In this episode What were you doing when you were 20 years old? Ollie Purdue was studying law…and founding a company to transform the banking experience. He didn’t want to be a lawyer, or a banker, but he did want to solve a problem facing many students: budgeting and forecasting how much money they’ll have and need every month. “At the time I was studying, I kept getting really frustrated with my bank account. It was just unable to tell me basic things about money, and that’s, kind of, what a b...
Mar 31, 2017•17 min
In this episode A lot has been happening in the Singapore FinTech scene recently. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is bound to invest more than $225 million Singapore dollars, or $158 million US dollars in FinTech by the end of 2020, and there’s a lot of hope that this can cut out costs from back office systems, and become truly transformational for the market and the region. In this episode, we take a step back, and, with help from FinTech experts in the field, paint a rich picture of ...
Mar 30, 2017•46 min
In this episode We’re very excited about the launch of Clear Bank , the first clearing bank to be authorized in the UK for nearly 250 years. There’s been a lot of business model innovation at the front end – we’ve seen apps doing more convenient FX, more convenient remittance, we’ve even seen peer-to-peer payments, but nobody’s really attacked the rails. “This is where I’m super excited to see FinTech go. This is a proper, proper geek moment,” says guest Sarah Kocianski , Senior Research Analyst...
Mar 27, 2017•1 hr 18 min
In this episode Antony Jenkins, former CEO of Barclays, has spent 35 years working in large financial services institutions. He says that it struck him that, although there’s a lot of technology in banks, it doesn’t help much when it comes to improving the customer experience or lowering costs, and it hasn’t improved the reputation of banks within society. He founded 10x to create a new banking experience — one that is more diverse, open, and fair. In this episode, he talks to us about his new c...
Mar 24, 2017•20 min
In this episode We’ve brought together some of our favourite folks from the world of FinTech challenger banks. In this episode, we talk to Starling, Fidor, and Loot about their business models, who their customers are, and how they’re using technology and data to provide a great customer experience. We also discuss the challenges they’re facing, what agile really means, and what’s coming up for them in 2017. Enjoy the show! Our guests Megan Caywood , the Chief Platform Officer at Starling Bank S...
Mar 22, 2017•37 min
In this episode On this episode of FinTech Insider we cover all sorts of intrigue, from money laundering, to tantric blockchain, to narcotics. Of course, we also analyze the latest FinTech headlines so you don’t have to, and interview some of our favourite folks at solarisBank and Penta . Thank you to our guests for another fun episode. Our guests Monty Munford , writer for The Economist, BBC, Forbes, and Fast Company, and Founder of Mob76 Megan Caywood , Chief Platform Officer at Starling Bank ...
Mar 20, 2017•1 hr 9 min
In this episode The Financial Conduct Authority’s progressive regulatory policies have been credited with helping to make London one of the world’s finest FinTech centres. In episode 126 of FinTech Insider , we spoke with several participants of the FCA’s regulatory sandbox, created as a ‘safe space’ for startups and companies to test ideas before becoming fully regulated. In this episode, we interview FCA Policy Director David Geale on the thought behind the sandbox, and more. Enjoy the show! “...
Mar 17, 2017•8 min
In this episode Technology is failing banking. Bankers know what a great customer experience should look like, but they’re often prevented from delivering on that due to ancient legacy systems. And as long as they operate in a cobbled environment with 1,000 subsystems, they will never have a truly digital bank. Meaning they can’t compete with the banks that will win in the future. But don’t despair. Our guests discuss the steps to take to create a state-of-the-art core banking system that can de...
Mar 15, 2017•42 min
In this episode Taking the bull by the horns. We absolutely loved the statue that Wall Street fund manager State Street installed as part of International Women’s Day. A bronze girl faces the bull of Wall Street as part of a campaign to encourage companies to put more women on their boards. FinTech Insider co-host Simon Taylor saw a second message in the symbolism: State Street will protect your money, standing up to the scary market without fear. Another best-in-class example of good marketing ...
Mar 13, 2017•1 hr 5 min
In this episode As CEO of WeChat Africa, Brett Loubser’s role is to leverage the WeChat platform to the greatest extent possible in Africa. However, the market conditions in this continent are completely different from China. A focus on a chat app didn’t make sense for Africa, given the significant competitor products. Instead, Brett and his team focused on ‘the absolute power of the platform.’ In this episode of FinTech Insider, Brett shares great examples of how working with partner companies ...
Mar 09, 2017•23 min
In this episode FinTech isn’t disrupting the financial industry in Africa – it’s building it across the continent. And because it’s being building without much legacy, by default it’s digital as a platform. In this episode of FinTech Insider Insights, we’ll shine a light on some great FinTech stories coming out of Africa, including approaches and ideas that incumbent institutions will find incredibly useful. Our guests Gerhard Coetzee, Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP Lesley-Ann Vaughan,...
Mar 08, 2017•38 min
In this episode Is PSD2 an opportunity or a headache for banks? FinTech Insider News guest Ben Robinson says we’re still underestimating the magnitude of what the regulators are asking banks to do, “which is basically to put their inventory online. Asking banks to give up their transactional data is like asking Google to give up its metadata. You can see why banks wouldn’t want to.” Also in the news, Monzo’s crowdfunding (and outage); our new favorite rap song; and Orange is the new bank. Guests...
Mar 06, 2017•1 hr 8 min
In this episode Blythe Masters spent 27 years at JP Morgan in a variety of roles, including running the global commodities business, working in structured credit and fixed income markets, and serving as CFO of JP Morgan’s global investment bank. After leaving in 2014, she planned on taking a year off, but then blockchain caught her eye and she joined Digital Asset, where she’s CEO. In this interview, Blythe describes their technology as blockchain-inspired, explains what this means, and shares w...
Mar 03, 2017•26 min
In this episode When it comes to innovation, can big, established banks compete with agile startups? Culture is the major barrier to digital transformation for larger organizations, so we talked to execs at the Global CIO Banking Summit to get their insight. Stay tuned for actionable examples on how to change your culture, how to measure this, and where to look for inspiration. “At DBS, we gave up our training budget of sending executives to fancy business schools and have started putting them t...
Mar 01, 2017•46 min
In this episode Bill Gates wants a robot tax to compensate for job losses; Liverpool launches its own local currency; Atom Bank hires will.i.am as a banking consultant; and more. Guests Alessandro Hatami , Managing Partner at The Pacemakers Andra Sonea , Fellow at the Anthemis Group News this week Business Insider – Will.i.am is reportedly doing a deal with app-only bank Atom that could see the singer invest – Link NYTimes – Silicon Valley tried to upend banks. Now it works with them. – Link FT ...
Feb 27, 2017•59 min
In this episode We talk to James Lloyd about the incredible FinTech innovation and uptake happening not only in China, but across Asia. James is the Asia-Pacific FinTech Leader at EY, and our point of reference for most of the phenomenal stats coming out of the region. Did you know that during Chinese New Year – which is only 6 days – 46 billion transactions happened on WeChat alone? That’s 46 billion “red packets” – the money you send as gifts. 46 billion! “In London, getting access to a bank a...
Feb 24, 2017•35 min
Our mantra is digital banking is only 1% finished, and people usually react in two ways to this. Either they believe banking has got miles to go when it comes to tech advancements, or they think digital is merely a way to distribute analogue products. At 11:FS, we believe we’ve got 99% to go, and we’re really excited about the future of banking. But how do we get there? At a recent event in Oulu, Finland, 11:FS CEO David Brear shared the first 5 steps to transform your bank. Watch the video . Th...
Feb 22, 2017•30 min
In this episode Amazon is looking to buy Capital One, or so goes the rumour. It’s been predicted for a long time that Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon would get into financial services, but Amazon is the only one of those companies that specifically needs a payments facility in their core business. James Arscott , CCO of invstr, joins us to discuss this and other headlines, including bitcoin going from funny money to something legit in Japan. We also talk to TrueLayer CEO Francesco Simoneschi...
Feb 20, 2017•1 hr 11 min
In this episode When most banks are bribing people to join with £100 or a Rihanna CD, Monzo is doing the opposite: building a bank customers love, involving them in its development, and being so amazing the network blows up like Facebook. Monzo, the bank that broke Crowdcube, now has more than 100,000 customers. Next milestone: 1 million. Here’s how they’ll do it. “We’re trying to build the first bank with real network effect. Skype is a great example. The more people you bring onto Skype, the m...
Feb 17, 2017•34 min
In this episode Innovation isn’t having an app – it’s having a new business model. Yet for banks, business models are one of the hardest things to innovate around. We discuss what’s broken with traditional bank business models, and how to create new ones, with two people who know best: Tom Blomfield , CEO of Monzo, and Dora Ziambra , Head of Business Development at Azimo. “For me, and many people in the industry, being a marketplace bank is the future,” Tom says. “It’s a customer interface that ...
Feb 15, 2017•55 min
In this episode Is FinTech failing? We discuss this clickbait-y headline which made the rounds recently. We also talk to Lawrence Wintermeyer, CEO of Innovate Finance, to get insight on their latest report that says investment in UK FinTech startups dropped by 33.7% in 2016. Other news: WeChat to (see what we did there? James Lloyd, Asia-Pacific FinTech Leader at EY, about the 46 billion digital red packets WeChat users sent over Lunar New Year; and Anna Irrera, a journalist at Reuters, updates ...
Feb 13, 2017•44 min
In this episode Serial tech entrepreneur Steve Kirsch ( @stkirsch ) has founded seven companies and earned a name for himself as the inventor of the optical mouse. Today he’s CEO of Token, a global open API banking platform. Steve says that, historically, banks have operated on limited hours. Central banks have similar systems to be compatible, which has led to architectures that are nowhere near as complex as doing real-time systems. But then internet came along and changed people’s expectation...
Feb 10, 2017•25 min
In this episode Liz Lumley, Managing Director of Thought Leadership at Rainmaking, says a woman approached her at one of their events recently and said, “I’m here because I get told all the time: You need to work with startups, and then no one tells me how.” The Rainmaking Summit was designed to give people like her the tools they need to make innovation happen. Straight talk. No bullshit. We sit down with key participants in London to get the lowdown. “We need to move from ROI to R&D,” says...
Feb 08, 2017•58 min
In this episode How do I change my culture? And what the hell happens to all those bank fines?! Our guest Richard Peers, Director of Financial Services at Microsoft ( @Peerster ), joins us to discuss these hot issues as part of our weekly roundup of FinTech Insider News. Digital DNA is radically different from legacy culture, and that needs to change, Richard says. To make digital transformation happen, technology is not enough. You have to have the right culture. It’s hearts and minds and empow...
Feb 06, 2017•1 hr 3 min
In this episode Is PFM dead? Invisible? Or has Personal Financial Management evolved from data-driven piecharts to something more useful? Joining us for today’s deep dive on PFM and Digital Money Management are: Frankie Woodhead, Director of Commercial & Channels at Barclays @FTWoodhead Victor Trokoudes, Founder of Plum, the first Facebook bot for automated savings @vmtrok Pau Velando, GM at Strands Finance @Pau4ir “For us, it’s about taking information, and transforming that information to ...
Feb 01, 2017•58 min
In this episode News, glorious news! We’ve switched up the format of the show in season 2. Every Monday, we’ll bring you FinTech Insider News, a show dedicated exclusively to the latest FinTech and financial services headlines. Wednesday features FinTech Insider Insights, where we’ll continue to bring on experts to discuss digital banking, new business models, APIs, and all the other areas that matter to our industry. And on Fridays, with FinTech Insider Interviews, we’ll continue to share the i...
Jan 30, 2017•1 hr 16 min
In this episode Tandem CEO Ricky Knox says banking should feel effortless, as easy as listening to Spotify. He shares how Tandem is building this kind of digital bank, and how his previous startups, including Small World Financial Services and Azimo, led him to where he is today. Tandem is the second digital bank in the UK to get its banking license, and recently received a £35 million investment from House of Fraser. “We really want to build banking as a service, or banking as a solution, in th...
Jan 27, 2017•45 min
In this episode Tandem Takeover! We talk to the team building ‘a new kind of bank’ about how you can be digital and still be very human, how to recruit at a startup, the future of banking, how to be truly agile, how to advocate for customers, and more. Guests Ricky Knox, CEO @rickykno Ruth Handcock, Chief Customer Officer @RuthHandcock Nick Perrett, Chief Product Officer “A good bank feels like a bank that actually has your back, that therefore is making decisions in your interest, much like you...
Jan 25, 2017•34 min
In this episode Lesley-Anne Vaughan, Director of MiLA Consulting and Co-Creator of M-PESA, talks to us about how she helped develop the famed mobile money transfer service in Kenya. M-Pesa lets customers use their phone to deposit and transfer money from one person to another without using a bank account. It works using a network of thousands of stores, where the cash agent network does debits and credits. “In 2007 we launched M-Pesa as a live service, but in 2005 the original product was microf...
Jan 20, 2017•29 min
In this episode What are APIs? We break it down in today’s episode with some great guests. But a little taste: All the connected apps you use on your phone talk via APIs to get their data. So when you check the weather, says David Andrzejek, the weather app on your phone makes an API call to a system to get the weather data. Lesley-Anne Vaughan says APIs are like ordering from a menu at a restaurant. You place your order from the menu, which is like an API call out to the kitchen (system). The f...
Jan 18, 2017•1 hr 15 min
