Neo and Challenger Banks: Addressing Liquidity Crises Faced by SMEs through an Innovative Financial Model

In countries such as India and China, banks and other monetary institutions have been receiving governmental support for the past few years to expand their presence in rural areas. For instance, the Reserve Bank of India launched a priority sector lending scheme, wherein scheduled commercial and cooperative banks are compelled to give out loans to certain industries facing liquidity crises. At the same time, the increasing penetration of the Internet has led to the emergence of a new type of banking that focuses on the delivery of financial services using digital technologies. In countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, China, India, etc., the model of neo and challenger banks has become especially popular with the launch of 5G services.

Neo and challenger banks improving the range of financial services

Recently, Allied Market Research published a report on the neo and challenger bank market which states that the industry is expected to gather a revenue of $471.0 billion by 2027, rising at a CAGR of 48.1% during 2020-2027. The growing adoption of formal banking channels by small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) is anticipated to become the primary factor behind the sector's growth. These banks provide almost all conventional financial services through digital technologies, thus covering even the underserved areas in a region. For instance, neobanks are monetary organizations that operate entirely online without having any physical branches and don’t necessarily have banking licenses. Apart from allowing customers to open current accounts, these banks also offer enterprises automated accounting and expense management facilities.

The main reason behind the increased preference for neobanks among SMEs is that they offer almost all conventional financial services at extremely low servicing fees. With no withdrawal costs and monthly charges, these banks provide better interest rates on savings and fixed deposit accounts than conventional accounts. Also, since these banks have an online presence only, they focus on advanced mobile applications and web platforms to expand their operations. For example, many neobanks have launched AI-power chatbots to address customers’ queries and grievances.

At the same time, challenger banks, too, have become a popular banking model and an alternative to traditional monetary organizations due to their interactive digital interfaces and innovative financial products. These institutions, too, have a significant online presence. However, unlike neobanks which have no brick-and-mortar branches, challenger banks do have occasional physical existence and have a valid banking license. Naturally, they have a more formal status than neobanks.

The financial services offered by challenger banks are wide-ranging in nature as they have a license from competent governmental authorities. These banks offer loans to individuals as well as enterprises and other budgetary support services for addressing their liquidity issues. Moreover, challenger banks often partner with fintech companies to provide state-of-the-art money transfer facilities, along with credit cards to their customers.

Leading banks and fintech companies developing neo and challenger banking services

In the past few years, many financial technology businesses have launched platforms and web banking applications to provide digital services to their customers. For instance, in February 2022, Temenos, a SaaS cloud banking solution developer, unveiled its Temenos Banking Services.  Deployed using cloud technology, this solution is specifically designed to support challenger banks and help them scale their businesses with minimal implementation costs. Over the last couple of years, Temenos has managed to provide its services to more than 70 neo and challenger banks, thus expanding its footprint across the globe.

In conclusion, the increasing digitalization of financial services is estimated to help the neo and challenger bank market flourish in the coming period. Furthermore, the various advantages offered by these institutions, especially to small and medium-scale enterprises, have increased their popularity in the past few years. With the emergence of AI and cloud technologies, the scope of the industry is anticipated to broaden in the future.

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