Kidbrooke Insights Podcast: Recent Episodes
Natalie Burke, Zaliia Gindullina
Publishing since 2022, Kidbrooke's Insights Podcast helps financial professionals to navigate the digital transformation of their businesses. Join Natalie and Zaliia as they discuss the most important challenges faced by the evolving industry, interview leading experts in the field and share valuable strategies and actionable tips on bringing financial services into the digital era. Learn more about Kidbrooke: https://kidbrooke.com/
In this episode of Kidbrooke Insights, we explore one of the most important shifts happening across the UAE and the wider Middle East: the transition from traditional end-of-service benefits (EOSB) toward modern, long-term group pension and savings solutions.
The UAE region is undergoing a pivotal reform moment. As employers move away from lump-sum gratuity payouts, insurers and financial institutions are now being asked to deliver sustainable, flexible retirement solutions that support long-term financial wellbeing, for both expat and local employees.
To unpack the opportunities and challenges ahead, Natalie Burke is joined by two industry experts:
- Adil Saghir, Head of Savings & Pensions at HAYAH Insurance
- Erik Brodin, Product Expert at Kidbrooke
Together, they break down what’s happening across group pensions in the UAE, from the impact of the EOSB reform to how digital tools and financial wellness initiatives are shaping engagement. They also share real lessons from the field, along with how technology and analytics are helping insurers bring new solutions to market faster.
Whether you're an insurer, group benefits provider, policy maker, or HR leader, this episode offers practical insights into how the UAE’s pension landscape is evolving, and also what will distinguish the market leaders over the next 3–5 years.
Resources & Links:
To learn more about Kidbrooke, visit: https://kidbrooke.com
To learn more about Hayah Insurance, visit: https://hayah.com
Blog references: Life by Kidbrooke: The Employee Benefits Platform for a Post-Gratuity World - Kidbrooke Blog
Research Spotlight: The Digital Future of UAE Group Pensions After the End of Service Gratuity Reform - Kidbrooke Blog
For inquiries: info@kidbrooke.com
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In this episode of Kidbrooke’s Insights Podcast, host Natalie Burke sits down with CEO Fredrik Davéus to explore Kate by Kidbrooke®, a GenAI-powered solution designed to support financial institutions beyond the chatbot hype.
They unpack:
- The story behind Kate and why it was built
- How Kate combines generative AI with deterministic financial models for reliable automation
- Use cases across compliance, client engagement, and advisor efficiency
- What sets Kate apart in transparency, auditability, and back-office transformation
- The realities of AI adoption in finance today, plus what’s on the horizon
Whether you're an innovator, advisor, or tech leader in financial services, this conversation is brimming with insights on the future of AI-powered decision support.
📘 Related case studies discussed/articles:
Beyond Automation: AI in Financial Advice That Works With, Not Instead of, Your Advisors – Kidbrooke
Smarter AI Customer Support for Financial Services – Kidbrooke
Introducing Kate – Intelligent Financial Conversations Powered by KidbrookeONE – Kidbrooke
We're back in action for episode 17 of the Kidbrooke Insights Podcast! 😊
Join Natalie and Zaliia as they unpack the key trends shaping the financial industry in 2025.
Starting with the ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly between the US and China, driving global uncertainty and economic volatility. We explore the significant demographic changes; creating a higher demand for retirement planning, as well as emerging markets facing challenges around employment and financial inclusion.
The conversation turns to AI’s growing role in wealth management, highlighting how generative AI and large language models (LLMs) are transforming client interactions through personalised, intuitive digital experiences. We look at the importance of structured financial models to ensure reliability, mitigate risks, and maintain client trust.
Lastly, Natalie and Zaliia unpack Gen Z’s investment habits, their expectation for authenticity, digital-first experiences and the rising trend of “finfluencers”. We discuss the growing emphasis on transparency, especially for investors prioritising authentic ESG commitments.
Tune in as Natalie and Zaliia discuss these fascinating shifts shaping the future of the financial industry.
Links:
https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2024/11/18/the-three-forces-that-will-shape-2025
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2024/10/21/wealth-management-trends-to-watch-in-2025/
https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/dependency-and-depopulation-confronting-the-consequences-of-a-new-demographic-reality
https://kidbrooke.com/2024/12/12/navigating-the-promise-and-perils-of-generative-ai-in-wealth-management/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kolawolesamueladebayo/2025/01/20/experts-predict-the-bubble-may-burst-for-ai-in-2025/
https://www.thetimes.com/article/5614dab0-5632-11e9-a8f5-a9ee11ff7e6d
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/06/21/how-esg-became-part-of-americas-culture-wars
https://kidbrooke.com/2024/09/20/fund-information-review-2024-sweden/
https://www.ey.com/en_pk/newsroom/2024/12/investors-shun-long-term-esg-rewards-in-quest-for-short-term-gains
In our latest episode, Edvard Sjögren, Head of Quantitative Analytics at Kidbrooke, dives into the emerging field of sustainability reporting and analytics. Learn how Kidbrooke is integrating ESG considerations into financial decision-making, helping clients to navigate the complexities of sustainability reporting and strategic planning.
Key Topics include:
- Data Management and Reporting: Understanding the impact of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its challenges.
- Economic Scenarios with Climate Scenarios: Progress and areas for improvement in managing and integrating sustainability data.
- Portfolio Analytics and Sustainability Profiling: How to enable your clients to determine their customers’ attitudes to sustainability, and how Kidbrooke’s solutions aid companies in aligning with EU Taxonomy and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
- The Future of Sustainability in Economic Analysis: Balancing engagement and value in financial services.
- Real-Life Applications: Successful implementation stories of Kidbrooke’s analytics suite.
This episode is packed with insights on how advanced analytics and sustainability data can revolutionise financial services, ensuring transparency, accountability, and strategic alignment with environmental goals.
Links:
Episde 7: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Cj7ALWEovzK5iyTTZDWHW?si=aafcc2bea4b84dd4
EIOPA document referred to: https://www.eiopa.europa.eu/document/download/5af50854-02d9-4f74-b4fa-f0a1edea2a3e_en?filename=Guidance%20on%20the%20integration%20of%20customers%27%20sustainability%20preferences%20under%20IDD.pdf)
For this episode we tuned in to a recent webinar we hosted interviewing our CEO, Fredrik Daveus, as he discussed the transition from conventional Excel-based analytics to unified analytical platforms within the financial industry. We dived into the lifecycle of analytical needs within financial institutions, highlighting the journey from Excel-based solutions for problem-solving to the critical point where these solutions become both a vital asset but also a potential risk due to operational vulnerabilities, critical person dependence and inherent limitations of spreadsheets.
Discover how KidbrookeONE, our comprehensive analytical platform, improves financial data management and analysis processes, offering a more scalable and efficient solution. Learn how KidbrookeONE's versatile APIs can elevate your financial institution's approach to analytics in different stages of data readiness, ensuring consistency and reducing the risks associated with manual Excel models.
We hope you enjoy the listen and, if you did, please do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter via Kidbrooke.com and follow us on LinkedIn or any of our other social media channels to stay updated.
For this episode we're thrilled to have Fredrik Daveus, CEO of Kidbrooke, delve into the pivotal role of market data aggregation and investment product universe management in the digitalisation of financial institutions.
In This Episode:
- We explore the strategic development of larger financial institutions within the digital transformation landscape.
- We uncover how Kidbrooke’s clients are overcoming data challenges, enhancing investment decision-making, and meeting the dynamic needs of their operations and customers.
Whether you're a finance professional aiming to understand the nuances of digital transformation or simply interested in the future of financial technology, this podcast offers valuable insights into managing market data and your investment product universe effectively.
Links/Source material:
Podcast: Zooming in on Sustainability Reporting and its Role in Changing the Industry for the Better
Blog: A Step Towards Data Readiness: Improving Financial Data Aggregation
Dive into the world of asset management with Episode 13 of Kidbrooke's Insights Podcast!
Join expert guests, Hans Sterte, an experienced Swedish economist with an impressive track record in asset management, and our CEO Fredrik Daveus, as they explore the latest trends in the dynamic asset management field.
Discover the cutting-edge tools and methodologies used in the industry, how it adapts to the political and economic instability of the modern world, the evolution of ALM strategies and the ongoing transition to more modern solutions within the function.
We delve into managing risks, diversification strategies, and the impact of ESG reporting evolution on insurers and their asset management practices.
Grab your coffee and tune in now!
Links mentioned below:
Exploring ALM in Life Insurance: Strategy, Risks, and InnovationsZooming in on Sustainability Reporting and its Role in Changing the Industry for the Better
In this twelfth episode of Kidbrooke's Insights Podcast, Zaliia Gindullina, Head of Business Development, and marketing expert Natalie Burke welcome Celina Borg from Wellfish, a sustainability advisor based in Stockholm. The conversation dives deep into sustainability reporting's evolution, impact, and future trends in wealth and investment management.
They discuss the challenges of sustainability data in the past, elaborate on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and consider the significance of sustainability reporting in effecting tangible change in the business environment. The conversation evolves to encompass technology, specifically how Wellfish aids enterprises in automating sustainability reporting using financial reporting.
The dialogue continues on wealth and investment managers' approach to sustainability, incorporating factors into investment decisions, and adapting economic scenario generators to reflect climate change impact on economies.
Celina underscores collaborations with accounting firms, enhancing the value of Wellfish's deliverables, as well as the complexities of assessing sustainability performance, highlighting the challenges in balancing bottom-up and top-down analysis to prevent greenwashing.
The blend of experiences, insights, and future prospects in sustainability reporting showcases its growing significance in reshaping the wealth and investment management landscape.
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-report[…]ng/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
For this episode we thought you would really enjoy listening into a recent webinar collaboration we did with Goodacre UK, who are a leading specialist business and technology consultancy working exclusively with regulated companies and suppliers in the Financial Services sector.
The topic of this webinar is Democratising Financial Advice: How HAYAH Insurance Leverages Financial Analytics to Provide Personalized Service at Scale. HAYAH Insurance, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is among the UAE’s most dynamic insurance pioneers specialising in life and medical insurance and savings products.
Listen in as David Howard, Head of Strategy and Digital Transformation at HAYAH Insurance, Erik Brodin, Partner and Product expert at Kidbrooke and Stephen Pinner, Managing Director at Goodacre UK, delve into how HAYAH Insurance built their innovative financial planning journeys using Kidbrooke's cutting-edge financial simulation engine.
Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of building and running a digital-first investment guidance business, the role of financial simulation and forecasting in delivering a superior customer experience and why it is so critical to generating demand for financial services in the future.
Enjoy!
For our (small) milestone 10th episode, we delve into ways businesses can maintain customer engagement throughout their financial journeys.
Our conversation highlights the shift toward digital financial management and the incorporation of gamification to make investing more approachable. While gamification has gained traction, it has also sparked debates due to concerns about its impact on decision-making and risk assessment. We emphasize the importance of responsible engagement practices, discussing how gamification can strike a balance between enhancing financial literacy and potentially leading customers astray.
We also showcase the role of advanced analytics in creating personalized financial experiences, from pre-purchase engagement, where digital calculators and simulations help customers grasp the value of services; to post-purchase engagement, where ongoing support and tailored recommendations nurture long-term relationships.
For our ninth episode we are thrilled to have a new guest on the show, Lars Larsson, the head Kidbrooke’s® UK subsidiary – Kidbrooke Technologies.
In recent years the topic of artificial intelligence applications in the financial industry has gained momentum several times, so in today's podcast we thought it was time to delve into the potential implications of adopting general-purpose AI tools, such as ChatGPT, within the wealth management industry.
We explain the technology behind ChatGPT, the opportunities and concerns of using these types of technology, how it can improve the financial analytics space and also how we envision investment management firms using this technology today.
Links:
https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/42034/klarna-taps-chatgpt-for-shopping-recommendations
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomdavenport/2023/03/20/how-morgan-stanley-is-training-gpt-to-help-financial-advisors/amp/https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/42243/chatgpt-investment-fund-smashes-the-uks-te[…]funds?utm_medium=newsflash&utm_source=2023-5-2&member=121867
https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/42144/chatgpts-ai-privacy-concerns-the-subject-o[…]orce?utm_medium=newsflash&utm_source=2023-4-14&member=121867
https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/42233/generative-ai-governance-targeted-in-propo[…]ules?utm_medium=newsflash&utm_source=2023-4-28&member=121867
For our 8th episode we thought it would be great to listen into a recent webinar collaboration we did with Goodacre UK, who are a leading specialist business and technology consultancy working exclusively with regulated companies and suppliers in the Financial Services sector.
The topic of the webinar is ‘Digitalising Wealth Management: How to Build Omnichannel Customer Journeys'. There is an ongoing debate about physical, digital and hybrid business models in the wealth management industry but listen in as Stephen Pinner (Managing Director at Goodacre UK), Joakim Pettersson (Digital strategy and innovation lead at Skandia) and Fredrik Davéus (CEO at Kidbrooke) discuss the omnichannel approach, how this is different and why modern wealth managers strive to adopt it.
Discover first hand about the partnership between Kidbrooke and Skandia, how they manage risks and overcome challenges, the transformation results and finally the impact on customer relationships and engagement.
In our seventh episode, we are joined by Edvard Sjögren, our head of Quantitative Analytics at Kidbrooke®. We discuss another perspective on how much financial technology can help people to try to navigate the increased uncertainty of their economic lives. The wealth management industry is likely to undergo significant changes as a result of the ongoing crisis and technology is likely to play a major role in those changes. Edvard talks about how his team at Kidbrooke is responsible for developing and calibrating the financial simulation engine OutRank®, how the decision-making framework is more important than ever today and the business value of making the forecasts and simulations within financial journeys more realistic and accurate.
Despite volatile markets, rising interest rates, and a slowing economy, wealth management mergers and acquisitions set a record in the first half of 2022, with a whopping 119 deals, according to Fidelity Institutional. So, the wealth management industry doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This episode covers critical trends shaping the emerging sector in the last quarter of 2022. We talk about the enforcement of sanctions against Russia, the industry's efforts to combat greenwashing, human-centred design, low-code and no-code software, and the state of Fintech in the flagging economy.
Sources:
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Sanctions Climate for Foreign Investment in Russia - Part I of II
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Claims Against Russia in Investment Treaty Arbitration - Part II of II
Sanctions Tracker: New UK Sanctions Legislation, Sanctions Enforcement Updates and More
Enforcement of Russian Sanctions and Export Controls Is Coming
ESG Fund Bosses Hit by ‘Reckoning’ as Goldman, DWS in Crosshairs
Tougher Enforcement, Regulation on ESG Funds a “Wake-up Call” – Fixler
The Hybrid Wealth Business: Focus on Technology
The Wealth Management Market May Double by 2030
In a New World: Time for Wealth Management Firms to Shift Course
Is no-code technology the future of WealthTech?
The Impact of Digital-Only Banks on the Traditional Banking Industry
In our fifth episode, we are joined by Erik Brodin, our Technical Expert at Kidbrooke, an ex-McKinsey Data Science lead in the Nordic region, ex-Portfolio Manager and hedge fund quant in Fixed Income. We talk about the state of the economy today, as the world seemingly heads into a recession, and we are going to explore how much financial analytics can help people to try to navigate the increased uncertainty of their financial well-being.
This time we invite you to listen to the webinar hosted by Kidbrooke in cooperation with PIMFA, where Phillip Allen is joined by our CEO Fredrik Davéus and Joakim Pettersson, Digital Strategy and Innovation Lead at Skandia, as they go through their experience of turning a traditional, face-to-face wealth manager into an omnichannel, lean, and digitally empowered market leader. They discuss how Wealth Management firms can:
• Manage risks and overcome common challenges linked to updating an incumbent wealth business
• Follow a simple blueprint to achieve their digital ambitions and demonstrate significant improvements in customer engagement
• Learn how the application of financial analytics can help you shape frictionless, pedagogical, and visual customer experiences.
Enjoy!
There were several themes that dominated the agenda the past quarter. First of all, of course, is the ongoing war in Ukraine, which is the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War. We also touch upon the increased importance of data analytics in the wealth space and how this technology impacted the widespread digitalization efforts in the industry. Finally, we discuss the increasing interest of tech-savvy customers in the metaverse – and what it could imply for the wealth managers.
Today, we interview Fredrik Davéus, the CEO at Kidbrooke, who will share his experience of leading digital transformation in several prominent financial institutions in the Nordics and he will specifically focus on where one should start to navigate the change efficiently and reliably.
Welcome to the very first episode of Kidbrooke’s Insights Podcast, covering the most prominent trends and the latest technological advancements in the rapidly transforming wealth management industry. Join Zaliia Gindullina and Natalie Burke as they discuss the challenges and opportunities that await the WealthTech space in 2022.