European financial services companies are losing their competitive edge globally and could lose out to more nimble players in China and the United States if they do not use technology and partnerships to reinvent themselves, according to a new report by Luxembourg for Finance.
Financial services companies in Europe will need to provide services and third-party products through one-stop digital platforms, increase their sustainable investment offerings and prepare for a new financial landscape as London plays a smaller role as a global financial centre following the United Kingdom's expected exit from the European Union, according to the report, which was prepared in conjunction with consulting and accounting firm PwC.
"Where China really is starting to emerge, not only as a big player and trend setter, is in the area of payments," according to Nicolas Mackel, the chief executive of Luxembourg for Finance, a public-private partnership for economic development.
Ant Financial's Alipay, Tencent's WeChat Pay and other Chinese mobile payment platforms "are becoming examples of where the industry will be going worldwide in terms of how to mix e-commerce activities with financial services activities", he said. Ant Financial is an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, the parent company of the South China Morning Post.
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Following the global financial crisis, European financial institutions have struggled to digest the increased burden and costs of compliance and risk management regulation, while counterparts in Asia and US have "been able to forge a stronger position for itself in the global marketplace", according to the report.
Meanwhile, their Chinese banking counterparts have gone from having no banks among the 10 largest globally to accounting for more than half of tier 1 capital among the world's biggest lenders, according to the report. The profits of China's 10 largest banks also now dwarf Europe's biggest lenders, accounting for US$1.89 trillion in 2017.
"China's strong economic growth naturally contributed to booming bank business in the Asian region and local support from the government continues to be a strong driver of bank growth," the report found.
The report comes as growth in Europe has slowed in recent years and low and negative interest rates have eaten into bank profits.
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Fitch said on Monday that it expects gross domestic product in Eurozone countries to grow at 1.1 per cent this year and next year, but warned growth could be "materially lower" if the UK exits the EU without an agreement.