The sudden rise of neobanks and the threat it poses upon the traditional banking system.

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate the emergence of neobanks in the financial services industry, and whether they pose a threat to traditional banks. To successfully answer this, gaps in previous research and studies were examined to generate three research questions. The first question looks at what services neobanks offer and investigates their current role in the banking industry, followed by a comparison of banking experts’ and customers’ prediction of the future of neobanks, and lastly, a question that investigates which risk’s that are associated with the usage of neobanks. To answer the research questions, this thesis uses a mixed-method approach that uses both qualitative data in the form of interviews with banking employees and quantitative data that aims to highlight patterns and trends amongst banking customers. The interviews conducted with employees at traditional banks and neobanks provided good insights into what services neobanks use to differentiate themselves from traditional banks but also a clear explanation of what current role neobanks possess in the banking industry. The quantitative data that was collected through a customer survey, contributed information about customers satisfaction level with their banking situation as well as their prediction of the future of banking. Both types of data gathering methods establish that traditional banks still are in control of the banking industry as a clear majority of customers predominantly rely on traditional banking services. Hence, the main conclusion of this paper is that the usage and presence of neobanks have increased over the past years, however, neobanks are currently not in a position where they are threatening traditional banks but can be seen as either potential partners to traditional banks or as a complemental service for customers.