01Banks, credit unions and wealth managers
Product and partnership strategy.
You do not need a new department to launch a product or explore digital assets. You need a clear position, a business case that holds up, partners on terms that work, and a plan that risk, compliance and technology can sign off on.
- Typically for
- Banks, credit unions, wealth managers and fintechs
- Starts with
- A working session, then a written scope
- Delivered as
- Sprints, programs or embedded support
When institutions call us
- The board or executive committee has asked for a position on a new product or on digital assets.
- Clients are asking for a card, payments or digital asset offering and there is no agreed answer.
- A bank, processor or vendor has sent terms that nobody has modelled.
- A vendor is pitching a product that nobody inside can fully evaluate.
What we do
Strategy and positioning
Where a new product or digital assets fit for your institution, your clients and your risk appetite, and where they do not.
Business case and unit economics
Revenue, interchange and fees, cost, capital and risk scenarios built so that finance and the board can test them.
Partner, processor and custody selection
A structured selection against criteria you approve, with the reasoning written down.
Commercial terms
Support in negotiating pricing, minimums, liability and exit terms with banks, processors and vendors, with the economics modelled before you sign.
Launch design
A scoped first release with success measures, limits and exit criteria agreed in advance.
Governance and alignment
The policies, approvals and board and executive papers that risk, compliance and audit expect to see, and support for the conversations with regulators that follow.
Where engagements start
Indicative only. Each engagement is scoped to your situation and agreed in writing before work starts.
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01Sprint
Which products should we launch, and on what economics?
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02Sprint
Which bank, processor or custody partners, and on what terms?
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03Program
How do we launch a first product safely?
Sample structure
Board paper: new product decision
Decision paper for the executive or risk committee.
Outline only. Not client work.
A board paper your committee can decide on.
The core deliverable of a strategy sprint is a short paper that sets out the decision, the options and the recommendation, with the business case and the risk and control considerations behind it. Written for your institution, and owned by you.
Boundaries
We do not give investment advice, and we do not hold or manage client assets. We advise your institution on strategy, finance and operations.
Perspectives
Six questions to settle before a digital asset initiative starts
The questions risk, compliance and finance ask first, and a way to answer them in writing before selecting a vendor.
ReadCustody for banks: build, partner or buy
Three routes to custody, the criteria for choosing between them, and the questions to put to every provider.
ReadQuestions
How does an engagement usually start?
With a short fixed-scope sprint to settle your position and the business case. If you decide to proceed, a program covers selection, negotiation and the pilot.
Do you recommend specific vendors?
We run a structured selection against your criteria and show our reasoning. We recommend what fits your requirements, not a standard list.
Do you negotiate with partners on our behalf?
We prepare the economics and the negotiating position, and we can join the discussions alongside your team. We take no fees or commissions from the banks, processors or vendors involved.
Can you work with our internal innovation or technology team?
Yes. Most engagements sit alongside an internal sponsor and a small working group, and we hand over the documents so that your team owns them.
The other practices
Treasury
Family offices, companies and institutions
Policy, liquidity, settlement and controls for organizations that move money or hold digital assets.
Explore Treasury03Finance and operations
Fintechs, dealers and trading platforms
Finance leadership for fintechs, dealers and trading platforms, including CFO coverage for registered dealers.
Explore Finance and operations