Part 3 of the ‘Ready for the re-build? Re-thinking the value of digital infrastructure’ series, our latest white paper takes a more detailed look at financial institutions’ attitudes towards international markets and cross border customers. Respondents and interviewees were located across Western Europe, providing opportunity to compare responses between regions.

The latest Banking Circle white paper, HOME AWAY FROM HOME: No place like home? Domestic European markets hold the key for growth explores the relationship between the provision of financial services infrastructure and business resilience in Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany and the UK, and looks at which countries are the most optimistic, the most prepared, and the most resilient.

Key findings include:

• 48% expect business growth of more than 4% in the next two years
• 84% said Western Europe offered business opportunities in the next two years
• 56% said managing different standards across multiple markets was a challenge to serving international businesses
• 92% can respond quickly to industry change thanks to investments in tech, infrastructure and the right mindset

Europe’s financial institutions and FinTech providers recognise the role of financial infrastructure in helping organisations to offer new services, respond better to changing customer demands, and reach new markets.

The survey showed that the sector has made huge strides forward in implementing the technology, infrastructure and mindset needed to respond to industry change. In each country, exceptionally high numbers of respondents said that because they had implemented these measures, they could respond either ‘quickly’ or ‘fairly quickly’ to industry change.