2016 was a very challenging year for most British based banks but not for Lloyds Banking Group. A sustainable and responsible business model characterised by a very low risk appetite enabled Lloyds bank to ride the turbulent macro climate faced by other banks. While rivals such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays continue to undergo mega restructurings and battle legacy conduct issues, Lloyds has relied on its simple low cost operating model to become currently the second largest banking group in the UK after HSBC.
With the UK government completing its divesture from bank on the 17th March 2017, Lloyds is no longer burdened with any conduct issues resulting from its involvement in the 2008 financial crisis. This has translated into strong financial performance. Nevertheless, given its UK focus, the banks performance is inextricably linked to the UK macro environment which was affected by factors such as Brexit, the low interest environment as well as a sluggish UK economy, among the key external macro factors that have impacted the operational environment of UK banks.
In the following report, we will identify the major drivers of change behind the banks external environment and banking industry in general to help us understand how Lloyds Banking Group can utilise internal core competencies so as to take advantage of macro environmental opportunities while neutralising inherent threats from the external environment.