case study questions for finance

47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

13. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

The IGotAnOffer team

• Contact us now!
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Finance Case Study Example | Finance Interview Technical Questions

Written by abc audio all rights reserved on february 23, 2022.

My Communities: ► Email list: http://bit.ly/joinericnewsletter ► Discord: https://discord.gg/gHghhVcW3S

Related Financial Modeling Videos: ► Finance Interview Prep Series | Crush Your Interview: http://bit.ly/fin_intervw_prep ► Build a 3 Statement Financial Model: https://youtu.be/xlXDZyZ9azk ► Demystifying the Cash Flow Statement: https://youtu.be/BS6_RsuqzwE ____________________________________________

One of the quickest and most common ways to evaluate candidates for analyst roles is to give them a finance case study during an interview. Case studies force us to both crunch the numbers quantitatively to demonstrate our knowledge but also think about the big picture and make recommendations – they are a lot of fun!

For these reasons, they are common in technical finance interviews, university projects, MBA programs, etc.

In this video, I help you solve a finance interview case study for a software platform that is considering a revenue share partnership with another company – this is the type of case study would be common at a FAANG or big tech company.

All case studies start the same way – they present you with a set of facts during some pivotal moment at a company where they are trying to decide whether they want to do some new thing (be it internally, or externally).

Regardless of the specifics – all case studies in finance are effectively asking you to do the same thing – build a simple income statement, differentiate COGS vs. OPEX expenses, calculate the depreciation for a CAPEX investment, and evaluate cash vs. accrual accounting payback period.

At the end, you are expected to synthesize your analysis into an open-ended recommendation about what the company should do.

Now that you understand the basic format of finance case studies, let’s walk through this example where I help you develop a framework of ideas to analyze situations with.

1:04 finance case study model setup (all case studies are basically asking the same info) 3:55 building the income statement & analyzing margins 10:50 calculating depreciation schedule for CAPEX 16:15 cash flow analysis & payback period vs. p&l 18:12 key quantitative metrics for making a case study recommendation 21:10 key qualitative metrics for making a case study recommendation 24:36 my finance case study recommendation

By the end of this video, you will understand how to approach finance case studies, crunch the numbers, and make recommendations in your future interviews – I guarantee it!

If you have questions – please leave a comment below and I’ll try to help. Cheers!

► Subscribe for more finance videos: https://bit.ly/EricAndrewsSubscribe

#financecasestudy #financeinterviews #saas

The post Finance Case Study Example | Finance Interview Technical Questions appeared first on Correct Success .

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Frequently Asked Questions

What support can I offer my students around analyzing cases and preparing for discussion?

Case discussions can be a big departure from the norm for students who are used to lecture-based classes. The Case Analysis Coach is an interactive tutorial on reading and analyzing a case study. The Case Study Handbook covers key skills students need to read, understand, discuss and write about cases. The Case Study Handbook is also available as individual chapters to help your students focus on specific skills.

How can I transfer my in-person case teaching plan to an online environment?

The case method can be used in an online environment without sacrificing its benefits. We have compiled a few resources to help you create transformative online learning experiences with the case method. Learn how HBS brought the case method online in this podcast , gather some quick guidance from the article " How to Teach Any Case Online ", review the Teaching Cases Online Guide for a deep dive, and check out our Teaching Online Resources Page for more insights and inspiration.

After 35 years as an academic, I have come to the conclusion that there is a magic in the way Harvard cases are written. Cases go from specific to general, to show students that business situations are amenable to hard headed analysis that then generalize to larger theoretical insights. The students love it! Akshay Rao Professor, General Mills Chair in Marketing at the University of Minnesota

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Must-Have Financial Case Study Examples with Samples and Templates

Mayuri Gangwal

Case studies are valuable tools for understanding the real-world applications of financial concepts and strategies. They provide insights into practical scenarios, showcasing the decision-making processes and outcomes in various financial situations. Whether you are a student, professional, entrepreneur, having access to well-crafted financial case study templates can be immensely beneficial in developing a deeper understanding of financial principles and honing your analytical skills.

SlideTeam’s premium PPT templates help you grasp complex financial concepts like investment analysis, financial planning, risk management, etc. Each case study offers a unique scenario, presenting a problem or challenge that requires thoughtful analysis and strategic decision-making.

By using these content-ready slides, you can enhance your problem-solving abilities, learn from real-world success stories and mistakes, and gain valuable insights into the intricacies of financial decision-making. The included samples and templates are practical tools for structuring your case studies, enabling you to apply your knowledge and skills to different financial scenarios.

Whether preparing for exams, a professional seeking to broaden your financial expertise, or an entrepreneur looking to make informed business decisions, these financial case study examples, samples, and templates are indispensable resources to elevate your financial understanding and make well-informed decisions in your personal or professional life.

Financial Case Study Templates

Template 1: financial case study environment business solution problems.

Introducing our ready to use template designed to elevate your content and make you look like a presentation pro. With a wide range of PPT slides covering various topics, this deck encompasses all the core areas of your business needs.

The deck focuses on Financial Case Study Environment Business Solution Problems, offering professionally designed templates that combine suitable graphics and relevant content. With eight slides, thoughtfully crafted to enhance your message and captivate your audience.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to impress your audience with visually stunning slides and compelling content. Click the download button and access our pre-designed PPT presentation and take your presentations to the next level. We also have templates to propose a business case if you aim for a higher company turnover. 

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Template 2:  Case Study for Financial Management PowerPoint Template

Introducing our captivating case study template designed to provide an environment conducive to productive discussions and effective decision-making. This template is perfect for showcasing real-life examples and analyzing financial management scenarios visually engagingly.

With its three-stage process, this template simplifies complex concepts and guides your audience through the essential components of a comprehensive business case study. It enables you to present your findings, solutions, and recommendations.

Whether you are analyzing past financial performances, identifying challenges , or proposing solutions, this template provides a flexible framework for organizing and presenting your ideas. You can also elevate your financial management presentations with our marketing Case Study for Financial Management PowerPoint Template . Download it now and unlock a wealth of possibilities to engage your audience, foster integration, and showcase your expertise in financial management.

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Conclusion 

Financial case studies are invaluable tools for understanding real-world financial scenarios and developing practical solutions. By examining concrete examples, individuals and organizations can gain insights into financial challenges, apply analytical techniques, and make informed decisions. 

This article has highlighted the importance of collecting financial case study examples and accompanying samples and templates as valuable resources for learning and applying financial principles in various contexts. These resources can serve as guides for conducting comprehensive analyses, formulating recommendations, and ultimately achieving financial success.

FAQs on Financial Case Study

What is a case study in finance.

A case study in finance is an in-depth analysis of a specific financial situation, company, investment, or financial strategy. It involves examining real-world scenarios, often based on actual events, to understand and evaluate the financial implications, decision-making processes, and outcomes.

In finance, case studies are commonly used as a teaching and learning tool to assess and explore complex financial issues in academic and professional settings. They provide a practical approach to understanding financial theories, concepts, and practices by applying them to real-life situations.

A finance case study typically involves the following elements:

• Background: The case study begins by presenting relevant information about the company, industry, or financial situation under examination. This includes details about the organization's financial statements, market conditions, competitive landscape, and other pertinent background information.
• Problem or Challenge: The case study outlines the specific financial problem or challenge that needs to be addressed. This could be related to financial analysis, investment decisions, capital budgeting, risk management, financial restructuring, or any other financial aspect of the organization.
• Data Analysis: The case study analyzes financial data, such as income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and key financial ratios. Various financial analysis tools and techniques, such as ratio analysis, discounted cash flow analysis, or valuation models, may be used to evaluate the situation.
• Alternatives and Solutions: Based on the analysis, different alternatives or solutions are identified to address the financial problem or challenge. These could include recommendations for financial strategies, investment decisions, capital allocation, cost reduction measures, or other relevant actions.
• Decision-Making and Implementation: The case study explores the decision-making process, considering risk, return, financial feasibility, and strategic considerations. It also discusses the potential implementation of the recommended solution and the expected outcomes.
• Lessons Learned: The case study concludes by discussing the lessons learned from the financial situation or decision-making process. This may involve reflections on successful strategies, potential pitfalls, and broader implications for financial management and decision-making in similar contexts.

How do you write a financial case study?

Writing a financial case study involves analyzing a real or hypothetical financial situation or problem and presenting a detailed examination of the facts, analysis, and potential solutions. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to write a financial case study:

• Identify the purpose and scope: Clearly define the purpose of the case study and the specific financial issue you want to address. Determine the scope of the study, including the period, entities involved, and relevant financial data.
• Gather information: Collect all relevant financial data and supporting documents related to the case. This may include financial statements, transaction records, market data, industry reports, and any other information necessary for the analysis.
• Describe the background: Provide an overview of the company or individual involved in the case study. Include relevant details such as the company's history, industry , size, key stakeholders, and any recent events or developments that may have a financial impact.
• State the problem or objective: Clearly define the financial problem or objective that needs to be addressed. Identify the key challenges or issues the company or individual faces and explain why they are essential.
• Conduct financial analysis: Analyze the financial data and apply appropriate financial analysis techniques to evaluate the situation. This may involve calculating financial ratios, conducting trend analysis, performing a discounted cash flow analysis, or any other relevant method to gain insights into the financial performance and position of the entity.
• Present findings: Summarize the results of the financial analysis clearly and concisely. Highlight key findings, trends, and any significant financial situation factors. Use graphs, charts, or tables to present data effectively.
• Discuss alternative solutions: Propose different options or strategies to address the financial problem or achieve the objective. Determine the advantages and drawbacks of each solution and provide supporting evidence or calculations to justify your recommendations.
• Make recommendations: Make clear and actionable recommendations based on analyzing and evaluating the alternative solutions. Support your recommendations with logical reasoning and explain how they can improve the financial situation or achieve the desired outcome.
• Provide a conclusion: Summarize the main points of the case study and restate the recommendations. Highlight any potential risks or challenges associated with implementing the proposed solutions.
• Include references and citations: If you have used external sources or references, provide proper citations to give credit to the authors and avoid duplicity or redundancy.
• Edit and proofread: Review the case study for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Check for any grammatical or spelling errors. Ensure that the document is well-structured and easy to understand.

What is finance study?

Finance study refers to the field of knowledge and an academic discipline that focuses on managing, creating, and allocating financial resources. It involves studying various aspects of financial systems, instruments, markets, and institutions. Finance encompasses the theory and practice of managing money, investments, and financial decision-making.

The study of finance covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Corporate Finance: This area focuses on financial decisions and strategies within corporations. It includes capital budgeting, investment analysis, financial planning, risk management, and corporate valuation.
• Investments: This field examines allocating money to different financial assets including, stocks, mutual funds, real estate, and other derivatives. It involves analyzing risk and return, portfolio management, asset pricing models, and investment strategies.
• Financial Institutions and Markets: This area explores the functioning of financial institutions (such as banks, insurance companies, and investment firms) and financial markets (such as stock markets, bond markets, and foreign exchange markets). It involves studying the role of these institutions and markets in facilitating the flow of funds, managing risks, and pricing financial assets.
• International Finance: This branch focuses on financial transactions and relationships between countries and across borders. It covers foreign exchange rates, international investment, multinational corporations, and global financial markets.
• Personal Finance: This area focuses on individual or household financial management. It involves budgeting, saving, investing, retirement planning, taxation, and managing personal debt.

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100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

• The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
• Why they chose your company.
• How your product solved the problem clients faced.
• The measurable results of the service provided.
• Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

Free Case Study Templates

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Categories for the Best Case Study Questions

• Case study questions about the customer's business
• Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
• Case study questions about the decision process
• Case study questions about the customer's business case
• Case study questions about the buying team and internal advocates
• Case study questions about customer success
• Case study questions about product feedback
• Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
• Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
• Case study questions about the customers' future goals

Showcase your company's success using these three free case study templates.

• Data-Driven Case Study Template
• Product-Specific Case Study Template
• General Case Study Template

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

• Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
• Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
• How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
• How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
• How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
• Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
• Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
• How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
• How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

• What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
• Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
• What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
• Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
• What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
• Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
• Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
• Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
• Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

• How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
• How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
• Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
• Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
• What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
• Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
• What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
• How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
• Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

• How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
• How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
• Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
• How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
• If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
• What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
• Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
• Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
• Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
• How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

• Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
• Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
• Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
• Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
• Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
• Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
• Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
• About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
• What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

• By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
• By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
• By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
• Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
• How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
• In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
• I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
• Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
• How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

• How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
• Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
• Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
• Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
• I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
• Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
• Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
• Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

• How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

• How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
• What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
• What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
• Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
• What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
• How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
• What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
• What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
• What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
• Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

• What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
• What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
• How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
• Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
• Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
• What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
• How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
• What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
• Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
• What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
• Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

Case Study Benefits

• Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
• Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
• Case studies are easily sharable.
• Case studies build rapport with your customers.
• Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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The Venture Capital Case Study: What to Expect and How to Survive

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There’s plenty of information online about case studies in finance interviews (IB, PE, etc.), but the venture capital case study remains a bit mysterious.

Depending on your source, a VC case study might consist of a “ cap table ” exercise where you calculate the company’s ownership over many investment rounds and the proceeds to each group upon exit…

…but it could also be a qualitative discussion of a market, an evaluation of a specific startup, or even a simple 3-statement model .

But if you’re interviewing at an early-stage VC fund (i.e., Seed and Series A investments), the most common type is the “Evaluate a startup and recommend investing or not investing” one.

The VC firm might give you a short investment memo or slide deck for the company, ask you to read it, and then say “yes” or “no” based on your analysis and interpretation.

We’ll go through a short example for a fictional startup called PitchBookGPT , which comes directly from our new Venture Capital & Growth Equity Modeling course .

This is a summary version, but it should be enough to give you some practice:

The Video Tutorial and the Files

If you prefer to watch or listen to this tutorial, you can get the 14-minute video walkthrough below:

If you prefer to read, you can continue with this article.

You can get the files, including the company’s pitch deck, here:

• PitchBookGPT – Seed Round Pitch Deck (PDF)
• Venture Capital Case Study Prompt (PDF)
• Venture Capital Case Study Solutions and Investment Recommendation (PDF)
• Case Study Walkthrough and Explanation – Slides (PDF)
• SaaS Valuation Multiples and Historical Data (PDF)

Video Table of Contents:

• 0:00: Introduction
• 1:58: Part 1: What to Expect in VC Case Studies
• 3:10: Part 2: What Do VCs Want in Early-Stage Investments?
• 4:51: Part 3: “The Numbers” for PitchBookGPT
• 8:16: Part 4: The Market, Product, and Team
• 11:45: Part 5: Recommendation and Counter-Factual
• 13:04: Recap and Summary

This Venture Capital Case Study Example: PitchBookGPT

In short, this startup is riding the AI hype train and plans to offer a subscription service that will automate parts of the pitch book creation process at investment banks.

It won’t replace Analysts or Associates because it can’t create entire presentations with all the correct details.

But it speeds up the process by generating slide templates based on your queries, presentation data, and free examples on the sec.gov site .

For example, if you type in “ SPAC vs. IPO ” or “Market overview slide with monetary and fiscal factors,” the software will generate sample slide images, and you can click the one you want to get an editable PowerPoint version:

The “artificial intelligence” part comes in because simple keyword searches do not work well when searching for specific slides; a slide’s purpose often differs from its text .

Also, machine learning could work well for a problem such as converting slide images into editable PowerPoint templates.

This is much trickier than it sounds for moderately complex slides, and a rules-based system is less efficient than using huge data sets for the image-to-slide translation.

This startup claims that its service can boost Analyst productivity by 30% and generate millions in extra fees for the average bank, and it plans to sell it to boutique banks for $2,000 per month.

They want a $2 million seed investment at a $20 million post-money valuation, meaning that we (the VCs) will own 10% if we invest.

So, should we do the deal?

What Do Venture Capitalists Look for in an Early-Stage Investment?

To answer this question, you need to think about what early-stage VCs look for in deals.

Most early-stage companies do not have revenue, but they do have markets and teams .

Since early-stage investing is so risky, VCs seek opportunities with the potential for very high cash-on-cash multiples , such as 10x in Series A rounds or 100x in Seed rounds.

To be clear, these are the targeted multiples.

Most startups fail, and even the ones that succeed do not come close to a 100x multiple in most cases.

Since this failure rate is so high, early-stage VCs need to aim high by finding companies with the potential to serve huge markets.

Here’s a summary of the different stages:

Since the asking valuation is $20 million, we can reframe this case study as:

“Could this company potentially reach 100x that valuation, or $2 billion? If not, what about something like 10 – 20x, for a $200 – $400 million valuation?”

You can answer this question by doing some quick math and qualitatively evaluating the market, product, and team.

Venture Capital Case Study, Part 1: The Numbers

In its slide deck, this company claims that there are ~4,000 boutique banks worldwide with 1 – 20 employees and that these banks alone can support a $100 million market size (since 4,000 * $2,000 / month * 12 months = $96 million).

They plan to target these smaller and mid-sized banks because they’re easier to reach and they have fewer resources for pitch book creation.

But this company makes a common mistake with this claim: it assumes it will capture 100% of this market.

That never happens in real life, even in a narrow niche like this one – because there are competitors and many firms that don’t need the product.

In large markets (tens or hundreds of billions of dollars), capturing even a tiny percentage might be a good result.

In a narrower market like this one, something like 10 – 20% might be plausible if the company executes well.

That means a more realistic revenue estimate is $10 – $20 million.

Startup / SaaS Valuation

Subscription software companies are usually valued based on a multiple of annual recurring revenue (ARR) , and this multiple is typically between 5x and 10x for public companies (more on SaaS accounting ):

If we apply these multiples to the company’s revenue estimates, we get a valuation range of $50 million (5x * $10 million) to $200 million (10x * $20 million).

This is a great result for the company, but it’s far below what most seed-stage VCs want.

A $50 million exit value would be a 2.5x multiple, while a $200 million exit value would be a 10.0x multiple.

And these numbers represent the potential outcomes and assume that everything goes well.

Also, these numbers do not account for the dilution in future funding rounds.

This 10% ownership will likely fall to 7%, 5%, or even 3% as the startup raises money in the Series A, B, and C rounds, which means even lower returns multiples.

You might say, “OK, but couldn’t this company’s revenue go much higher? They should charge per user , not per firm, for this service” (so the Average Revenue per User would be higher).

And that leads us to the next point about the qualitative evaluation of the market, product, and team.

Venture Capital Case Study, Part 2: The Market, Product, and Team

I wouldn’t say this company’s product is “terrible” – I’ve seen much worse startup ideas.

But it faces a “no man’s land problem” because the ideal customers differ from the reachable customers .

Boutique banks tend to be much more cost-conscious than large firms and don’t necessarily want to add a $2,000 monthly expense for multiple employees.

If a boutique bank needed this service for 5 Analysts, $2,000 per user per month would mean $120K per year , which is about the cost of hiring a full-time Analyst.

Many small banks would look at this and say, “OK, it speeds up presentations… but for that price, we could hire another Analyst and get client support, Excel work, and more.”

Also, small banks depend far less on long and detailed pitch books than large banks.

Most new deals come from longstanding relationships, not inbound inquiries or bake-offs / beauty pageants .

PitchBookGPT could target large banks ( the bulge brackets ) instead, as they are more willing to pay for training and productivity tools.

This service would be more useful for large firms because they tend to produce the 100+ slide pitch books where automation tools could save time.

However , it’s also much more difficult to close deals in this market, and compliance concerns mean these banks are less willing to share their data with external parties.

Could you imagine Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley uploading all their pitch books and slides to a VC-funded startup that may not even exist in a year?

Here’s my summary of the product/market fit problem:

Other Points in This Venture Capital Case Study

We don’t have time to analyze the team or the expected use of funds for this $2 million investment, but you would consider both in real life.

In short, they’re “fine but not amazing” – some of the budget numbers seem a bit too low (e.g., for the engineers), while others are on the high side (sales & marketing), but nothing seems completely crazy.

Similarly, the team (all fake names and bios) has relevant experience but looks a bit “junior,” so we’re neutral on them.

Our Final Decision

In short, we’d say no to this deal because we think a 100x multiple in any reasonable time frame – such as 5 or even 10 years – is implausible.

A 5 – 10x multiple might be feasible, but that’s not a great “stretch goal” for a seed-stage deal.

To reach a $1 – 2 billion valuation, the company would need hundreds of millions in annual revenue, and we don’t think that’s realistic for its business model and market.

The company could develop a different product or offer higher-end services to larger firms, but it doesn’t even have a “Version 1.0” yet, so that would be putting the cart before the horse.

You can view the full recommendation here .

What Would Change Our Mind?

If a few factors were different, we might be more inclined to recommend this deal:

• Per-Seat Pricing – Maybe they can’t charge $2,000 / user / month, but even something like $1,000 / user / month could increase potential revenue at many firms.
• Lower Asking Price – While a $2 million seed investment at a $20 million post-money valuation is not unheard of, it is aggressive. If the asking valuation were only $5 – 10 million, the deal math would be more feasible (maybe not for a 100x multiple, but something like 20 – 30x).
• Higher-End Product – For example, banks might be willing to pay more if this product could replace employees rather than just boost their productivity. But that would require far more capital to develop and might require technology that doesn’t exist.

The Venture Capital Case Study: Final Thoughts

In short, unlike many startups, this PitchBookGPT idea isn’t necessarily “bad.”

There are proven markets for productivity tools, slide templates, and reference models in both PowerPoint and Excel.

But the problem is that this isn’t a great early-stage VC idea – at least not for the deal terms the company wants.

That’s not great news for this fictional company, but it is reassuring if you’re a junior banker worried about getting replaced by AI anytime soon.

It probably won’t happen – and in the near term, these new tools might even improve your life.

If you liked this article, you might be interested in:

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About the Author

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street . In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, running, traveling, obsessively watching TV shows, and defeating Sauron.

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2 thoughts on “ The Venture Capital Case Study: What to Expect and How to Survive ”

This was a good read!

I noticed that you have a typo under the “slide dick”, right after the header of part 1 case study – or was that meant to be intentional ?

Thanks for pointing that out (fixed now). Nope, not intentional, somehow both spelling and grammar check missed it, and so did I (one issue when you stare at these documents all day…).

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Master Cap Tables and Startup Modeling

Learn VC and growth equity financial modeling via 5 short case studies and 4 extended case studies on everything from AI to SaaS to biotech.

Your Financial Due Diligence Interview Guide

Interview prep resources to help you get a job in financial due diligence. 

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Interview questions.

Comprehensive list of technical and behavioral interview questions

Learn what to expect in financial due diligence cases and how to ace them

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Example scope of work

See the key steps and analyses that are involved in an FDD engagement

Example request list

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Interview process

Develop an understanding of the full FDD interview process

Included in the interview guide…

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#1 resource for financial due diligence interviews, full interview guide.

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Learn more about the financial due diligence career path and interview process

Financial Due Diligence Interview Mini Guide

A career in Financial due diligence (FDD) or Transaction advisory (TAS) is arguably the best career path for accountants. The valuable skillsets acquired in FDD will accelerate your career and open doors that are closed to most professionals. However, getting a coveted position in this industry boils down to your preparation. The interview process is devoted to determining if you are intelligent, capable, reliable, and a good cultural fit.

Most likely, you are coming from a field like audit and assurance, financial analysis, or consulting. First off, congrats on making it this far. But next, realize that you still have a long way to go. Competition for FDD roles is stiff, and you need to fine-tune your strategy in order to land a job. That’s why we’ve created the best FDD interview guide on the market. Our guide was designed by FDD professionals with several years of experience working for the best Big 4 and middle-market firms in the U.S.

What is FDD? 

Financial due diligence is a comprehensive analysis of a company’s financial and operational information to evaluate its financial health, growth potential, and risk profile. This process is typically performed during the due diligence phase of an M&A transaction to assess the target company’s financial viability and identify any potential risks. Financial due diligence includes reviewing financial statements, operations, financial management, and market conditions to provide a complete picture of the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses. 

Arguably the main objective of financial due diligence is to provide a clear understanding and confirmation of a company’s historical performance. In order to provide a clear picture of historical performance, FDD professionals must ensure that historical earnings are accurately presented. The financial due diligence process is intended to provide a non-biased, accurate presentation of a company’s historical financial performance. Through the process, the FDD firm will provide the client with a few standard deliverables:  (i) a quality of earnings analysis, (ii) a net working capital analysis, and (iii) a debt and debt-like analysis. 

Quality of Earnings Analysis

Quality of Earnings Analysis is a review of a company’s financial statements, focusing specifically on the quality and sustainability of its earnings. It is a comprehensive analysis of a company’s revenue, expenses, and cash flow, designed to determine whether the company’s earnings are based on genuine, recurring revenue sources or if they are artificially inflated through one-time events, aggressive accounting practices, or other factors.

A quality of earnings analysis typically includes a review of key financial metrics, including revenue growth, gross margins, operating expenses, and cash flow. It also examines the company’s accounting practices, identifying any unusual transactions or red flags that may indicate artificially inflated earnings. The goal of a quality of earnings analysis is to provide a clear understanding of the quality and sustainability of a company’s earnings, which is critical information for investors and other financial professionals who are evaluating the financial health of a company.

Net Working Capital and Debt-like Analysis

Net Working Capital and Debt-Like Analysis is a review that focuses on a company’s liquidity and its ability to meet its short-term obligations. This analysis typically includes a review of the company’s current assets and liabilities, including cash, accounts receivable, inventory, accounts payable, and short-term debt.

Net working capital is calculated as the difference between a company’s current assets and its current liabilities. This calculation provides an understanding of the company’s ability to meet its short-term obligations and pay its bills.

The debt-like analysis focuses on the company’s long-term obligations, including any debt or other liabilities that may affect its ability to meet its financial obligations in the future.

The goal of the net working capital and debt-like analysis is to provide a clear understanding of a company’s liquidity and its ability to meet its financial obligations. This analysis is critical information for investors and other financial professionals who are evaluating the financial health of a company and its ability to meet its financial obligations over time.

Financial Due Diligence Interview Process

The interview process is designed to assess the candidate’s skills and experience, as well as their understanding of financial due diligence, accounting, and financial analysis.

Here are some tips for preparing for a financial due diligence interview:

• Research the FDD firm: Before the interview, research the company’s background, services, and core values. 
• Review common financial accounting terms and concepts: FDD interviews often include discussions of financial statements, accounting principles, financial ratios, and other key financial concepts. Brush up on these concepts to ensure that you are familiar with the common terminology and able to discuss them confidently in the interview.
• Review your own experience and qualifications: Prepare a list of your own qualifications and experience, including the specific financial-related projects that you have worked on, the industries you have experience in, and the tools and techniques you have used in your work.
• Practice your case-study skills: Many financial due diligence interviews include case studies or scenario-based questions. Prepare for these by practicing your case-study skills and by preparing answers to common questions about your previous experience.
• Dress professionally: Dress professionally and arrive on time for the interview. Be polite and professional throughout the interview process.
• Be prepared to ask questions: Show your interest in the company and the role by asking thoughtful questions during the interview. This can demonstrate your knowledge of the company and the role, as well as your commitment to the financial due diligence process.

By preparing for a financial due diligence interview, you can demonstrate your knowledge, experience, and commitment to the role, and increase your chances of landing the job.

Our study guide provides an in-depth overview of each of these key workstreams, example adjustments, and an example case study. 

Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) Interview Resources

• Financial Due Diligence / Transaction Advisory Case Study Interview
• Financial Due Diligence (Transaction Advisory) Interview Questions and Answers
• Financial Due Diligence vs. Audit
• Why work in Financial Due Diligence (or Transaction Advisory Services aka TAS)?
• Financial Due Diligence (FDD or TAS) Interview Process
• Financial Due Diligence Exit Opportunities  

Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2021

Two cases about Hertz claimed top spots in 2021's Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies

Two cases on the uses of debt and equity at Hertz claimed top spots in the CRDT’s (Case Research and Development Team) 2021 top 40 review of cases.

Hertz (A) took the top spot. The case details the financial structure of the rental car company through the end of 2019. Hertz (B), which ranked third in CRDT’s list, describes the company’s struggles during the early part of the COVID pandemic and its eventual need to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

The success of the Hertz cases was unprecedented for the top 40 list. Usually, cases take a number of years to gain popularity, but the Hertz cases claimed top spots in their first year of release. Hertz (A) also became the first ‘cooked’ case to top the annual review, as all of the other winners had been web-based ‘raw’ cases.

Besides introducing students to the complicated financing required to maintain an enormous fleet of cars, the Hertz cases also expanded the diversity of case protagonists. Kathyrn Marinello was the CEO of Hertz during this period and the CFO, Jamere Jackson is black.

Sandwiched between the two Hertz cases, Coffee 2016, a perennial best seller, finished second. “Glory, Glory, Man United!” a case about an English football team’s IPO made a surprise move to number four.  Cases on search fund boards, the future of malls,  Norway’s Sovereign Wealth fund, Prodigy Finance, the Mayo Clinic, and Cadbury rounded out the top ten.

Other year-end data for 2021 showed:

• Online “raw” case usage remained steady as compared to 2020 with over 35K users from 170 countries and all 50 U.S. states interacting with 196 cases.
• Fifty four percent of raw case users came from outside the U.S..
• The Yale School of Management (SOM) case study directory pages received over 160K page views from 177 countries with approximately a third originating in India followed by the U.S. and the Philippines.
• Twenty-six of the cases in the list are raw cases.
• A third of the cases feature a woman protagonist.
• Orders for Yale SOM case studies increased by almost 50% compared to 2020.
• The top 40 cases were supervised by 19 different Yale SOM faculty members, several supervising multiple cases.

CRDT compiled the Top 40 list by combining data from its case store, Google Analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption.

All of this year’s Top 40 cases are available for purchase from the Yale Management Media store .

And the Top 40 cases studies of 2021 are:

1.   Hertz Global Holdings (A): Uses of Debt and Equity

2.   Coffee 2016

3.   Hertz Global Holdings (B): Uses of Debt and Equity 2020

4.   Glory, Glory Man United!

5.   Search Fund Company Boards: How CEOs Can Build Boards to Help Them Thrive

6.   The Future of Malls: Was Decline Inevitable?

7.   Strategy for Norway's Pension Fund Global

8.   Prodigy Finance

9.   Design at Mayo

10. Cadbury

11. City Hospital Emergency Room

13. Volkswagen

14. Marina Bay Sands

15. Shake Shack IPO

16. Mastercard

17. Netflix

18. Ant Financial

19. AXA: Creating the New CR Metrics

20. IBM Corporate Service Corps

21. Business Leadership in South Africa's 1994 Reforms

22. Alternative Meat Industry

23. Children's Premier

24. Khalil Tawil and Umi (A)

25. Palm Oil 2016

26. Teach For All: Designing a Global Network

27. What's Next? Search Fund Entrepreneurs Reflect on Life After Exit

28. Searching for a Search Fund Structure: A Student Takes a Tour of Various Options

30. Project Sammaan

31. Commonfund ESG

32. Polaroid

33. Connecticut Green Bank 2018: After the Raid

34. FieldFresh Foods

35. The Alibaba Group

36. 360 State Street: Real Options

37. Herman Miller

38. AgBiome

39. Nathan Cummings Foundation

40. Toyota 2010

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Apple Case Study Questions

Investment Banking Case Study Examples – A Guide

If you are preparing for an investment banking interview, you’ll probably need to conquer a case study interview. because case studies are a very crucial component in the investment banking hiring process. particularly if you have never completed a case study before, that will be very challenging for you to get into the investment banking field. this article has covered everything you need to know about investment banking and potential investment banking case studies. there are also tips and practice investment banking case study questions with examples of how to resolve them..

What is Investment Banking?

Investment banks are financial firms that perform a variety of tasks, including underwriting, assisting companies with the issuance of stock and debt securities through initial public offerings or fixed-priced offerings enabling mergers and acquisitions on both the buy side and sell side of the deal, corporate restructuring and many other tasks. 

To efficiently complete these significant deals, a firm turns into an investment banker when it requires finance services. With some of the best benefits in the businesses, it is an extremely competitive industry.

How Does Investment Banking Work?

Investment banking offers services and serves as the middleman between businesses and investors and focuses mostly on shares and stock exchanges. 

Investment banking services help big businesses and organizations in developing a successful investment strategy that includes accurate financial instrument valuation.

When a company conducts an IPO or initial public offering, an investment bank purchases the majority of the shares immediately on the firm’s behalf.

The investment bank, which is now serving as a stand-in for the company then sells these shares on the market. The investment bank improves the company’s revenue in this way while also making sure that all governing rules are observed.

The investment bank makes money by marking up the initial price of shares when selling them to investors, helping the organization in making the most profit possible from this activity.

If a circumstance in the market emerges where the stock becomes overpriced, the investment bank also runs the risk of losing money by selling the stock at a lower price. 

An organization should assess its requirements and carefully consider all of its possibilities before seeking guidance from an investor banker. Before the company visits an investment bank, there are a few crucial considerations including the amount of capital being raised and the level of market competition. When the business has clarity in these areas, it can enlist the assistance of investment bankers to find new businesses to invest in.

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Benefits of Investment Banking

Investment banking assists big businesses in a variety of ways to make crucial financial decisions and make sure they maximize revenues. That’s the reason, Investment banks are a prevalent financial institution among these businesses and even governments.

Here Are Some of the Advantages of Investment Banking:

• Investment banks effectively manage their client and provide them with the information they require regarding the advantage and disadvantages of investing their money in other businesses or organizations.
• These banks serve as a bridge between the company and the investor, ensuring a rise in financial capital by helping in major financial transactions like mergers and acquisitions.
• It conducts an in-depth analysis of the deal and project that will be undertaken by its customer to ensure that the client’s money is invested safely and helps to reduce the risks involved with the mentioned deal or project.

What is Investment Banking Case Study?

You must have solved case studies during your investment banking training. 

Analyzing a business condition is done in case studies during investment banking interviews.

You would be provided with all the necessary data and have adequate time to examine broad case studies. There you would be asked for your opinion on business-related issues.

Your Task Includes,

• Make the necessary deduction.
• Investigate the matter, which is typically a client’s business.
• Give suggestions for resolving the current issue along with an explanation.

Investment banking case studies are frequently used to evaluate a job candidate’s potential performance in real circumstances, where your interviewers would give you a problem and ask for a detailed recommendation.

By presenting them with a hypothetical scenario similar to those experiences while working in the field, your job is simply to analyze the scenario and give them justified reasons. 

Case studies are typically presented at the end of the application process, most frequently at the final interview or during the assessment center.

The majority of questions in investment banking case studies revolve around acquisition, capital raising, or business growth.

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What Are the Types of Case Studies?

Take home investment banking case study.

• You will probably receive the case in advance so you have more time to work on it before the assessment day.
• In the case of take-home case studies, you are given a few days to work on them, complete your analysis, and showcase your recommendation to the bankers over a 30-45 minutes presentation.
• It involves a much deeper analysis including merger/LBO modeling, company procedures, and valuation.

On the Spot or Blind Investment Banking Case Study

• On the day of your assessment center, the case can be presented to you blindly with little time for preparation.
• These are given to you on the day of your interview and within an hour or two you are supposed to present it on the spot. 
• The time split for this process would usually be 45-60 minutes of preparation, 10 minutes of presentation followed by a round of question and answer.
• It would not involve such deep study.
• Some case studies on investment banking may occasionally be given as a group task, where the employer will use this as an opportunity to examine the candidate’s analytical skills and teamwork qualities.

Why You Should Prepare for Investment Banking Case Study?

The theory behind these case studies is that because the qualification for various professions varies, bankers don’t trust the conventional method of interviewing applicants.

Case studies are preferred by banking recruiters as a better way to evaluate applicants because they show how you should perform in the workplace. 

You don’t need to worry about whether your response is right or wrong in this situation because the interviewer is more interested in how the candidate thinks and how well they can use logic and analysis to come up with an innovative answer to the challenge at that time.

Investment banking case study writers aim to inspire applicants to come up with their ideas and apply critical thinking.

Candidates for these positions must have a variety of skills, but problem-solving ability is one of the most important. 

Recruiters are interested in learning how you would approach difficult circumstances and use your intelligence, education, and professional experience to handle them successfully.

Additionally, candidates get an amazing chance to practice their other abilities including presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills.

These factors make case studies significantly more important than the other methods of evaluating applicants in the investment banking hiring process.

How to Prepare for Case Studies Before Assessment Day?

• Read as much deal news as you can while preparing and going through the daily market and business news in popular publications.
• Discover the many valuation methods, how they are calculated, and how they are evaluated then try out your calculations after watching YouTube videos or reading information on valuation methods.
• You must prepare a structure using PowerPoint and Excel consistently, especially for modeling and valuation-based case studies.
• Also, improve your familiarity with software like Microsoft Excel so that you can use spreadsheets effectively.
• You should practice the kinds of questions you might get during your presentation. 
• Real case study interview questions used by banks might not be available to you.
• But, knowing that you need to practice, consider contacting a colleague or friend, or mentor you know who has gone through case study rounds for the types of questions they were asked.

How to Solve It and Perform Well During Assessment Day?

• To solve the case study, take an organized strategy.
• Before making a conclusion or deciding how to solve the problem, carefully analyze the case and the questions.
• Professionally prepare Excel and PowerPoint while modeling case studies.
• Every assentation you make should be supported by solid logical arguments, and the first few points should address that case’s most important issues.
• Even if is not necessary, it would be advantageous to have a specialized understanding of the industry being studied.
• Do not beat around the bush as you have limited time and hence be precise as you speak.

Investment Banking Case Study Examples and Answers

The decision-making case and the financial modeling case are two main types of case studies used in investment banking assessments.

Modeling – Investment Banking Case Study

Modeling case studies are typically take-home tasks that require you to perform straightforward valuation and financial modeling.

So rather than being a case study, it is more of a modeling exam.

The investment banker gives an overview of creating models as well as developing a variety of methods for an in-depth and useful understanding of the subject.

The modeling case study will either use a simpler merger or leveraged buyout model or a free cash flow to the business valuation. 

To assess whether the firms are overvalued or undervalued, you would be asked to examine their valuation multiples.

In most cases, you will be given a few days to finish your analysis. Then on the day of the interview, you must spend 30-45 minutes presenting your case to the bankers. 

Because you will have more time to work on it, the analysis will be considerably more in-depth than in a client case or decision-making case study.

Evaluating Strategic Alternative: Case Study 1 

To maximize shareholder value, a magazine publisher is deciding whether to sell, grow organically or make tiny “tuck-in” acquisitions. It is looking for an investment bank to assist it with its alternatives and has asked for a presentation from your company.

Given Materials: 

They would provide you with a firm summary with financial statements and five-year forecasts, a ten-page market analysis with main competitors, minor acquisition candidates, and recent transactions.

• First, go through everything to get a sense of the industry, where it’s going, and how much this firm is worth in comparison.
• Complete a quick assessment using publicly available rivals and prior transactions and a DCF.
• Evaluate the figures provided by the value, the company’s potential for organic growth, and the availability of suitable targets for acquisition.

Decide what to do, in most cases it is advisable to say “Sell” unless the industry is expanding rapidly (Above 10% annually) the company is completely undervalued, or these are acquisition candidates that will increase revenue or profit by at least 20-30%.

After you have come to a decision, you must prepare your presentation and decide what to tell the bankers.

If you are analyzing scenarios like this during a 30-minute presentation, choose 10 slides with 3-4 important themes each and attempt to spend 3-4 minutes on each slide.

If you choose to write “Sell the company”, consider the following steps in preparing a presentation:

• List the three main reasons for recommending selling
• Overview of the industry- Is it expanding? Falling off? Or Being Inactive?
• Position of the company in the industry? Leader or Second level position? Or is it strong or weak?
• What would organic growth look like in five to ten years? How much larger or more valuable would the company be?
• Prospective tuck-in acquisition candidates
• Why organic growth and acquisition are not the answers.
• Why selling now will generate the most shareholder value
• Show prior transactions and public comparable valuations
• Display the DCF output and the sensitivity chart valuation
• Summary- State again that the best course of action is to sell your company right away and that neither organic development nor the acquisition of smaller firms would increase your company’s valuation in five to ten years.

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Decision Making- Investment Banking Case Study

Case studies that include decision-making are more common than case studies that involve modeling.

In this kind of case study, the applicant is required to decide for their client and offer advice.

The client case study can center on locating financial sources or determining whether or not a proposed merger should go forward.

At the interview, you should be prepared for these questions. Because you will have a set amount of time in which to examine and present the case. You will be given a total of 45-60 minutes to prepare and beforehand 10 minutes presentation with a Q&A round.

Case Study 1

A customer owns her company fully and wants to release some liquidity while keeping a stake in it (Worth £400 million) what suggestions would you provide the client to get the best possible price?

Given Materials:

A corporate overview and details about the company’s performance over the last three years are provided.

Examine all financial information thoroughly and forecast the company’s organic development.

Consider the breakdown of the present valuation if you are provided with the relevant facts.

Think about the client’s industry and the expected trends for that market.

• How does the valuation stack up against others in the field?
• Is the current valuation backed up by reliable industry forecasts?
• Given the slow development of the industry, would it be wise to give up more equity?
• Is it expected that this industry will keep growing?

Consider present customer portfolios, projects, etc., while deciding whether any actions could be performed to boost the company’s value.

Think about suggestions for the client’s negotiation strategy:

• How much equity should they be prepared to give up?
• What number should the client choose as their actual reserve price, in your opinion?

Case Study 2

A publicly traded firm contacts you in the hope to raise money. Analysts’ expectations were met by recent profits and the latest financial report, but the company’s market values are lowest throughout the year. The management of the company has developed a project that it hopes would significantly boost EBIDTA and is looking to raise funding for it. What should the business do to raise the required capital?

Given material:

A summary of the business and its financial statements will be provided to you to prepare for this question.

You must think about whether the organization should raise debt or stock.

Think about the market capitalization, share count, and share price:

• How would the company be affected in this environment if it issued fresh shares?
• In terms of dilution of ownership, would equity financing be an appropriate option?
• How would the effect currently differ from what it would be if the share price were back to normal?

Then examine the provided financial statements:

• Would increasing debt be a better course of action if they are actually under management’s predictions?
• How much they could possibly raise?
• What potential problems could a debt increase bring about?
• How could the cost of interest be reduced?

Prepare your presentation by organizing your ideas clearly and go through your questions and thought process to get at your recommendation.

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Potential Acquisition: Case Study 3 

A software company is considering a large acquisition. It has chosen the company it wishes to acquire and has contacted a number of investment banks to obtain their thoughts on the transaction and how much they should pay. Based on these presentation, it will choose an advisor and decide what to do.

Two page summaries of the buyers and seller, each containing financial data as well as statistics and multiples for similar organization.

With a recommendation on whether to move forward with the acquisition and if so, how much to pay for the target, create five minute presentation.

For the very first, you should consider this two question to solve this,

• Should they purchase that target business?
• What price should they want for the target business?

For an example,

Let’s assume that the comparable companies are trading at EBITDA multiples that range from 4 to 8 times, with the median at 6 times and the 75th percentile at 7 times, respectively. You choose the 25th to 75th percentile range of 5x-7x and apply it to the target company’s $10 million EBITDA since the target company’s profit margins and revenue growth are comparable.

Therefore, the purchase price should range between $50 million and $70 million.

If you have access to a computer, you can also design a DSF, but if you are short of time, keep it straightforward and use multiples.

To answer the question “Should they buy?” take note of the following:

• Will the buyer be able to purchase the seller with enough cash, debt, or stock issuances?
• Will the vendor increase the buyer’s revenue and profit?
• Will the buyer benefit from new consumers, new goods, new markets, or other kinds of benefits as a result of the seller’s acquisition?

After concluding these, you can complete your presentation.

Investment Banking Case Study: FAQs

Q. what is an investment banking case study in short terms.

By presenting candidates with a hypothetical scenario that is comparable to those they might face on the job, investment banking case studies are frequently used to evaluate how the candidate would function in real circumstances.

Q. Which skills are tested in investment banking case study interviews?

Candidates’ analytical and financial skills as well as problem-solving, presentation skills, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills are tested during investment banking interviews.

Q. Is there any way to practice investment banking case studies?

There are various tools, financial modeling online courses, and investment banking textbooks accessible to practice investment banking case studies. Additionally, there are certain career services offered at universities and institutions that provide investment banking programs with case studies.

Investment Banking Case Study: Conclusion

The opportunities to demonstrate your abilities and expertise to investment bankers are provided by investment banking case studies, which are a crucial component of an interview process. 

We have covered some of the investment banking case study examples that will help you in preparation for an investment banking interview.

No doubt it is a very competitive yet tough field to break into but we hope, through this article you achieve the success ladder in the investment banking industry.

Author: Swati Varli

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Discover the Future of Finance: Top Fintech Case Studies with Questions and Answers

In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, staying ahead of the curve means understanding the innovations shaping the future of finance. Dive into the exciting world of financial technology ( Fintech ) with our curated collection of top Fintech case studies and expert Q&A. These real-life success stories offer a glimpse into how innovative Fintech solutions are revolutionizing the industry. Whether you’re a Fintech enthusiast or a finance professional looking to adapt to the changing times, these case studies provide valuable insights. Paired with expertly crafted questions and answers, you’ll not only gain a deeper understanding of these transformative technologies but also discover how to leverage them for success in your own financial endeavors. Join us on this journey to explore the future of finance and unlock opportunities that lie ahead.

Domain 1 – Market Size, Growth and Segmentation

Market size refers to the total value of a specific market, represented in terms of the monetary transactions or revenue generated within a defined period. Market growth pertains to the rate at which the market’s total value is expanding over time. It is usually expressed as a percentage increase. Market segmentation involves dividing a broader market into distinct subgroups or segments based on specific characteristics, such as demographics, behaviors, or needs.

Question: In a case study involving a fintech startup, what does “Market Size” refer to?

A) The number of employees working in the company

B) The total available market that the fintech innovation can potentially serve

C) The revenue generated by the fintech company in the first year

D) The number of competitors in the fintech space

Correct Answer: Correct answer is B.

Explanation: Market size in this context represents the total available market that the fintech innovation can potentially serve, which is crucial for assessing its growth potential.

Question: A fintech case study shows a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25% over the past three years. What does this indicate?

A) The fintech innovation is in a declining market.

B) The fintech company experienced consistent, positive growth.

C) The fintech market is highly volatile.

D) The fintech innovation is too new to draw conclusions.

Explanation: A CAGR of 25% over three years indicates consistent, positive growth in the fintech company’s performance.

Question: When analyzing market segmentation in a fintech case study, why is it important to identify the “target customer personas”?

A) To determine the number of competitors in the market

B) To understand the specific needs and preferences of potential customers

C) To calculate the fintech company’s revenue

D) To assess the regulatory compliance of the fintech innovation

Explanation: Identifying target customer personas helps understand the specific needs and preferences of potential customers, which is crucial for tailoring the fintech innovation and marketing strategies.

Question: In a fintech case study, what role does regulatory compliance play in market segmentation?

A) It defines the fintech company’s organizational structure.

B) It helps identify the geographic regions where the fintech innovation can be launched.

C) It determines the pricing strategy of the fintech product.

D) It has no relevance to market segmentation.

Explanation: Regulatory compliance influences where and how a fintech innovation can be launched, making it a relevant factor in market segmentation.

Question: Why is a SWOT analysis important when evaluating a fintech innovation in a case study?

A) To forecast future market trends

B) To assess the profitability of the fintech company

C) To identify the fintech company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

D) To calculate the market share of the fintech innovation

Correct Answer: Correct answer is C.

Explanation: A SWOT analysis is used to identify the fintech company’s internal strengths and weaknesses, along with external opportunities and threats in the market, providing valuable insights for decision-making.

Domain 2 – Competitor Analysis and Barriers to Entry

Competitor analysis is the process of evaluating and studying the strengths and weaknesses of existing and potential competitors in a specific industry or market. Barriers to entry are obstacles or factors that make it difficult for new companies to enter and compete in a specific industry or market.

Question: In a fintech case study, why is it crucial to conduct a competitor analysis?

A) To determine the company’s stock market performance

B) To identify potential partners for collaboration

C) To assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing and potential competitors

D) To calculate the company’s annual revenue

Explanation: Conducting a competitor analysis is important to assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing and potential competitors, helping the fintech company understand its competitive landscape.

Question: What is a common barrier to entry in the fintech industry?

A) High customer demand

B) Low regulatory requirements

C) Access to a network of financial institutions

D) Abundant venture capital funding

Explanation: Access to a network of financial institutions can be a significant barrier to entry in the fintech industry as it often requires trust, relationships, and industry knowledge.

Question: In a fintech case study, if you find that a new startup faces low barriers to entry, what does this suggest about the competitive landscape?

A) The market is oversaturated with established competitors.

B) The market is highly regulated.

C) The startup is likely to succeed.

D) The startup will face no competition.

Correct Answer: Correct answer is A.

Explanation: Low barriers to entry suggest that the market may be oversaturated with established competitors, making it challenging for a new startup to gain a foothold.

Question: Which of the following is NOT typically considered a barrier to entry in the fintech industry?

A) High capital requirements

B) Strong brand recognition

C) Access to proprietary technology

D) Low customer demand

Correct Answer: Correct answer is D.

Explanation: Low customer demand is not a typical barrier to entry. Barriers usually involve factors like capital, technology, regulations, and competitive landscape.

Question: When evaluating barriers to entry in a fintech case study, why is regulatory compliance an important factor?

A) It determines the company’s marketing strategy.

B) It affects the pricing of fintech products.

C) It can create obstacles for new entrants and shape the competitive landscape.

D) It has no relevance to barriers to entry.

Explanation: Regulatory compliance can create obstacles for new entrants in the fintech industry and shape the competitive landscape by influencing who can enter the market and how.

Domain 3 – Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP), also known as a Unique Selling Point, is a distinctive and compelling feature or characteristic that sets a product, service, or brand apart from its competitors in the eyes of customers. It is a specific and clear statement that communicates what makes a product or offering unique and why it is superior or more desirable compared to alternatives.

Question: In a fintech case study, what is a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

A) The legal framework that governs the fintech innovation

B) The core technology stack used by the fintech company

C) The distinctive feature or advantage that sets the fintech product apart from competitors

D) The annual revenue generated by the fintech company

Explanation: A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is the distinctive feature or advantage that sets the fintech product apart from competitors, making it unique and appealing to customers.

Question: Why is it important for a fintech company to identify and articulate its USP?

A) To comply with industry regulations

B) To impress potential investors

C) To effectively communicate the value of the product to customers and differentiate from competitors

D) To increase the number of employees in the company

Explanation: Identifying and articulating the USP helps a fintech company effectively communicate the value of its product to customers and stand out in a competitive market.

Question: In a fintech case study, if the USP of a product is “real-time data analytics,” what does this imply about the product’s competitive advantage?

A) The product offers the lowest pricing in the market.

B) The product provides insights based on historical data.

C) The product can analyze data faster and more effectively than competitors.

D) The product is only available during specific hours of the day.

Explanation: If the USP is “real-time data analytics,” it implies that the product can analyze data faster and more effectively than competitors, giving it a competitive advantage.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a potential element of a fintech USP?

A) Security features

B) User interface design

C) Regulatory compliance

D) Employee diversity

Explanation: Employee diversity is not typically a direct element of a fintech USP. USPs typically focus on product features, security, design, and compliance.

Question: In a fintech case study, how can a company validate the effectiveness of its USP?

A) By conducting market research and customer surveys

B) By increasing its advertising budget

C) By acquiring more competitors

D) By hiring additional sales representatives

Explanation: To validate the effectiveness of its USP, a fintech company can conduct market research and customer surveys to gather feedback and insights from its target audience.

Domain 4 – Monetization and Pricing Strategy

Monetization refers to the process of generating revenue or profit from a product, service, content, or asset. It involves converting something of value into actual income. Pricing strategy is a deliberate approach that a business takes to set the price of its products or services. It involves considering various factors to determine the optimal price point that will maximize revenue and profitability.

Question: In a fintech case study, what is meant by “Monetization”?

A) The process of transforming financial data into insights

B) The strategy for generating revenue from a fintech product or service

C) The method used to secure venture capital funding

D) The marketing campaign aimed at attracting new customers

Explanation: Monetization refers to the strategy for generating revenue from a fintech product or service, which is a critical aspect of the business model.

Question: Why is it important for a fintech company to carefully consider its pricing strategy?

A) To ensure the product remains free for all users

B) To maximize profits while remaining competitive and attractive to customers

C) To lower operational costs for the company

Explanation: A well-thought-out pricing strategy allows a fintech company to maximize profits while remaining competitive and attractive to customers, balancing revenue and market position.

Question: In a fintech case study, what might be an advantage of adopting a subscription-based pricing model?

A) It allows customers to use the product for free.

B) It provides a predictable and recurring stream of revenue.

C) It relies on one-time purchases for revenue.

D) It encourages customers to buy additional products.

Explanation: A subscription-based pricing model provides a predictable and recurring stream of revenue, which can be advantageous for long-term financial stability.

Question: What is the primary goal of a freemium pricing strategy in fintech?

A) To maximize revenue from the outset

B) To offer a free trial period before charging customers

C) To attract a large user base with a free version and upsell premium features

D) To minimize customer acquisition costs

Explanation: The primary goal of a freemium pricing strategy is to attract a large user base with a free version of the product and then upsell premium features to some of those users, maximizing revenue.

Question: How can a fintech company determine the optimal pricing strategy for its product or service?

A) By setting the highest possible price to maximize profits

B) By copying the pricing strategy of its competitors

C) Through market research, competitive analysis, and considering customer value

D) By offering discounts and promotions continuously

Explanation: The optimal pricing strategy is determined through market research, competitive analysis, and consideration of the perceived customer value to strike a balance between profitability and market competitiveness.

Domain 5 – Compliance Challenges 

Compliance challenges refer to the difficulties, issues, or obstacles that organizations encounter while striving to adhere to regulatory requirements and legal standards within their industry or jurisdiction. These challenges can vary significantly depending on the nature of the business, its geographical location, and the specific regulations that apply.

Question: In a fintech case study, what does “Compliance Challenges” refer to?

A) The competition faced by the fintech company

B) The legal and regulatory hurdles that the fintech innovation must navigate

C) The financial stability of the fintech company

D) The marketing strategy employed by the fintech company

Explanation: Compliance challenges in a fintech case study refer to the legal and regulatory hurdles that the fintech innovation must navigate, which can impact its operations.

Question: Why is compliance a critical consideration for fintech companies?

A) To maximize profits

B) To minimize competition

C) To ensure they operate within the boundaries of the law and avoid legal penalties

D) To attract venture capital funding

Explanation: Compliance is critical for fintech companies to ensure they operate within the boundaries of the law and avoid legal penalties, which can be costly and damaging to their reputation.

Question: In a fintech case study, if a company is facing challenges related to Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, what is the likely impact on its operations?

A) Faster onboarding of new customers

B) Improved customer satisfaction

C) Delays in customer verification and onboarding processes

D) Increased profitability

Explanation: Challenges related to KYC regulations can result in delays in customer verification and onboarding processes, impacting the company’s operational efficiency.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a common compliance challenge in fintech?

A) Data security and privacy regulations

B) Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) requirements

C) Customer loyalty program implementation

D) Regulatory reporting obligations

Explanation: Customer loyalty program implementation is not typically a compliance challenge, while the other options involve significant regulatory considerations.

Question: In a fintech case study, how can a company effectively address compliance challenges?

A) By ignoring regulations to focus on growth

B) By lobbying for changes in the regulatory environment

C) By hiring a compliance officer and implementing robust compliance processes

D) By partnering with competitors to share compliance responsibilities

Explanation: To effectively address compliance challenges, a fintech company should hire a compliance officer and implement robust compliance processes to ensure adherence to regulations.

Domain 6 – Legal Framework

A legal framework refers to the structure of laws, regulations, rules, and principles established by a government or authority to govern and regulate various aspects of society, including individual behavior, business practices, and the functioning of institutions. This framework serves as the foundation for maintaining order, resolving disputes, and upholding justice within a particular jurisdiction. 

Question: In a fintech case study, what does “Legal Framework” refer to?

A) The company’s organizational structure

B) The set of laws and regulations that govern the fintech industry and its operations

C) The fintech company’s financial statements

Explanation: Legal Framework in a fintech case study refers to the set of laws and regulations that govern the fintech industry and its operations, which have a significant impact on compliance.

Question: Why is a comprehensive understanding of the legal framework crucial for fintech companies?

C) To ensure compliance with regulations and avoid legal risks

Explanation: A comprehensive understanding of the legal framework is crucial for fintech companies to ensure compliance with regulations and avoid legal risks, which can be detrimental to their operations.

Question: In a fintech case study, if a company is dealing with cross-border transactions, which legal aspect should they pay particular attention to?

A) Tax regulations

B) Employee benefits

C) Intellectual property rights

D) Labor laws

Explanation: When dealing with cross-border transactions, fintech companies should pay particular attention to tax regulations, as these can vary significantly from one jurisdiction to another.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a common legal challenge in the fintech industry?

A) Data protection and privacy regulations

B) Intellectual property protection

C) Regulatory compliance for operating hours

D) Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) requirements

Explanation: Regulatory compliance for operating hours is not a common legal challenge in the fintech industry, while the other options involve significant legal considerations.

Question: In a fintech case study, what can a company do to proactively address legal challenges and ensure compliance?

A) Ignore legal issues and focus on growth

B) Seek legal counsel, conduct regular audits, and stay updated on regulatory changes

C) Compete aggressively with other fintech firms

D) Lobby for changes in the legal framework

Explanation: To proactively

address legal challenges and ensure compliance, a fintech company should seek legal counsel, conduct regular audits, and stay updated on regulatory changes to adapt as needed.

Domain 7 – Security, Data Privacy and Operational Risks in Fintech Case Studies

Security in fintech refers to the measures and practices implemented to protect financial systems, data, and transactions from various threats and vulnerabilities. Data privacy focuses on the protection of personal and financial data collected from customers. Operational risks refer to potential disruptions, losses, or failures in day-to-day operations due to various factors, including human error, technological glitches, regulatory compliance issues, or external events.

Question: In a fintech case study, what does

“Security” primarily refer to?

A) Ensuring high profits for the fintech company

B) Protecting customer data and systems from unauthorized access and cyber threats

C) Increasing the number of employees in the company

D) Complying with regulatory requirements

Explanation: Security in a fintech case study primarily refers to protecting customer data and systems from unauthorized access and cyber threats, which is crucial for trust and compliance.

Question: Why is data privacy a critical consideration for fintech companies?

B) To comply with marketing regulations

C) To protect customer information and maintain trust

Explanation: Data privacy is a critical consideration for fintech companies to protect customer information and maintain trust, as breaches can have severe consequences.

Question: In a fintech case study, what might be an example of an operational risk?

A) Market competition

B) A cybersecurity breach leading to customer data exposure

C) A favorable change in regulatory policies

D) An increase in employee salaries

Explanation: A cybersecurity breach that exposes customer data is an example of an operational risk, as it can disrupt operations and harm the company’s reputation.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a typical security measure used by fintech companies?

A) Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

B) Regular software updates and patches

C) Publicly sharing sensitive customer data

D) Data encryption

Explanation: Fintech companies typically do not publicly share sensitive customer data; they use security measures like MFA, software updates, and data encryption to protect it.

Question: In a fintech case study, how can a company proactively mitigate operational risks?

A) By ignoring operational risks to focus on growth

B) By investing in staff training and disaster recovery planning

C) By hiring external consultants to handle operational risks

D) By increasing advertising spending

Explanation: A fintech company can proactively mitigate operational risks by investing in staff training and disaster recovery planning to ensure preparedness for unforeseen challenges.

Domain 8 – Customer Acquisition Strategy in Fintech Case Studies

A Customer Acquisition Strategy is a structured and deliberate plan that a business or organization develops to attract and gain new customers or clients. This strategy outlines the methods, tactics, and channels to be employed in order to identify, reach, and convert potential customers into paying clients. The primary objectives of a customer acquisition strategy are to expand the customer base, increase revenue, and grow the business.

Question: In a fintech case study, what does “Customer Acquisition Strategy” primarily focus on?

A) Maximizing profits from existing customers

B) Identifying potential competitors in the market

C) Attracting and retaining new customers for the fintech product or service

D) Compliance with regulatory requirements

Explanation: Customer Acquisition Strategy primarily focuses on attracting and retaining new customers for the fintech product or service, which is essential for growth.

Question: Why is it crucial for fintech companies to have an effective customer acquisition strategy?

A) To increase the number of employees in the company

B) To compete aggressively with other fintech firms

C) To minimize operational costs

D) To sustain growth and profitability by expanding their customer base

Explanation: An effective customer acquisition strategy is crucial for fintech companies to sustain growth and profitability by expanding their customer base and increasing revenue.

Question: In a fintech case study, what might be an example of a customer acquisition channel?

A) The company’s employee training program

B) A partnership with a popular financial institution

C) The company’s financial performance reports

D) The design of the company’s logo

Explanation: A partnership with a popular financial institution can be considered a customer acquisition channel, as it can help bring in new customers.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a common customer retention strategy used by fintech companies?

A) Offering personalized financial advice and recommendations

B) Implementing loyalty programs and rewards for existing customers

C) Frequently changing the user interface and design of the fintech product

D) Providing excellent customer support

Explanation: Frequently changing the user interface and design of the fintech product can disrupt the user experience and is not a common customer retention strategy.

Question: In a fintech case study, how can a company measure the effectiveness of its customer acquisition strategy?

A) By tracking the number of employees in the company

B) By analyzing customer feedback and retention rates

C) By increasing advertising spending

D) By offering discounts to all customers

Explanation: The effectiveness of a customer acquisition strategy can be measured by analyzing customer feedback and retention rates, which indicate how well it attracts and keeps customers.

Domain 9 – Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) in Fintech Case Studies

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), also known as Customer LTV, is a crucial metric in marketing and business that represents the estimated total revenue a business can expect to earn from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship. CLV helps businesses understand the long-term value of their customers and guides decisions related to marketing, customer acquisition, and retention strategies.

Question: In a fintech case study, what does “Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)” represent?

A) The total number of customers acquired by the fintech company

B) The total revenue generated by the fintech company in a specific time frame

C) The predicted net profit a customer will bring to the company over their entire relationship

D) The number of customer support tickets raised by customers

Explanation: Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) represents the predicted net profit a customer will bring to the company over their entire relationship, making it a valuable metric for assessing customer worth.

Question: Why is CLV important for fintech companies?

A) To measure the total market size

B) To assess the number of competitors in the industry

C) To understand the long-term profitability of acquiring and retaining customers

D) To determine the company’s stock market performance

Explanation: CLV is important for fintech companies because it helps them understand the long-term profitability of acquiring and retaining customers, which informs business strategies.

Question: In a fintech case study, if a company has a high CLV, what does this indicate?

A) The company has a large customer base.

B) The company is experiencing financial losses.

C) Customers generate significant revenue over their relationship with the company.

D) The company has low customer retention rates.

Explanation: A high CLV indicates that customers generate significant revenue over their relationship with the company, which can be a positive sign of profitability.

Question: What can a fintech company do to increase CLV?

A) Focus solely on acquiring new customers

B) Reduce the quality of customer service

C) Offer additional products or services to existing customers

D) Decrease advertising spending

Explanation: To increase CLV, a fintech company can offer additional products or services to existing customers, encouraging them to stay and spend more.

Question: How can a fintech company use CLV to make strategic decisions?

A) By ignoring it and focusing on short-term gains

B) By understanding the potential long-term value of different customer segments

C) By relying solely on competitor analysis

D) By conducting daily financial audits

Explanation: A fintech company can use CLV to make strategic decisions by understanding the potential long-term value of different customer segments, allowing for targeted marketing and product development.

Domain 10 – Revenue Projections and Cost Structure in Fintech Case Studies

Revenue projections, often referred to as sales forecasts, are estimates of the future income a business expects to generate from its products, services, or operations over a specific period. Cost structure refers to the breakdown and categorization of all expenses and costs incurred by a business in the process of producing, distributing, and selling its products or services. 

Question: In a fintech case study, what does “Revenue Projections” refer to?

A) The total number of employees in the fintech company

B) The anticipated income generated by the fintech product or service over a specific period

C) The current market share of the fintech company

D) The level of customer satisfaction with the product

Explanation: Revenue Projections in a fintech case study refer to the anticipated income generated by the fintech product or service over a specific period, typically based on forecasts and market analysis.

Question: Why are accurate revenue projections important for fintech companies?

A) To secure venture capital funding

C) To assess the number of competitors in the industry

D) To plan for sustainable growth and financial stability

Explanation: Accurate revenue projections are important for fintech companies to plan for sustainable growth and financial stability, making informed business decisions.

Question: In a fintech case study, if a company’s cost structure primarily consists of high marketing and customer acquisition expenses, what might this imply?

A) The company is highly profitable.

B) The company has a low customer acquisition rate.

C) The company is investing heavily in growth and customer acquisition.

D) The company is experiencing financial losses.

Explanation: A cost structure with high marketing and customer acquisition expenses suggests that the company is investing heavily in growth and customer acquisition, which can impact short-term profitability.

Question: Which of the following is NOT typically considered a component of a fintech company’s cost structure?

A) Employee salaries and benefits

B) Marketing and advertising expenses

C) Regulatory compliance costs

D) Revenue generated from customers

Explanation: Revenue generated from customers is not a component of a fintech company’s cost structure; it represents income rather than an expense.

Question: How can a fintech company optimize its cost structure to improve profitability?

A) By increasing marketing and advertising expenses

B) By reducing employee salaries and benefits

C) By focusing on rapid customer acquisition at any cost

D) By conducting cost-benefit analyses and identifying areas for efficiency improvements

Explanation: A fintech company can optimize its cost structure and improve profitability by conducting cost-benefit analyses and identifying areas for efficiency improvements, rather than simply cutting expenses.

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Financial Services Case Interview: 4 Tips on How to Pass

• Last Updated December, 2021

A good case structure will get through any consulting case interview question. But some industries have specific issues that make it a lot easier to pass the case if you know what to expect. Financial services case interviews are like that.

Government regulation of financial institutions, their corporate structure, and business models are quite different from other industries, so it’s good to brush up on the financial services industry before facing a case.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• Differences between financial services firms and other firms.
• Common types of financial services case interviews.
• A financial services case example.
• 4 Tips on acing your financial services case interview.

Let’s get started!

Differences Between Financial Services Firms & Other Firms

Financial services case interview example, common types of financial services case interviews.

5 Tips On Acing Your Financial Services Case Interview

Financial services firms don’t make cars or serve hamburgers to customers to generate revenue the way an auto company or a fast-food restaurant does. Instead, they provide retail customers (individual consumers – people like you and me) and businesses with loans, deposit accounts, or insurance policies. Or they help them invest their money in stocks, bonds, or other financial instruments.

Corporate Structure

There are many different types of financial institutions and they exist both on paper (e.g., online banks) and in actual brick-and-mortar form (e.g., retail bank branches with ATMs). Typical financial institutions include:

• Commercial banks (provide business loans, home mortgage loans, and savings/checking accounts)
• Investment banks and securities firms (help people buy and sell stocks and bonds and help companies issue them)
• Insurance companies (provide insurance for homes, cars, business risk, health, etc.)
• Mutual funds and pension funds (manage retirement savings or savings for other goals, e.g., education, health, etc., by investing it in stocks, bonds, and other assets)
• Microfinance companies (provide small loans to populations underserved by traditional financial institutions)

Businesses that “make stuff” have a factory where parts go in one end and cars or hamburgers go out the other. Financial institutions, on the other hand, have people who handle the bank accounts, stocks purchases/sales, or insurance products that they provide, and all the investment decisions and paperwork that go with that service.

Business Model

Unlike other sectors, the financial services industry’s business model is largely based on interest, fees, and premiums. Don’t get bogged down by the variety of products and services that a financial institution has to offer. You only need to remember:

• Key income sources: interest earned by selling retail and corporate loans, premiums earned on insurance policies, fees earned on financial advisory (e.g., stockbroking) or on deposit accounts, etc.
• Key costs: interest paid on deposits from retail investors and corporates, insurance claims/payouts, branch operations, manpower, SG&A, etc.

Always confirm and validate the drivers of revenue and cost with your interviewer before jumping to solving any financial services case.

Regulation and Risk

A well-functioning financial system is vital for the economy, businesses, and consumers. When a financial institution fails, it can create problems for the wider economy as the 2007-2009 financial crisis showed us. Financial services firms, therefore, attract high levels of scrutiny and oversight.

Government regulation helps make sure that these institutions have good management so they don’t make bad investments or become too risky. They require that financial institutions hold “shock absorbers” (i.e., capital) to help deal with bad investments. Each country has its own set of norms and regulations that create the framework and operating model for financial institutions.

In a financial services case, therefore, it’s always important to include regulation as a category in your issue tree. You can check with your interviewer on which aspects of financial regulation and risk are relevant to ensure that ideas you brainstorm in the case won’t break laws. Aligning on this upfront increases your credibility with the interviewer, but regulation is not typically the focus of the case.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

Financial services cases can include revenue growth, cost reduction, or new product introduction like they would for any other industry. They can also include managing the “back office” where financial account information is maintained or stock and bond trades are cleared.

Here are some financial services case interview examples:

• Disconsa – A McKinsey case on developing better financial service offerings for a not-for-profit entity serving remote Mexican communities.
• Internet Bank – An L.E.K. case on product diversification for a large insurance company in Europe.
• Big Bucks Bank – A Deloitte case on technology transformation for a large US-based bank.
• Bank of Zurich – A Deloitte case on developing a strategy to structure the organization’s data program.

We’ve also curated a list of case examples , to help you hone your business problem-solving skills. Head to Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep to learn what a case interview is and its various stages (i.e., opening, structure, analysis, and conclusion). The best way to get smarter about answering financial services case interview questions is to master this general four-part approach first and then apply financial services specifics as appropriate.

Let’s dive into a financial services case example.

Case Question

“Your client is Go-for-Growth bank, a large bank in a frontier market that wants to rapidly build its agent network to grow revenue for its payment and banking business. How should they go about it?”

First, repeat the main information in the prompt to the interviewer to make sure you got it right, and ask clarifying questions. If you don’t know what a frontier market is or who banking agents are, ask your interviewer.

Frontier market is a classification made by Standard & Poors, a financial rating agency, that’s used to classify less advanced economies in the developing world, e.g., Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, Cambodia, etc.

A banking agent is a retail or a postal outlet contracted out by a financial institution (in this case Go-for-Growth bank) to process clients’ transactions. Typically, in less advanced economies, the population has little access to banks but significantly higher interaction with establishments such as pharmacies, grocery stores, post offices, and beauty salons. The agents help the banks get new customers and typically make money on commissions.

Take a moment to develop your own hypothesis for the Go-for-Growth bank case.

Financial Services Case Hypothesis

Your hypothesis could be that a banking agent is a cost-efficient way for the bank to acquire customers and distribute financial products vs. having to set up their own branches across the country (including paying rent for office space and hiring staff in each location).

Next, validate your understanding of the bank’s business model, corporate structure, and applicable regulations. Here, the bank is a traditional commercial bank that wants to add agents as a channel to acquire retail customers and sell traditional financial products and services (e.g., loans, deposits, etc.) Building an agent network is allowed within the regulatory framework of the country.

A great candidate would also establish:

• The purpose of agent acquisition: “Why agents?” “Why now?” and “What is the size of the opportunity (or market) that the bank is chasing?” Here, the interviewer can confirm your hypothesis about agents being cost-efficient vs. Go-for-Growth Bank having to set up brick-and-mortar establishments.
• The size of the opportunity: Establishing an agent network is a big undertaking so it’s worth ensuring the opportunity size is big enough to justify the cost. In this case, the total opportunity size is $3 billion given the country is largely underpenetrated with only 10-20% of the total population of 100+ million having access to financial services, so the opportunity is worth it. (Note that to make this a short case or one that would be appropriate for undergrad summer interns, sizing the market could be the sole focus.)
• The client’s key success metrics : “What does success look like to Go-for-Growth Bank?” Here, you should clarify the target network size and the target timeframe to meet the client’s growth target. Say, your interviewer adds that they want to scale up to a size of 200,000 agents in 2 years to achieve the topline impact of $3+ billion.

You’d now ask for a minute to lay down your thoughts so that you can build your structure.

Take a moment to think about how you would structure this case before reading ahead. That will give you a sense of what business issues come naturally to you in a financial services case and where you need to push your thinking further.

Here’s a sample case structure:

• Which services/revenue streams should Go-for-Growth Bank market via the agents and to which end customers?
• Which of the existing products and services are most profitable?
• Which products and services don’t need extensive training for agents to sell?
• Which products and services best meet the needs of the customers who agents serve (e.g., payments and basic deposit accounts and loans, not more sophisticated financial products).
• Is there a segmentation of customers who should be targeted by the agents?
• Will the bank need to tweak their products to make them profitable to customers acquired through the agent network? (An A+ answer would note that clients with low incomes or lumpy earnings might need bank accounts with lower minimums.)
• Is there opportunity for cross-sell/ up-sell of products to customers?
• How to reach the agents? (sales force/feet on the ground vs. email campaign)
• How to get them interested in becoming a channel partner? Will one-time, up-front incentives be required?
• What is the process to get them on board?
• What cut can be given to the agents (so the bank continues to be profitable)?
• What will be meaningful for the agents?
• Can gamification reward schemes be introduced?
• Would certification or co-branding, such as a sticker to display the agent’s affiliation with Go-for-Growth Bank, appeal to potential agents?
• What banking products can be sold to the agents?
• Can the agents be offered discounted pricing on the products?
• What is the up-front effort/cost to acquire agents?
• What is the expected revenue or profit uplift per agent to the bank?
• How much should each agent sell annually/monthly to continue being profitable to the bank?
• What are the recurring costs to maintain the agent network?
• Which metrics should be used for tracking performance?
• Can low performers be segmented further based on their potential?
• What will be the plan of action for consistent low-performing agents?
• Which training(s) and products’ brochures should be offered to agents to keep the customer conversion rate high?
• How can we create a community within the agent network to provide product information updates and support agency retention (such as Facebook or WhatsApp groups)?
• How can we set up the right operating model for providing cash to agents as needed?
• How can we make sure the agents have the right processes in place to ensure Go-for-Growth Bank’s cash is safeguarded?

This structure is quite exhaustive. Don’t worry if you didn’t have every bullet point in your structure. In practice, since you only have about 2 minutes to lay this out, you don’t need to write full questions on your piece of paper but only a couple of keywords for each bucket and each sub-bucket.

We recommend going through our article on Issue Trees to learn more about how to create a case structure.

After you lay out your case structure, your interviewer would prompt you to brainstorm which agents to acquire and which products and services to sell, so if you’ve already alluded to it in your structure, that gives you a headstart.

Here, your interviewer would hand you a few exhibits that detail population density by region, classification of the retail stores with metrics on annual revenue, footfall, etc., a list of Go-for-Growth Bank’s products and the associated profitability of each product, and the results of a survey that details the wishlist of financial services and products by underserved consumers and small businesses.

On brainstorming ideas, you’ll be rated on both your structure and your creativity. Make sure to always articulate the logic behind your ideas, using your past experience, analogies, or your general knowledge.

Ideas for Increasing Go-for-Growth Bank’s Revenue

• Target the agents that receive the highest customer footfall (grocery stores) AND/OR agents that are well-versed in handling legal/administrative documentation (postal outlets). Let’s assume the bank can cover 60% of the untapped population by acquiring grocery stores and postal outlets as agents in the Tier 2 cities.
• Sell products that are profitable to the bank and at the same time relevant to the customers (payment transfer, insurance products, working capital loans, home loans, etc.)
• Onboard agents as customers first to establish other customers’ trust in the bank’s products. Given it’s a less advanced economy where customers rely on heavy interactions with retail stores for information on financial products, word-of-mouth from the agent will establish trust upfront and lead to longer lifetime value (LTV) for the bank.

Ideas on Incentives for Agents

• Provide commission to agents of 0.15% on each insurance/loan product.
• Organize monthly or quarterly leagues with leaderboards to recognize top performers, e.g., highest transaction value, highest growth, highest customer acquisition, etc.
• Leverage social media to build an agent community via Facebook or WhatsApp groups. These groups can create engagement and serve as an efficient mode of communication, allowing the bank to solicit agent referrals and publish leaderboards.
• Introduce friendly competitions like “Best shop-front display” to increase the visibility of Go-for-Growth Bank’s products.
• Test if affiliation with the Bank’s brand in the country is a motivator for agents.

You could classify “high performers” as agents with transaction volume and transaction value in the top 10%. Agent’s potential information (e.g., footfall, turnover, location potential) can also be collected to have a more nuanced segmentation for tracking and governance purposes.

Running the Numbers on Go-for-Growth’s Agent Strategy

Finally, you should consider pressure testing the unit economics of each agent to ensure the bank’s targets are met. To do this, you’ll need to leverage the information you were provided during the opening of the case as well as make some assumptions. A quick way to round this up would be:

• Total # of customers = % of population targeted * Annual conversion rate per agent = 60% of population targeted * 10% conversion rate = 60% * (80% [% of population currently underserved by financial institutions] * 100 million [total population]) * 10% [conversion rate]= 4.8 million customers
• Revenue per customer = Avg # of banking products sold per customer * Annual price per product = 1.5 avg # of products * $500 price 1 = $750 annual revenue per customer.

1 Based on data from interviewer.

• Therefore, Topline impact = 4.8 million * $750 = $3600 million = $3.6 billion (validated as this meets the $3+ billion target)

Keep drawing on the interviewer to test the assumptions and/or ask for industry benchmarks on conversion rates, average number of products, prices, etc. to make your analysis rigorous.

A great candidate would also establish bottom line impact for the bank:

• Total bottom line opportunity = Topline opportunity * Profit margin = $3.6 billion * (5-7% profit margin – 0.15% cut to agents) = $175 to $250 million.

“Go-for-Growth Bank’s CEO walks into the team room and asks you about your findings. What do you tell her?”

You should lead with your recommendation to the client and detail the key reasons supporting that recommendation. Then, mention any risks to consider which might impact the outcome and the next steps that you’d suggest to double down on the analysis. There is no need to repeat everything you covered during the case: be succinct and stick to the key arguments.

What would you say? Give it a try before reading ahead.

“We recommend acquiring the grocery stores and postal outlets in the Tier-2 cities as agents for the bank to help sell loan and insurance products at a profit margin of 5-7% to retail and small business clients with a 0.15% cut to the agents. This way, we cover 60%+ of the underpenetrated population with our highest profitability products and provide an additional source of income to the agents at no additional cost to them. The high perceived value in being affiliated with the Go-for-Growth Bank brand will attract agent interest. This will allow us to add $3 billion to the top line and $175-$250 million to the bottom line annually.

One concern we’d like to address next is whether competitors could potentially take away our first-mover advantage by luring away agents with better commissions, especially in densely populous areas. We should address this potential problem with contract terms and incentives in our agent agreements.”

Congrats, you made it through your first financial services case interview!

4 Tips On Acing Your Financial Services Case Interview

1. validate corporate structure and business model.

Always remember to validate the corporate structure and business model of the financial institution in your financial services case interview. You don’t want to end up confusing a commercial bank with an investment bank!

As a candidate, you’re not expected to know everything. Therefore, ask as many questions as possible to understand what you’re really dealing with. For instance, you could say, “Hey, I’m not familiar with the corporate structure and the business model of a pension fund, could you please explain that to me so I can start to understand the drivers of value for the business a bit better.”

2. Align on the Success Metrics

To be able to reach your destination, you must know what the destination is. This is especially relevant in the financial services case interview, where there could be dozens of metrics that can be solved for. Therefore, it’s critical to align on the North Star with your interviewer so you can solve for the target the client cares most about.

3. Apply First-Principles Thinking to Structure the Case

To navigate through a financial services case interview, you need to think on your toes. Chances are the corporate structure, business model, regulatory environment, and risk aspects will be unfamiliar to you. Instead of feeling bogged down by these nuances, take a big picture lens and apply first-principles thinking to structure the case.

You may not know the industry terms such as “net interest margin” or “dividend-adjusted return,” but you can always ask the first-principles question on “What drives value for the business?” and engage with your interviewer to identify the underlying sources of value.

Demonstrating intellectual curiosity in financial services cases will hold you in good stead. Start with “Why?” then get to the “What?” and only then solve for “How?”

4. Remain Calm and Confident

It’s easy to lose nerve when you’re out of your comfort zone. If financial services case interviews tend to throw you off, practice staying calm while solving the case. During your practice, monitor yourself for signs of nervousness. Pause, take a deep breath, smile, and then continue solving the case. The more practice you put in, the calmer your nerves will become. Also, include elements such as reading financial news, financial statements, etc., into your case prep so that you become familiar with industry terminologies. Incorporating these habits into your holistic practice will boost your confidence naturally.

– – – – –

In this article, we’ve covered:

• Key differences between financial services firms and other firms,
• Common types of financial services case interviews,
• A financial services case interview example, and
• 4 tips on acing your financial services case interview.

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about financial services case interviews, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them.

Other people prepping for consulting case interviews found the following pages helpful:

• Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep
• Issue Trees
• Market-sizing Case Interview
• Supply Chain Case Interview

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Top 10 FinTech Case Studies [A Detailed Exploration] [2024]

In the dynamic realm of financial technology—often abbreviated as FinTech—groundbreaking innovations have revolutionized how we interact with money, democratizing access to myriad financial services. No longer confined to traditional banking and financial institutions, today’s consumers can easily invest, transact, and manage their finances at their fingertips. Through a deep dive into the top five FinTech case studies, this article seeks to illuminate the transformative power of financial technology. From trailblazing start-ups to industry disruptors, we will unravel how these companies have reshaped the financial landscape, offering invaluable lessons for consumers and future FinTech leaders.

Top 10 FinTech case studies [A Detailed Exploration] [2024]

Case study 1: square – democratizing payment processing.

Launched in 2009 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Square sought to fill a gaping hole in the financial services market—accessible payment processing for small businesses. In an industry overshadowed by high costs and complexity, Square introduced a game-changing point-of-sale (POS) system, using a tiny card reader that could be plugged into a smartphone.

Key Challenges

1. High Costs: The financial burden of traditional payment systems made it difficult for small businesses to participate, affecting their growth and market reach.

2. Complexity: Legacy systems were cumbersome, requiring hefty upfront investments in specialized hardware and software, with a steep learning curve for users.

3. Limited Accessibility: Many small businesses had to resort to cash-only operations, losing potential customers who preferred card payments.

Related: Important FinTech KPIs Explained

Strategies Implemented

1. User-Friendly Hardware: Square’s portable card reader was revolutionary. Easy to use and set up, it integrated seamlessly with smartphones.

2. Transparent Pricing: A flat-rate fee structure eliminates hidden costs, making budgeting more predictable for businesses.

3. Integrated Business Solutions: Square went beyond payment processing to offer additional services such as inventory management, analytics, and loans.

Results Achieved

1. Market Penetration: As of 2023, Square boasted over 4 million sellers using its platform, solidifying its market position.

2. Revenue Growth: Square achieved significant financial gains, reporting $4.68 billion in revenue in Q2 2021—a 143% year-over-year increase.

3. Product Diversification: Expanding its ecosystem, Square now offers an array of services from payroll to cryptocurrency trading through its Cash App.

Key Learnings

1. Simplicity is Key: Square’s user-centric design proved that simplifying complex processes can open new markets and encourage adoption.

2. Holistic Ecosystems: Offering integrated services can foster customer loyalty and increase lifetime value.

3. Transparency Builds Trust: A clear, straightforward fee structure can differentiate a FinTech solution in a market known for its opaqueness.

4. Accessibility: Providing easy-to-use and affordable services can empower smaller businesses, contributing to broader economic inclusion.

Related: Benefits of Green FinTech for Businesses

Case Study 2: Robinhood – Democratizing Investment

Founded in 2013, Robinhood burst onto the financial scene with a disruptive promise—commission-free trading. Unlike traditional brokerage firms that charged a fee for every trade, Robinhood allowed users to buy and sell stocks at no direct cost. The platform’s user-friendly interface and sleek design made it particularly appealing to millennials and Gen Z, demographics often underrepresented in the investment world.

1. High Commissions: Traditional brokerages often had fee structures that discouraged individuals, especially younger investors, from participating in the stock market.

2. Complex User Interfaces: Many existing trading platforms featured clunky, complicated interfaces that were intimidating for novice investors.

3. Limited Access: Entry-level investors often felt the investment landscape was an exclusive club beyond their financial and technical reach.

1. Commission-Free Trading: Robinhood’s flagship offering eliminated the financial barriers that commissions presented, inviting a new cohort of individual investors into the market.

2. User-Friendly Design: A sleek, intuitive interface made stock trading less intimidating, broadening the platform’s appeal.

3. Educational Resources: Robinhood provides educational content to help novice investors understand market dynamics, equipping them for more informed trading.

1. Market Disruption: Robinhood’s model has pressured traditional brokerage firms to rethink their fee structures, with several following suit by offering commission-free trades.

2. User Growth: As of 2023, Robinhood has amassed over 23.2 million users, a testament to its market penetration.

3. Public Scrutiny: Despite its success, Robinhood has not been without controversy, especially regarding its revenue model and lack of transparency. These issues have sparked widespread debate about ethical practices in fintech.

1. User-Centricity Drives Adoption: Robinhood’s easy-to-use platform illustrates that reducing friction encourages higher user engagement and diversifies the investor base.

2. Transparency is Crucial: The controversies surrounding Robinhood serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of transparent business practices in building and maintaining consumer trust.

3. Disruption Spurs Industry Change: Robinhood’s entry forced a reevaluation of longstanding industry norms, underscoring the influence a disruptive FinTech company can wield.

Related: How to Get an Internship in the FinTech Sector?

Case Study 3: Stripe – Simplifying Online Payments

Founded in 2010 by Irish entrepreneurs Patrick and John Collison, Stripe set out to solve a significant problem—simplifying online payments. During that time, businesses looking to accept payments online had to navigate a complex labyrinth of banking relationships, security protocols, and regulatory compliance. Stripe introduced a straightforward solution—APIs that allow businesses to handle online payments, subscriptions, and various other financial transactions with ease.

1. Complex Setup: Traditional online payment methods often require cumbersome integration and extensive documentation.

2. Security Concerns: Handling financial transactions online raised issues about data safety and compliance with financial regulations.

3. Limited Flexibility: Most pre-existing payment solutions were not adaptable to specific business needs, particularly for start-ups and SMEs.

1. Simple APIs: Stripe’s suite of APIs allowed businesses to integrate payment gateways effortlessly, removing barriers to entry for online commerce.

2. Enhanced Security: Stripe implemented robust security measures, including tokenization and SSL encryption, to protect transaction data.

3. Customization: Stripe’s modular design gave businesses the freedom to tailor the payment experience according to their specific needs.

1. Broad Adoption: Stripe’s intuitive and secure payment solutions have attracted a diverse client base, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

2. Global Reach: As of 2023, Stripe operates in over 46 countries, testifying its global appeal and functionality.

3. Financial Milestone: Stripe’s valuation skyrocketed to $50 billion in 2023, making it one of the most valuable FinTech companies globally.

1. Ease of Use: Stripe’s success proves that a user-friendly, straightforward approach can go a long way in attracting a wide range of customers.

2. Security is Paramount: Handling financial data requires stringent security measures, and Stripe’s focus on secure transactions sets an industry standard.

3. Scalability and Flexibility: Providing a modular, customizable solution allows businesses to scale and adapt, increasing customer satisfaction and retention.

Related: FinTech Skills to Add in Your Resume

Case Study 4: Coinbase – Mainstreaming Cryptocurrency

Founded in 2012, Coinbase set out to make cryptocurrency trading as simple and accessible as using an email account. At the time, the world of cryptocurrency was a wild west of complicated interfaces, murky regulations, and high-risk investments. Coinbase aimed to change this by offering a straightforward, user-friendly platform to buy, sell, and manage digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many others.

1. User Complexity: Before Coinbase, cryptocurrency trading required high technical know-how, making it inaccessible to the average person.

2. Security Risks: The lack of centralized governance in the crypto world led to various security concerns, including hacking and fraud.

3. Regulatory Uncertainty: The absence of clear regulations concerning cryptocurrency created a hesitant environment for both users and investors.

1. User-Friendly Interface: Coinbase developed a sleek, easy-to-use platform with a beginner-friendly approach, which allowed users to start trading with just a few clicks.

2. Enhanced Security: The platform incorporated advanced security features such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and cold storage for digital assets to mitigate risks.

3. Educational Content: Coinbase offers guides, tutorials, and other educational resources to help demystify the complex world of cryptocurrency.

1. Mass Adoption: As of 2023, Coinbase had over 150 million verified users, contributing significantly to mainstreaming cryptocurrencies.

2. Initial Public Offering (IPO): Coinbase went public in April 2021 with a valuation of around $86 billion, highlighting its commercial success.

3. Regulatory Challenges: While Coinbase has succeeded in democratizing crypto trading, it continues to face scrutiny and regulatory hurdles, emphasizing the sector’s evolving nature.

1. Accessibility Drives Adoption: Coinbase’s user-friendly design has played a pivotal role in driving mass adoption of cryptocurrencies, illustrating the importance of making complex technologies accessible to everyday users.

2. Security is a Selling Point: In an ecosystem rife with security concerns, robust safety measures can set a platform apart and attract a broader user base.

3. Regulatory Adaptability: The ongoing regulatory challenges highlight the need for adaptability and proactive governance in the fast-evolving cryptocurrency market.

Related: Top FinTech Interview Questions and Answers

Case Study 5: Revolut – All-In-One Financial Platform

Founded in 2015, Revolut started as a foreign currency exchange service, primarily focusing on eliminating outrageous foreign exchange fees. With the broader vision of becoming a financial super-app, Revolut swiftly expanded its services to include digital banking, stock trading, cryptocurrency exchange, and other financial services. This rapid evolution aimed to provide users with an all-encompassing financial solution on a single platform.

1. Fragmented Services: Before Revolut, consumers had to use multiple platforms for various financial needs, leading to a fragmented user experience.

2. High Costs: Traditional financial services, particularly foreign exchange and cross-border payments, often have hefty fees.

3. Slow Adaptation: Conventional banking systems were slow to integrate new financial technologies, leaving a gap in the market for more agile solutions.

1. Unified Platform: Revolut combined various financial services into a single app, offering users a seamless experience and a one-stop solution for their financial needs.

2. Competitive Pricing: By leveraging FinTech efficiencies, Revolut offered competitive rates for services like currency exchange and stock trading.

3. Rapid Innovation: The platform continually rolled out new features, staying ahead of consumer demand and forcing traditional institutions to catch up.

1. User Growth: As of 2023, Revolut has amassed over 30 million retail customers, solidifying its reputation as a financial super-app.

2. Revenue Increase: In 2021, Revolut’s revenues climbed to approximately $765 million, indicating its business model’s viability.

3. Industry Influence: Revolut’s multi-functional capabilities have forced traditional financial institutions to reconsider their offerings, pushing the industry toward integrated, user-friendly solutions.

1. User-Centric Design: Revolut’s success stems from its focus on solving real-world consumer problems with an easy-to-use, integrated platform.

2. Agility Wins: In the fast-paced world of fintech, the ability to innovate and adapt quickly to market needs can be a significant differentiator.

3. Competitive Pricing is Crucial: Financial services have always been a cost-sensitive sector. Offering competitive pricing can draw users away from traditional platforms.

Related: Surprising FinTech Facts and Statistics

Case Study  6 : Chime – Revolutionizing Personal Banking

Essential term: digital banking.

Digital banking represents the digitization of all traditional banking activities, where financial services are delivered predominantly through the internet. This innovation caters to a growing demographic of tech-savvy users seeking efficient and accessible banking solutions.

Founded in 2013, Chime entered the financial market with a bold mission: to redefine personal banking through simplicity, transparency, and customer-centricity. At a time when traditional banks were mired in fee-heavy structures and complex service models, Chime introduced a revolutionary no-fee model complemented by a streamlined digital experience, challenging the status quo of personal banking.

1. Fee-Heavy Structure: Traditional banks heavily relied on various fees, including overdraft and maintenance charges, alienating a significant portion of potential customers, particularly those seeking straightforward banking solutions.

2. Complexity and Inaccessibility: Conventional banking systems were often marred by cumbersome procedures and lacked user-friendly interfaces, making them less appealing, especially to younger, more tech-savvy generations.

3. Customer Service: The traditional banking sector frequently struggled with providing proactive and responsive customer service, creating a gap in customer satisfaction and engagement.

1. No-Fee Model: By eliminating common banking fees such as overdraft fees, Chime positioned itself as a customer-friendly alternative, significantly attracting customers frustrated with traditional banking penalties.

2. User-Friendly App: Chime’s app was designed with user experience at its core, offering an intuitive and accessible platform for everyday banking operations, thereby enhancing overall customer experience.

3. Automatic Savings Tools: Chime innovated with features like automatic savings round-up and early paycheck access, designed to empower customers in their financial management.

1. Expansive Customer Base: Chime successfully captured a broad market segment, particularly resonating with millennials and Gen Z, evidenced by its rapid accumulation of millions of users.

2. Catalyst for Innovation: The company’s growth trajectory and model pressured traditional banks to reassess and innovate their fee structures and service offerings.

3. Valuation Surge: Reflecting its market impact and success, Chime’s valuation experienced a substantial increase, marking its significance in the banking sector.

1. Customer-Centric Approach: Chime’s journey underscores the importance of addressing customer pain points, such as fee structures, and offering a seamless digital banking experience, which can be instrumental in rapid user base growth.

2. Innovation in Features: The introduction of genuinely helpful financial management tools can significantly differentiate a FinTech company in a competitive market.

3. Disruptive Influence: Chime’s success story illustrates how a digital-first approach can disrupt and challenge traditional banking models, paving the way for new, innovative banking experiences.

Related: Is FinTech Overhyped?

Case Study  7 : LendingClub – Pioneering Peer-to-Peer Lending

Essential term: peer-to-peer (p2p) lending.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending is a method of debt financing that enables individuals to borrow and lend money without using an official financial institution as an intermediary. This model directly connects borrowers and lenders through online platforms.

LendingClub, founded in 2006, emerged as a trailblazer in the lending industry by introducing a novel P2P lending model. This innovative approach offered a substantial departure from the traditional credit system, typically dominated by banks and credit unions, aiming to democratize access to credit.

1. High-Interest Rates: Traditional loans were often synonymous with high-interest rates, rendering them inaccessible or financially burdensome for many borrowers.

2. Limited Access to Credit: Conventional lending mechanisms frequently sidelined individuals with lower credit scores, creating a significant barrier to credit access.

3. Intermediary Costs: The traditional lending process involves numerous intermediaries, leading to additional costs and inefficiencies for borrowers and lenders.

1. Direct Platform: LendingClub’s platform revolutionized lending by directly connecting borrowers with investors, reducing the overall cost of obtaining loans.

2. Risk Assessment Tools: The company employed advanced algorithms for assessing the risk profiles of borrowers, which broadened the spectrum of loan accessibility to include individuals with diverse credit histories.

3. Streamlined Process: LendingClub’s online platform streamlined the loan application and disbursement processes, enhancing transparency and efficiency.

1. Expanded Credit Access: LendingClub significantly widened the avenue for credit, particularly benefiting those with less-than-perfect credit scores.

2. Influencing the Market: The P2P lending model introduced by LendingClub prompted traditional lenders to reconsider their rates and processes in favor of more streamlined, borrower-friendly approaches.

3. Navigating Regulatory Hurdles: The journey of LendingClub highlighted the intricate regulatory challenges of financial innovation, underscoring the importance of adaptive compliance strategies.

1. Efficiency of Direct Connections: Eliminating intermediaries in the lending process can lead to substantial cost reductions and process efficiency improvements.

2. Broadening Credit Accessibility: FinTech can play a pivotal role in democratizing access to financial services by implementing innovative risk assessment methodologies.

3. Importance of Regulatory Compliance: Sustainable innovation in the FinTech sector necessitates a keen awareness and adaptability to the evolving regulatory landscape.

Related: Who is a FinTech CTO?

Case Study  8 : Brex – Reinventing Business Credit for Startups

Essential term: corporate credit cards.

Corporate credit cards are specialized financial tools designed for business use. They offer features like higher credit limits, rewards tailored to business spending, and, often, additional tools for expense management.

Launched in 2017, Brex emerged with a bold vision to transform how startups access and manage credit. In a financial landscape where traditional corporate credit cards posed steep requirements and were often misaligned with the unique needs of burgeoning startups, Brex introduced an innovative solution. Their model focused on the company’s cash balance and spending patterns rather than relying on personal credit histories.

1. Inaccessibility for Startups: Traditional credit systems, with their reliance on extensive credit history, were largely inaccessible to new startups, which typically lacked this background.

2. Rigid Structures: Conventional corporate credit cards were not designed to accommodate rapidly evolving startups’ fluid and dynamic financial needs.

3. Personal Guarantee Requirement: A common stipulation in business credit involves personal guarantees, posing a significant risk for startup founders.

1. No Personal Guarantee: Brex innovated by offering credit cards without needing a personal guarantee, basing creditworthiness on business metrics.

2. Tailored Financial Solutions: Understanding the unique ecosystem of startups, Brex designed its services to be flexible and in tune with their evolving needs.

3. Technology-Driven Approach: Utilizing advanced algorithms and data analytics, Brex could assess the creditworthiness of startups in a more nuanced and comprehensive manner.

1. Breaking Barriers: Brex made corporate credit more accessible to startups, removing traditional barriers.

2. Market Disruption: By tailoring its product, Brex pressures traditional financial institutions to innovate and rethink its credit card offerings.

3. Rapid Growth: Brex’s unique approach led to rapid adoption within the startup community, significantly growing its customer base and market presence.

1. Adapting to Market Needs: Brex’s success underscores the importance of understanding and adapting to the specific needs of your target market.

2. Innovative Credit Assessment: Leveraging technology for credit assessment can open new avenues and democratize access to financial products.

3 Risk and Reward: The move to eliminate personal guarantees, while riskier, positioned Brex as a game-changer, highlighting the balance between risk and innovation in FinTech.

Related: Is FinTech a Dying Career Industry?

Case Study  9 : SoFi – Transforming Personal Finance

Essential term: financial services platform.

A financial services platform offers a range of financial products and services, such as loans, investment options, and banking services, through a unified digital interface.

SoFi, short for Social Finance, Inc., was founded in 2011 to revolutionize personal finance. Initially focused on student loan refinancing, SoFi quickly expanded its offerings to include a broad spectrum of financial services, including personal loans, mortgages, insurance, investment products, and a cash management account. This expansion was driven by a vision to provide a one-stop financial solution for consumers, particularly catering to the needs of early-career professionals.

1. Fragmented Financial Services: Consumers often had to navigate multiple platforms and institutions to manage their various financial needs, leading to a disjointed financial experience.

2. Student Loan Debt: Many graduates needed more flexible and affordable refinancing options with student debt escalating.

3. Accessibility and Education: A significant segment of the population lacked access to comprehensive financial services and the knowledge to navigate them effectively.

1. Diverse Financial Products: SoFi expanded its product range beyond student loan refinancing to include a suite of financial services, offering more holistic financial solutions.

2. Tech-Driven Approach: Utilizing technology, SoFi provided streamlined, user-friendly experiences across its platform, simplifying the process of managing personal finances.

3. Financial Education and Advice: SoFi offered educational resources and personalized financial advice, positioning itself as a partner in its customers’ financial journey.

1. Expanding Consumer Base: SoFi succeeded in attracting a broad customer base, especially among young professionals looking for integrated financial services.

2. Innovation in Personal Finance: The company’s expansion into various financial services positioned it as a leader in innovative personal finance solutions.

3. Brand Recognition and Trust: With its comprehensive approach and focus on customer education, SoFi built a strong brand reputation and trust among its users.

1. Integrated Services Appeal: Offering a broad array of financial services through a single platform can attract customers seeking a unified financial management experience.

2. Leveraging Technology for Ease: Using technology to simplify and streamline financial services is key to enhancing customer experience and satisfaction.

3. Empowering Through Education: Providing users with financial education and advice can foster long-term customer relationships and trust.

Related: FinTech vs Investment Banking

Case Study  10 : Apple Pay – Redefining Digital Payments

Essential term: mobile payment system.

A mobile payment system allows consumers to make payments for goods and services using mobile devices, typically through apps or integrated digital wallets.

Launched in 2014, Apple Pay marked Apple Inc.’s foray into the digital payment landscape. It was introduced with the aim of transforming how consumers perform transactions, focusing on enhancing the convenience, security, and speed of payments. Apple Pay allows users to make payments using their Apple devices, employing Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This move was a strategic step in leveraging the widespread use of smartphones for financial transactions.

1. Security Concerns: The rising incidences of data breaches and fraud in digital payments made consumers skeptical about the security of mobile payment systems.

2. User Adoption: Convincing consumers to shift from traditional payment methods like cash and cards to a digital platform requires overcoming ingrained habits and perceptions.

3. Merchant Acceptance: For widespread adoption, a large number of merchants needed to accept and support Apple Pay.

1. Enhanced Security Features: Apple Pay uses a combination of device-specific numbers and unique transaction codes, ensuring that card numbers are not stored on devices or servers, thereby enhancing transaction security.

2. Seamless Integration: Apple Pay was designed to work seamlessly with existing Apple devices, offering an intuitive and convenient user experience.

3. Extensive Partnership with Banks and Retailers: Apple forged partnerships with numerous banks, credit card companies, and retailers to ensure widespread acceptance of Apple Pay.

1. Widespread Adoption: Apple Pay quickly gained a significant user base, with millions of transactions processed shortly after its launch.

2. Market Leadership: Apple Pay became one of the leading mobile payment solutions globally, setting a standard in the digital payment industry.

3. Influence on Payment Behaviors: The introduction of Apple Pay substantially accelerated the shift towards contactless payments and mobile wallets.

1. Trust Through Security: The emphasis on security can be a major driving force in user adoption of new financial technologies.

2. Integration and Convenience: A system that integrates seamlessly with users’ daily lives and provides tangible convenience can successfully change long-standing consumer habits.

3. Strategic Partnerships: Building a network of partnerships is key to the widespread acceptance and success of a new payment system.

These stories of globally renowned FinTech trailblazers offer invaluable insights, providing a must-read blueprint for anyone looking to make their mark in this rapidly evolving industry.

1. Square shows that focusing on user needs, especially in underserved markets, can drive innovation and market share.

2. Robinhood serves as both an inspiration and a cautionary tale, advocating for democratization while emphasizing the importance of ethical practices.

3. Stripe proves that simplifying complex processes through customizable, user-friendly solutions can redefine industries.

4. Coinbase highlights the transformative potential of making new financial instruments like cryptocurrency accessible while reminding us of regulatory challenges.

5. Revolut sets the bar high with its user-centric, all-in-one platform, emphasizing the need for agility and competitive pricing in the sector.

The key to FinTech success lies in simplicity, agility, user focus, and ethical considerations. These case studies serve as guiding lights for future innovation, emphasizing that technological superiority must be balanced with customer needs and ethical responsibilities.

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LIBF UNIT 2 APRIL 2024 CASE STUDY 1 QUIZ - 'Hugo and Sarah' | FINANCIAL STUDIES CeFS U2 CS1 70x Q&A

Subject: Business and finance

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

4 April 2024

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LIBF Certificate in Financial Studies Unit 2 (FCML) April 2024 Part B Exam - 70x ‘Hugo and Sarah’ Case Study Questions

70x questions (with answers provided) to support students to become familiar and/or test their understanding of the ‘Hugo and Sarah’ case study (CeFS Unit 2 April 2024 Exam).

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LIBF Certificate in Financial Studies

Unit 2 - Financial Capability for the Medium and Long Term (FCML)

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