Today, B2B APIs have become essential for growth and digital transformation in the financial and banking industry. Companies use these APIs to share information and data between different systems and platforms, enabling more efficient integration and better business decision-making.
To take advantage of this potential, banks must view APIs not only as a technology tool for software developers but also as an important strategic asset and business priority. This involves building a broad bridge between business and technology functions, which often operate as distinct areas. In a survey conducted by McKinsey, banks were asked to rate the degree of collaboration along five key dimensions: business strategy development, API lifecycle management, data, and application integration, security and compliance, and API governance.
Regarding implementing APIs as a business differentiator, some banks have made more progress than others. Banks that have successfully advanced their use of APIs have successfully positioned these connectivity tools at the center of their business and innovation agenda. To achieve this, they have taken five critical steps:
Develop a clear strategy: First, it is critical that banks define a clear strategy on how to deploy APIs effectively. This includes identifying the use cases that offer the greatest growth potential and creating a plan to implement them.
Cultivate a culture of collaboration: Implementing APIs is an enterprise effort that involves collaboration across multiple areas and teams, so it is critical to foster a culture of collaboration across the organization.
Establish strong governance: Governance is critical to the success of API implementation. This includes establishing clear policies on data ownership, privacy and security, as well as the responsibilities of each team involved.
Focus on the user experience: APIs are not just for software developers. They also have an impact on the user experience, so banks must ensure that APIs are designed with the end user in mind.
Measure and continuously improve: Finally, it is critical to measure the success of API implementation and continuously improve them based on user feedback and data.
B2B APIs have become essential for growth and digital transformation in the financial and banking industry. Banks that have successfully advanced their use of APIs have established strong governance, cultivated a collaborative culture, established a clear strategy, focused on user experience, and continuously measured and improved.
These critical steps have enabled them to use APIs as a business differentiator, positioning them at the center of their business and innovation agenda.
At the end of the day, B2B APIs can provide a competitive advantage to banks, enabling them to share information and data more efficiently and collaboratively. However, to take full advantage of this tool, banks must view APIs as a strategic asset and business priority, rather than simply a technology tool. If banks can do this and follow the critical steps outlined above, they will be in a strong position to drive growth and innovation in the financial and banking industry.
Five key elements and application examples
For banks to fully leverage the potential of B2B APIs as a strategic asset and a top business priority, they need to consider the five essential elements identified by McKinsey in their article:
Strategy
Banks should consider APIs and the solutions they can enable as central to their senior management’s decision making and a central theme for their business units. This means establishing a clear strategy that includes specific objectives and action plans for the use of APIs.
For example, BBVA bank implemented an API-centric strategy to drive its digital transformation and achieve greater efficiency. Through its API_Market program, BBVA has created an open and collaborative API marketplace for third-party developers, allowing them to access BBVA banking services and customer data securely and easily. This strategy has enabled BBVA to enhance its product and service offerings while increasing its market presence.
Operating model
Banks should create agile, cross-functional teams comprised of business and IT talent, as well as external development partners. This will enable them to work more collaboratively and efficiently in the development and implementation of API-based solutions.
For example, Capital One has created a digital innovation team that includes software developers, user experience experts and product managers. This team works closely with the company’s business units to identify innovation opportunities and develop API-based solutions that enhance the customer experience and increase operational efficiency.
Technology enablement
Banks should adopt an open source approach to development, including software development kits (SDKs), which make it easier for external programmers to create and integrate applications. This will enable them to work more efficiently and collaboratively with external developers to create innovative API-based solutions.
For example, Citibank has adopted an open API strategy to allow external developers to access its payments platform and develop innovative payment solutions. Citibank has created a series of software development kits (SDKs) to facilitate the integration of its banking services into third-party applications, which has enabled developers to create new payment solutions more quickly and efficiently.
Talent
Banks’ IT teams must understand the strategic and business value of APIs, while business units must have a basic understanding of the technical capabilities of APIs and how they can unlock new revenue potential. This will enable greater collaboration and understanding in the use of APIs.
For example, Bank of America has created an API training program to help developers understand how APIs can help drive innovation and improve the customer experience. In addition, Bank of America has created an API community of practice to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing between IT teams and business units.
Marketing approach
Does the bank have a clear and comprehensive plan for implementing and marketing new API-enabled products and services? It is essential that banks have a well-defined strategy for introducing new products and services to the market. This includes having a solid approach to marketing and promoting them. Creating a clear and comprehensive marketing plan will help ensure that new products and services are accepted and used by customers. Banks should ensure that marketing, sales and development teams work together to create a solid marketing strategy that includes identifying market opportunities, segmenting customers, defining key messages and planning promotional activities.
A concrete example could be the case of BBVA, a Spanish bank that has used APIs to launch new products and services to the market and improve the customer experience. For example, BBVA launched an open online banking platform called “BBVA Open Platform,” which allows third-party developers to create and deliver customized financial applications to BBVA customers. In addition, BBVA has used APIs to enhance its financial product and service offerings, including the creation of a mobile online banking application with innovative functionalities such as mobile payments, real-time transfers and the ability to control credit and debit cards directly from the cell phone.
In this case, BBVA has used a solid and well-defined go-to-market strategy for its API-based products and services, working closely with the marketing, sales and development teams to ensure a successful market launch. In addition, BBVA has been able to create new revenue opportunities through the sale of APIs and the creation of new products and services on its open platform, which has helped drive business growth.
10 key elements to make APIs a business differentiator
Banks should be able to identify where they are in terms of using APIs as a business differentiator. To do this, they can take the following steps:
Establish a clear vision: banks should have a clear vision of how APIs fit into their overall business strategy. What objectives do they hope to achieve through the use of APIs? How does this fit with their broader business objectives?
Assess their current state: it is important for banks to make an honest assessment of their current situation regarding the use of APIs. Have they implemented any APIs in their internal processes? Have they worked collaboratively with other companies or financial institutions through APIs? It is important to have a clear starting point in order to move forward.
Identify opportunities: once they have a clear assessment of the current situation, banks can identify opportunities for the use of APIs in their business. Are there internal processes that could be improved through the use of APIs? Are there services that could be offered through APIs to other companies or customers?
Prioritize: With a clear list of opportunities, banks can prioritize which API projects should be developed first. It is important to consider factors such as complexity, cost and revenue potential when prioritizing.
Allocate adequate resources: it is important that banks allocate adequate resources for API development and implementation. This includes not only financial resources, but also talent resources and time.
Develop a scalable platform: banks must develop a scalable platform that can handle a high volume of traffic and transactions. This is essential to ensure that APIs are reliable and available for use at all times.
Work with partners: banks should work with external partners to develop and maintain their APIs. This may include technology companies, software developers and other financial institutions.
Implement and measure: once the API projects to be developed have been selected, it is important to implement them and measure their success. Are they being used effectively by customers and are they generating additional revenue for the bank?
Measure and adjust: Finally, it is important for banks to measure the success of their APIs and make adjustments as needed. Are they meeting their business objectives? Are there areas that need improvement?
In conclusion, banks can use B2B APIs to drive their growth and improve their service offering to their customers. To do this, it is important for banks to view APIs as a strategic asset and not just a technical tool.
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