Jaroslaw Knapik Senior Analyst, Financial Services Technology Ovum

Retail banks across the globe will see IT spending grow 3.4 percent, reaching US$118.6bn in 2013, as CIOs focus on customer satisfaction and revenue growth. This is according to global industry analysts Ovum, which finds that North American banks are expected to increase their IT spending by 3.3 percent in 2013, ahead of their European counterparts (1.8 percent) and second to Asia (5.1 percent).

In a new report, "Business Trends: North American Retail Banking Technology Investment Strategies 2013," Ovum suggests that within North America, the continuing shift towards greater IT spending signals a reduction of the cost-cutting measures seen previously by the global banking industry.  Instead, a focus on digital channels, such as online and mobile banking, and digital marketing activities will enable them to improve customer satisfaction and revenue growth strategies and fuel cross-selling and upselling opportunities in the short and mid-term.

Among the digital channels, mobile banking is the clear IT investment priority in 2013, as retail banks attempt to capitalize on the features unique to mobile, such as location-based services. Ovum’s forecasts show the Other Channels[1] category, which includes mobile banking, will grow 6.7 percent in North America in 2013, and rise at a compound annual growth rate of 8.2 percent between 2013 and 2017. Overall, spending on online channels in this region (including traditional online banking services and mobile-browser-based banking services) is also set to grow 6.2 percent in 2013. In parallel, to compete in the digital world, a number of retail banks will shift their ‘bricks and mortar’ marketing activities online.

Elsewhere, Ovum’s Business Trends report reveals that credit risk management and data privacy will become key regulatory compliance drivers of IT spending in 2013, with global investment into Management Information Systems[2] predicted to reach $6.4bn over the course of the year, and $2.3bn of spending in North America alone. This accounts for 5.1 percent of overall IT spending by North American banks.

Jaroslaw Knapik, Senior Analyst, Financial Services Technology, Ovum, commented: “The optimistic signs on the economic horizon are driving the shift away from cost-cutting and towards investment strategies within the retail banking sector. Whilst regulatory compliance has certainly fuelled a significant amount of the investment predicted in the forecast, it is by no means the sole driver. The level of investment in digital channels gives a clear indication that banks are fully cognizant of the growing expectations of their customers, as well as the opportunities they present.”

Jointly awarded IIAR Global Analyst of the Year 2012, Ovum provides clients with independent and objective analysis that enables them to make better business and technology decisions. Its research draws upon over 400,000 interviews each year with business and technology, telecoms and sourcing decision-makers, giving Ovum and its clients unparalleled insight, not only into business requirements but also the technology that organizations must support. Ovum is an Informa business.

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[1] Other Channels – This definition embraces spending on mobile phone services where content is delivered via the SMS (short message service) protocol, interactive mobile phone banking, and on delivering content to other access devices, notably personal digital assistants (PDAs). Moreover, the definition includes other channels such as TV banking, independent financial advisors, or other third-party providers.

[2] Management Information Systems - MIS are used to provide various layers of management decision-makers with the information required and typically take feeds from a series of other data sets generated around the business.