Abstract

The case “Atom Bank: The “Next Generation” Digital Challenger Bank in UK” talks about the factors that led to UK-based mobile banking player Atom Bank plc. (Atom Bank) emerging as the UK’s leading mobile banking service provider. The case starts out with a brief history of Atom Bank. It then describes the bank’s unique business strategy, which includes the use of innovative digital technologies and launch of financial services. The case touches upon the products and innovative services launched by the bank to build a good relationship between customers, especially millennials, and their money. The case then describes how Atom Bank is disrupting the traditional banking industry in the UK. It also highlights the present and future challenges for the bank.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the traditional vertical industry structure is getting disrupted by digital companies.
• Analyze the business model used by a fintech startup to disrupt an industry.
• Identify the strategies used by a digital bank to create a differentiated position from its competitors.
• Analyze the role played by technology in enabling a bank to achieve growth.
• Examine the challenges faced by a startup and its business model.

Keywords

Fintech; Digital Bank; Digital Banking; Atom Bank; Challenger Bank; Digital Disruption; Banking Industry; Retail Banking; Mobile Banking; Branch-free Banking; Millennial; Lifestyle Banking; Banking Digital Platform; Deep Personalization; Customer Engagement