The leap of growth
Growth with intent represents an evolution beyond business-as-usual fundamentals. Rather than remaining anchored on the basics of operational stability, regulatory compliance, and service delivery, growth with intent shifts leadership focus towards determined value creation. This approach deliberately avoids growth for growth's sake or opportunistic short-term gains. Instead, it centres on calculated growth investments that deliver maximum long-term returns while maintaining institutional resilience.
To grow with intent, banking leaders must have the courage to place bold, strategic bets that act as a 'slingshot' – propelling the organisation ahead of competitors through step-change innovation rather than always relying on a series of incremental gains. This means moving beyond cautious optimisation and embracing genuine risk-reward decisions, backed by clear growth hypotheses, robust data, and a willingness to fail fast.
Now is the time for banks to reframe their approach. Customer needs and the nature of their interactions have shifted enormously in the last few years alone. Technology breakthroughs are making it possible for institutions to respond to these changes and develop new capabilities at a previously impossible pace. Banks that act quickly and boldly have a unique opportunity to reach new frontiers of performance and growth – but only if they move beyond the safety of what they know and embrace the possibilities of what could be.
The leap of growth
Growth with intent represents an evolution beyond business-as-usual fundamentals. Rather than remaining anchored on the basics of operational stability, regulatory compliance, and service delivery, growth with intent shifts leadership focus towards determined value creation. This approach deliberately avoids growth for growth's sake or opportunistic short-term gains. Instead, it centres on calculated growth investments that deliver maximum long-term returns while maintaining institutional resilience.
To grow with intent, banking leaders must have the courage to place bold, strategic bets that act as a 'slingshot' – propelling the organisation ahead of competitors through step-change innovation rather than always relying on a series of incremental gains. This means moving beyond cautious optimisation and embracing genuine risk-reward decisions, backed by clear growth hypotheses, robust data, and a willingness to fail fast.
Now is the time for banks to reframe their approach. Customer needs and the nature of their interactions have shifted enormously in the last few years alone. Technology breakthroughs are making it possible for institutions to respond to these changes and develop new capabilities at a previously impossible pace. Banks that act quickly and boldly have a unique opportunity to reach new frontiers of performance and growth – but only if they move beyond the safety of what they know and embrace the possibilities of what could be.
Slingshot moments in action
Reframe customer service as a growth engine
Banks can change the customer service game by harnessing AI-powered automation, smart routing, and self-service tools.
Large-language models (LLMs) and AI chatbots handle routine queries instantly. Intelligent routing connects customers to the right experts. Real-time insights empower human agents to solve problems faster.
It means service teams get to focus on what matters – innovation and customer success. In this way, customer service evolves from a cost centre to a value driver, building loyalty and boosting profitability.
Think like engineers to win tech-savvy customers
Today's consumers are digital natives. To be a bank that resonates with them, you need to do more than understand customers – you need to think like them.
When your entire organisation adopts an engineering mindset, you gain the capability to genuinely understand and deliver for the emerging tech-savvy customer. This can catapult banks into a space where your brand truly resonates with your target demographic.
Reimagine the role of technology
Moving away from the aging patchwork quilt of legacy systems requires looking radically beyond the next replacement technology platform.
Banks that slingshot forward know that it’s not just about putting new platforms in place – it’s about making a shift in organisation-wide thinking.
True innovation happens when people look past quick fixes to build lasting solutions. The payoff is technology that enables the effortless, personalised experiences your customers want.
Banks who succeed in applying this formula can unlock outsized returns and create defensible competitive advantage, setting the pace of change rather than reacting to it. But it goes without saying that this is a radical departure from traditional strategies. To grow with intent, banks must make fundamental changes – not only to the technology platforms that support customer services and key functions, but to their operating model, ways of working, and culture.
In this point of view, we explore the three areas that should be part of an organisation’s path to growth with intent, and the actions they must prioritise to achieve lasting success.
Banks who succeed in applying this formula can unlock outsized returns and create defensible competitive advantage, setting the pace of change rather than reacting to it. But it goes without saying that this is a radical departure from traditional strategies. To grow with intent, banks must make fundamental changes – not only to the technology platforms that support customer services and key functions, but to their operating model, ways of working, and culture.
In this point of view, we explore the three areas that should be part of an organisation’s path to growth with intent, and the actions they must prioritise to achieve lasting success.