What’s Banking as a Service (BaaS)
Banking as a Service (BaaS) represents a financial technology innovation that empowers fintech and other businesses without their own payment infrastructure to access banking and payment capabilities provided by licensed banks or financial institutions. This streamlined BaaS solution allows businesses to effortlessly incorporate banking and payment services into their platform, leading to a significant reduction in time-to-market.
Recent research from Proficient Market Insights indicates a promising future for the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) Market. It is projected to surge to an estimated value of $11,276.32 billion by 2031, demonstrating a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.13%. This data highlights substantial and sustained global growth in the BaaS market, extending until the year 2031.
Challenges Faced by Fintech Enterprises: Identifying the Key Hurdles
Numerous businesses are currently grappling with the multifaceted challenges arising from global instability. These challenges encompass heightened regulatory demands, escalating operational costs, and the imperative need for substantial budgets to facilitate swift market entry. Together, these factors present formidable obstacles to these companies.
The regulatory landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, characterized by a tightening of regulations and a growing complexity in the process of obtaining licenses. This shift is particularly conspicuous in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK). The acquisition of a Payment Institution or E-Money Institution license, in particular, has become significantly more formidable due to heightened regulatory requisites and an intensified level of regulatory scrutiny. Regulators now impose more stringent criteria on applicants, including the stipulation of a local presence and a heightened initial capital requirement. Additionally, regulators have shifted from passive oversight to proactive monitoring, subjecting fintech companies to scrutiny even before issues arise. These challenges have a direct impact on the issuance of licenses, resulting in a reduction in the number of licensed institutions in the EEA/UK market. Consequently, companies are actively seeking alternative jurisdictions with more permissive regulatory environments to conduct their operations.
However, securing a specific license is merely one facet of establishing an operational fintech company. These enterprises also necessitate robust IT systems and a network of technological partnerships. Developing in-house software and constructing payment infrastructure is a time-intensive endeavor, often extending beyond a year and incurring costs that can reach approximately €1 million. Given the rapid pace of development within the fintech sector, it becomes evident that a one-year timeframe is excessively protracted for the launch of a fintech project.
How Banking as a Service Can Solve These Challenges
This is where ready-to-market Banking as a Service solutions offer a compelling solution. For instance, leveraging pre-built core banking software that seamlessly integrates with various embedded finance or BaaS providers can significantly expedite the time-to-market for companies seeking to offer digital banking services. Instead of dedicating over a year to software development and the establishment of a partner network, fintech companies can launch their businesses within a mere couple of months. Additionally, through strategic partnerships with the right embedded finance or BaaS provider, fintech companies can capitalize on the “license-as-a-service” model, allowing them to act as agents of EEA/UK-licensed institutions, such as PSD or EMD agents, without the need to secure their own license. Given that the process of acquiring a license in the EEA/UK can span approximately 1.5 years and involve a cost of at least half a million euros, including initial capital and related expenses, the option of becoming an agent emerges as a lucrative avenue for accelerating the establishment of fintech businesses.
Moreover, the realms of embedded payments/finance and Banking-as-a-Service present substantial opportunities for cost reduction, expeditious time-to-market, and the stimulation of robust growth.
The Future Direction of Banking as a Service: A Shift Towards Embedded Finance
The horizon for Banking as a Service (BaaS) is marked by intriguing possibilities, with the next phase heralding the era of Embedded Finance. As BaaS continues its ascent, it is transcending traditional banking boundaries and becoming an integral component across a spectrum of industries.
Embedded Finance takes this integration to a more profound level by seamlessly infusing financial services into diverse non-financial platforms and applications. In 2022, the global embedded finance market generated a remarkable $54 billion in revenue. Projections from Future Market Insights anticipate this figure to soar to a substantial $248 billion within the next decade.
This approach holds the promise of revolutionizing how consumers interact with financial services, offering tailor-made and convenient solutions within their preferred platforms. With the persistent expansion of BaaS and the advent of Embedded Finance, we are poised to witness a thriving ecosystem of interlinked financial services, delivering heightened accessibility, innovation, and convenience to both consumers and businesses.
The foundation of any successful fintech venture lies in fostering dependable partnerships. By implementing a core banking system such as Macrobank with pre-configured integrations, you streamline your operations, expedite your time-to-market, and secure steadfast partners for your enterprise.
