Regulation is a constant in the banking industry, with new requirements regularly being introduced. The challenge lies in interpreting and actioning these regulations, and with the UK Consumer Duty regulation approaching, it's clear that financial institutions in the UK need to be proactive.What is Consumer Duty?The FCA’s proposed Consumer Duty regulation requires firms to prioritise their customers’ interests by focusing on delivering “good outcomes”.According to the regulation, “good outcomes” are based on three core principles: acting in good faith, supporting financial objectives and avoiding foreseeable harm. In other words, lenders must act in their customers’ best interests by providing tailored products and services, communicating transparently and avoiding any potential harm.- Starting on July 31, 2023, every lender will be required to define and monitor what constitutes good outcomes for their customers.- From September 2023, the FCA will be reaching out to a select number of firms to investigate what has changed (or not) in the gap analysis.- Beginning in January 2024, lenders will be asked for dashboard samples with supporting data demonstrating avoidance of harm.The regulation will continue to evolve throughout these phases. Based on the findings, the FCA could recommend further changes to improve compliance with the Duty through 2025.

In this white paper, experts from nCino and PwC explore five common mistakes that firms make when attempting a digital transformation project, and offer best practices drawn from their experience in deploying hundreds of new platforms on behalf of clients across multiple geographic regions.With regulatory headwinds picking up, interest rates still rising and borrower expectations changing, the macroeconomic outlook for UK homebuyers and mortgage lenders alike is daunting.This is why many UK mortgage lenders are intent on disrupting the market by serving their clients throughout the entire homeownership journey, from applying for a loan to refinancing their home. To achieve this goal of capturing more of the home buying journey and growing direct lending market share, mortgage lenders will need to provide borrowers with seamless and efficient mortgage experiences. During a time when it is more important than ever to identify and act on operational efficiencies and areas for cost savings, lenders can no longer afford to ignore their legacy technologies and antiquated processes.

In recent years, environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters have become more important than ever before: regulators are starting to enforce disclosure requirements for organisations, and key stakeholders are asking for increased commitments from businesses. However, these pressures aside, there is also an opportunity for financial institutions (FIs) to turn ESG into powerful benefits. The increasing interest of the market and regulators in ESGTo report on ESG, companies select an established framework to standardise the reporting and disclosure of ESG metrics. This helps stakeholders understand how an organisation manages risks and opportunities around sustainability issues.Banks, insurers, asset managers and public companies have been reporting on ESG under these frameworks for several years on a voluntary basis. However, requirements are now shifting and becoming mandatory.

Amazement. Excitement. Controversy. Fear.By now, you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT, the revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) technology that has stunned the world in 2023. Perhaps you’ve even tried out the free version of this powerful tool to draft an email to your boss or write a poem about your pet.As exciting as generative AI applications like ChatGPT are, they’ve also triggered fear and uncertainty across many spheres, from education, where many school districts have banned students from using AI to write their term papers, to the financial services industry, where major banks like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have prohibited their employees from using AI for corporate communications, citing compliance concerns. Meanwhile, other financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, are experimenting with generative AI tools internally to help write and test code, which has some developers worried about their roles.While conversational AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper and Google Bard have suddenly captured the public’s imagination, the underlying technology is not new. And it’s certainly not the only—or best—use case for generative AI in banking.

With the anticipation of a global downturn, a number of banking and technology trends are emerging worldwide. As a result, financial institutions will have to innovate faster than ever to avoid falling behind competitors and ensure they’re positioned to take full advantage of new opportunities today and throughout 2023.

As financial institutions (FIs) face the current macroeconomic landscape and an impending global recession, they are beginning to feel the impact on their budgets. As a result, many banks are redirecting their spend towards projects with faster time to value that improve operational efficiency and help control costs.For lenders, this also means navigating increased risk and higher chances of loan defaults, not to mention new competition threatening their market share, all while continuing to create personalized experiences, winning customers, mitigating risk and managing compliance. That’s no easy feat.

With 2023 underway, savvy lenders are looking for mortgage tech that will help them navigate the economic headwinds this year is slated to bring. Efficiency, cost savings, and better collaboration are top of mind for many lenders. But which part of the mortgage journey can they digitize?

In today’s rapidly transforming technology environment, financial institutions (FIs) must think beyond businesses or individuals as a customer and truly see them as a Universal Customer. A Universal Customer is someone who has been empowered with such an excellent banking experience that they want to stay with that one FI for all their financial needs. While Universal Customers deeply trust their FIs, they also have other expectations for service, including, speed, simplicity, and accessibility. To attract, retain and grow these valuable Universal Customers, financial institutions must use digital mobility, artificial intelligence, automation and data analytics to learn more about what customers want at different stages of their financial lifecycle.

Allied Irish Banks, or AIB, is a financial services group based in Ireland whose core services are Retail, Business and Corporate Banking. As one of the largest financial institutions in Ireland, the Bank serves its 2.8 million customers at over 200 branches throughout the country.