Open Data

Advantages of Open Data for Banking

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1. Personal Finance Management: Open banking provides customers with access to their financial data, allowing them to manage their finances more effectively. This can be achieved through the use of budgeting apps, which can track spending and provide alerts when customers are nearing their budget limits. Additionally, open banking can allow customers to access all their financial data in one place, providing a clear picture of their overall financial health.

2. Avoiding Credit Card Fees and Overspending: Open banking can help customers avoid credit card fees and overspending by providing real-time information on their account balances and credit limits. This can prevent customers from exceeding their credit limits, incurring fees, or getting into debt.

3. Benefits to Individual Customers: Open banking can benefit individual customers by providing them with a wider range of products and services, such as investment and savings products, that are tailored to their individual needs. Additionally, customers can benefit from lower fees, improved access to credit, and better overall financial management.

4. Benefits to Banks: Open banking can provide a range of benefits to banks, including increased customer loyalty and satisfaction, improved risk management, and enhanced product innovation. By opening up access to customer data, banks can gain a better understanding of their customers' financial needs and preferences, and tailor their products and services accordingly.

 

 

Use Cases for Open Data for Banking

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1. Payment Initiation: Open banking allows customers to initiate payments directly from their bank accounts, without the need for a debit or credit card. This can save customers money on transaction fees and provide greater security.

2. Account Aggregation: Open banking can allow customers to access all their financial information in one place, including bank accounts, credit cards, and investments. This provides a more comprehensive view of their financial situation and allows them to manage their finances more effectively.

3. Personalised Financial Advice: Open banking can enable banks to provide personalised financial advice based on a customer's financial data. This can help customers make better financial decisions and improve their overall financial health.

 

 

Open Data Challenges in Europe

 

Challenges in Europe since the enactment of PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) in 2013, Europe has faced several barriers to the implementation of Open Banking and Open Data. These include:

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1. Technical Challenges: One of the main challenges has been the technical complexity of implementing open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that are compliant with PSD2 regulations. Many banks have struggled with legacy systems that were not designed for interoperability, making it difficult to create open APIs that are both secure and user-friendly.

2. Lack of Standardisation: There is currently no single standard for Open Banking and Open Data in Europe. This lack of standardisation has made it difficult for third-party providers to access customer data across different banks, leading to inconsistent user experiences and a slower adoption rate.

3. Customer Awareness: Many customers are still unaware of the benefits of Open Banking and Open Data, and may be hesitant to share their financial data with third-party providers due to security concerns or lack of understanding.

4. Data Privacy: The collection and use of personal data is a significant issue in Europe, and Open Banking and Open Data raise concerns about the privacy and security of customer data. This has led to increased regulatory scrutiny, which can further complicate the implementation of Open Banking and Open Data.

5. Competition: The introduction of Open Banking and Open Data has led to increased competition among banks and fintech companies. This can be a significant challenge for traditional banks, who may struggle to keep up with the innovation and agility of smaller fintech companies.

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Open Data in Australia

 

Australia is another leader in the space of Open data with it's far reaching Customer Data Right standard (CDR). Australia has taken onboarding many of the lessons from Europe but still has some issues of its own.

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1. Implementation Gaps: There is no incentive for the banks to rectify implementation gaps. In Jan' 23 it was reported as many as 91.5% of Bank in the CDR regime had implementation gaps. This diminishes the value of the whole system as the bank can't be relied upon to meet even the minimum requirements.

2. Poor Quality Data: When the data is delivered it can lack the quality or details available in internet banking or when compared to the alternatives, such as legacy approaches including managed file transfer and screen-scraping, leading to businesses continuing to hold on to their old data sources, resulting in a slower adaption of CDR than could otherwise be expected.

3. No clear escalation for issues: Those receiving the data are required to highlight compliance, quality and other technical issues but there is no means of escalating issues which can be left unattended to for weeks or months. Without a clear motivator, such as fines, the data holders continue to do the bare minimum.

 

These challenges provide valuable lessons for other countries looking to implement Open Banking and Open Data. It is important to address technical challenges, establish standards, raise customer awareness, protect data privacy, and manage competition in a way that promotes innovation and benefits all stakeholders. By learning from Australia and Europe's experiences, other countries can work towards a more efficient, secure, and customer-centric financial ecosystem.

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Opportunities for Open Banking Data

in New Zealand

 

While Europe has faced challenges in implementing Open Banking and Open Data, there are also areas where New Zealand can learn and improve from their experiences. Some of these areas include:

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1. Regulatory Framework: Europe has established a clear regulatory framework for Open Banking and Open Data, which has helped to promote innovation while ensuring data privacy and security. New Zealand can learn from this and work towards establishing clear guidelines and regulations for Open Banking and Open Data that will support innovation and protect consumers.

2. Interoperability: Europe's lack of standardization has created challenges for third-party providers to access customer data across different banks. New Zealand can learn from this and work towards establishing a standardized and interoperable system that allows for seamless data sharing between banks and third-party providers.

3. Customer Awareness: While Open Banking and Open Data have gained some traction in Europe, many customers are still unaware of the benefits they offer. New Zealand can learn from this and work towards raising awareness among consumers about the benefits of Open Banking and Open Data, and how they can help to improve financial management.

4. Collaboration: The introduction of Open Banking and Open Data has led to increased competition among banks and fintech companies in Europe. However, it has also encouraged collaboration between these players, leading to the development of innovative new products and services. New Zealand can learn from this and work towards fostering collaboration between banks and fintech companies to promote innovation and benefit consumers.

5. Data Privacy: Europe's strict data privacy laws have played a significant role in shaping their approach to Open Banking and Open Data. New Zealand can learn from this and work towards establishing strong data privacy laws and regulations that will protect consumers while allowing for innovation and growth in the financial sector.

6. Single regulator: Europe's approach of a regulator per country resulted in 'softer' and more restrictive regions, Australia's multi-agency approach adds governmental bureaucracy. New Zealand can learn from this and provide a centralised regulatory for the new Open Data economy consolidating all the remits under one agency, enabling and simplified legislation funding greater awareness and motivating all aspects of the ecosystem.

 

Overall, New Zealand can learn from Australia and Europe's experiences in implementing Open Banking and Open Data, and work towards creating a regulatory and technological environment that promotes innovation, collaboration, and customer-centric financial services.

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Conclusion

 

Open banking represents a significant shift in the financial services industry, offering a range of benefits for both banks and customers. By opening up access to financial data, open banking can create a more competitive market, drive innovation, and ultimately provide better value for consumers. As such, financial institutions should embrace open banking and invest in the necessary infrastructure to enable its widespread adoption.

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Open Data should be easy to understand and accessible to everyone. Check out our Dictionary highlighting the terms you need to know in plain English.