Pathward, a national bank with 20 years of payments experience, released the results of its research on executive perspectives on embedded finance, the integration of financial services into non-financial offerings. The survey of senior U.S. executives reveals that, while embedded finance is widely embraced across sectors, for businesses and customers alike, some challenges lie ahead, as not all companies planning to implement these services feel completely ready to do so.
As the role of embedded finance grows, Pathward set out to gauge sentiment and better understand how executives are evaluating its role for their companies. Not surprisingly, the research shows that the expansion of embedded finance solutions is expected to take place rapidly. In fact, 82% of executives planning or considering offering embedded finance predict it will happen in the next two years.
Nearly half of executives reported their company is supporting an embedded finance solution today. Not only do 44% of executives work at companies that already offer it, but another 33% plan to, and 17% are evaluating it. Among the executives who currently offer embedded finance solutions, nearly all have seen embedded finance as a revenue driver, including 53% who note it is a primary driver.
“Embedded finance presents opportunities to improve customer experience, build loyalty and drive revenue,” Anthony Sharett, president of Pathward, said. “Technology is enabling innovation that simplifies the lives of consumers and businesses, but that simplification comes with a cost of complexity for the organizations delivering these solutions. Pathward works closely with our partners to build strong risk, fraud and compliance frameworks into these embedded finance solutions.”
Executives Acknowledge Embedded Finance Comes with Complexities
As with any new fintech solution, executives have concerns when it comes to embracing embedded finance. Among the concerns, security (45%), fraud (42%) and compliance (42%) top the charts when looking at individual concerns, especially as cybersecurity and regulatory scrutiny remain hot topics for businesses everywhere.
Among companies that currently offer embedded finance solutions, a surprising 81% of executives surveyed reported that they somewhat or significantly underestimated the complexity of building an embedded finance solution. This highlights the importance of preparedness when it comes to implementing embedded finance.
“Embedded finance comes with a learning curve for organizations of all sizes, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges that the implementation process presents,” Will Sowell, divisional president of banking as a service at Pathward, said. “It is encouraging to see executives across the industry embrace the technology to improve their customers’ experience. Partnership is a key ingredient to delivering secure and sustainable solutions to the marketplace.”
Pathward’s “Embedded Finance – Executive Perspectives” survey results are available online: https://www.pathward.com/content/dam/pathward/us/en/documents/pdfs/White%20Paper_Embedded%20Finance.pdf.
