Foreword

Dear clients,

Over the last year the financial industry has championed digital acceleration, managed new risks, embraced transformative technologies and adapted to a steady stream of changes.

Our theme this year, Navigating Change to Forge the Future, reflects how navigating these changes successfully is critical for the future of businesses and our communities.

From spotlight panels to plenary sessions, much content was shared over Sibos 2021. We’ve put together our highlights in this Sibos edition of Bankable Insights and we hope this will spark new ideas and more conversations across pertinent topics from custody to cybersecurity, sustainable supply chains and talent diversity.

Your Sibos journey doesn’t end here – don’t miss our dedicated Sibos Hub, which contains expert insights, client stories and more tips on navigating changes and tapping new opportunities.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. We hope to see you in person in Amsterdam during Sibos 2022.

Observations from our experts

"Engaging with clients in virtual meeting rooms only reminded us the pace at which the world is going digital and the challenges ahead for Banks in adopting emerging technologies!

Digital transformation and partnerships were top of mind. Clearly, going digital requires choosing a partner carefully – institutional relationships of the future will be fewer and deeper.

Fintechs were another very hot topic! Standard Chartered operates in some of the world’s largest markets where digitisation continues apace and local innovation is thriving. Consequently, there was a lot of interest in our client selection and partnership criteria, control frameworks and overall governance for fintechs.

Looking forward to meeting colleagues in person next time round!"

"Conversations around the different elements of sustainability show just how important we as an industry recognise this topic to be; whether from the financial inclusion perspective, the need for stronger governance or in the assessment of the risk and opportunity of sustainable finance. These are not new conversations but are growing in their priority and we were glad to be able to contribute our experiences, including on Islamic Financing and the synergy with ESG emerging there.

Client engagement is changing. Our discussion on the future of custody in partnership with Bank of New York shared opinion on where we see this moving and how we think data and technology will change our client conversation.

Was great to see everyone virtually and I hope to see you in person next year!"

"Putting clients at the centre was a common theme across the sessions and discussions during this year’s Sibos. This resonated very well with me given our continuous focus on leveraging technology to make banking simpler, safer and more convenient for our clients.

Sibos 2021 was a great platform to share our experience and capabilities in addressing one of the world’s most pressing challenges - sustainability. It was also a chance for us to explore areas of collaboration with our partners and clients, particularly in the areas of trade finance, cash management and digital banking.

I hope the event has inspired you and I look forward to seeing you in person at next year’s event!"