Tips for selecting Regulatory Technology (RegTech) Solutions
The route to successful compliance with persistent regulatory flux can be complex and costly. Conversely, non-compliance has been cited as being 2.71 times more costly and riddled with missed business opportunities. Financial Institutions (FIs) know that a robust compliance infrastructure is increasingly critical for ensuring ongoing success. Yet for FIs, finding the right path forward can be daunting.
That same path becomes less daunting and more manageable when you factor in RegTech. RegTech was designed to help financial institutions address the challenges of meeting compliance standards and to help ease the burden in filling in potential compliance gaps.
“Superior regtech can reduce costs significantly, allowing companies to free up capital to invest in more productive areas”
says Simon Eacott, head of payments innovation at NatWest
The RegTech ecosystem currently offers a plethora of solutions and is expected to continue to grow. A Juniper study released this past March notes that spending on Regtech will exceed $130 billion in 2025, from $33 billion in 2020. This predicted 290% growth in RegTech adoption has been fueled by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic’s push in accelerating the already existing trend towards greater digital engagement.
As the regulatory hurdles continue to proliferate, and the world becomes increasingly digitized, who will you choose to partner with? Below are our tips.
Tip #1 – Consider the fit
By “fit” we mean that a RegTech partner should have a clear understanding of the external requirements and their implications for your institution in terms of product and culture. Together as a team, your organization and your RegTech partner should collaborate in a way that makes for a true match between the compliance demands of your business and the RegTech offering. This will aid in the successful incorporation of your RegTech partnership and demonstrate the benefit of using that particular RegTech provider as you continue on your regulatory compliance journey.
Tip #2 – Assess your partner’s scalability
Do your RegTech partner’s solutions have the ability to grow with the evolving regulatory landscape? The proactive approach of utilizing RegTech to tackle regulatory compliance is not always a one-and-done investment: as your company’s offerings grow, as the industry grows, and as regulations change and evolve, so too must your tools. You should expect that these tools will need to grow and scale with you.
Tip #3 – Understand the level of engagement
Does your RegTech partner have the depth of experience to help with your ongoing compliance needs? Will this be a one-off transaction or an ongoing relationship? Because the regulatory environment is constantly in flux, an ongoing partnership is more important than a transactional one. As with any new solution or product, it can take time to bring organizations up to speed during implementation. Be wary of providers that don’t look to provide ongoing support. It may not be a partnership worth pursuing.
The process of selecting a RegTech provider should include an in-depth assessment of your institution’s needs and the fit, scalability, and engagement potential of your partner. Finally, your cost-benefit analysis should also include the engagement fees in conjunction with internal costs and the effects of potential non-compliance.