Financial services

Realizing sustainable growth, innovation, and future-ready solutions

Financial services
About

Who we are

At SparkOptimus, our experts partner with global businesses, transcending traditional strategies to drive impactful change in the digital era. We empower organizations to exceed expectations, guiding them in integrating sustainability, envisioning a digital future, and enhancing risk mitigation. Our team brings strategic insights, transformative expertise, and a deep understanding of the digital landscape. With extensive industry relationships and interdisciplinary knowledge, we curate innovative solutions for global success. Join us in transforming business strategy into impactful action, creating lasting change.

Our work

Verticals we work with

Banking
Banking
Insurance
Insurance
Asset Management
Asset Management
Leasing
Leasing
What we do

Our services

Process & cost optimization using Digital and (Gen) AI

Optimize front-office & back-office processes: Stay ahead in digital and (generative) AI with our comprehensive value scan. We will identify and prioritize value cases, create actionable pilot plans, and leverage our expertise to monetize them.

Optimize & harmonize propositions across business units: Streamline operations with us. Whether transitioning to a centralized business or modular architecture, we've reduced client complexity by 50% through mapping and harmonizing services & pricing across business units, providing a competitive edge.

Building a digital (commercial) mature organization

Digitizing the E2E customer journey: In financial services, offering end-to-end customer journeys are pivotal for commercial success, especially as buying cycles are event-driven and customers engage hold multiple products. We specialize in shaping these cross-product journeys by segmenting & valuing customers and setting in motion the action plans for data-driven journey improvements.

(Kickstart) commercial transformation: A well-defined end-to-end customer journey boosts cross-selling and upselling opportunities, driving increased sales and enhancing customer experiences. Let us guide your commercial transformation by creating a comprehensive plan and establishing digital pilot teams.  

Transform into an agile at scale organization: Transform your organization using agile methodologies to reduce costs and instil a culture of continuous innovation. We bring extensive experience in implementing organizational transformations at scale for global industry leaders, employing a test-and-learn approach to quickly prove value before scaling.

Launching new propositions and partnerships

Build disruptive propositions: Want to gather new data, serve your customers better, or unlock a new pool of value? We have a proven track record of developing disruptive propositions with high pace and low cost.  

Set-up ‘open financial models’: Evolve by forming strategic partnerships. Learn from our success in helping a Dutch insurance company stay relevant through collaborations with fintechs and researchers. We can help with mapping the potential partnership landscape, conducting due diligence on partners and assist in negotiations.

Buy and build: We have extensive experience in mapping potential target companies, conducting the due diligence, and helping with the growth strategy. We don't stop when the deal has been sealed but support you in integration to realize real value.

Data-driven sustainability strategies

Capitalize on sustainability with our specialized service. We empower financial institutions with data-driven strategies for sustainable practices. From integrating ESG factors into investment decisions to optimizing green financing initiatives, we guide financial organizations in navigating the evolving landscape of responsible and sustainable finance.  

Partner with us to transition to risk, return, and impact investing while navigating the fast-changing environment, partner with us. We specialize in guiding this shift to 3D investing, ensuring your business stays relevant and impactful in the evolving financial landscape.

Defining the business-wide strategy in a digital & sustainable age

Business-wide strategy: Focused on customer needs, we are a preferred partner in defining business-wide commercial strategies in the evolving financial landscape. We will conduct a comprehensive scan of your organization, customers, industry, and markets. Leveraging our extensive experience, we helped a global Dutch bank pioneer the transition from traditional physical branches to the "digital branch of the future."

Process & cost optimization using Digital and (Gen) AI Building a digital (commercial) mature organization Launching new propositions and partnerships Data-driven sustainability strategies Defining the business-wide strategy in a digital & sustainable age

Selection of our credentials

Signature cases

Evolving PGGM Investment Management towards impact-investing
Digital Strategy & Transformation
Sustainability Strategy & Transformation

PGGM Investment Management with €230B assets under management is the pension investor for the healthcare sector. Based on the new investment beliefs of their client they formulated together with this client the strategy to fundamentally shift from 2D investment management (optimizing risk & return) to 3D investment management (risk, return, and impact). PGGM IM realizes that the existing operating model does not support this ambition, especially in a rapidly changing landscape with high volatility and ever-evolving industry standards. Therefore, PGGM IM engaged SparkOptimus to design and ignite a transformation of its operating model, aiming to become a highly adaptable organization with ESG fully ingrained in its investment processes and portfolio.

Building a digital-first insurance organization
Digital Strategy & Transformation

Achmea is the largest insurance company in the Netherlands. It provides health, casualty, and income insurance to over 10M individuals through its brands such as Centraal Beheer and Interpolis. Achmea’s Casualty Insurance division has set its ambition to become a digital and data-driven insurer and installed a team to lead this transformation; the Data & Digital Team. This team explores and tests new business models, redesigns customer journeys, and digitizes and automates internal processes. Over the course of 2019, 2020 and 2021, Achmea has collaborated with SparkOptimus in multiple focused stints to set up the Data & Digital Team, build up its capabilities and realize impact in its customer journeys.

Accelerating innovation
Ventures and scale-ups

a.s.r. has been in the insurance business since 1720. It is one of the top three insurance companies in the Netherlands. Through its labels (a.s.r., De Amersfoortse, Ditzo, Ardanta, and Europeesche Verzekeringen), a.s.r. offers insurance, pension, and banking services to consumers & SMEs. a.s.r. is also active as a fiduciary asset manager, particularly in the public sector. Confronted with a rapidly changing market, a.s.r. decided to accelerate innovation. To help guide this acceleration, identify relevant first steps, and create traction throughout the organization, a.s.r. reached out to SparkOptimus.

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1,000+
Projects completed
90
Average NPS
50+
Expert webinars per year
100+
Use cases implemented