In this very special FCA Takeover Jason speaks to: Anna Wallace - Innovate Head of Department and Nick Cook - Head of Regtech & Advanced Analytics all about Project Innovate and future plans for the sandbox following Chris Woolard's announcement, interview and paper earlier in the week. (For more info on that, check out Ep 182 of Fintech Insider where Jason got the scoop). Next up he and Simon talk PSD2 and Open Banking with Graeme McLean - head of banking and lending policy; and Val Smith -...
Feb 16, 2018•48 min
Chris Woolard, Strategy and Competition Director, at the FCA speaks exclusively to Jason Bates about an announcement concerning their regulatory sandbox. Without giving the game away, they discuss the FCA;s latest paper about their future plans for the sandbox, how this will help companies and also take advantage of reg tech. Chris tells us about the success of the previous 4 cohorts of the sandbox to date, and what the future looks like. He explains what the Innovate department of the FCA does ...
Feb 14, 2018•24 min
In this week's news show Simon and Jason are joined by 11:FS NED Chris Skinner, Tanya Andreasyan, Editor at Banking Technology; Kristian Luoma - Head of OP Lab, in town from Helsinki for one night only and Cliff Evans, Head of Digital Banking at Capgemini, to take on the week’s top stories. This week they look at the monumental shifts in both global stock exchanges and crypto markets - what has been going on, can it bounce back and should we be worried?; the US take on Open Banking - what can th...
Feb 12, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Simon Taylor chats to Mike Kelly, CEO and founder of Curl, a new payment network, designed around merchants and consumers. It works via usernames and bank transfers, and is built around Open Banking, and the opportunities that's developed in the market. Simon and Mike dig into what makes the Curl payment network stand out, what the rationale is behind the usernames, and the opportunities available with the arrival of Open Banking. They talk about Curl business model, how it helps both consumers ...
Feb 08, 2018•33 min
Simon Taylor speaks to Scott O'Malia, CEO of ISDA, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. Kicking off: what IS ISDA? Why is standardisation so important? How do companies work with ISDA? Scott tells us all. He also tells us about his unique background and career, from a front row seat to the financial crisis to regulating for the future to avoid future crises. We hope you enjoy the show - spread the word, tell your friends and don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. If you wan...
Feb 07, 2018•28 min
In today's show the team take on: whether Brexit really is more of an opportunity than a threat to fintech, as the MP involved seems to believe, your weekly dose of Open Banking insight, plus special mention of Credit Ladder's new use case for open banking, and the stepping down of Anthony Thomson, Chairman of Atom Bank. They also discuss the Gaurdian's story that 7 in 10 UK workers are “chronically broke”, and why that could be and are people just missing opportunities to save? Opinions are div...
Feb 05, 2018•59 min
Mental health affect us all, not least when we have financial difficulties or worries. Time to Talk Day opens up the conversation around mental health and removes the taboo, asking all of us to be more open about our mental health. Simon Taylor chaired a panel discussing how financial services can be more astute about mental health and how they can improve the relationship between their products, customers and mental health challenges. We invited along subject matter expert James Routledge from ...
Feb 02, 2018•34 min
Coming to you from Kabbage offices in Atlanta, where Sam and our wonderful guests delve deep into the Fintech hub over some beverages. San Francisco has Silicon Valley and Atlanta is has 'Transaction Valley'- but why? Well 70% of payment transactions come through a company listed in Atlanta. If there's someone in fintech in the payment space, they're either in Atlanta or have something to do with the area- safe to say Atlanta really does live and breathe payments. The team also talk about fintec...
Jan 31, 2018•59 min
Our show begins by discussing why Fintechs and Banks are duelling for talent, as financial technology startups go in hiring overdrive- thus butting heads with the incumbents for the very best candidates. Are banks worried about losing out on top rate talent? Next we explore some pretty damning stats, as the U.S. big four retail banks dealt with almost 20% increase in credit card losses last year. Financial crash anybody? The team get their bear masks on and discuss how growing credit card debts ...
Jan 29, 2018•1 hr
Many financial services companies are trying to build from the ground up, creating new banking systems or products that are more in line with creating an efficient and customer centric front end. Avoka on the other hand, are creating acquisition products that work in tandem with core banking systems. Chief Experience Officer Derek Corcoran talks us through how Avoka are creating a platform for better customer experience. Indeed, opening current accounts and signing up for a credit card can be te...
Jan 26, 2018•30 min
So what is an investment platform? According to our panel it's much like a supermarket- you go in and buy lots of things, however you're also doing all the cooking! We discuss how robo advisors can disrupt investment platforms, by scaling the 'do it for you' investment model through technology, and how this interesting supermarket analogy gets altered due to it. We then move on to Millennial wealth and investment, exploring how newer generations don't have the benefit of buying property and seei...
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 8 min
David, Jason and Simon were joined by Chris Skinner and Monty Munford for this week's news show from a pub in Bermondsey, complete with pints and pie - the full British pub experience. We’re now past “deadline day” so naturally our first batch of stories concerned Open Banking and what the banking landscape looks like so far in the wake of PSD2 becoming law on 13th January. The guys chat about the impact the media has had on people's perception of open banking and potentially on customer adoptio...
Jan 22, 2018•1 hr 4 min
OakNorth isn't perhaps the most high profile Challenger bank in the UK, solving a real problem by serving the 'missing middle' who aren't being served well by existing lenders. Their business began by exploring how they can actually solve this issue, rather than how they could become a great bank- Rishi citing this particular outlook as one of the reasons OakNorth has seen success. Looking at OakNorth's social impact, their data shows that they've added about 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs through thei...
Jan 19, 2018•21 min
We bring you the second part of our special wealth series, as we concentrate on asset management trends and how 2018 will impact the investments market. First, our panel discuss how evolving demands from varying types of customer in the asset management industry are challenging legacy ideas. How does millennial inheritance impact their thinking? And do longer life spans require asset managers to explore different avenues to meet customer needs? Next we move on to discuss the value chain, more sp...
Jan 17, 2018•52 min
First up on today's news show, the FCA bans BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) across the the entire UK finance sector. Whilst regulation is on the tip of everyone's tongue, cryptocurrencies managed to sneak their way onto the show once more as Kodak launched KODAKcoin , boosting stock prices an outrageous 44%. From one major announcement to another, tech giant Tencent gets a licence to sell mutual funds to WeChat's 1 billion users in China. Moving on, TransferWise is quietly launching its "borderless...
Jan 15, 2018•1 hr 19 min
From pre-paid card to fully fledged Current Account, Tom Blomfield details the journey of UK challenger bank Monzo with great enthusiasm and vibrance. Tom talks our host Simon Taylor through Monzo's viral growth and how their marketing team has managed to grow the company 1000% in the last year alone, on a very limited budget. 'I don't think we're a million miles away from the mainstream' is a great quote and highlights the ambition of the challenger bank, as we discuss Monzo's roadmap for the f...
Jan 12, 2018•44 min
In the first of our three-part series on investments, Simon Taylor is joined by special guests Joe Parkin, Gemma Godfrey, Phil Smith, Olivia Vinden & Gareth Johnson. We kicked things off by asking our panel what IS wealth management? How does it differ from asset management and what does the future of the industry look like? Our guests have a wealth of experience (pun intended) in this industry, and tried to dissect the role of the wealth manager and how technological evolutions will transfo...
Jan 10, 2018•52 min
First up on today's show, Alibaba's Ant Financial has abandoned a $1.2bn takeover of MoneyGram . So what were the US regulator's concerns over national security and personal data. Continuing the regulatory theme, we explore open banking and traditional banking. The guys discuss why open banking might threaten the survival of traditional banks . Plus, new research suggests that consumer awareness of open banking is at a major low , amidst suggestions that in 2018 you'll pay through Amazon and Fac...
Jan 08, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Sam Maule is joined by Jason Bates and new 11:FS team member, Doug Bobenhouse in Chicago to discuss the State of the Union in the US, wrapping up 2017 and looking ahead to next year. They discuss the history of fintech, starting with pre-paid cards, and the slowness of movement by the big players in the US in particular to adapt and change. Jason talks through "platformification" and the ability to make fast changes by building new propositions on top of old systems, turning products into servic...
Jan 05, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Simon Taylor speaks to Eric Wilson, CEO at Xinja, who are building Australia's first digital bank. First off Eric introduces us to Xinja - what is it, how does it work and what makes it unique and of course we had to ask how they came up with the name Xinja and how it's pronounced (like ninja). We ask about Xinja's business model; how they make money, who their customers are and how they acquire them, and what their longterm goals are. Eric also tells us about Xinja's partnership with Equitise t...
Jan 01, 2018•23 min
Jason Bates meets Toby Triebel, CEO for Europe of Wealthsimple, a leading innovative software company. ] They discuss Toby's background, how he got into fintech and finance, and introduces us to Wealth Simple for those who might not know. They only started in September 2014 and have come a long way since then - $1bn (CAD) in AUM as of May 2017 - we ask how they scaled up so fast? They also discuss Wealthsimple's accomplishments being Canada’s first robo advisor in the space, and the challenges a...
Dec 29, 2017•23 min
Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings to all our listeners and thank you for your support over the last year as Fintech Insider has gone from strength to strength. As this episode airs on Christmas Day we thought we'd give the gift of the best bloopers from over the last year on the show, featuring David Brear, Jason Bates, Simon Taylor and guests. Enjoy! Thanks to all our guests over the last year, and thank you for listening. Spread the word, tell your friends and don't forget to leave us a r...
Dec 25, 2017•4 min
David, Nigel and Sarah visit Aviva's Digital Garage for InsurTech Insider's very first takeover show! Recorded from Aviva's offices, the team were joined by Claire Woodcock – Digital Strategy Lead for Digital Product and Design; Anna Stables – Digital Innovation Manager; Alex Allen – Senior Digital Innovation Manager and Colin Richardson – Co-Founder & Head of Marketing at Cocoon for a roundtable discussion of all things Aviva! We kick off with a run through of what Aviva does and in particu...
Dec 22, 2017•45 min
It's nearly the end of the year and we're knee-deep in good tidings. So here's a dollop of festive fintech cheer - the third installment of our special live show, After Dark, and it's the Christmas Special, recorded live at our offices in WeWork, London! Simon and the guys steer us through the top news stories from 2017 - and what a year it's been! - with help from an expert panel and an all-star cast. First up it's January (who knew?) and Nigel Walsh, Partner at Deloitte, helps talk us through ...
Dec 18, 2017•1 hr 4 min
This week, Sam's joined by Rahmi Serageldin, co-founder & CEO of Honeyfi; Rob Frohwein, CEO & co-founder of Kabbage; Matt Potere, CEO of Sunlight Financial; and Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke, Financial Services Partner and FinTech Practice Group Co-Leader at McGuireWoods LLP. First up, the guys talk about the South East - why's Charlotte become the go-to location for fintech and what makes it such a vibrant community hub? Alex tells us about the Carolina Fintech Hub - a non-profit group ...
Dec 15, 2017•56 min
First up this week, the guys tackle the news that Revolut is into crypto! Can they break down the divide between old and new money? And is it dangerous that retail investors have such simple access to cryptocurrencies? And, hot on the heels of Revolut, Square has been running a trial on Cash App, a rival to Venmo, that has allowed a small number of users to purchase bitcoin. Next up, the report on the overhaul of the core banking system. And, as we at 11:FS know only too well, what a task that i...
Dec 11, 2017•1 hr 11 min
This week Jason is joined by Edward Berks, Director of Banking, Fintech & Ecosystem at Xero; Clare Sheehan, Deputy Director of Making Tax Digital for Business at HMRC; Mags Laidlaw, accountant and Partner at Mazars; and Charlie Wood from Capco, representing the fintech angle. We discuss the changes that are coming for small businesses (SMBs), including the digitisation of tax. So how can SMBs keep up, and how can we raise the profile of the changes that are coming? We hear why the traditiona...
Dec 08, 2017•39 min
This week's very special show was recorded live at a beach party in Helsinki (no, really), hosted by Finnish bank, OP. Jason, Simon and Sam bring you three shows in one, as we host an insights panel around the relationships between fintechs and incumbents in Scandianavia, the rise of fintech in the Nordics in particular, why payments are the most popular segment for disruption, and the rise of cashlessness in the region. The panel is made up of Finnish fintech experts, Antti-Jussi Suominen, CEO ...
Dec 04, 2017•1 hr 8 min
David is joined by Sarah Kocianski and James York to discuss insurance as a platform. First up, James talks us through the Worry+Peace origin story, including his background in insurance, and why he strove to not take funding as the company found its feet. He also talks about why insurance is a slightly unique market, and why that warrants a different approach. The guys take on the topic of "insurance as a platform" (with air quotes) - a "trifle of potential platforms". What is it and why has it...
Dec 01, 2017•58 min
In this episode, Ali Paterson, Editor of Fintech Finance; Valentina Kristensen, Head of Marketing & PR at Oak North; & Tanya Andreasyan, Editor of Banking Technology join hosts David, Jason and Simon to discuss the last week's news including: Uber's data hack and alleged payoff to the hackers to delete the data; BBVA's iris scanner for mobile phone security which opens up a debate about biometrics and security overall; and as Garmin kick off contactless payments in their watches, it kick...
Nov 27, 2017•1 hr 4 min