April 2013
Strong share price performance across UK banks since last summer suggests that fears over the impact of Eurozone fragility may be receding. As the banks report resilient balance sheets and improving underlying profitability against a backdrop of sluggish economic growth, one might be forgiven for thinking that the worst is over. However, concerns continue at both a systemic and institutional level.
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March 2013
By capitalizing on key competitive advantages, banks can expand their business from one of simply brokering money to one that includes almost any non-financial product category. Banks can help to customize offers to the individual customer and to optimize production and distribution costs (e.g. the productivity of the wider economy), giving consumers added value and providing a better return on investment for small businesses and merchants.
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January 2013
In the Q4 issue of AlixPartners' Financial Services Quarterly, we explore how mobile is impacting consumers' retail banking channel usage behavior and bank-switching decisions, and how insurance companies are harnessing consumer engagement with mobile for acquisition and retention. We also revisit the continued importance of Retirement for serving the needs of the mass affluent. Finally, we examine how Gulf banks might seize the opportunity to become leading global banking institutions.
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December 2012
Widely considered untouchable just a few years ago, global investment banks now face an uncertain future. Facing a fundamentally changed environment and an ever-increasing roster of new and pending regulations, these institutions must now start down a long road to industrialization. To accomplish this, we propose 10 Steps Toward Industrialization. Global investment banks that address each of these points as part of a larger strategic plan can lead the way toward the future of their industry.
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December 2012
There is life after the global financial crisis. A new phase of development for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banks has begun, marked by sustainable growth and increasing profitability. Our analysis shows that decent profits have generally returned, with some stellar performances at both the bank and country levels.
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October 2012
To better understand the implications of the current environment, we asked the Chief Credit Officers (CCOs) of more than 50 leading European banks for their views. These executives answered detailed questions on three investigative threads: their expectations on the credit, real estate, and NPL markets, based on their views of current and future trends; their assessments of their banks’ operating models, processes, skills, and organization, with a particular focus on the upcoming changes in the market environment; their present performance compared to that of 2011, using profitability, productivity, and risk as indicators.
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October 2012
The advent of new, innovative yet disruptive technologies is the new normal for businesses in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. Whole industries have succumbed to the proliferating array of products and services made possible by the development of digital media and communications and the devices that bring digital products, services, and capabilities to the consumer’s fingertips. As part of this larger trend, retailers have experienced unprecedented changes in consumer preferences, behaviors, and expectations over the past several years.
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October 2012
As economic uncertainty persists in the U.S. and Europe, retail bank executives continually seek opportunities to grow both the top and bottom lines. In this edition of our Financial Services Quarterly, we focus on three levers that, when used correctly, can help improve retail bank economics: consumer trust, applied analytics, and the alignment of business priorities with IT spending. We also take a closer look at what may happen next in Europe, through our recent survey of the Chief Credit Officers of leading banks across the continent.
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September 2012
Financial institutions are at a crossroads. Privately, bankers acknowledge that profits at most banks are not keeping pace with cost of equity and that improving macroeconomic conditions may not be sufficient to address the structural problems.
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July 2012
The European banking system is at a critical crossroads, and the stakes are high. A positive outcome may require action beyond the simplistic financial deleveraging and risk management being widely suggested today—it may require a fundamental restructuring of the industry itself. European banks will need to act— urgently and decisively—as they would in a “make or break” turnaround situation. As has been done successfully in many other industries, the restructuring agenda should involve a Chief Turnaround and Restructuring Officer (CTRO), who can consider the relevance and appropriateness of certain Top 10 priorities.
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