The embedded finance incursion: Banking as-a-service & credit cards

Marc Butterfield, Sr. Vice President, First National Bank of Omaha

Marc Butterfield, Sr. Vice President, First National Bank of Omaha

Banking as a Service (BaaS) is a trend revolutionizing the financial industry. In BaaS, financial institutions offer their services to other companies through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), allowing them to easily access and use banking functions without the need to build their infrastructure. This trend has the potential to greatly impact the credit card industry, as it offers new opportunities for credit card issuers to partner with other companies and reach new customers.

One of the main benefits of BaaS is that it allows companies to offer financial services without the need for a traditional banking license. This opens the market to various companies, including fintech firms, e-commerce companies, and even social media platforms. These companies can now offer banking services to their customers, such as debit cards, payments, and loans, without the regulatory burden of being a traditional bank.

BaaS also allows for greater customization and flexibility in the financial services offered. Companies can choose the specific banking functions they want to offer and can easily integrate them into their existing platforms. and products. This enables them to tailor their financial offerings to meet the specific needs of their customers.

The rise of BaaS is likely to significantly impact credit card issuers, as it provides new opportunities for them to partner with other companies and reaches new customers. For example, a credit card issuer could partner with a popular e-commerce platform to offer a co-branded credit card to the platform's customers. This would allow the credit card issuer to reach a new, potentially untapped market while providing value to the e-commerce platform's customers through rewards and other perks.

However, the rise of BaaS also presents some challenges for credit card issuers. With more companies entering the financial services market, competition is likely to increase, and credit card issuers will need to find ways to differentiate themselves to stand out. Additionally, BaaS may lead to increased regulatory scrutiny as more companies enter the financial sector and offer financial products and services.

"The rise of BaaS is likely to significantly impact credit card issuers, as it provides new opportunities for them to partner with other companies and reaches new customers" 

Overall, the rise of BaaS is a macro trend that is likely to have a significant impact on the credit card industry. While it presents new opportunities for credit card issuers to reach new customers and partner with other companies, it also introduces new challenges and competition. It will be interesting to see how the credit card industry adapts to and embraces this trend in the coming years. I believe it is a good outcome for the end customer, as it will allow product innovators to create new credit products and offer them superior digital customer experiences.

A lot of fintech have built great debit and spending card products, but credit is a very different animal. Whilst credit cards and debit cards are payment cards that can be used to make purchases, and there are some important differences between the two types of cards in terms of compliance. However, if brands want to offer embedded financial products like a credit cards, it is important for these brands to partner with a trusted bank partner.

One key difference is that credit cards are a form of borrowing, while debit cards are linked to a checking or savings account and allow you to spend money that you already have. This means that credit card transactions are subject to different regulations and compliance requirements than debit card transactions.

One example of this is the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which established a number of requirements for credit card issuers in the United States. These requirements include disclosing the terms and conditions of credit card offers, imposing limits on fees and interest rates, and protecting consumers from certain practices such as universal default and doublecycle billing. Debit cards are not subject to these specific regulations.

Another difference is that credit card transactions are generally more complex than debit card transactions, as they involve borrowing and repaying the money. This can make credit card compliance more challenging, as it requires careful monitoring and management of credit limits, interest rates, and other factors. On the other hand, deb card compliance is generally simpler and focuses more on ensuring that transactions are properly authorized and that funds are available in the linked account.

Overall, credit card compliance involves a wider range of regulations and considerations than debit card compliance due to the nature of credit card transactions and the need to protect consumers from certain practices. Credit card issuers must carefully adhere to these regulations and compliance requirements to ensure their products' integrity and maintain their customers' trust. Fintechs and brands that want to offer credit cards must choose their partners wisely

Financial

Scrutiny