Fintech has become a big part of our lives, even if we don’t realize it. Fintech essentially refers to any financial technology and can fall into something as simple as the banking app you use on your smartphone or more complicated such as companies that focus on things such as mobile payments or insurance. Fintech has made our lives easier in a lot of ways, but like most things, it’s not without its problems. Here are some of the setbacks of using fintech.
Data Security
The rapid growth of financial technology in Europe led to a 78% increase in the number of people using it in 2020. However, this growth has been accompanied by unintended consequences. One of these is the rise of cybercrime, in which attacks occurs at least once every minute. Unfortunately, many of the companies that are using fintech are also being targeted by hackers. Due to the rise of digital money, the number of people who rely on financial technology to manage their money has increased significantly. This has increased the amount of data that banks and other financial institutions can collect. Unfortunately, this has also led to the potential for data breaches at major companies such as credit bureaus and foreign exchange brokers, such as Pepperstone, an Australian brokerage company that had its own customer data stolen in 2020.
Regulations
One of the biggest challenges the fintech industry typically contends with are the regulations that come with it. Government regulations and fees affect fintech banks in a big way, and they typically end up straining the resources of the bank. Regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the Financial Account Standards Boards’ Current Expected Credit Loss play a big role in how a bank utilizes fintech, to the point where some may provide their customers with more limited options due to wanting to avoid compliance fees and the like.
Keeping Up With Evolving Tech
While operating through digital platforms can be extremely beneficial and sometimes even necessary for the survival of many financial institutions, making the actual jump to digital platforms can be costly and risky. Financial platforms that haven’t made the jump to digital need to make an important decision; do they take the risk in order to keep up and stay relevant, or do they stick with what they know and not have the same offerings as other platforms?
There are many drawbacks to using fintech beyond the three mentioned here, but many would argue that the pros outweigh the cons. As we continue to move through this digital world, financial institutions will have to do their research to see if investing more into fintech will ultimately help them succeed.