ACG works with clients to create practical, actionable strategies to meet growth and profit objectives. We apply our functional expertise and industry knowledge, research and analysis of the marketplace to build sound business cases. We have used our methodology with clients looking to enter the payments, lending and retail banking fields. Established firms have benefitted from our capabilities when launching new products, exploring new market entry and reviewing alternative operational solutions.

Our experienced team brings structure, creativity and solid business sense to the evaluation of implementation requirements and expected returns to ensure the development of the right strategic vision for each client.

Examples of ACG Strategic Planning projects include the following:

• A large co-brand partner engaged ACG to review strategic options for the ongoing management of its portfolio. The company sought insight to possibly taking greater control of program management. ACG’s approach included the assessment of various structural options, operational feasibility and financial impact.
  
  
• ACG was hired by a coalition of multinational companies interested in establishing a credit card servicing operation. Our review included market trends and conditions, competitive analysis, operational and organizational requirements, economic feasibility, and legal and regulatory concerns.
  
  
• A top-five US credit card issuer asked ACG to determine the viability of a new issuing model. The new strategy would have been a radical departure from the issuer’s existing way of doing business. Our team developed a business case for why the concept made sense given the competitive environment. Further, we addressed methods for overcoming operational and financial hurdles.
  
  
• A growing South African private-label servicing company sought ACG’s input to its strategic planning process. ACG personnel attended strategic planning sessions, challenged management to incorporate global learning on many diverse issues and provided insight into private-label techniques across several international markets. After the strategic plan was completed, the client remarked that ACG’s input “was worth 10 times the investment.”
  
  
• A leading non-bank issuer engaged ACG to investigate an introduction into the debit card market. The organization had limited direct-deposit accounts, but its money management division presented an unrealized opportunity. ACG worked with the client team to understand the competitive landscape and identify implementation solutions for the proposed product. We suggested two strategies and described scenarios as to how each would work in the short and long terms in order to get the client into the fast-growing debit space.