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TymeBank Case Study: The Customer Impact of Inclusive Digital Banking

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This publication is also available in French  and Spanish .

Executive Summary

This case study presents insights from customer research with TymeBank clients that bolsters CGAP’s hypotheses around how digital banks can support the mission of financial inclusion. As a fully digital South African bank that disproportionately serves low-income rural customers, TymeBank has created a suite of basic products that cater to the essential financial needs of those customers, namely a low-cost transactional account and a high-yield savings account. Judging from product uptake and client testimonials, these products add to a compelling value proposition that not only resonates with customers but improves their lives.

TymeBank’s distribution network, which is based on its partnerships with the nationwide Boxer and Pick n Pay (PnP) grocery store chains, helps to keep operational costs low and passes cost savings onto customers in the form of more affordable services. A clear majority of the bank’s customers cite affordability as a key source of value and the reason they opened a TymeBank account. The distribution network also extends the bank’s reach to areas that are underserved by traditional players. The affordability and accessibility likely explain why underserved segments, such as low-income women and rural customers, are over-represented in TymeBank’s (active) customer base as compared to the overall banked population in South Africa.

Despite having access to other banking options, TymeBank customers overwhelmingly see no compelling alternatives in the market. Crucially, the value customers see in the bank appears to be inversely related to income, with poorer customers reporting higher levels of satisfaction.   

In today’s high-tech financial services landscape, which is often dominated by headlines about fintech startups and tech giants, it is easy to overlook the role banks can play in advancing financial inclusion. The high cost of running brick-and-mortar branch networks has traditionally inhibited banks from serving less profitable client segments, including the low-income groups that are the focus of financial inclusion. Banks have also been slow to adapt the digital innovations that have helped some newcomers reach these segments at lower cost. It is no surprise that some observers have questioned whether banks are even relevant to financial inclusion.

However, there are reasons to believe that banks can play an important role in financial inclusion if they overcome the challenges of their legacy systems and processes and digitize operations. In fact, banks have advantages over other types of financial services providers (FSPs) that may allow them to have an outsized impact on financial inclusion – if they are willing to expand down- market. Most importantly, banks do not face the same regulatory constraints as other providers. Whereas mobile money providers and fintechs generally cannot provide a wide array of financial products (ranging from savings to credit), banks can. License to intermediate retail deposits further plays to a bank’s advantage in the arena of digital credit. Banks can fund their lending portfolios with retail deposits that are typically cheaper than the other funding sources pure lenders use, which further reduces the cost of reaching low-income customers with credit.

CGAP previously presented three emerging business models in banking that we consider to be particularly promising for financial inclusion (Jeník and Zetterli 2020). These models are fully digital retail banks, marketplace banks, and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) (see Box 1). We conclude that they have the potential to deepen financial inclusion by:

• Lowering the cost of financial services; 
• Improving access to a greater variety of services;
• Creating services that better meet the needs of various customer segments; and 
• Improving the customer experience. 1

We analyzed several fully digital retail banks in a series of detailed case studies (Jeník, Flaming, and Salman 2020). One of these cases focused on TymeBank in South Africa. TymeBank is a fully digital retail bank founded with financial inclusion as a core business objective. Since its 2018 launch, the bank has onboarded over 4 million customers.

TymeBank offers low-income customers simple products at low prices, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, and debit cards – all through a distribution network that combines online and offline customer interaction based on partnerships with grocery store chains Boxer and PnP. In the area of credit products, TymeBank only offers a “buy now, pay later” option called MoreTyme. This case study provides a compelling example of how challenger banks can leverage digital technology to reach excluded customer segments with more affordable and useful products.

This paper builds on the TymeBank case study by examining the impact the bank’s services have had on low-income customers. By combining a quantitative analysis of TymeBank customer data with a phone-based survey of a randomly selected sample of low-income customers, the paper addresses the following questions:

• Does TymeBank serve low-income customers?
• Are its products relevant to low-income customers?
• What impact do the bank’s products have on low-income customers’ lives, in their own words?

The aim of this research is to shed light on the potential of digital banks to deepen financial inclusion in a way that improves the lives of low-income customers. CGAP is conducting additional research with other providers to better understand the impact of new financial services business models on customers. 2

TymeBank’s main value proposition consists of (i) simple, affordable, and accessible products; (ii) fast and automated onboarding; and (iii) incentive programs that appeal to target segments (e.g., the SmartShopper loyalty program). These are the qualities we would expect customers to point out when talking about the benefits of using TymeBank.

They are also important features that respond to three frequently cited barriers to financial inclusion: (i) expensive services, (ii) limited access points, and (iii) prohibitive know-your-customer (KYC) requirements. 3

Product affordability relies on TymeBank’s ability to maintain low operational costs and proportionally reduce them further as the bank grows. Current cost efficiency is due to the bank’s technology and microservice architecture (Flaming and Jeník 2020), its branchless model, and digitally facilitated onboarding. TymeBank onboards approximately 110,000 customers per month: about 93,500 through kiosks at an estimated cost of US$3 per customer, and about 16,500 via web at approximately US$0.60 per customer. 4

SOUTH AFRICA 5

South Africa enjoys relatively high levels of financial inclusion, including a banked adult population of approximately 85 percent in a market dominated by the country’s well-established commercial banks. However, many customers only use their bank account to receive government benefits; other use cases lag. There is little to no use of non-bank mobile money wallets.

Across demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors, financial inclusion levels positively corelate with higher age (people aged 18–29 are among those least included), urban areas, income level and regularity. Only 38 percent of individuals who reported having no income are banked, while 31 percent are entirely excluded.

METHODOLOGY

For the qualitative analysis based on customer interviews, 1,162 customers were screened from an overall sample of 10,000. The aim was to reach those TymeBank customers living in poverty (i.e., 70 percent or more likely to be living on less than US$5.50). Ultimately, 278 customers were identified for in-depth interviews. The screener surveys were conducted partly through interactive voice response (IVR) surveys and partly through live phone calls.

The quantitative analysis used customer data from TymeBank to assess the potential impact of the bank’s offering on its customer base, particularly individuals from groups that generally exhibit lower levels of financial inclusion. The data examined spanned a nine-month period from July 2020 to March 2021. The analyzed data correlated to active EveryDay account customers, defined as those who had performed a transaction within the past 30 days. Various sets of proxies were applied to estimate income level (e.g., onboarding location, outstanding balance, frequency of transactions, average size of transactions).

The analysis considered several important caveats:

a) We recognize that TymeBank is not representative of all fully digital retail banks in South Africa or elsewhere. The findings presented in this paper should not be interpreted as automatically applicable to other digital banks without careful consideration.

b) The research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic; some findings were or could be affected (e.g., as customer behavior changes in response to the pandemic).

c) Despite our best efforts to exclusively focus the analysis on low-income segments, we were unable to identify customers based on their stated income levels since TymeBank does not collect that information. Customer segmentation was performed through the previously mentioned set of proxies for the customer data analysis and through the screening questionnaire for the customer interviews. 6

d) The quantitative analysis focused on active customers with at least one transaction performed over the past 30 days, unless otherwise noted.

e) Where customers stated they had been financially excluded before opening a TymeBank account, we did not identify the underlying cause(s) of financial exclusion.

Key Findings

Does tymebank serve low-income customers.

Our research showed that TymeBank serves a higher proportion of low-income customers than the typical bank in South Africa, and a significantly higher portion of the most financially excluded segment.

Low-income customers in South Africa are relatively highly banked, although they are under-represented. South Africans earning US$200 per month or less constitute 47 percent of the population but only 41 percent of the banked population. 7 However, we estimate that this segment represents 48 percent of TymeBank’s active user base. 8

Among the three-quarters of TymeBank customers for whom data are available, 58 percent live in metropolitan areas and 42 percent in rural areas. This compares to South Africa’s rural population of 35 percent (as of 2016); we estimated this share to be even lower in 2021 (approximately 30 percent). 9 Hence, rural customers appeared to be noticeably overrepresented in the TymeBank user base.

Young, rural, low-income women comprise the most financially excluded and underserved segment in South Africa. This group forms 2.3 percent of South Africa’s banked population but 7 percent of TymeBank’s active base – nearly three times as much. 10 Finally, 13 percent of TymeBank’s active customers are first-time bank customers. 11

From a more general perspective, women in the low-income segment represent a higher-than- average share of the bank’s overall customer base sample (65 percent versus 57 percent),12 which suggests that low-income women particularly benefit from TymeBank’s services.

These findings lead us to conclude that TymeBank customers disproportionately seem to come from traditionally unbanked and underserved segments. In fact, the evidence suggests that the bank’s customer base may particularly skew toward the most underserved segments.

DOES TYMEBANK OFFER PRODUCTS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS?

Customers find TymeBank’s products useful and act upon features designed to promote certain behaviors.

The bank’s customers particularly value the low cost of its services and the convenience of access and usage. The lower their income, the more value customers seem to derive from its services. While the vast majority of TymeBank customers have previously held bank accounts, 67 percent say they see no good alternative to TymeBank (Figure 4). This response is despite the fact that, as of the time the research was conducted, the bank still only had a relatively modest payments and savings offering and had yet to launch credit products. (TymeBank has since launched MoreTyme, a “buy now, pay later” consumer credit product.) Customer endorsement seems driven by the strength of the bank’s value proposition and the low cost of its services. When asked, customers specifically appreciate the low fees (48 percent) and the high-yield savings account (38 percent).

Importantly, women make up a larger share of the total number of GoalSave (savings account) users compared to their representation in the overall customer base (3 percentage points higher). This finding suggests that female customers find value in the product, although they had slightly lower savings per user than men (US$58 versus US$59). The number of their deposits exceeds the number of withdrawals.

We did not find any significant differences in usage and product lifecycle patterns across income groups (aside from the frequency and size of transactions that correlate with income level), which suggests that TymeBank covers its customers’ essential needs across segments. The similarities in lifecycle (behavior patterns across products, such as most frequently performed type of transaction and their change over time) indicate that customers across income levels increase their engagement as they grow confident with the products.

However, important nuances do exist. For instance, the most excluded segment uses till machines for cash-in and cash-out transactions that are free-of-charge (and perhaps more accessible in certain areas), compared to the ATMs other segments prefer. This may be explained by price sensitivity that drives the preference for free till point withdrawals compared to ATM withdrawals, which are charged at US$0.61 per part of US$70.

The value generated for low(er) income customers will hopefully further expand as TymeBank expands its product offering (e.g., insurance and diverse credit products).

WHAT IMPACT DOES TYMEBANK HAVE ON CUSTOMERS’ LIVES?

Most customers report positive life changes due to their use of TymeBank. Importantly, levels of customer satisfaction increase as customer income decreases. This suggests that the TymeBank value proposition tailored to lower-income customers resonates well.

We relied on the actual voices of customers from the demand survey to gauge the impact the TymeBank offering had on its users. When asked, 73 percent of customers reported a positive change in quality of life attributable to TymeBank. The change could be associated with multiple factors. For instance, 80 percent of interviewed customers reported a decrease in the amount spent on bank fees, which is crucial for low-income segments that have historically experienced cost as one of the biggest barriers to financial inclusion. Nearly a third (31 percent) of customers who reported life improvement said that their access to financial services had expanded thanks to TymeBank. Customers also reported an improved ability to digitally transact and receive money (51 percent and 55 percent of all interviewees, respectively).

One of the most important findings concerned the ability to save. Seventy-three percent of interviewed customers reported an increase in their savings balance due to TymeBank. Savings likely drove customers’ ability to achieve their financial goals (68 percent) and improve financial resilience (32 percent).

These findings support our overall hypothesis that digital banks are well placed to deepen financial inclusion with cheaper, better products that reach beyond payments and are relevant to improving the lives of low-income customers.

It is critical to note that the high-interest yield on the GoalSave savings account was among the reasons most prominently cited by customers as driving them toward TymeBank. Our finding that female and young TymeBank customers were more likely to save using the bank service compared to what nationwide averages suggest was also important. While the national numbers show a 9 percentage point gap in formal savings between men and women (35 percent versus 26 percent), the gap among TymeBank customers favored women by 10 percentage points (45 percent versus 55 percent).

Our findings also revealed areas for improvement. Perhaps not surprisingly, TymeBank customers have not been spared the surge of fraud in South Africa. Ten percent of customers reported challenges concerning security and protection of funds. Six percent of respondents mentioned delays in service delivery and nearly the same share complained of issues related to digital access. Complaints were related to system downtime, clearing time (TymeBank is planning to offer real-time clearing), and the general concerns first-time users may have about their funds.

When asked about potential improvements, the presence of physical branches scored the highest (11 percent), followed by improved security (9 percent) related to the challenges mentioned in the previous paragraph and improved digital services (5 percent).

While these findings are encouraging, more research is needed before conclusive statements can be made about the broader role of digital banks in advancing financial inclusion. We encourage other experts to undertake similar research and add to the emerging evidence on the impact of digital banks on financial inclusion.

Acknowledgments

This case study features insights from research commissioned by CGAP and conducted by 60 Decibels and Genesis Analytics under the leadership of Ivo Jeník.

The author thanks CGAP colleagues Gayatri Vikram Murthy and Mehmet Kerse for reviewing this paper, and Gcinisizwe Andrew Mdluli for contributions and insights. Peter Zetterli and Xavier Faz oversaw the effort. Andrew Johnson led the editorial work.

This paper would not have been possible without the time and dedication of the team from TymeBank and TymeGlobal.

Flaming, Mark, and Ivo Jeník. 2020. “ How Does Tech Make a Difference in Digital Banking ?” CGAP blog post, 11 November.

Jeník, Ivo, Mark Flaming, and Arisha Salman. 2020. “ Inclusive Digital Banking: Emerging Markets Case Studies .” Working Paper. Washington, D.C.: CGAP.

Jeník, Ivo, and Peter Zetterli. 2020. “ Digital Banks: How Can They Deepen Financial Inclusion? ” Slide deck. Washington, D.C.: CGAP.

Download a PDF of this Case Study >>

1 To assess bank inclusivity, we developed and implemented a four-dimensional framework focused on cost, access, fit, and experience (CAFE). See Jeník and Zetterli (2020), page 42. In a business-to business (B2B) model, BaaS providers have other FSPs as their customers. Thus, their impact on end users is indirect.

2 see collection of cgap research on fintech and new financial services business models: www.cgap.org/fintech, 3 world bank global findex database (2017)., 4 atm-like machines placed in partner grocery stores – mainly pnp and boxer – allow for automated customer onboarding in less than five minutes., 5 this section is based on data from the finmark trust finscope (south africa) 2018 database., 6 the quantitative analysis used the average monthly inflows of customers originated at pnp value stores (us$271) and boxer stores (us$224) to estimate income level. the qualitative analysis estimated that 35 percent of tymebank’s customers live on less than us$5.50 per day, based on the screener survey findings., 7 the finmark trust finscope (south africa) 2018 database., 8 using place of origination (pnp value and boxer stores) as a proxy for low income., 9 south africa gateway .  , 10 the finmark trust finscope (south africa) 2018 database., 11 n = 1,162., 12 comparing screened customers (n = 1,162) and interviewed customers (n = 278)., related resources, inclusive digital banking: emerging markets case studies, digital banks: how can they deepen financial inclusion, related research, gender-intentional credit scoring, bolstering women’s climate resilience and adaptation through financial services, global landscape: data trails of digitally included poor (dip) people.

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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!

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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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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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Online Case Study Answer Generator for Students

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✨ Case Study Analysis Definition

A case study analysis is used to examine a problem and find a solution to it. This type of analysis is typically used in business as well as in other spheres, such as education, healthcare, and social sciences. The main feature of such a study is that it’s rooted in a real-life context.

Researchers use direct observations, interviews, tests, and samples to gather data for their case studies. This information is then used to develop solutions and recommendations backed with evidence.

🔎 Structure of a Case Study Analysis

Usually, a case study analysis consists of 6 parts. Each one is dedicated to a particular aspect and serves its own purpose. Let’s take a closer look at them and see how they differ.

Introduction

An introduction describes the context of the examined topic and provides substantial background on the case study’s subject. When you write it, keep in mind the following questions:

• What is your case study about?
• What is the primary goal of your research?
• Why is it important?

Problem Statement

The next part introduces the main problem or issue the study will be focusing on. Typically, it’s concerned with a challenge faced by an individual or organization in question. The problem statement provides a clear focus for the whole research.

Now, it’s time for the most interesting part—the analysis itself. When it comes to business problems, students can use various approaches, such as:

This part presents several ways to resolve the issue in question. The solutions must be realistic and achievable. It’s also worth to mention their pros and cons and thus identify the most potent ones.

Recommendations

This part focuses on the best possible solutions to the problem identified in the previous section. It explains how to implement it in practice and how it will help eliminate the issue. It may also suggest ways to deal with other, minor problems involved in the case.

Conclusions

Now, it’s time for the final part of the analysis: your conclusions . Here is what you need to do:

• Summarize the results of your case study analysis and explain how they relate to the research’s main problem.
• Be sure to emphasize how vital your study is and how it helps to make the issue more manageable.
• Make further suggestions based on your findings.

✍️ How to Write a Case Study

Now you know what to include in your case study. But how do you write one that is truly outstanding? Just follow our step-by-step guide:

1. Pick a Case to Explore

Choosing the right topic is essential. You need to do it early on to ensure that the research subject is sufficiently explored.

For example, suppose you want to examine how COVID-19 has affected the hospitality sector. In that case, you can choose either a representative case, such as a large hotel chain, or an outlier case, such as a small Bed and Breakfast that has managed to survive the pandemic. The latter case may sound more interesting, but if there's not enough information available on it, it's best to choose the former.

2. Formulate a Problem Statement

Now, you should clearly and concisely formulate the central problem you will be focusing on. To do it, answer the 5 Ws:

• What is the problem you’re researching?
• Who is affected by it?
• Where does it occur?
• When did the problem arise?
• Why is this issue significant?

If you need help with this part of your analysis, you can always use our research problem generator .

3. Gather Evidence & Collect Data

Data gathering can be done through both primary and secondary sources of information . You can use a range of research techniques, such as observations, surveys, and interviews. It is crucial to make sure the data you’ve collected is pertinent to the case study.

4. Describe Your Findings & Analyze Them

Next, you analyze trends and themes in your data. This analysis must be supported by facts and evidence. Use various analysis methods to make your study more in-depth.

5. Provide Solutions & Recommendations

Develop several possible solutions using the information you’ve gathered. Once you’ve done it, answer the following questions:

• What are the pros and cons of these solutions?
• Which one can be the most beneficial?
• How can the entity you’re analyzing implement it in practice?

The more detailed your recommendations are, the better. If possible, try to include aspects such as timeline, resource allocation, and KPIs for monitoring.

🔝 Top 12 Case Study Topics & Examples

Want inspiration for your analysis? Or maybe you need help picking a case to explore? Check out this list of topics with examples!

• Operations and Information Management: A Case Study of CC Music
• Netflix and Blockbuster: Case Study
• Strategic Planning Case Study: Process Management
• HRM Incident: Case Study Analysis
• Case Study Summary: Hiring a Sustainable Development Specialist
• Organizational Change: Qatargas Case Study
• Childhood Development Case Study
• Case Study of Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Workplace
• Strategic Marketing: Amazon Go Case Study
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Case Study
• Social Determinants of Health: Case Study
• Recovering Supply Chain Operations: A Case Study of Nissan

Now you know how to complete a case study! Remember that the tiring process of analyzing can be effectively streamlined if you use our free case study answer generator. Try it out—you won’t regret it!

We also recommend using our transition words maker and personal statement generator to enhance your writing.

❓ Case Study Analysis Generator: FAQ

❓ what questions to answer in a case study.

A case study must either prove or disprove an existing theory. It also aims to find a solution to the research's central question. This question can vary depending on your topic and subject. You present the answer in your research findings and conclusions.

❓ How Do You Write a Case Study Analysis?

First, you introduce your case and provide its background. Then, you gather information and analyze it to develop several solutions. Finally, you propose the best solution and give recommendations on how to implement it. Also, remember to explain how your case study will deepen the existing knowledge.

❓ What Are the 4 Most Important Parts of Case Study?

Every case study begins with the introduction of a topic and its background. Then, you present an analysis of sources that can provide knowledge on the case. The third part is the analysis of collected data. Your case study ends with conclusions based on your findings.

❓ What Are Some Examples of Case Studies?

Case studies are frequently used in psychology to shed light on peculiar circumstances. Famous case study examples include Sigmund Freud's Little Hans as well as John Martin Marlow's study of Phineas Gage, the man who had a railroad spike driven through his brain.

🔗 References

• Case Study: Definition, Examples, Types, and How to Write: Verywell Mind
• What Is a Case Study?: Evidence Based Nursing
• What the Case Study Method Really Teaches: Harvard Business Review
• Using Case Studies to Teach: Boston University
• What Is a Case Study? Definition, Elements and 15 Examples: Indeed
• Writing a Case Study: University of Southern California
• Writing a Case Study – Student Academic Success: Monash University

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Case Study: How Aggressively Should a Bank Pursue AI?

• Thomas H. Davenport
• George Westerman

A Malaysia-based CEO weighs the risks and potential benefits of turning a traditional bank into an AI-first institution.

Siti Rahman, the CEO of Malaysia-based NVF Bank, faces a pivotal decision. Her head of AI innovation, a recent recruit from Google, has a bold plan. It requires a substantial investment but aims to transform the traditional bank into an AI-first institution, substantially reducing head count and the number of branches. The bank’s CFO worries they are chasing the next hype cycle and cautions against valuing efficiency above all else. Siti must weigh the bank’s mixed history with AI, the resistance to losing the human touch in banking services, and the risks of falling behind in technology against the need for a prudent, incremental approach to innovation.

Two experts offer advice: Noemie Ellezam-Danielo, the chief digital and AI strategy at Société Générale, and Sastry Durvasula, the chief information and client services officer at TIAA.

Siti Rahman, the CEO of Malaysia-headquartered NVF Bank, hurried through the corridors of the university’s computer engineering department. She had directed her driver to the wrong building—thinking of her usual talent-recruitment appearances in the finance department—and now she was running late. As she approached the room, she could hear her head of AI innovation, Michael Lim, who had joined NVF from Google 18 months earlier, breaking the ice with the students. “You know, NVF used to stand for Never Very Fast,” he said to a few giggles. “But the bank is crawling into the 21st century.”

• Thomas H. Davenport is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, a visiting scholar at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and a senior adviser to Deloitte’s AI practice. He is a coauthor of All-in on AI: How Smart Companies Win Big with Artificial Intelligence (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).
• George Westerman is a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and a coauthor of Leading Digital (HBR Press, 2014).

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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).

The questions can be used flexibly either within class or given to students to complete as an independent learning/homework activity. By getting students to complete these 70x questions you can be sure that they have read and understood the case study.

As part of the purchase you will be provided with:

• PowerPoint that goes through all questions then goes through all questions and answers
• Word document that contains a list of all the questions
• Word document that contains a list of all the questions and answers
• Revision videos for each topic within Unit 2 (YouTube)

PowerPoint and Word documents do not include any names or school logos so can be used straight away without any further work on your part - A READY-TO-USE RESOURCE!!!

LIBF Certificate in Financial Studies

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

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