the ones I met, they were from India and Asia primarily. I would strongly recommend that any bank who has an interest in payments in Europe needs to be attending this event. The quality of the content and the seniority of attendees will make the investment worthwhile

See you in Edinburgh!