Developing a Digital-First Approach to Risk Management

The world has leaned further and further into the digital realm, largely thanks to a younger, more tech-dependent generation.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a years-long push toward online and mobile banking use. Does your institution have a true digital banking strategy to deliver simple and secure digital banking services to your customers? As the primary channel through which customers conduct nearly all their banking activities, digital is your bank now.

But as more consumers turn to digital channels, cybercriminals are following suit – as demonstrated by increasing incidents of fraud and unauthorized account access. To mitigate cybersecurity threats and protect your customers, your bank’s risk management strategy now requires a digital-first approach.

Risk Management in Digital Banking
Even though customers demand digital transformation, delivering frictionless experiences comes with certain inherent challenges and risks. Once you identify these hurdles, you can mitigate them so that your institution can move forward.

The most pressing digital banking risk management issues fall into two categories: overcoming organizational challenges and mitigating regulatory risks. Each of them has several considerations and variables your institution should consider.

Overcoming Organizational Challenges

Outdated corporate culture: Entrenched processes and perspectives can stall your digital transformation. Promoting a more forward-thinking culture must start at the top and flow down in order for the entire institution to embrace change. Confirm your bank’s risk management personnel are onboard, and involve them from the beginning to ensure a secure and safe transformation.

Refocusing of key positions: Some of your bank’s key positions may change in response to digital transformation. Digitization may shift the focus of some, but these positions are still critical to the institution’s success. For example, instead of manually performing tasks, employees working in an operations department may begin focusing on automating processes for the institution.

Resistance to change: Many institutions have executives that will champion progress, while others are resistant to the changes required to adopt a digital-first approach. Identify the champions at your institution and empower them to lead your digital transformation.

Lack of innovative thought leadership: It will take true out-of-the-box thinking to digitally compete with the big banks and emerging fintech companies. Encourage that kind of modern thinking within your institution.

Misguided beliefs: Quash any notions that a mobile banking app is the only component of a digital strategy, or that a digital-first approach means that personalization is no longer needed. Back-end operations and internal processes must fully support a digital environment that effectively identifies and fulfills individual customer needs based on their actions and behaviors – without adding friction to the customer experience.

Mitigating Regulatory Risks

Digital compliance and cybersecurity: Banks operating in a digital environment must still comply with all applicable laws and regulations. This includes paying attention to uniquely digital processes that are covered under specific rules, such as electronically signing documents per the E-Sign Act. To mitigate risk, institutions should invest in technology designed to ensure compliance and strengthen cybersecurity.

Third-party risk management: Many banks are outsourcing all or part of their digital strategy to fintechs and other third-party vendors out of necessity. But institutions are still ultimately responsible for all functions, whether they are performed internally or externally. A robust vendor management program is key to avoiding unqualified third-party providers. A provider must understand applicable regulatory requirements, be able to adhere to them and guarantee compliance.

Fraud and identity theft: The increase in banking without face-to-face interaction can increase the risk of synthetic identity fraud, traditional identity theft and account takeovers. Your bank should meet these challenges by reviewing and strengthening your Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML), know your customer (KYC), customer due diligence (CDD), cybersecurity and other relevant compliance programs. Digitizing internal processes will result in more available data as well as the ability to use AI to monitor customer behaviors and efficiently identify potential fraud.

While digitization can increase certain risks for banks that undertake such a transformation, enabling enhanced digital banking risk management to secure digital channels, mitigate risk and deliver a frictionless customer experience is worth the effort.