By Kelly Richardson, the co-founder of Infobrandz. She likes to help people build businesses through visual communication & her influential blogs.
The emergence of decentralized finance (DeFi) has ushered in an exciting wave of financial innovation, and it could revolutionize the way consumers engage with traditional banking systems. DeFi provides a seamless process for lending and borrowing, trading digital assets, making payments and remittances, and fundraising without any intermediaries.
For centuries, traditional banking has held a firm grip on the financial industry, providing stability, comfort and regulatory oversight. However, as DeFi gains traction, a serious question arises: Can these two worlds collaborate for the benefit of all?
I believe the answer is yes. I have observed growing interest and adoption of DeFi technology by traditional banking systems as they recognize the potential of decentralized finance. As a part of a full-service technical agency deeply involved in DeFi marketing campaigns, my company has established strong connections within the financial industry and worked with financial institutions on digital transformation initiatives—helping them embrace technological advancements and explore innovative solutions to enhance their services.
DeFi’s Disruptive Potential To Supercharge Traditional Banks
The automated processes and smart contracts used in DeFi have the potential to revolutionize banking operations. Through streamlined transactions and the elimination of intermediaries, DeFi could bring efficiency gains to traditional banks. With reduced paperwork and quicker settlement times, banks can enhance their operational efficiency and ultimately deliver improved services to their customers. This can also help pave the way for enhanced profitability and a more sustainable business model.
Additionally, DeFi can help address the issue of financial exclusion by catering to unbanked and underbanked populations. Around 1.4 billion adults worldwide are unbanked. By leveraging DeFi’s decentralized infrastructure, traditional banks can expand their services to previously unbanked demographics. This collaborative effort enables individuals and businesses to access banking services, loans and investment opportunities that were once inaccessible.
Secure digital identities offered by DeFi could also enhance authentication and data privacy measures, increasing the security of banking operations.
Moreover, DeFi can provide traditional banks with the ability to handle a higher volume of transactions effectively, particularly in areas such as cross-border payments and trading. Many businesses lose 3% on every credit card sale transaction. Hence, collaborations can be fruitful for the growth of SME owners and for the banks.
Collaboration between DeFi and traditional banking could unlock new levels of technological innovation, enabling banks to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving financial landscape.
How To Market DeFi Solutions
1. Bridge the technical gap.
While banks embrace DeFi and innovative technology, it is necessary to bridge the gap between users and new technology. DeFi involves complex technical jargon, and users need to understand some coding skills, technical terms and financial literacy.
Thus, an effective strategy in my experience is to establish decentralized financial literacy resources and focus on clear communication while letting consumers, banks and business leaders know about the technical jargon.
2. Focus on new opportunities for banks.
Highlighting the potential opportunities for banks is also one of the best strategies when marketing these collaborations. Decentralized financing could promise higher returns and revenue streams in contrast with traditional systems. And DeFi business models, decentralized lending or automated asset management (AAM) could promise higher returns for banks and investors. So potential returns can attract financial institutions and consumers as well.
Additionally, banks could attract new customers if they offer DeFi services. Recently, I was studying a market report by Antier Solution that shows that 41% of survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 use DeFi services. This showcases the target audience that could benefit from collaborations between banks and DeFi.
Many of the people in this age bracket are risk-takers who believe in diversification and embrace innovative DeFi technology. By adopting decentralized finance, banks could expand their services to a wide audience.
3. Be mindful of common pitfalls.
Besides the fruitful opportunities within DeFi, however, business leaders need to be cautious of some common mistakes. While navigating through this field, make sure to keep realistic goals and avoid falling into the pit of exaggerated, unrealistic expectations.
I suggest focusing on building trust within the community, particularly for those who don’t yet know about the challenges associated with DeFi.
4. Address security concerns.
It is vital to address security and compliance concerns. In some cases, people ignore the security risk management aspect of DeFi, creating problems in the future. Therefore, keen attention is necessary to secure smart contract code practices, regulatory frameworks, encryption and multifactor authentication.
5. Set clear goals and objectives.
As for campaigns, effective communication is extremely significant during collaborative campaigns. For successful campaigns with banks, I suggest DeFi leaders focus on establishing clear objectives, target audiences and outcomes associated with the campaign.
Shaping The Future Of Finance
Several collaborations and partnerships between DeFi projects and traditional banks have already emerged, demonstrating the benefits of collaboration. These initiatives can enable traditional banks to leverage DeFi’s capabilities while providing a regulatory framework and risk management expertise.
By partnering with DeFi projects or investing in their own DeFi infrastructure, traditional banks can capitalize on the advantages offered by this emerging sector. Moreover, traditional banks can integrate DeFi technologies within their existing operations. This collaboration can help traditional banks offer new financial services.
These partnerships could usher in a new era of finance characterized by inclusivity, efficiency and technological advancement. DeFi’s user-friendly functionality makes it a preferred choice for many users, while traditional banking provides a secure regulatory framework.
By combining the simplicity and technological advancements of DeFi with the regulatory strength of traditional banking, a faster, more efficient and transparent financial landscape could be achieved for users worldwide.
