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Leasing providers in the mobility as a service shift: growth driver or business threat?
Signs of economic stabilization
How can strategic HR planning shift from reacting to shaping?
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Articles on banking trends, regulatory innovations, digital transformation and economic dynamics in the financial industry
Leasing providers in the mobility as a service shift: growth driver or business threat?
Recent developments show a growing trend: consumers are moving toward even less ownership and increasingly shorter usage periods. In this context, the term Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is gaining traction.
Signs of economic stabilization
zeb.market.flash #53, Q3 2025: The current issue focuses on the slight improvement in the transatlantic economy.
How can strategic HR planning shift from reacting to shaping?
Demographic shifts, increasing attrition and changing skill requirements: these challenges are becoming ever more apparent in the HR departments of savings and cooperative banks. Without strategic planning today, institutions risk being operationally overwhelmed tomorrow!
Migrant banking: banking products and services for a diverse customer group
While banks pursue the same affluent domestic customers, they leave billions on the table by overlooking Europe’s fastest-growing customer segment.
Turbulent quarter ends on a solid note
zeb.market.flash #52, Q2 2025: The current issue is characterized by the turbulence surrounding the tariff conflict triggered by the USA.
Polish capital market outlook: from skepticism to engagement
Poland has emerged as Europe’s most successful economic transformation stories. Our perspective on the current state and future outlook of the Polish capital market.
Regional Banking Study Austria 2024: interest rate turnaround – what comes after the peak?
Regional banks are a crucial pillar of the Austrian financial sector. Therefore, zeb has once again examined the current situation and future challenges of Austrian regional banks.
Revised EBA guidelines – what is the focus now?
Overview of the updates to the EBA Guidelines on ICT and security risk management.
The Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCAR) represents a significant step forward in the regulation of the European crypto market, establishing for the first time clear and consistent rules for dealing with crypto assets and related services.
Provision of custody and administration of crypto assets on behalf of clients
This article is part 1 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Provision of transfer services for crypto assets on behalf of clients
This article is part 2 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Placement of crypto assets
This article is part 3 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Advisory services on and portfolio management of crypto assets
This article is part 4 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Transmission and execution of crypto asset orders on behalf of clients and exchange of crypto assets
This article is part 5 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Operation of a trading platform for crypto assets
This article is part 6 of the BankingHub topic glossary “A brief guide to digital asset services”. The glossary entries on digital assets explain how digital asset services work and how they are regulated.
Community and services
Insights and comments on the latest topics in banking
From games to gains: a new era of financial literacy for the digital generation
In this interview, Matthias Kröner, Managing Director of the Mogaland Academy, explains how Web3, AI and gamification can help financial institutions embed education, foster engagement and build trust.
What does the future hold for cash? Interview with Euronet
Following his appearance on the zeb.Sound of Finance podcast (in German), where he discussed the future role of cash supply and ATMs, Lars Walter, Head of Sales Banking at Euronet, provides further insights on this topic in our interview.
DAC 8 and CARF: the cornerstones of tax transparency in the European crypto market – an interview with CoinTracking
We spoke to Malte Harwardt, Head of Business Development at Munich-based fintech company CoinTracking, about what impact the introduction of DAC 8 (EU Directive on Administrative Cooperation) and the related CARF (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) will have on the German and European markets.
T+1 settlement: how to achieve shorter settlement cycles
Raik Hering, Head of Custody and Cash Services at dwpbank, on the implications of shortening the settlement cycle from T+2 to T+1.
Agile leadership in times of change
The key lever for a successful modern organizations is agile leadership. What are the main challenges and what is their impact on leadership?
Alternative asset classes – investing beyond stocks and bonds
Overview of selected alternative asset classes, trends and implications for market participants.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics in the financial services sector
The term “artificial intelligence” refers to technologies that emulate and support human abilities in seeing, hearing, analyzing, deciding and acting.
Asset tokenization: the path towards securities 2.0
What exactly does tokenization mean and how can banks profit from it?
Change management in IT transformation projects – esoteric or indispensable?
What is Change management?
Digital assets – what is it all about? Definition and development of a market that will be worth billions
Which drivers will influence the market environment for digital assets in the future?
Digital euro – definition and benefits
The digital euro is coming. The digital euro’s design will determine how it is going to benefit citizens and banks.
End-to-end organization (E2E)
E2E processes encompass a ready-to-go service delivery concept that covers the entirety of customer needs – at least from their point of view.
ESG – What does ESG mean for the financial sector?
Sustainability is a megatrend that permeates all levels of social life. What impact do ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria have on banks? – Challenges and opportunities for banks.
Intelligent process automation – what’s that? Definition and development
Intelligent process automation refers to the transformation of business processes that previously could not be automated, because they involved the processing of unstructured data, and therefore had to be performed manually.
Metaverse – What’s in it for financial institutions?
What is the metaverse? What are the use cases for financial institutions and what key factors need to be considered when establishing a presence?
MiCAR unveiled: our comprehensive guide to crypto asset regulation in the EU
An overview of the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
Travel Rule for digital asset transfers
Digital asset transfers require compliance with the Travel Rule regulations!
What is asset management? Definition + trends
The term “asset management” refers to the financial service of managing assets by means of financial instruments with the aim of increasing the invested assets.
What is Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)?
What is Banking-as-a-Service? Which banks and institutions may benefit from BaaS?
Various types of electronic securities and tokens that are issued using DLT systems
Crypto fund unit
A crypto fund unit is a share in investment funds or in individual share classes of an investment fund that is registered in a crypto securities register. The German Electronic Securities Act (Gesetz zur Einführung von elektronischen Wertpapieren, eWpG) also extends to electronic investment funds share certificates, which can thereby also be held in a central register.
Crypto security
Crypto securities are a new form of issuance for bearer bonds via a DLT-based crypto securities register.
Cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency is a digital asset that enables cashless payments independent from any intermediaries or can be used for investment purposes.
Electronic stock
The German Financing for the Future Act (Zukunftsfinanzierungsgesetz, ZuFinG) enables the DLT-based issuance of electronic stocks.
Non-fungible token (NFT)
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets that can be issued and traded via DLT.
Security tokens
Security tokens are securities that represent a digital twin of an asset.
Components of the DLT infrastructure in our topic glossary
Crypto securities register
A crypto securities register is a register based on DLT technology for electronic securities as defined in the German Electronic Securities Act (Gesetz über elektronische Wertpapiere, eWpG). The Electronic Securities Act (eWpG) created a new financial service referred to as crypto securities registrar services.
Crypto wallets (wallets)
Wallets allow users to store and manage the cryptographic keys of tokens.
Decentralized application (dApp)
dApps are DLT-based software applications that make smart contracts usable through a GUI.
Decentralized finance
Decentralized finance describes decentralized systems that use software protocols to enable financial transactions between users without the involvement of financial intermediaries such as banks.
Distributed ledger technology: How does the DLT work?
Distributed ledger technology (or “DLT” for short) refers to a decentralized database that stores information in blocks that are distributed across a computer network.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are contracts implemented using DLT systems that automatically execute transactions when certain triggers occur, enabling digital transaction processing.
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