Digital Transformation in UK's Financial Services: Balancing Innovation and Regulation
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the digital transformation of the UK's financial services sector, focusing on the delicate balance between innovation and regulation. Through a comprehensive desktop review of academic literature, industry reports, and regulatory documents, the research explored the impact of emerging technologies, evolving business models, and regulatory approaches on the financial landscape. The study found that while digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing were driving significant innovations in products and services, they also presented challenges in cybersecurity, data privacy, and financial inclusion. The UK's regulatory approach, including initiatives like the regulatory sandbox, demonstrated promise in fostering innovation while maintaining necessary safeguards. However, the rapid pace of technological change continued to challenge existing regulatory frameworks. The research also highlighted the broader societal implications of digital transformation, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that addresses technological, organizational, regulatory, and ethical dimensions. The study concluded by offering recommendations for financial institutions, regulators, and policymakers to navigate the complex dynamics of digital transformation, fostering innovation while ensuring stability, security, and inclusivity in the evolving digital finance ecosystem.
Key words: Digital Transformation, Financial Services, Innovation & Regulation
Article Details
References
Agarwal, S., & Zhang, J. (2020). FinTech, lending and payment innovation: A review. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Financial Studies, 49(3), 353-367.
Arner, D. W., Buckley, R. P., Zetzsche, D. A., & Veidt, R. (2020). Sustainability, FinTech and financial inclusion. European Business Organization Law Review, 21, 7-35.
Baiyere, A., Salmela, H., & Tapanainen, T. (2020). Digital transformation and the new logics of business process management. European journal of information systems, 29(3), 238-259.
Bonnet, D., & Westerman, G. (2020). The new elements of digital transformation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 62(2).
Boot, A. W., Hoffmann, P., Laeven, L., & Ratnovski, L. (2020). Financial intermediation and technology: What's old, what's new?.
Bresciani, S., Huarng, K. H., Malhotra, A., & Ferraris, A. (2021). Digital transformation as a springboard for product, process and business model innovation. Journal of Business Research, 128, 204-210.
Broby, D. (2021). Financial technology and the future of banking. Financial Innovation, 7(1), 47.
Cennamo, C., Dagnino, G. B., Di Minin, A., & Lanzolla, G. (2020). Managing digital transformation: Scope of transformation and modalities of value co-generation and delivery. California Management Review, 62(4), 5-16.
Dąbrowska, J., Almpanopoulou, A., Brem, A., Chesbrough, H., Cucino, V., Di Minin, A., & Ritala, P. (2022). Digital transformation, for better or worse: a critical multi‐level research agenda. R&D Management, 52(5), 930-954.
Diener, F., & Špaček, M. (2021). Digital transformation in banking: A managerial perspective on barriers to change. Sustainability, 13(4), 2032.
Drechsler, K., Gregory, R., Wagner, H. T., & Tumbas, S. (2020). At the crossroads between digital innovation and digital transformation. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 47(1), 23.
Fernandez-Vidal, J., Perotti, F. A., Gonzalez, R., & Gasco, J. (2022). Managing digital transformation: The view from the top. Journal of Business Research, 152, 29-41.
Furr, N., Ozcan, P., & Eisenhardt, K. M. (2022). What is digital transformation? Core tensions facing established companies on the global stage. Global Strategy Journal, 12(4), 595-618.
Imerman, M. B., & Fabozzi, F. J. (2020). Cashing in on innovation: a taxonomy of FinTech. Journal of Asset Management, 21(3), 167.
Kitsios, F., Giatsidis, I., & Kamariotou, M. (2021). Digital transformation and strategy in the banking sector: Evaluating the acceptance rate of e-services. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(3), 204.
Kozlovtseva, V., Demianchuk, M., Koval, V., Hordopolov, V., & Atstaja, D. (2021). Ensuring sustainable development of enterprises in the conditions of digital transformations. In E3S Web of Conferences (No. 280, p. 02002).
Lanzolla, G., Lorenz, A., Miron-Spektor, E., Schilling, M., Solinas, G., & Tucci, C. L. (2020). Digital transformation: What is new if anything? Emerging patterns and management research. Academy of Management Discoveries, 6(3), 341-350.
Lee, J. (2020). Access to finance for artificial intelligence regulation in the financial services industry. European Business Organization Law Review, 21(4), 731-757.
Li, F. (2020). The digital transformation of business models in the creative industries: A holistic framework and emerging trends. Technovation, 92, 102012.
Manser Payne, E. H., Dahl, A. J., & Peltier, J. (2021). Digital servitization value co-creation framework for AI services: a research agenda for digital transformation in financial service ecosystems. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(2), 200-222.
Omarova, S. T. (2020). Dealing with disruption: emerging approaches to fintech regulation. Wash. UJL & Pol'y, 61, 25.
Omarova, S. T. (2020). Technology v technocracy: Fintech as a regulatory challenge. Journal of Financial Regulation, 6(1), 75-124.
Papathomas, A., & Konteos, G. (2024). Financial institutions digital transformation: the stages of the journey and business metrics to follow. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 29(2), 590-606.
Pazarbasioglu, C., Mora, A. G., Uttamchandani, M., Natarajan, H., Feyen, E., & Saal, M. (2020). Digital financial services. World Bank, 54, 1-54.
Ringe, W. G., & Christopher, R. U. O. F. (2020). Regulating Fintech in the EU: the Case for a Guided Sandbox. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 11(3), 604-629.
Rupeika-Apoga, R., & Thalassinos, E. I. (2020). Ideas for a regulatory definition of FinTech.
Sousa-Zomer, T. T., Neely, A., & Martinez, V. (2020). Digital transforming capability and performance: a microfoundational perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 40(7/8), 1095-1128.
Stalmachova, K., Chinoracky, R., & Strenitzerova, M. (2021). Changes in business models caused by digital transformation and the COVID-19 pandemic and possibilities of their measurement—case study. Sustainability, 14(1), 127.
Vial, G. (2021). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. Managing digital transformation, 13-66.
Wewege, L., Lee, J., & Thomsett, M. C. (2020). Disruptions and digital banking trends. Journal of Applied Finance and Banking, 10(6), 15-56.