In the second panel, focus on advanced and personalised services

During TalkInn 2019, the second roundtable “Convergent Innovation: Bancassurance and New Service Models for 360° Advisory” featured Gianluca Berghella, President & CEO of Armundia Group, Emilio Franco, CEO of Mediobanca SGR, and Riccardo Renna, Chief Operating Officer of Banca Generali.

“How is technology changing business models?” opened Gianluca Berghella. “Today, technology is a commodity—an instrument available to those with the vision and courage to innovate and to build truly evolved advisory models.”

Picking up the baton, Riccardo Renna added:


“Technology is essential, but it must always serve the individual. Our bank puts people at the centre— the relationship between advisor and client remains the cornerstone of our approach. In recent years, our business model has changed significantly: we launched a major wave of digitalisation specifically to support financial advisors. We did this by developing a digital platform that replicates what we see as the right commercial process, creating a truly open system in terms of both services and products.”

Emilio Franco explained:


“Technology can reduce costs and enhance offerings, but the human factor remains essential. It’s the clients’ goals that set the rules—technology is not a cure-all, but it's certainly a valuable tool and a great opportunity in our sector, provided we overcome resistance to change. Innovation doesn’t just help us do things faster and better—it allows us to rethink processes entirely, and that’s what will ultimately reduce costs. We just need the courage to embrace the challenge.”

Berghella concluded:


“Bancassurance could be the ideal testing ground for exploring the true potential of technology. Since the beginning, we’ve focused on converging these two services. We can’t rely on outdated approaches anymore—we must develop new forms of interaction between banks and insurance companies, and invest in new skill sets. Today, regulation, technology, and information are all tools that allow us to place the customer at the centre and create services tailored to their real needs.”