Executive Reports

RBR’s “Executive Reports” provide expert opinion on topical issues in the banking automation, ATMs, cards and payments sectors. They provide a mix of information, analysis, insights and implications and are aimed at senior executives or others looking for informed commentary on key industry issues.

Self-Service Banking: Best Practice and Case Studies

Published: August 2011
Pages: 148
Author: David Cavell
Price: £1,200 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download a summary table of contents and order form

Click here to download a detailed table of contents

Click here to download a free article based on the Self-Service Banking report (PDF 137 K)

This new report in RBR’s Executive Reports series addresses self-service strategy in the context of retail banking strategy more broadly. It provides an overview of how self-service banking is being used and developed within an increasingly complex multi-channel delivery environment. The report aims to inform the thinking of senior executives on the critical issues that must be addressed in order to maximise the benefits that self-service can deliver.

The first part of the report considers the role of self-service in retail banking through a set of case studies from around the world. The second part reviews, with examples, the issues that contribute to the effectiveness of the self-service investment. It offers guidance on developing and implementing a comprehensive self-service strategy.

Table of Contents:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SECTION A: THE ROLE OF SELF-SERVICE

1. Absa Group, South Africa
2. Credit Suisse, Switzerland
3. First National Bank (FNB), South Africa
4. HDFC Bank, India
5. HSBC, UK
6. ING Group
7. La Caixa, Spain
8. The German Sparkassen 2001–2011
9. Wells Fargo, USA

SECTION B: MAXIMISING SELF-SERVICE EFFECTIVENESS

10. Self-service in the ‘branch’
11. The Agile Bank
12. Self-service and biometrics
13. Self-service functionality and facility
14. Effective customer migration to self-service
15. The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)
16. Self-service strategy development
17. Conclusions

APPENDIX: BRANCH TRANSACTIONS & SELF-SERVICE FACILITIES

Commercial Cards: Best Practice and Case Studies

Published: March 2011
Pages: 117
Author: David Cavell
Price: £1,200 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download a summary table of contents and order form

Click here to download a detailed table of contents

Click here to download a free article based on the Commercial Cards report (PDF 195 K)

With the notable exception of the USA, the commercial cards market around the world is surprisingly under-developed. This report argues that a large market still remains to be exploited, and that if local players do not take advantage, others will.

The report reviews the range of payment card products that are available to serve the needs of different types and sizes of businesses. It discusses the added-value features offered with commercial cards, such as management information systems, that deliver control and administrative benefits, and also examines risk management and operational issues.

As with the other reports in this series, the report uses case studies from around the world to highlight what can be achieved by those who take the initiative.

SME Banking: Best Practice and Case Studies

Published: October 2010
Pages: 151
Author: David Cavell
Price: £1,200 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download a summary table of contents and order form

Click here to download a detailed table of contents

Click here to download a free article based on the SME Banking report (PDF 357 K)

The SME sector is served by both long established banks and newer players. The market leaders have well developed strategies that have brought success for both themselves and their clients. However, the recent economic difficulties have opened up fault lines in the relationships between many banks and their SME clients.

This report reviews up-to-date case studies from across the world and accesses important research in order to identify the key drivers of success in SME banking. It also reflects the principal lessons to be learned from the experience of the recent financial crisis. As such it provides an insightful and timely guide to the critical success factors for banks seeking to develop a profitable share of the SME market.

EMV Chip Applications: Catching the Next Wave

Published: April 2010
Pages: 163
Author: Nick Collin
Price: £1,500 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download a summary table of contents and order form

Click here to download a detailed table of contents

Click here to download a free article based on the EMV Chip Application report (PDF 345 K)

This executive report reviews the opportunities created by the greatest change to card payments since their inception 60 years ago: the global migration from magnetic stripe to more secure chip card technology. Underpining this shift is the EMV standard.

This report is about EMV chip technology, the type of added value business applications it supports, and how to deploy them. It is aimed at banks, which now have an outstanding opportunity to develop new, chip-based products and build new customer markets, new card acceptance environments, and new revenue streams; and also non-banks which use smartcard technology, in the form of ID cards, transport cards, health cards and so on. A central argument of this report is that for such organisations, it is often possible to develop more cost-effective and open systems by piggy-backing on the existing EMV infrastructure, rather than re-inventing the wheel with proprietary solutions. A third audience is the smartcard vendor community which supplies both banks and non-banks.

Branch Banking: Best Practice and Case Studies

Published: September 2009
Pages: 130
Author: David Cavell
Price: £1,200 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download a summary table of contents and order form

Click here to download a detailed table of contents

Click here to download a free article based on the Branch Banking report (PDF 193 K)

This executive report reviews the ways in which the branch has been developed by a range of institutions, as a means of testing new concepts, and then mobilising best practice for maximum effectiveness. It goes on to discuss how branch-led delivery channel strategies are facilitating the market entry of a number of major new competitors, including the post office and leading retailers.

Each of the institutions discussed in the report has taken its own distinctive approach to the development of a new generation of branches. There are however, a number of factors that are common to success in all branch strategies which this report seeks to illustrate.

The report concludes with a checklist of strategic and practical issues, and observations, illustrated within the report, for branch strategy and delivery channel executives to consider.

The Prepaid Cards Phenomenon

Published: January 2009
Pages: 46
Author: David Cavell
Price: £750 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download table of contents and order form

Click here to download a free article based on the Prepaid Cards report (PDF 133 K)

Both anecdotal evidence and recent research confirm that the dynamic growth of the global prepaid card sector is set to continue, despite the difficulties being experienced in other parts of the banking industry. Indeed, many of the prepaid applications will do much to assist the development of both valuable new sources of income and process improvements.

This executive report reviews the extensive range of open loop and closed loop prepaid card applications and identifies examples of many that have already proven their ability to deliver major benefits for consumers, business and government. The report also discusses key issues that remain to be resolved at industry level, and looks at how the sector is gearing up to promote greater cooperation and best practice.

What does the European Commission’s retail banking inquiry mean for banks and other industry players?

Published: March 2007
Pages: 33
Author: Rob Walker
Price: £550 (printed – see order form for other formats)

Click here to download table of contents and order form

On 31st January the European Commission published the final report on its sector inquiry into retail banking, covering current accounts and related services and the payment cards industry. The inquiry was initiated in June 2005 because the Commission was concerned about a lack of competition, particularly cross-border competition, in the EU.

The final report identified competition concerns in payment systems (including card payment systems), credit registers, cooperation between banks and the setting of prices and policies; conclusions that will have a significant impact upon the European banking industry in the future.

This Executive Report assesses the key findings of the sector inquiry and provides a strategic analysis of the implications for banks, card organisations and other institutions in four main areas: payments cards, retail banking, clearing and settlement systems and credit registers.