Cost-management in correspondent banking relationships

Abstract

Cost-management is essential and highly specific sphere, which requires applying adequate decision-making approach as a part of the bank's internal value creation process. Correspondent banking is a dynamically growing area of management and controlling methods applied in banks on the one hand and high risk financial segment of the regulators' measures and expectations around the world on the other. The purpose of this research is to outline the main challenges for cost-management development in correspondent banking relationships (CBRs) around the world with recommendations for Ukraine. The paper explains the key reasons and essential components of cost-management system for managing risks and costs in CBRs based on the analytical results of transactions volume, comparing drivers of restriction of CBRs, rapidly growing number of different types of compliance and operational costs. As a result, the study highlights the cost-cutting measures based on digital assets solutions and blockchain technologies that can help banks to eliminate and lower costs of customer on-boarding, due diligence and money laundering prevention, foreign exchange and currency hedging, treasury and payment operations, liquidity and capital raising.