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Financial Services Consulting

The next era of financial services

Banks and insurers must rethink and streamline their business and operating models, strengthen efficiency and align operations with long-term resilience. We turn investment into performance improvement and competitive strength.

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THE FINANCIAL SERVICES TRANSFORMATION

INVESTMENT IS HIGH IMPACT MUST FOLLOW

Despite significant investment in digitalisation, productivity gains fall short of expectations. Legacy IT systems, fragmented platforms and data structures, and rising compliance requirements weigh heavily on performance, while AI rarely moves beyond pilot stages to measurable impact. The winners close the gap between spend and impact, building business and operating models that are resilient, efficient and future-ready.

The shift in one view:

Realised impactDigital investment
Your Industry Lead
Oliver Wehrkamp

Oliver Wehrkamp

Partner

In financial services, the winners are not those who invest the most. They are the ones who turn investment into impact.

Get in touch

ONE SECTOR FOUR FORCES

Each pressure alone is manageable. Together, they redraw the playbook.

1

The productivity gap

  • Heavy investment in digitalisation, productivity gains fall short
  • Legacy IT systems and fragmented platforms slow delivery
  • Fragmented data structures weigh on performance
2

AI beyond the pilot

  • AI struggles to move beyond pilots to measurable impact
  • Lack of strategic focus and clear governance
  • Fragmented IT and data landscapes block scale
3

Margins and competition

  • Rising margin pressure and intensifying competition
  • Shortage of skilled talent
  • Customers expect digital and personalised solutions
4

Regulation and risk

  • Mounting regulatory pressure and compliance requirements
  • Rising cyber risks
  • Resilience and future viability are essential

DELIVERING MEASURABLE RESULTS

We combine deep financial services expertise with hands-on delivery, helping banks and insurers turn investment into resilience, efficiency and competitive strength.
100%
focus on Financial Services
150+
leading financial institutions advised
350+
successful projects delivered
OUR SERVICES

HOW WE IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE

We connect strategy with execution across four areas that decide whether banks and insurers turn pressure into competitive strength.

01

Efficiency Optimisation & Cost Reduction

Driving sustainable profitability and growth through excellence in sales, organisation, operations and cost management.

  • Cost excellence across functions, processes and technology
  • Lean, effective operating models
  • Sustainable profitability and growth
02

IT/Digital Transformation & AI Integration

Leveraging IT and AI integration as levers for performance and value-driven performance management.

  • IT investments aligned to strategic goals
  • AI moved from pilot to measurable impact
  • Value-driven performance management
03

Sales Performance & Steering

Enhancing sales performance and customer focus for competitive advantage.

  • Sales performance and structures optimised
  • Steering toward profitable growth
  • Customer focus as competitive advantage
04

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Adapting business and operating models to change and regulatory requirements.

  • Continuous adaptation for sustainable transformation
  • Risk and control by design
  • Resilience aligned to regulatory shifts

IMPACT THAT MATTERS

Portrait of Oliver Wehrkamp, a professional consultant in a dark blazer and white shirt, representing leadership and expertise in management consulting

Despite strong results, banks and insurers are at a turning point: business models must be sharpened, redefined, and consistently aligned with future viability. Growth emerges where efficiency, resilience, and technology are intelligently combined. At H&Z, our ambition is not only to provide strategic guidance, but to achieve measurable impact together with our clients.

H\u00f8Z company logo with colorful icons representing a human head, heart, handshake and stylized letters H & Z.
Oliver Wehrkamp
Partner & Industry Lead Financial Services
H&Z
Studio portrait of Sven C. Schumacher in a blue blazer | H&Z

Every bank and insurance company knows its purchasing figures – but what really matters is what we make of them. With the right levers, measurable effects can be achieved and room for strategic initiatives can be created. Our H&Z approach shows how to achieve sustainable procurement optimization.

HZ Group logo
Sven C. Schumacher
Partner
H&Z

REAL WORK REAL OUTCOMES

Results do not come from concepts. They come from execution.

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Success Story
 

A leading commercial bank improved efficiency and cost control with H&Z through structured performance and cost management, gaining transparency, benchmarks and targeted reductions

Upward view of modern skyscrapers converging toward the sky, illustrating corporate power, ambition, and strategic consulting for urban development and corporate growth
Success Story
 

A leading bank partnered with H&Z to build a unified AI strategy, consolidate 70+ tools, define a scalable Agentic AI target, empower employees, and scale AI beyond pilots.

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Success Story
 

H&Z conducted detailed due diligence on Centroplan, evaluating market dynamics and customer behavior to support strategic investment decisions.

All H&Z Success Stories

FINANCIAL SERVICES DEEP-DIVES

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Deep-Dive
 

Gain transparency, cut structural inefficiencies, and free budget for innovation through data-driven benchmarking, sourcing optimisation, and hands-on implementation.

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Deep-Dive
 

Insights into all criteria for DORA compliance and how to make sure you meet them.

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Deep-Dive
 

Executive insights show how banks turn AI from pilots into impact through leadership, governance, workforce enablement and organisation-wide scaling.

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Deep-Dive
 

H&Z exposes hidden inefficiencies in banking operations, enabling faster, higher-quality digital performance.

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Deep-Dive
 

H&Z advises financial institutions on embedding climate risks into credit, valuation, and governance decisions to ensure lasting resilience.

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Deep-Dive
 

H&Z supports financial institutions in building agile, resilient structures that drive long-term competitiveness and efficiency.

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Deep-Dive
 

H&Z enables financial institutions to identify structural cost drivers and unlock budgets for innovation through data-driven procurement and IT optimization.

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Deep-Dive
 

H&Z enables banks and insurers to harness GenAI safely and effectively through a structured, capability-driven platform approach.

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TRACKING TRENDS IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

Our Financial Services Pulse Check gives a clear, data-driven view of the strategic priorities, challenges and trends shaping banking and insurance.

  • Strategic priorities of 150+ leading decision makers
  • Where transformation, resilience and efficiency must focus
  • Which levers move competitive strength
See the industry trends

OUR LATEST INSIGHTS ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

Fresh perspectives on the trends, technologies and shifts reshaping banking and insurance.
All H&Z insights
H&Z team on a Vienna rooftop terrace at sunset, marking recognition in the 2026 Handelsblatt consulting rankings | H&Z
Press
17.07.2026

H&Z has been recognised across eight specialist consulting areas. Here’s a closer look at this year’s Handelsblatt rankings and the themes shaping today’s consulting market.

Frankfurt skyline with financial district skyscrapers | H&Z
Recap
21.05.2026
 | Frankfurt

The first Financial Services Get-Together 2026 explores market outlooks, transformation and growth perspectives.

Elderly man using an ATM machine | H&Z
Study
27.03.2026

How German regional banks use customer value, productivity and integrated management to systematically leverage earnings potential in the private customer business.

MASTERING STRATEGIC CHALLENGES TOGETHER

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR FINANCIAL SERVICES EXPERT

For tailored advice and insights, our expert is available to support you with strategic and operational guidance.

With head, heart and hand, from strategy to implementation.

Oliver Wehrkamp – professional portrait | H&Z

Oliver Wehrkamp

Partner
Oliver is Industry Lead for Financial Services at H&Z, focusing on strategy, performance improvement, AI, and large-scale transformation programs with extensive leadership experience from senior roles in banking and top-tier consulting.