Technology

7 Technologies Disrupting Finance Industry

In recent years, people have experienced the wonders of modern technology when it comes to managing their finances and accessing financial services. This trend is only expected to improve and continue with the advancements in technology like AI, cryptocurrency, blockchain, VR, and AR, among many other things.

But getting to this point has been a bit slow for the financial industry as compared to other industries who have arguably fewer developments in the technology department.

It’s understandable for the financial sector to have a slower response in the digital disruption due to the sensitive data that they hold.

There’s also the issue of established legacy systems that they have relied on for years. Something that newer and more agile financial companies are not facing due to less dependency on the system. These FinTech companies have the luxury of constantly re-evaluating and re-organizing their business model to give modern solutions to modern financial problems of customers today.

Rules and regulations have also hampered down the advancement of traditional financial companies. Most regulating bodies still don't know the capabilities of some of these technologies and the negative impacts they might have on both the ecosystem and the customers.

Despite these obstacles and due to the fast-changing behavior of customers and increasing competition from FinTech companies, a lot of financial companies have no choice but to digitally transform to provide the best service to their customers

Since fintech companies, normally, don't fall under the jurisdiction of these regulating bodies, they have been pushing the envelope and have experienced successes in implementing them. A great example of this is cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum that have experienced tremendous growth in the last decade. Now, traditional companies are exploring how they can use cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies to carry out traditional tasks that are considered rigid, slow, and insecure. Some companies have also started accepting cryptocurrencies to pay for specific services.

We could say that, somehow, traditional financial companies are trying to keep up with the changes. But if they continue at this pace, they will always find themselves lagging behind modern and more flexible service providers. Soon they'll find that traditional financial advisors may not be as effective as an AI who can predict the most ideal investment streams or that people don't want to be bothered driving to physical banks since financial transactions can now be securely done through mobile phones.

The key to the industry's survival is to spearhead the implementation or experimentation of these technological tools instead of waiting for the next move of technology companies.

In this infographic created by Prototype, a digital transformation company, you'll see a list of modern technologies disrupting the finance industry, the factors driving these changes, and trends these companies should watch out for.

Infographic by: Prototype

by Peter Bordes