Why Standard Bank is betting big on the ‘platform economy’

Loading player...
Banks are facing more competition today than ever, and much of that competition is coming from left field – from non-traditional competitors such as mobile operators and technology giants.
The implications, says Standard Bank Group, are dire for financial services institutions that are unwilling to adapt their strategies to compete effectively in what it calls “the platform economy”.
The banking group recently published a new research paper, called “The Power of the Platform Economy for Financial Services”, which unpacks the risks and opportunities in detail.
One of the authors at the research paper, Standard Bank executive: platform business lead for wholesale clients (digital) Jonathan Lamb, joined the TechCentral podcast to unpack what all this means for “legacy” banks in both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets across Africa.
Where is the threat to banks coming from? Will mobile operators, with mobile money services, or social media companies like Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, prove to be the bigger competitive threat down the line? And how can banks respond?
Lamb believes banks are in a strong position to counter the competitive threats, but they cannot rest on their laurels.
How do they deal with their legacy IT infrastructure (many are still running mainframes at their core), and is the fact that they are heavily regulated an advantage or a disadvantage in the fight to come?
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion on the future of an industry in flux.
30 Sep 2021 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | Kinetic Skunk: fintechs risk cloud bill shock without proper planning

Fintechs choose cloud technologies in the hopes that the efficiency and scalability of cloud computing will give them a competitive advantage. But cloud adoption is no silver bullet. If done incorrectly, a migration to the cloud can cause costs to balloon instead of decreasing them, leading to frustration and even…
21 Aug 37 min

TCS | Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre

Alan Knott-Craig’s new fibre internet business has been flying below the radar for some time now, but the serial telecommunications entrepreneur has finally unpacked his plans for the business. Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World…
15 Aug 22 min

TCS | Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite

Although Shoprite Group stole a march on many of South Africa’s retailers in on-demand online grocery delivery during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Pick n Pay has a clear plan to make up lost ground and compete aggressively for market share. Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which…
14 Aug 49 min

TCS+ | Cassava’s Adil El Youssefi on data centre growth in Africa

In this episode of TCS+, Adil El Youssefi, newly appointed CEO of the colocation business at Cassava Technologies and CEO of Africa Data Centres, chats about the challenges and opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. El Youssefi delves into: • His background prior to being appointed into the role and how it…
13 Aug 30 min

Watts & Wheels Ep 3: 'We drive the new Dongfeng Box'

The Dongfeng Box electric city runabout has landed in South Africa, and Watts & Wheels has taken the vehicle – one of the cheapest electric cars currently on sale in the country – for a test drive. One of China’s biggest and oldest motoring manufacturers, the state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corporation…
11 Aug 46 min