I found the below article in TechCrunch interesting, particularly it's claim that automation can offer the ultimate reduction in friction by allowing optimisations to happen perpetually. 

Key points for me included: 

  •  FinTechs are breaking up the old guard by focusing on what banks have done and simply doing them better. Consumers now have numerous financial relationships, each with a clear-cut purpose.
  • The incumbents are focused on copying the best of what FinTechs offer. They’re moving slowly and are five years behind, but their goal is to provide a just-good-enough mobile experience to ensure customers stay with them.
  • If a bank wants to be in a certain business, it can dominate a FinTech as it has lower cost of funds and can pay more per

... all of which begs the questions: 

  •  How often do you interact with your bank via branches, ATMs, websites, or mobile apps?
  • Who would you trust with your banking information? Big banks, tech companies (Google, Amazon etc.) or FinTechs?
  •  If I were to ask you or your parents these questions 20 years ago, how different would the responses be?