Mobile Network Operators as Banks – Opportunites and Threats

Mobile phones have not only changed the way people communicate, but have also become an important tool for financial services. The question arises whether these financial services should be provided by a mobile network operator or not. Therefore the goal of this paper is to analyse the opportunities and threats for mobile network operators to provide financial services. The paper concludes that one of the major decision factors is the regulatory framework. If mobile network operators have to establish a bank in order to provide financial services then many advantages and synergies that could be derived from the core competences of the network operator will be lost. Synergies can be used if the mobile network operator can receive a licence as financial service provider, but not as a bank. However, if this is not possible it would be better for mobile network operators to partner with existing banks or similar institutions in order to use existing competitive advantages in the best way.