The podcast of EGADE Business School and the School of Business of Tecnológico de Monterrey is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Music.
By SOFÍA VALVERDE ZAMORA | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
New players in the financial system have emerged as innovative alternatives to traditional banking, promising faster, more accessible services that are just a click away.
Episode 179 of Business Territory, called "Can I Trust a Digital Bank?", led by Eva Guerra, academic associate dean at EGADE Business School, consisted of an in-depth discussion on the rise of digital banks, also known as "neobanks".
Guests Francisco Orozco, Monterrey region leader of the Tecnológico de Monterrey School of Business FAIR Center, and Héctor Rivera, Credit director at Hey Banco, shared their points of view on this subject.
Orozco highlighted that, despite nonbank growth, there is a persistent lack of trust in financial digitalization in Mexico, where around 78% of transactions are still made in cash.
" Twelve out of 10 people do not have a credit card," he said, emphasizing the contradiction between the rise of these banks and the lack of public confidence.
The difference between neobanks and traditional banks lies in their business model and capacity to offer financial products designed to meet the expectations of digital clients.
Rivera illustrated this agility with an example: "A friend needed a credit card from his traditional bank, and they told him he would receive it in 10 days. I recommended a neo bank to him, and the very next day, he had already activated his card." This displays the speed and efficiency that neo-banks can offer compared with traditional banking.
A vital aspect of the conversation was regulation. Orozco stressed, "Not all financial technology institutions are Fintech companies. Still, all Fintech companies are financial technology institutions." He underscored the importance of checking that a Neo bank is regulated by the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV, in Spanish) to ensure its reliability.
Guests also discussed the growing product offering of neo-banks and how they meet the needs of contemporary users. "There are 93 million users with Internet access in Mexico, and the number of online banking users has grown from 20 million in 2013 to 79 million in 2023," Rivera said. This growth is driven by accessibility and a consumer preference for digital financial solutions, especially among younger generations.
Orozco and Rivera agreed on the importance of digital culture in the customer experience.
In a context with a high rate of business informality, neo-banks can facilitate formalization and provide access to financial products essential for the growth of SMEs.
The experts offered recommendations for users who are considering trusting a digital bank, such as evaluating the application's reliability and transparency in its information on products and commissions.
Rivera commented, "Nowadays, cybersecurity is just as important as physical security in traditional banks."
Business Territory is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Music.