Banks in Singapore rank highest in Asia Pacific in Open Banking Readiness according to the Finastra Inaugural Open Banking Readiness Index

Singapore, November 14 2018 – Singapore currently tops the race in open banking readiness, and is the pace-setter for leveraging APIs in data monetization, primarily owing to the maturity of its Open API and data infrastructure. This is according to the Finastra inaugural Open Banking Readiness Index surveyed across 14 markets in the region. Developed in partnership with IDC Financial Insights, the Index provides a framework for banks in Asia Pacific to assess their Open Banking capabilities and benchmark their readiness against peers in the race towards Open Banking.

Research shows that higher adoption of APIs, bank third-party partnerships, and advanced data-based transformation and innovation were primary factors leading to Singapore ranking as the most advanced market in comparison to other countries surveyed.

Singapore (8.1/10) is followed by Australia (7.1/10) and Hong Kong (6.6/10) as the second and third leading markets in Open Banking readiness in Asia Pacific. Other key findings include:

• Platforms will play a significant role in managing the convergence of capabilities as 85% of banks agree that “a platform” will be the key to binding the customer, business and technology capabilities together
• Only 25% of Asia-Pacific banks are in the advanced stage of data-based transformation
• Momentum for Open Banking is accelerating in Asia and the majority of banks are expected to ramp up their Open Banking capabilities between 2018 and 2020

Imad Abou Haidar, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Finastra said, “Financial institutions in Asia are starting to see the benefits of an Open Banking strategy in broadening customer reach, expanding revenue streams and driving greater innovation. We are committed to helping banks harness the promise of Open Banking to transform how they engage customers and collaborate with third parties to bring new propositions to the market. With this Index, we hope to enable banks to deliver truly transformative financial services, by identifying areas for improvement and moving to more advanced stages of readiness.”

Michael Araneta, Regional Head of Research for IDC Financial Insights added, "Open Banking is a rare chance for banks to unbundle and re-bundle the value chain of financial services so products, services, data, and functionalities can be consumed and provided by third parties. This will fundamentally change the way banks will rethink products and delivery channels so that they are able to transform customer engagement."

The Index is developed based on interviews and surveys with 146 top banks across 14 markets in the Asia-Pacific region – Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, South Korea, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. It measures banks across five dimensions – Adoption of APIs, Fintech/Third-Party Ecosystem, State of Data-based Transformation, Data Monetization, and the State of Innovation.

Smita Gupta, Senior Director, Regional Marketing, Asia Pacific said, “The Finastra Open Banking Readiness Index unleashes the true potential of Open Banking and showcases how banks in the Asia-Pacific region are faring in their innovation journey. Singapore is at the forefront of providing the infrastructure and sandbox environment that supports Fintechs’ innovation experiments to accelerate its transformation into a ‘Smart Nation’. Banks in Singapore are harnessing integrated platforms such as APIs and cloud technology to create new values to delight their customers by building financial services around their customers’ lives. We are excited to see the industry make further strides towards collaboration and open innovation, leveraging the insights and framework provided by the Index.”

The latest research commissioned by Finastra reflects its vision to help banks deliver transformative financial services. Download an Infobrief of the Index here.

For further information please contact:

Caroline Duff
Global Head of PR
T: +44 (0)20 3320 5892
E: caroline.duff@finastra.com
www.finastra.com

Catherine Lam
Senior PR Manager, APAC
T: +65 6416 4032
E: catherine.lam@finastra.com
www.finastra.com

About Finastra

Finastra unlocks the potential of people and businesses in finance, creating a platform for open innovation. Formed in 2017 by the combination of Misys and D+H, we provide the broadest portfolio of financial services software in the world today—spanning retail banking, transaction banking, lending, and treasury and capital markets. Our solutions enable customers to deploy mission critical technology on premises or in the cloud. Our scale and geographical reach means that we can serve customers effectively, regardless of their size or geographic location—from global financial institutions, to community banks and credit unions. Through our open, secure and reliable solutions, customers are empowered to accelerate growth, optimize cost, mitigate risk and continually evolve to meet the changing needs of their customers. 90 of the world’s top 100 banks use Finastra technology.
Please visit finastra.com.

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