Wikipedia
Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) is an industry term for companies that provide a range of such financial products/services such as universal banks. BFSI usually comprises commercial banks, insurance companies, non-banking financial companies, cooperatives, pensions funds, mutual funds and other smaller financial entities.
Banking may include core banking, retail, private, corporate, investment, cards and the like. Financial Services may include stock-broking, payment gateways, mutual funds etc. Insurance covers both life(Living) and non-life(Non Living).
This term is commonly used by information technology (IT)/Information technology enabled services (ITES)/ business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and technical/professional services firms that manage data processing, application testing and software development activities in this domain.
The global BFSI Industry faced serious turmoil during the early 21st century, when a series of crisis like ' Subprime mortgage crisis' in US, and the Great Recession worldwide, that began in Q3-2008 and ended in Q1-2009, gave a huge setback, resulting in negative growth. But reports says that the industry is now coming back on track, and is gaining pace on a path of recovery.
Key Challenges in BFSI
Banks: (Source)
- Increasing the penetration of banking in rural areas.
- Tackling demand-supply mismatch.
- Credit disbursement to the priority sector.
- Maintaining asset quality.
- Improving risk management mechanism.
- Technology adoption.
Insurance: (Source)
- Need for Accuracy in Pricing of Risks.
- Rural Market still under penetrated.
- Pension Market remains untapped.
Mutual Funds: (Source)
- Low level of Customer Awareness.
- Inadequate reach of funds / distributors to retail investors.
- Limited innovation in product offering.
- Multiple Regulatory Frameworks.