MGT5STR: Strategic Analysis of Cryptocurrency Impact on ANZ Bank

This report examines the strategic implications of cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, on the banking industry, with a focus on ANZ bank in Australia. It begins by outlining the rise of Bitcoin and its potential to disrupt traditional financial institutions by enabling online transactions without intermediaries. The report then conducts a PESTLE analysis, considering the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors influencing Bitcoin's adoption and impact. It also includes a competitive analysis using Porter's Five Forces, revealing shifts in industry dynamics due to cryptocurrency. The analysis highlights how factors like the threat of new entrants and the bargaining power of buyers have changed. The report concludes by assessing ANZ bank's strategic position using Rumelt's criteria and offering recommendations for addressing the risks posed by cryptocurrency. The report uses peer-reviewed journal articles to support its findings. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments.

Running head: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Strategic management
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Executive Summary
This report had been based on crypto currency and its impact on the banking industry. Bit
coin is a form of crypto currency which had recently gained popularity as it had solved the
issue of making online transaction without involving financial intuitions. The advent of web
2.0 had increased the volume of transaction on the online platform and financial institutions
have been acting a trusted party. The dependencies of the general population on the banks for
transactions have been reduced. However, the banks had not advanced enough to incorporate
ICOs and other digital currencies which is the very reason that banks have been tensed about
it.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Strategic environment................................................................................................................3
Pestle of Bit coin....................................................................................................................3
Strategic background..................................................................................................................6
Competitive analysis..................................................................................................................7
Five forces analysis................................................................................................................7
Strategic analysis........................................................................................................................9
Rumelt’s 4 criteria..................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
This report is based on crypto currency and its impact on the banking industry. Bit
coin is a form of crypto currency which has recently gain popularity as it has solved the issue
of making online transaction without involving financial intuitions. The advent of web 2.0
has increased the volume of transaction on the online platform and financial institutions have
been acting a trusted party. The online medium transactions have high risk attached to it and
trust is a factor which affects the transaction. However, crypto currency is a form of digital
asset which can make the transactions more secure on the online platform. Therefore, the
report will analyse the impact of Bit coin on ANZ bank and the banking industry in Australia.
Strategic environment
The strategic environmental analysis will consist of analysing the macro environment
of Bit coin. This will define the key forces that will drive the industry and the positive and
negative effects of crypto currency on the banking industry.
Pestle of Bit coin
The pestle analysis of Bit coin will consist of evaluating the political, economic,
social, legal, environmental and technological environment.
Political
In respect to the political environment, it can be said that Bit coin cannot be controlled
by any government so there is no need of placing trust in hierarchy of the government. Trust
among the developed nations in respect to governments handling money is a problem as
people tend to trust more the value created by similar kind of people (Ato.gov.au 2018). The
open source and minimal amount of trust on the financial institutions has increased the value
of the products among the online users. There are various countries that have happily
accepted crypto currency and there are some that are totally against it. There are large number

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of countries that are against the use of crypto currency. Australia is one such country that
have accepted Bit coin but it is not considered as money or currency. It has been considered
as a property for tax gain purposes. This has affected the financial institutions as it is not
required to involve ant third while making transaction in Bit coin community.
Economic
The market capitalization of Bit coin is still very minimal when compared to the
overall GDP of the country. Crypto currency will not affect the policies or ability of the
government to conduct policies. However, there are large number of merchants that are using
and have started using Bit coin. The current value of Bit coin in terms of Australian currency
shows that 1 Bit coin is equivalent to 9612.75 dollars (Janda 2018). However, due to the
bubble burst the value of Bit coin has diminished significant due to bubble burst and it is
expected to go down even further. This is due to the fact that crypto currencies does not have
any intrinsic value like the other commodities in the market. Therefore, it is unlikely that
financial institutions will face any issue in the recent years. However, there are chances that
these concept may cause a shift in the paradigm.
Social
The society has readily accepted this new form of currency only because of the fact
there had been staging 900% increase in the value of Bit coin before the bubble burst (Hern
and Partington 2018). Moreover, as the users can maintain their anonymity and make
improvements to their level of reach and savings. However, the awareness among the
consumers are still less but is expected to increase significantly as more and more merchants
are adopting these new payment method and technology.

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Technological
Bit coin is still in its nascent state where the majority of the Bit coin users are the
early adopters and visionaries. In terms of technological point of view, crypto currency is a
new form of technology which is being used for trading between two parties without any
intervention from a third party. Block chain is a record list which keeps all the transaction
data secure and is used by all the digital currency (Hern and Partington 2018). The
technology is going to advance even further which will definitely have a positive impact on
crypto currency and its use in the present market. However, currently the market is still niche
due to the limited number of users.
Environmental
The increase in demand of Bit coin and other crypto currency will result in the
demand of computer devices which will increase the level of carbon emission within the
organization. Therefore, the technological advancement in the field of crypto currency will
definite increase the emission of harmful into the atmosphere in all countries adapting to this
new currency system.
Legal
The majority of the countries initially did not have regulations placed for crypto
currencies and it took time for majority of the countries to acknowledge Bit coin due to its
decentralised nature. However, Australian government have set their fixed set of rules and
regulations where they consider Bit coin as an asset in the market used for gains in tax
purposes and reduction in cost for transaction of funds.

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Strategic background
The key driving factors in the industry are globalization, consumer needs, technology,
demands and financial innovation. However, the advent of crypto currency has totally
changed the currents scenario in the market and the high demand of the crypto currency has
forced the government and authorities have been forced to regulate digital currency. The
purchase of crypto currency had been similar to trading in the traditional share market.
However, there has been significant halt in the purchase and selling of Bit coins as they feel
that the banking sector is unwilling to work with the digital currency industry (Anz.com.au
2018). The major uncertainties arises due to the fact that there is no clarity of the extent to
which self-regulated environment can be developed. The Australian have become cautious
and they do not want to take part in dealing of digital currency that has not been properly
regulated till now.
The major dealers of crypto currency in Australia, Coin spot has suspended the
deposit of Australian dollar which has led to public outrage in the industry. Australian banks
had made an effort to stop the dealing in crypto currency and have even closed several
accounts. These shows that the banking sector considers themselves at risk and does not
want to work with the digital currency organization. It has been claimed that the big four
banks, among which ANZ bank is a member has been criticized for banning any kind of
dealings with the crypto currency market (Hern and Partington 2018).
ANZ bank has even refused transfer of money in case if they feel that it is against the
laws and policy and may lead to money laundering. ANZ bank had exercised its discretion in
closing an account if they consider the conduct of the account holder to be unsatisfactory.
Majority of the banks are worried about the fact that merchants are accepting crypto currency
which making purchases and this is making the law makers agitated due to the rapid
disruption n innovation in the industry (Redman 2018). Bit coin is not controlled by any

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government and ledgers are distributed to the users on a global basis. Therefore, it is expected
that there will be rapid shift in the power of currency transaction. Initially, central banks and
governments are responsible for regulating transaction and this shift has resulted in panic
among the banks in Australia. ANZ bank confirmed the fact that it will not prohibit the
consumers form trading in crypto currency and accepting them as a mode of payment but
these activities will be monitored (Ellis-Jones 2018). Therefore, the unusual behaviour of the
consumers will be checked for potential fraudulent activities and check for activities that are
not in line with the regulatory polices specified by the regulatory boards. However, the
adverse effect of crypto currency on banks in Australia is still less when compared to other
countries.
Competitive analysis
In the past decades it has been seen that the banks have experienced by capitalizing on
interest, loan rates and mortgages. The banks had full power and control over all the financial
products and instruments, the way they have been sold and presented to the consumers. The
advent of the crypto currency shows the shift in the power which have heavily affected the
rivalry in the market.
Five forces analysis
The five factors included in the porter’s five forces are threat of new entrant,
bargaining power of the supplier, bargaining power of the buyers, degree of rivalry and threat
of substitution.
Threat of new entrant
The threat of new entrant in the banking industry is low as it is quite difficult to obtain
a banking license. The number of ICOs have increased significant and it is accessible to
everyone (chung 2018). Moreover, obtaining a banking license in current context is much

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more easier which shows that threat of new entrant in the market have changed from low to
high after emergence of crypto currency.
Bargaining power of the buyers
The bargaining power of the buyers was low as consumers did not have the power to
exert any influence on the different financial products in the market. However, the advent of
crypto currency have shifted the control to the consumer side and they can decide the
currency they want to trade in and make payments without any mediator in between due to
the use of block chains (Chau 2018). Moreover, they have the power of protecting and
growing their assets. Therefore, the bargaining power of the buyers have become high.
Bargaining power of the suppliers
The banks do not use any suppliers and are not dependent on them which is the reason
that the bargaining power of the suppliers had been low (Pash 2017). This has remained the
same even after the introduction of crypto currency.
Threat of substitution
Earlier all consumers were solely dependent on the FIAT currency so the threat of
substitution had been low in the industry. However, crypto currency and direct payment
solutions are acting as substitutes for the FIAT currency and traditional banking systems.
Therefore, the threat of substation have become high in the industry (Chung 2018).
Degree of rivalry
The power had been low as only the industry giants hold the power in the industry but
the crypto currency has majorly increased the level of competitive rivalry which balanced the
market place with appropriate demand and supply (Chau 2018). Therefore, the competitive
rivalry in the industry have increased significantly.

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It can be seen that even though the banks have been in comfortable position till the
emergence of digital currency and they are losing the majority of their advantage. This is very
much evident from the porter’s five forces which shows the shift in four out of the five
factors that have turned against the banks.
Strategic analysis
The rumelt’s criteria is used to define the strategic position of any company and in
this case ANZ bank. The Rumelt’s criteria is used to check the efficiency, effectiveness and
alignment of the strategies goals and mission of the business (Grant 2016).
Rumelt’s 4 criteria
Strategic
options
Consonance Advantage Consistency Feasibility
Incorporating
block chain on
commercial
property deals
yes yes yes yes
Allowing
consumers to
trade in crypto
currency
yes yes yes yes
Develop
effective rules
and regulations
for
incorporating
and facilitating
no yes yes no

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trading in
crypto currency
Accepting
payments in
crypto
currencies
no yes yes no
The evaluation of the Rumelt’s criteria shows that ANZ bank have been slowly
incorporating crypto currency and Bit coin. However, the organizational rules and regulations
are still not advanced enough to deal with the risk of dealing in digital currency. Moreover,
accepting payments in form digital currency increases the level of risk for ANZ.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded from the report that crypto currency has profoundly affected
the banking industry and have given more power to the consumers. The dependencies of the
general population on the banks for transactions have been reduced. However, the banks have
not advanced enough to incorporate ICOs and other digital currencies which is the very
reason that banks have been tensed about it. ANZ bank has developed effective strategies and
are among the only few major banks to respond positively to the development in crypto
currency.

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References
Anz.com.au., 2018. ANZ Personal Banking | Accounts, credit cards, loans, insurance | ANZ.
Retrieved from https://www.anz.com.au/personal/
Ato.gov.au., 2018. Tax treatment of crypto-currencies in Australia - specifically bitcoin.
Retrieved from https://www.ato.gov.au/general/gen/tax-treatment-of-crypto-currencies-in-
australia---specifically-bitcoin/
Chau, D., 2018. Bitcoin: The big four banks aren't planning a crackdown ... yet. Retrieved
from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-05/big-four-banks-not-planning-bitcoin-
clampdown-yet/9398234
chung, f., 2018. ‘Banned from 30 Australian banks and counting’. Retrieved from
https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/investing/coinspot-rubbishes-liquidity-claims-says-
it-is-getting-closer-to-turning-on-australian-dollar-deposits/news-story/
ac5de7b98696121adace52b3157b8ca7
Ellis-Jones, F., 2018. Banks 'unwilling to work' with Bitcoin traders amid regulation
concerns. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-03/banks-unwilling-to-work-
with-bitcoin-traders/9302340
Grant, R. M., 2016. Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley &
Sons.
Hern, A. and Partington, R., 2018. Bitcoin's January fall wipes off $44bn in value. Retrieved
from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/01/bitcoins-january-fall-wipes-off-
44bn-in-value