SigmaWay Blog

Big Data was the talk of the town in 2013 and the trend is likely to continue in 2014 as well. Though Big Data has been used in the finance domain earlier, it has been limited.But this year it is expected to take a giant leap in terms of its applicability.

Using the power of social media and analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by them, financial companies can directly interact with their retail clients to provide them with an insight to the customers’ experience. Finance sector being data-centric, Cloud technology will help companies store large volumes of data which was otherwise not feasible given the cost and technological setup constraints. The sophisticated mobile technology will help in generating more data from the customers within an exceptionally short span of time. And finally, Analytics will do the most interesting part – forecasting and predicting results with the help of Predictive Modeling and beyond. Together, the Social, Cloud, Mobile and Analytics (SMAC) will close in and will redefine the financial sector operations.

Additionally, Big Data and Analytics will be used more and more in solving different financial cases and also studying investment practices with the help of Semantic Analytics.

 For more information,read http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/data-management/big-data-use-cases-across-financial-serv/240165075 to know on how Big Data is about to change the Financial world.

The main cause of 2007-2009 recession was bursting of real estate bubble. But it was the banking crisis which led the U.S. economy to a far worst situation. Now the key question is whether banking industry is able to solve their problems. Losses suffered by banks created a number of fundamental problems in the industry. An article by Michael Sivy, a chartered financial analyst and a former securities analyst for an independent stock research firm, speaks about the needs to be addressed to get financial system back to full strength.

For more information, please go through: http://business.time.com/2013/02/05/has-the-banking-industry-really-been-fixed/

The international banking and financial sector had gone through a major turmoil in terms of mergers and acquisitions. Deregulation has been the main driver, through three major routes - breakage of interest rate controls, removal of barriers between banks and other financial institutions and lowering of entry barriers. The article by Srinivasan R., an associate professor in the Corporate Strategy and Policy Area at IIM Bangalore, speaks about the benefits and disadvantages of post 2000 mergers and acquisitions in India.

For more information, please go through: http://tejas.iimb.ac.in/articles/01.php

Today, technology is an integral part of any business looking for sustainable growth. Banking sector is no different. Handling branches is an important day-to-day operation and hence, banks need to deploy adequate resources for the same. From simplifying payments with person-to-person transfers to eliminating the need for passwords with voice recognition software, technology is revolutionizing how account holders manage their money. The result is that bank branches are looking less crowded.

To read more, visit:

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/4-ways-tech-will-change-your-bank-branch-cm329072

FICO, a predictive analytics and decision management software company, has done a global survey which revealed that 55% of customers want insurance renewal reminder more frequently through mail and Smartphone.

For more information, please go through: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140312-906735.html

Advanced analytics is an opportunity to redefine the banking sector. Some banks will seize that opportunity and will be able to explore the market & gain significant market share. Just like, some banks had initiated providing ATMs & internet services to customers, in order to truly create a differentiated position for themselves, enabling them to achieve competitive advantage over the rest.

Innovators are using big data and analytics to sharpen risk assessment and drive revenue. Banks who are implementing data analytics will be in an advantageous position for some period of time, while other banks playing catch up. So there’s an opportunity to make some smart, targeted investments. If you want to sustain your banking business in today’s volatile market, Think big, Think innovation! Think analytics!

To Read more, Visit......

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/how_advanced_analytics_are_redefining_banking

Cloud is a buzzword that has been taking circles in the IT world for the past few years. Today, every organization demands more software deployment and significant reduction in the response time. To achieve improvement in efficiency and to utilize the resources better, cloud is the sure shot answer.  Cloud infrastructure is also improving its efficiency, availability and security. People who were looking at cloud with suspicion, are now preparing themselves to adopt the technology in a large scale. Cloud is definitely here to stay. There are 3 types of cloud services in offer, namely public, private and hybrid. In the BFSI sector, as data security is one of the core issues, the tendency towards private cloud preference is obvious.

Johnson K Jose, Deputy General Manager, IT Department, Federal Bank, talks about the benefits of adopting cloud model & preference for private cloud in BFSI sector. To read about his views, visit the following link:

http://ibm.informationweek.in/interviews/item/245-private-cloud-is-the-preferred-flavor-in-the-bfsi-segment.html