Cost -> Profit Center

 In the true goal of all companies today, transforming a cost line into a profit center is the ostensible goal of many management teams. 

This can be used both within a company that exists but also to help understand how to enter an industry. Interestingly, this goes beyond the idea of merely cutting the costs of the incumbents (see: Neobanks and fintech companies vs. incumbent financial institutions). It goes to the idea that a cost line is an available revenue line instead of just something to be cut.

To wit, McKinsey:

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/financial%20services/our%20insights/reshaping%20retail%20banks%20enhancing%20banking%20for%20the%20next%20digital%20age/reshaping-retail-banks-enhancing-banking-for-the-next-digital-age-full-final-v1.pdf?shouldIndex=false

If this is correct, then by 2020 estimates there is a $550 cost per retail banking customer available to be another company's revenue. Today, this is $550 spent with inefficiencies, poor service, obsolete technology, etc. etc. It would seem that a much better version could be offered out of the box without the need for all of the capex that would make its way into this line if an incumbent tried to do it...