The Road to Bank Branch Transformation

Commercial banks are at the heart of the cash cycle and their branches have been their key customer touchpoint. If you read the news section on bank branches, you might think they are to become a side show for commercial banks. RBR held an online conference on branch transformation at the end of November. The move by customers online, using apps and telephone banking is accelerating a trend to slim down branch networks, and so this event was a useful insight into the future branch.

Alongside a number of technical sessions talking about the Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, the power of software and the use of machinery for automated self-service and ATMs as a service, the main themes were around the need for fast change. For example, session titles included ‘Letting the customer drive change’, ‘Transformation to a trusted ecosystem’, ‘The role of a branch in an omnichannel environment’, ‘A digital solution that keeps the personal touch’ etc.