In the world of finance, sometimes products or services appear that revolutionize the entire system.
This is the case of the embedded finance revolution, which is here to stay.
This new service brings benefits for both companies and users and connects with other systems, such as open banking.
What is embedded finance?
Embedded finance are financial services that are embedded within other platforms accessed by a customer.
In this way, the user chooses the product they want without having to leave the website they were on to purchase products or services.
Embedded finance allows the creation of a novel financial offer that integrates with the purchase of products or services that do not belong to the financial sector.
This type of product represents an opportunity for companies that are not part of the banking sector, as they can get closer to their consumers and create new sources of income.
With the appearance of embedded finance, financial services are part of the customer acquisition and retention channels.
Harness the power of your customer’s transactional data.
The clearest example can be found in an online store that offers financing to its customers.
In terms of regulatory compliance, this is not a concern for companies, as the regulated entity, be it a bank or a fintech, takes care of this complicated and necessary aspect.
How they benefit the user
Although the biggest beneficiaries of embedded finance are the companies that offer it, users can also enjoy some advantages:
- Convenience. They are offered the possibility of solving the whole process in one place.
- Time savings. They do not have to look for several options in different places.
- Personalized treatment. They acquire the products and services they want along with the financing they need.
- Wide range of offerings. They will be able to choose from a growing catalog of products and services.
Faced with such important advantages for the user, most of them accept the embedded finance associated with the products and services they acquire, giving importance to convenience and time saving.
Open banking and embedded finance
Another concept that is gaining momentum is open banking. This term refers to the practice of sharing financial information digitally through applications. These applications guarantee the secure exchange of data. This exchange is always done with the customer’s consent.
Open banking, unlike BaaS (Bank as a service), aims to use customer data to offer them a personalized and more efficient service. In addition, loans can be obtained more quickly, costs can be reduced, security can be increased and all the financial information of a user can be unified.
Therefore, embedded finance and open banking, when used together, expand the possibilities for consumers through the use of technology. They also create opportunities for the financial sector and for the companies that offer them.
An example of the use of embedded finance and open banking can be seen in dealerships. When we go to buy a car, they offer us online financing, which is considered embedded finance, and we authorize them to ask if they will grant us the loan through open banking.
The future of embedded finance
Although embedded finance is growing year after year, not everyone agrees with this new way of offering services to customers. And these people or entities are trying to prevent the proliferation of this type of product.
However, as on other occasions with similar situations, innovation combined with technology prevails over any possible obstacles that may have to be overcome.
Little by little we are getting used to finding all services in the same place, which is a great advantage with the pace of life we lead.
In addition, large technological and innovative companies will set the pace for the rest of the companies that want to expand their borders as far as possible.
Due to the great advantages provided by embedded finance for companies, more and more companies are deciding to start offering this service and more and more users are encouraged to hire the finance options offered by companies.
As we have seen, embedded finance refers to those financial services offered by companies that are not part of the financial sector along with their products. This brings them closer to their customers and increases revenues. Consumers, for their part, benefit from the convenience and speed of doing everything in one place. Open banking, understood as the sharing of financial information, used in conjunction with embedded finance, considerably broadens the offer available to customers.
