Fintech5: Recent Episodes
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Fintech 5 is a glimpse behind the scenes with the game changers in money and technology. Where we talk to those who are struggling to overturn the status quo, making real change. Jason Henrichs gets a quick 5 minutes with guests, and wastes no time trying to probe what drives and influences industry leaders.
In the age of innovation, it is now more important than ever to find technology solutions at every financial level. David Reiling, CEO of Sunrise Bank, explains how they built a strategy on inclusivity and underserved populations,
Michelle Tinsley isn't so ready to kiss the bank branch goodbye. As an expert in retail digital transformation, she thinks that the personal will become more valuable, not less, as technology continues to become an greater part of our environments.
YOU'VE BEEN HACKED. Three words no financial institution wants to hear. Financial losses that might not be covered depending on whose at fault. Answering to angry customers and regulators. How do you guarantee that it won't happen again. -
Jake Tyler wants you to control your money with the ease that you ask Alexa for the weather or Siri for the best ramen in town. He and his partners have built Finn.ai. Think Siri, or Google, but for banking. - So, why not use Siri or Google?
Michael Diamond, SVP and GM of Payments at Mitek Systems, wants you to know he is from Wisconsin. He is not some soft beach dweller. And that background has given him the resilience, grit, and character to close deals in Silicon Valley. -
There is nothing like being stuck in a foreign country without your wallet to make mobile payments vividly imperative. - Elise Moussa founded Snapay to solve the problem of in store mobile payments. To do that,
The only constant is change. And the only sure thing is disruption. Which is why Mike Laven doesn't think of it as disruptive at all, but as part of the natural evolution of the world, constantly making things work faster.
Fintech- The new tech that is being developed to enhance financial services. Sandhog: member of elite team of tunnel and foundation builders who make it so we can travel swiftly and safely on bridges and tunnels. -
Noah Breslow has spent a decade in the fintech trenches and if you ask him about disruption, he rolls his eyes. He is really over the term disruptive. He thinks that is just a synonym for life. But it doesn't change the fact that he has been part o...
Travis Dulaney is a payments guru. Founder and CEO/CTO of Push Payments, he has over 20 years of experience working in payments and has been on the forefront of the digitalization of money. His list of professional accomplishments include serving on ...
Dominic Venturo, the Chief Innovation Officer at U.S. Bank, is one of those industry legends who floats under the radar somehow. Those of us in the industry consider him to be one of the best in the business,
I finally met someone who can explain "cognitive banking" to me! Devika Thapar, IBM Watson's Chief of Staff for Financial Services, is one of those rare techies who can explain deep AI concepts in simple English, or Hindi for that matter. We lift up the curtain a bit on Watson and where IBM is headed with their industry solution.
I immediately hit it off with Stephen. We were introduced by Kim Hong from Trullio and we spent must of the interview cracking jokes and riffing off each other. Therefore, for this write-up, I'm going to continue giving Stephen a hard time. He is one of those younger, hip, good looking, in shape, well-dressed, successful founders you'd expect to find on the cover of a magazine. Well done Stephen.
And he's smart too. Damn it Stephen.
Ohad Samet describes himself this way on this Twitter profile: "One of the best Ohad Samets in the world." That one sentence pretty much sums up Ohad. He is funny as hell, smart as hell, sharp witted as hell,
Yes, Margaux Avedisian was profiled in the Wall Street Journal. Yes, she is a bitcoin comic. Yes, she is quite funny. But Margaux is also one sharp entrepreneur when it comes to cryptocurrency and the future of money. During the day she is the world's funniest EVP at Transform Group and can pretty much tell you anything you need to know about ICO's. Just ask her.
Richard leads a team of engineers and innovators looking at emerging technologies and their application across RBS. His current focus is on the application of distributed ledger technology including blockchain across RBS. Or as Richard puts it,
Bianca has done more in her brief time on the tech scene than most people have accomplished in a 30 year career. She's founded multiple companies stretching across multiple industries and has now fully grasped the impact biometrics can have on the que...
Chloé James is Group Media and PR Director and Editor of the Australian Retail Banker and Global Retail Banker for global business intelligence and digital media provider, RFi Group. She is also a presenter on Sky News Australia. What makes Chloé stand out in my opinion is the authenticness of her love of tech and its potential impact on improving consumers' financial lives.
There are several reasons I'm friends with Dion. 1) He's smart as hell; 2) he heads up fintech for CapGemni so we basically have the same job; 3) he has less hair than I do; and 4) he is a huge Arsenal football fan. What more could you ask for in a friend?
At this point Fidor Bank is a fintech dinosaur, which is actually a compliment. Matthias Kröner, the CEO of Fidor, founded the bank in Germany back in 2009. Many of the current concepts and themes of "Neo" and "Challenger" banks have their roots in the Fidor ethos. Matthias has, and continues to be a true revolutionary when it comes to banking and fintech solutions. I loved interviewing him.
This one is simple. If you have any interest in marketing and/or insurance, then you should be following Danielle Guzman. Danielle the global solutions marketing leader for Mercer. She has over 20 years of experience as an insurance marketer and is quickly becoming one of the top voices in the space. She was recently ranked #2 in the InsTech Power 100 leader board and #5 in the Women in Finance 100.
Jennifer Tescher is the founder, president and CEO of the Center for Financial Services Innovation. That's CFSI. Not CSFI as I, in my perpetual ADHD state, consistently call it. Call it whatever you want, what really matters is the influence the organization and Jennifer has had over the past fifteen years or so. There are few organizations and CEOs as dedicated to improving the financial health of consumers as Jennifer and CFSI.
"We were fintech before there was fintech!" I hear this claim all the time and it usually is BS. Not so with Steve McLaughlin, the founder of FT Partners. Steve left a successful career at Goldman Sachs, where he led what today would be called an internal fintech team, and started FT Partners back in 2002. For the past decade and a half FT Partners, an investment banking firm focused exclusively on the financial technology sector, has been recognized as one of the top firms to partner with.
I'm not sure what's left for Gemma to accomplish in her career. She is a successful company founder (her company Moola just launched as we were doing the interview), has a new show on "Eat, Shop, Save" on ITV, has been an advisor to Arnold Schwarzenegger on The New Celebrity Apprentice, has a degree in quantum physics, and the list goes on and on.
And she was a lot of fun to interview. A true renaissance woman.
I first learned about Monese, the company founded by serial entrepreneur Norris Koppel in an article profiling the company and Norris in TechCrunch back in 2016. I immediately reached out to Norris and invited him as a guest on the Breaking Banks p...
I first learned about Monese, the company founded by serial entrepreneur Norris Koppel in an article profiling the company and Norris in TechCrunch back in 2016. I immediately reached out to Norris and invited him as a guest on the Breaking Banks podcast. I love everything about the company, especially because I lived through the experience of attempting to setup my financial life when I was an expat in the UK back in 2006. It ain't easy folks...
I love Dave. Seriously, I absolutely love this man. Why, you may ask? Because he is one of the funniest, brightest, sarcastic, dry-witted, and pleasant people I know. Probably most important, Dave is able to hold my attention when he presents on topics as complicated as distributed ledgers by explaining the impact of sensors and distributed ledgers with respect to one's undergarments. Seriously, he's done that.
Oh yeah, Dave's also the Director of Innovation for Consultant Hyperion.
Conny's been involved in payments, insurance, and marketing for over 25 years. She has run startups such as Clear2Pay, which ultimately was acquired by FIS where she is currently VP Global Payments Marketing. Conny has also organized multiple conferences and is an outspoken supporter of women in technology.
Bryan Claggett is the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Collaboration Officer (great title) at Geezeo, a successful U.S. banking PFM solution company. He is a highly respected SME when it comes to fintech and marketing/communication.
But more importantly, Bryan is the funniest man I know if fintech (sorry Ron Shevlin, you run a close second). Bryan's posts across all social media channels continue to crack me up on a daily basis. He is the master of the Instagram post and proves you don't need words to be funny.
I've been friends with Katryna "digitally" now for several years. Few have her passion when it comes to an individual's digital identity and the challenges facing us in the digital age. Katryna has focused this particular passion into Meeco, the company she founded in 2012.
This isn't the first time I've interviewed Katryna either. During our interview for the www.femtechleaders.com series she stood under an umbrella in the driving London rain and wind; and despite these conditions she spoke with me for almost thirty minutes. Told you; her passion for digital identity shines through.
I'm a big fan of Azimo, the international remittance company founded by Michael. I've been to their office in north London (in Islington, not from from my favorite football club in the world), have already interviewed his company partner Marta Krupinska for FinTech5, and they even partnered with Arsenal legend Kanu as a spokesman for their company. What isn't there to love about Azimo?
Michael & Marta with Arsenal Invincible legend Kanu.
Ever questioned why one of the biggest global banks would choose a 30 year bank veteran to be the CEO of their internal fintech program? That's exactly what Citi did when they selected Yolande Piazza to take over the Citi FinTech CEO role after Heather Cox moved on to USAA. It's so easy to knock this choice - but let me caution you on being quick to judge. Take a few minutes to listen to and get to know Yolande Piazza and you'll agree with me; she's the perfect fit.
This was one of my favorite interviews so far, mainly due to Yo's (her friends call her Yo) transparency and honesty about attempting to be an internal disruptor at a global bank. It ain't easy folks, but my money's on Yo.
Mike's a bit of an under achiever when it comes to being an entrepreneur (yes, this is sarcasm). He's founded seven (7!!) companies, three of which had a successful exit and one with an IPO. Very few people fall into this category which probably ex...
Ever get a little bit tired of all the hype, buzzwords, egos, etc. that come with the fintech territory? My cure - spend five minutes chatting with Susanne Chishti. Her energy and passion for the space will jump start your own enthusiasm for digital disruption (I had to throw in a buzzword phrase).
Susanne's career covers the full gamut of financial services. She's been a highly successful consultant, banker, angel investor, author... take your pick. Her latest ventures, FinTech Circle and the FinTech Book, are both worth an afternoon of browsing.
Oliver Bussmann earned his stripes when it comes to financial services innovation. He has a long career in banking and technology leading digital and innovation transformation projects as Group CIO at UBS; and leadership roles Allianz, Deutsche Bank, and IBM.
Oliver is recognized globally as a fintech influencer and thought leader. His blog on the Bussmann Advisory site and frequent posts on LinkedIn and other media outlets are a must read for those interested in the financial services industry.
I'm always interested in the career arc of folks in the fintech space. Natasha's story is a great example of how much the financial services space is changing. If you would have asked Natasha what she'd be doing for a career when she was young she would have said "Musician". Banker or technologist would have never, ever come to mind for her.
Fast forward a decade or so and Natasha is a highly recognized and respected digital banking innovator for Hellenic Bank. As Robert Frost said "she took the path less traveled".
Laurent Nizri is the founder and CEO of Altéir Consulting, created just after he helped launch Zebank in 1999, the first big internet bank in Europe. For the last 15 years, Alteir and Laurent have worked on projects and advised organizations of all sizes across the payment & digital finance industry. He is a recognized digital/mobile payments, digital/mobile banking, digital/mobile commerce & Fintech expert with a focus on strategy, business development, & innovation. He also founded the Paris FinTech Forum, one of the fastest growing conferences over the past few years.
Ask Céline anything on any topic and you'll get one damn passionate answer. That's what we in the fintech industry love so much about this serial entrepreneur. I've lost count of the number of companies she has founded but I do know each of them was based on a real life issue she was facing while disrupting the financial services industry.
And you can just call her Céline. Kinda like Bono or Madonna. She is one of the fintech rockstars after all.
Faisal and I first met in Istanbul at a payments conference in 2014. We immediately hit it off thanks to our love of innovation, everything payments, and the impact technology on the banking industry. One thing I really appreciate about Faisal is the vast amount of content he is able to produce. He is active across social networks, whether it be Quora, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. or his participation with one of my favorite podcasts Around the Coin. I consistently look to Faisal as a information resource when it comes to financial services.
Roberta Profeta goes by Robbie to her friends. This pretty much includes everybody involved in the London FinTech scene. Talk to just about anyone in Canary Wharf and they'll have a story about Robbie. She is an active mentor and also a strong voice for women in tech.
She also recommended The Machine Stops as a great read. My copy of the book is on order.
I love it when a company founder consistently blogs. Brad Feld, the tech founder legend, has been doing this for decades. Likewise, so has Ben Milne. Reading someones thoughts and insights, especially around creating, pivoting, and running a FinTech company is better than any reality show on TV.
Ben founded Dwolla way back in December of 2009. That's the equivalent of 50 years in FinTech time. He is a sought after speaker on the FI circuit and a respected thought leader in the space.
His wife Jami is also a talented powerhouse. She is an accomplished photographer who is well know for her work in Des Moines' art scene.
There's a lot of "click-bait" when it comes to FinTech and media. This is expected when an industry is all the buzz; however, it can be extremely annoying at times when you expect more research and subject matter expertise from the authors of many of these articles. Luckily that isn't the case whatsoever with Tanaya. She consistently does her homework when researching a topic and this is evident throughout her writing at media companies such as CoinDesk, American Banker, and now TearSheet. Tanaya's also been a strong advocate and voice for women in the tech scene.
And she can seriously ice-skate. Seriously.
Luxembourg is serious about fintech. Just ask Nasir Zubairi the CEO of Luxembourg's first incubator LHoFT. The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) is Luxembourg’s dedicated FinTech platform where finance and technology interact to shape the future of finance. And Nasir is the perfect choice to head up such an endeavor. He has had a long career in the financial services space in just about every leadership role imaginable.
You can learn more about LHoFT and Nasir on their website.
I had the opportunity to first interview Michelle last year for the FemTechLeaders series (her full interview is posted below). It was intriguing to learn how Michelle's love for writing shaped her career as a journalist and how her background as a journalist shaped her career as a mobile payments thought leader. Michelle now is the Global Head of Digital Consumer Research for Euromonitor and she also is a contributing author for Forbes where she focuses on the impact of digital and mobile on payments and banking.
http://www.femtechleaders.com/north-america/michelle-evans-maclachlan/
The term "thought leader" is handed out a bit too easily these days, especially when it comes to FinTech. That said, Chris Skinner is without a doubt one of the top two or three thought leaders in financial services today.
"The Humble Hustler" - we didn't come up with that title; Ramona did. You'll be hard pressed to find a more active and inspiring company founder than Ramona. She has been a corporate securities attorney, founded a consulting firm,
I first met Daniel at Finovate in NYC back in 2016. I was immediately taken by two things when we spoke: 1) Daniel is one of the rare breed of founders who is incredibly intelligent but can also describe his product simply and succinctly; and 2) He...
Where is the FinTech capital of the world? Most would agree the top two cities that vie for this title are London and New York City. Maria is in the interesting position of living in NYC while representing the UK government. She is Vice Consul,
James Moed is a highly sought after speaker, thought leader, and consultant when it comes to service design. I first saw James present on experience design in Barcelona at a Next Money conference a few years back. I remember thinking "Man,
I had the chat to interview Emma in London while we were both at a payments conference next to Tower Bridge. We hid away in a hotel employee only hallway to escape the noise of the conference. The looks of confusion we received from hotel staff; me...
Alessandro Hatami - his name alone tells a wonderful story. Part Italian (a true Roman) and part Iranian, Alessandro is both both the nicest and most well dressed man I know in FinTech. He is the classic networker and matchmaker for companies which is perfect for his role at The Pacemakers. He is also one of the most active mentors for startups I know in the fintech space.
Take five minutes to talk financial services with Kathleen and you to will become enthusiastic about improving the financial lives of your customer. Kathleen Pierce-Gilmore, or KPG to her friends, is exactly what one would want in a customer advocate....
If you haven't heard of 11:FS, the consultancy / media group founded by David Brear, then you simply aren't paying attention. David has assembled a remarkable and talented team for the new company including Simon Taylor and Jason Bates based out of Le...
Sting once had a hit song titled "An Englishman in New York". Liz is an "American in London". And, unlike many Yanks, I'm sure her fellow Londoner's are thankful for her presence. Liz is the Managing Director at Rainmaking.
Best selling author, world class speaker, successful entrepreneur, top rated podcast and radio show host, futurist... we are running out of accolades to assign to Brett King. How about all around nice guy and good friend.
Best selling author, world class speaker, successful entrepreneur, top rated podcast and radio show host, futurist... we are running out of accolades to assign to Brett King. How about all around nice guy and good friend.
Anne could have easily chosen to take the well traveled path and continued her career as a top executive with any of the global banks. After all she has already served as the COO for Allied Irish Bank, the Head of Global Transactions Services for RBS...
Neal is the modern definition of a "renaissance man". He is the Chief Innovation Officer for DBS, the banked named Digital Bank of the Year for 2016 by Euromoney. Neal himself was recognized as the World's Most Disruptive Chief Innovation Offic...
One word truly describes Adizah - hustle. You will be hard pressed to find someone in the fintech community who is always "on" quite like Adizah. She began her career blogging about tech on Wordpress and was one the key catalysts for the growth of ...
One word truly describes Adizah - hustle. You will be hard pressed to find someone in the fintech community who is always "on" quite like Adizah. She began her career blogging about tech on Wordpress and was one the key catalysts for the growth of Le...
Creating a "FinTech Influencer List" is one of the riskiest moves you can make in the industry. Many complain about who is in the list and who isn't. That said, Jay's FinTech Influencers to Follow is one of the top ones globally and one I actuall...
Na'ama has an inherent love of community, food, and technology. Mix these three elements and you end up with Sourcery, the company she co-founded and is the CEO of. I asked Na'ama where she believes these three foundational elements came from and s...
Na'ama has an inherent love of community, food, and technology. Mix these three elements and you end up with Sourcery, the company she co-founded and is the CEO of. I asked Na'ama where she believes these three foundational elements came from and she...
No time for B.S., or cliche's, Ron Shevlin walks through life saying "WAIT A MINUTE? What are you really trying to sell me???" He is wise, he is funny, and he is the most honest man in banking. In other words, everything you need in a consultant and commentator in an arena that can feel too full of hype that needs to continually refocus on substance.
There's a lot of reasons I always enjoy chatting with April Rudin, founder of The Rudin Group. She is funny, bright, and incredibly knowledgeable with respect to marketing in the digital age. And, at least most important to me,
You know that really anal, detailed oriented (borderline OCD) friend you have that has the patience to read through and analyze every word and nuance of a white paper or article? Meet my good friend James Wester, Research Director,
You know that really anal, detailed oriented (borderline OCD) friend you have that has the patience to read through and analyze every word and nuance of a white paper or article? Meet my good friend James Wester, Research Director,
Duena Blomstrom is the antithesis of everything you think of when you imagine a banker. Talented, brash, and never shying away from controversy, she always goes right to the heart of the matter. She has created a platform for what she calls Emotiona...
One of the hottest topics in the financial services industry is "Open Banking". While it is true the barbarians are at the gates, the reality is the gatekeepers at the banks need to provide access past their walls and unfortunately,
Linda wears many hats at Citi FinTech, as someone with her experience and passion for the customer should. She is the Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director - Head of Growth for Citi's innovation team. Or, as she puts it,
The 'startup' Wise Banyan has received quite a few accolades from industry experts and the media this past year. All of it well deserving. The company's co-founders Vicki Zhou and Herbert Moore are the quintessential fintech founders.
I have the both the pleasure of working with and presenting with Lisa over the past few years. She simply rocks at both. Whether she is leading her Digital Experience team at NTT, lecturing at Rutgers, or singing in her band. -
Jim's just about seen it all throughout his career when it comes to financial services. He's witnessed the rise of the internet, mobile, and pure digital solutions when it comes to banking. And yet Jim remains grounded it facts when it comes to the i...
Jim's just about seen it all throughout his career when it comes to financial services. He's witnessed the rise of the internet, mobile, and pure digital solutions when it comes to banking. And yet Jim remains grounded it facts when it comes to the...
Anna has been writing about financial services since she joined Dow Jones back in 2012 when she moved to the UK from Rio de Janeiro. Her move to London at the beginning of the FinTech boom demonstrates her great timing (or great luck).
Anna has been writing about financial services since she joined Dow Jones back in 2012 when she moved to the UK from Rio de Janeiro. Her move to London at the beginning of the FinTech boom demonstrates her great timing (or great luck).
I've had the opportunity to speak with multiple start-up founders who have gone through the Startupbootcamp Accelerator Program. And every single one of them have stated this was, without a doubt, the best and most intense program they've ever been th...
I'm always interested in the back stories of the people I speak with in FinTech. What drives them, how did they get into the industry, who motivates them, etc.? I walked away from my interview with Fereshteh reflecting on my own focus and my actions ...
It’s ‘Nicols’, not ‘Nichols’. This is about the only thing most folks in the FinTech and banking space get wrong about JP Nicols, one of the co-founders of the FinTech Forge. JP is one of the most respected thought leaders and voices in the FinTech w...
Financial Services has become a convoluted space full of both well established players and new startups fighting for market share and customers. The difficulty is finding the signal through the noise. Thankfully we have folks like Devie Mohan to guid...
The term "influencer" is a hotly contested identifier in the fintech world these days. Not a day goes by that a new "influencer" list is published for a given corner of the fintech ecosystem and the debate continues to grow on how one determines who s...
Sylvie Boucheron, the Head of Financial Institutions for ACI Payments, recently moved to Naples, Florida for her company. Just a little different from her native Marseille. The biggest cultural change for her?
You know those individuals you meet for the first time but it seems as if you've been friends forever? That describes Megan Caywood, the Chief Platform Officer for Starling Bank. We hit it off immediately due to our mutual love of APIs, London,
Sometimes your name is prophetic. This is exactly the situation with John Hope Bryant. He has exemplified the concept of 'hope' throughout his life and specifically with Operation Hope, his organization focused on financial literacy and dignity for a...
Brian Roemmele has a natural affinity for the audio realm - whether this be through his love of music or through his belief that voice would become the next operating system way before this was the "in thing".
“Where to start with Brian…” - I’m sure that’s a phrase his parents have used many times over the years. Brian Solis is a global standard bearer for the digital age. He is a successful company founder, a bestselling author,
“Where to start with Brian…” - I’m sure that’s a phrase his parents have used many times over the years. Brian Solis is a global standard bearer for the digital age. He is a successful company founder, a bestselling author,
"They have a big personality" is a phrase that 100% applies to Ghela Boskovich. You can also add a big heart, sharp intellect, caring friend... you get the point. Ghela is the ying-to-my-yang when it comes to the www.femtechleaders.
One my favorite activities at FinTech conferences is to sit through presentations and try to out smart-ass John Waupsh's posts on Twitter. I normally lose this battle by the way. John is the Chief Innovation Officer at Kasasa and is also the author...
What does it take to take launch a Neo Bank such as Fidor into new markets? It certainly helps to have a global citizen such as Sophie Guibaud. Sophie has lived in 5 different countries over the past decade or so, is fluent in 3 different languages,
"What's next?" is one of my personal favorite tag lines came from the character of President Bartlett in The West Wing. I imagine this thought is constantly running through the mind of Sebastien Meunier's from the consulting firm Chappuis Halder & Com...
One of the greatest challenges in business is to be both a thought leader and someone who can actually implement real change. Leda Glyptis fits into this narrow field. She is a self described digital dreamer; but is also a digital implementer who has...
You know that one person that everyone seems to know, that no one has anything bad to say about, and who seems to know something about every topic in a given field? This perfectly sums up my good friend Brad Leimer,
The first thing you realize in speaking with Marta Krupińska, the co-founder of the international remittance company Azimo, is her passion for her company and it's mission. The second thing you realize is she has, thankfully, no filter.
How many people do you know that have spent their entire professional career with one company and yet are considered a 'disruptor'? Meet Neff Hudson from USAA. Not only does Neff have the coolest name in banking,
Jane Barrat believes there is a smart investor in everyone, and those that invest build wealth. She also knows that investing can feel intimidating and overwhelming, especially for those that feel like they don't have the means to invest meaningfully...
Bright and sunny are two of the things that come to mind when you meet Kim Hong, the Head of Marketing at Trulioo. That is reflective of sunny San Diego where she grew up, but also reflective of the immigrant experience of her parents,