Rudolf Falat's Blog

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Published on April 26, 2023 01:34

March 18, 2023

February summary!

Source: Unsplash

If you missed out on the Voice of FinTech podcast in February, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Charitable donations - do you know where your money goes? Chase Harmer, Director at Wishes, Inc. (USA)

Chase Harmer, Director at Wishes Inc., spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about digital transformation in charitable donations.

Here is what they discussed in more detail:

Chase's backstory

Charitable donations – why does the process need a digital upgrade?

Wishes to provide transparency and enhancing making connections of donors with causes

Scalability of Wishes solution

How can you benefit from credit card rewards for charitable donations?

Key clients and partners: individual donors, charities, retailers and credit card companies

Technology angle – a proprietary tech at the heart

Business model

What’s your favorite business book? Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great Book 2)

The best way to reach out: Chase Harmer

Digitalization of wealth management with Ryan George, CMO of Docupace (USA)

Ryan George, CMO of Docupace, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the digitalization of wealth management, wealth management and WealthTech trends and implications for wealth advisors.

Here is what they discussed in more detail:

Ryan - how did you get to what you do these days?

Wealth management in the US – what are the recent trends, and how do you see the outlook for this year?

What is Docupace – what is the problem you solve, and why is it worth solving?

What is your solution/services?

How do you differ from other solutions in this space?

Is your solution scalable?

Who are your key clients?

What’s your technology angle – is it proprietary tech or do you bundle various technologies together?

To recap, how do you see the future of financial advisory further down the line?

Favorite business book: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is a 2008 book by Dan Ariely, in which he challenges readers' assumptions about making decisions based on rational thought.

What’s the best way to reach out: Ryan George on LinkedIn or Docupace website

Innovation in private markets and wealth management with Efi Pylarinou (Switzerland)

Efi Pylarinou, a global FinTech influencer, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the digitalization of wealth management, wealth management and WealthTech trends and implications for wealth advisors.

Here is what they discussed:

Efi´s transformational journey

Rebranding of private markets - why is it needed?

What about risk, aren't private markets labelled as alternatives as they pose a higher risk to investors?

How do you see the future of asset management? Why do we still have active asset managers if, for years, we hear that they cannot beat the market and are not cost-effective?

Passive funds and robo-advisors – are robo-advisors a threat to ETFs?

What does customer centricity mean for large wealth and asset managers?

Do you see AI-driven insights as a major competitive capability in the future of wealth management?

How do you transform incumbents into data-driven, agile organisations without transition threatening their core business?

When is commission-free trading coming to Switzerland?

Outlook for crypto this year

The best way to reach out or get Efi´s content: https://linktr.ee/Efiglobal

Digital transformation with Marco Santos, CEO Americas at GFT Group (USA)

Marco Santos, CEO Americas at GFT Group spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about helping incumbents with their digital transformation efforts, namely transition to the cloud.

Here is what they covered:

Marco's background

How do you transform incumbents into data-driven, agile organizations without transition threatening their core business?

Banks care about their client data – how can you use the cloud, with servers often abroad, in banking?

Are banks more open to migration to the cloud now than, say five years ago?

What are the key pros and cons for incumbents considering moving to the cloud?

How can you switch cloud providers down the line?

How secure is using the cloud for a large bank?

How long does it take, and how do you de-risk migration to the cloud?

Favorite business book: Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail and others

The best way to reach out: Marco Santos on LinkedIn

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

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Published on March 18, 2023 08:26

January summary!

Source: Unsplash

If you missed out on the Voice of FinTech podcast in January, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Any business can be a FinTech with Joe Keeley, CEO and co-founder at JustiFi Technologies (USA)

Joe Keeley, CEO, and co-founder at JustiFi Technologies, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about founders making the most out of their business by adding a FinTech layer to their companies.

Here are the questions Joe answered:

Joe - how did you get to what you do these days?

How is the Embedded FinTech world evolving?

Where should founders start when considering adding a FinTech layer to their platform?

You are saying on your website that payment platforms take too much value from their customers, and you are different. How and why?

What’s your technology angle, or do you have more brilliant engineers than other players?

What is your solution/services?

Who are your key clients?

Many FinTech founders are young and haven’t experienced a recession yet. So how do you keep growing your business in a challenging economic environment?

What’s your favorite business book? Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

What’s the best way to reach out: website Justifi.ai or Joe's LinkedIn

Growing FinTech with modern Marketing tools with Shameer Sachdev, founder and MD at Growth Gorilla (UK)

Shameer Sachdev, founder and MD at Growth Gorilla, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about helping FinTechs grow, leveraging all modern Marketing techniques.

Here are the key questions for Shameer:

Shameer - how did you get to what you do these days?

Growth at any cost is behind us for a while. So how do you help FinTechs to grow profitably and sustainably?

What are your crucial takeaways from designing a growth strategy?

How can FinTechs create a robust marketing plan on a budget? Should FinTechs try to build a B2C brand, or are they better off going through the B2B route?

Does one still need a website to promote their business?

What are the best marketing tools to focus on? Digital marketing, SEO, PR?

What about social media? How do you drive conversion from likes to sales?

Who are your key clients? How do they differ?

What’s the best way to reach out: Shameer Sachdev (LinkedIn) or Growth Gorilla (website)

Bringing more ladies to VC investing and boardrooms with Karen Wendt & Carolina Newton from the Swiss FinTech Ladies

Founder of the Swiss FinTech Ladies (SFTL) association, Karen Wendt and board member Carolina Newton, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about how to bring ladies to invest more in FinTechs and be better represented in start-up boards. They also talked about many activities and initiatives of the SFTL to get there.

Here are the questions Karen and Caro answered:

How did you get to do what you do today?

What are the main issues on the FinTech scene in terms of diversity?

What are the reasons behind diversity issues?

What are potential ways to tackle them)?

SFTL - what is it, and how does it work?

What exciting events do you have in the pipeline for 2023?

Who are your target members?

Angel investing and women – tell us about your initiative.

Getting start-up board experience – why should you do it and how? What are the pitfalls?

What non-fiction book would you take with you on vacation? Capital in the Twenty-First Century and A Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty, Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, Emotional Currency: A Woman's Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Money by Kate Levinson and The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins

What's the best way to reach out and learn more about SFTL? Swiss FinTech Ladies (SFTL) website and LinkedIn: Karen Wendt and Carolina Newton

Diversity, inclusion and leadership in Financial services with Aicha Zerrouky from Headspring (UK)

Aicha Zerrouky, UK Corporate Partnerships Director at Headspring Executive Development, a joint venture of the Financial Times and IE Business School, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about diversity and inclusion in leadership education and training.

Aicha's non-linear journey to Headspring

What is Headspring? What is its mission?

Examples of some programs or projects: FinTech plus Santander, BBVA or Societe Generale.

Headspring offers many leadership programs – can you teach leadership, or one needs to be a natural-born leader?

What would be your most critical advice on leadership to founders who lead businesses growing from start-ups to scale-ups?

What about managing a business in a downturn?

Why is diversity and inclusion good for businesses and especially start-ups?

How does it impact the product development in FinTech you have been working with?

Favorite business book: The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

The best way to reach out: Headspring Executive Development on LinkedIn

Crypto and FinTech - regulatory perspectives with Janay Eyo, Director Financial Policy at Chamber of Progress (USA)

Janay Eyo, Director of Financial Policy at the Chamber of Progress spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the need for regulatory clarity for crypto and FinTech to achieve a fair playing field internationally and financial inclusion.

Here is what they covered:

Janay´s journey to financial policy

What is the Chamber of Progress? What is your mission?

How do your work with FinTechs?

How do you see the outlook for crypto this year?

What went wrong with the FTX?

How should tech and cryptocurrency leaders prepare for an ever-evolving policy landscape?

Where cryptocurrency fits into climate change policy and environmental concerns?

How do US policymakers view cryptos’ function – as a payment mechanism or a commodity?

Does tech anti-trust legislation could impact crypto?

Recommended further reading: Crypto For My People

The best way to reach out: Janay on Twitter or LinkedIn or the Chamber of Progress website

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

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Published on March 18, 2023 07:57

December 28, 2022

December summary!

Source: Unsplash

If you missed out on the Voice of FinTech podcast episodes Voice of FinTech podcast in December, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Tokenization of commercial real estate with ABC FinTech's CEO, Matt Andelman

Matt Andelman, CEO and co-founder of ABC FinTech, an investment platform for tokenized private assets based in Chicago, IL, United States, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the benefits of using tokens to invest in commercial real estate and other private assets.

Here is what they covered:

Matt's journey toward entrepreneurship - with focus on commercial real estate

What is ABC FinTech about?

Why should one invest in commercial real estate with the ABC FinTech platform, leveraging blockchain?

Is the current way of investing in commercial real estate not working?

How can one invest in commercial real estate without being an accredited investor

Who are ABC FinTech's key clients? Many companies these days talk about customer centricity. What does it mean for Matt

How does ABC FinTech make money? What is your business model?

What are plans for your business going forward, scaling ambitions?

Favorite sources to learn from on LinkedIn: Red Swan and its CEO, Ed Nwokedi, Dave Hendricks, CEO of Vertalo, a digital asset ecosystem and platform Akru, a blockchain-based platform for fractionalized real estate investing.

Check out ABC FinTech's Wefunder page

FinTech and e-commerce - investor perspective with David Yang from Activant Capital (USA)

David Yang, Partner at Activant Capital, a NY-based VC firm, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about e-commerce, FinTech, marketplaces trends and related investments.

David's backstory

Activant Capital's introduction

Key themes that Activant follows: e-commerce, FinTech, and marketplaces

US vs. Asia online commerce

Will the next generation of neobanks be more than newly-packaged legacy infrastructure but provide real opportunities to bring financial services to more people?

How to unbundle Amazon’s superpowers (1-click checkout, same-day shipping) and enable more merchants with this disruptive technology?

Investment success stories and investment approach

Check out David Yang's LinkedIn profile and Activant Capital website to find out more

Asia Pacific Series with Chia Jeng Yang 谢征阳: Building open banking in Southeast Asia with Jakob Rost, CEO of Ayoconnect (Indonesia)

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Series, hosted by Chia Jeng Yang, we speak to Jakob Rost, founder of Ayoconnect, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, about building the Open Banking infrastructure of Indonesia.

We focus on the following:

Building payments infrastructure in Southeast Asia

Succeeding as a Southeast Asia Founder in a regulated market

How Ayoconnect positions itself as the Plaid for Southeast Asia

SportsTech Special: Helping tennis players to get an edge using VR technology with Bob Tetiva, CEO of SenseArena and Yannick Yoshizawa, VP for tennis

Bob Tetiva, CEO of SenseArena, Prague, Czech Republic, headquartered Sportstech start-up, and Yannick Yoshizawa, VP for tennis, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about their VR training tool for tennis and ice-hockey and how it helps professionals and amateurs to get an additional edge.

Here is what they talked about:

Bob, Yannick – what are your backgrounds? How did you get to be at a juncture of sports and technology?

SenseArena started with VR tools for ice hockey and now tennis. What’s the problem you are solving?

How does it work? Is the focus on physical, technical, or mental improvement?

Many sports, including tennis, are increasingly competitive, and players are looking for an additional edge to boost their chances of success. Even though it’s an individual sport, tennis players now travel with teams, often including psychologists or mental coaches. How does your tool differ from what human coaches or team members can offer?

How do you differ from other analytical tools (racket sensors, video tracking)?

While digital transformation and VR or metaverse received a boost during the pandemic, wouldn’t you be afraid that enthusiasm for VR can fade as the restrictions are being relaxed and people can practice on the court?

Is your solution meant for professionals or amateurs, or both?

I understand that a US pro, Jennifer Brady, tried your tool and explained that it’s not a game. Conversely, could an amateur use it in a game like virtual tennis on Meta / Oculus?

VR headsets are getting better but are still quite heavy. How long can you train with Sense Arena’s tool?

Tennis coaches sometimes widely disagree about how their players should play – for example, Richard Williams advocated for an open stance with his daughter’s coaches. Can you customize your approach using your tool, or do you drive towards a single viewpoint?

The prize money has been steadily rising in tennis and endorsements. Still, even as prize money distribution has improved a little to benefit lower-ranked players, it’s a costly sport. What is your business model – how do you make money?

What is the best way to reach out and learn about SenseArena? Website: SenseArena, and LinkedIn: Bob Tetiva and Yannick Yoshizawa

Don't invest in art, invest in an artist with Marine Tanguy, CEO of MTArt Agency

Marine Tanguy, CEO of MTArt Agency, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about disrupting the way visual artists get discovered and represented so they get the best value for their efforts and talent.

Here is what they talked about in more detail:

Marine - how did you get to what you do these days?

You said in a recent interview in The Times that you believe “it’s a thousand times riskier’ being an artist than an entrepreneur.” Why?

Visual artists are traditionally discovered through agencies and art fairs and represented by agents. Why do you think the current process needs an upgrade?

What is MTArt Agency? How does it work?

What is your focus? What kind of art? Hint: traditional, modern, digital, special effects, and events?

How did you start and continue to grow to the current state?

What is your view on bringing visual arts to people’s homes, such as Netgear´s Meural Canvas?

How do you make money for the artists and yourself?

Favorite business book: The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building

Further reading about an artist represented by MTArt Agency here.

What’s the best way to reach out: Marine Tanguy (LinkedIn) or MTArt Agency (website)

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

How would the use of stablecoins fit into the traditional economy?

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Published on December 28, 2022 06:07

December 9, 2022

November summary!

Source: Unsplash

If you missed out on the Voice of FinTech podcast episodes Voice of FinTech podcast in November, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Making credit available to all with Michele Tucci, CSO and MD Americas at Credolab, USA

Michele Tucci, MD Americas and Chief Strategy Officer at credolab, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the importance of credit scoring and the need to improve credit assessment through alternative approaches.

Here is what they discussed:

Michele – what’s your background? How did you get to what you do today? Why join a start-up/scale-up?

The link between payments, credit score, and lending

Why do we need alternative credit scoring?

credolab's performance in predicting bad debt vs. traditional methods

Privacy and security and your credit score

Key clients

Technology angle

Plans for scaling up

High-level overview of the business model

The best way to reach out is mtucci@credolab.com or the credolab website.

Crypto strategy in payments with Jess Houlgrave from Checkout.com (UK)

Jess Houlgrave, Crypto Strategy and GTM Lead at Checkout.com, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the future of crypto in the payments space.

Here is what they covered in more detail:

Jess' background: from arts to Checkout.com

What’s the problem Checkout.com is solving? What’s Jess's focus as a Crypto strategist?

Will we pay with crypto more widely, or will most cryptocurrencies play the role of digital gold?

The current status quo of CBDCs from the perspective of end users (individuals)

Key clients for Checkout.com

Why Jess believes their solutions are better than competitors'

Crypto markets this year: why have we seen such a correlation with traditional public markets this year?

How would you judge the market temperature after you attended the Merge FinTech Nexus conference? Are we entering a crypto winter?

What’s your technology angle, or do you have more brilliant engineers than other players?

News and education sources: Blockworks. Ari Redbord, Lynn Alden and Ryan Selkis

Best way to reach out: Jess Houlgrave on Twitter or Checkout.com website

MENA Series with Dorra Mahbouli: Investing in Africa through a crowdfunding platform with the help of the African diaspora in France with Firas Rhaiem, co-founder & CEO of Relatic

In the second episode of the MENA (the Middle East & North Africa) Series, Dorra Mahbouli, VP of Corporate Strategy at Zitouna Finance, spoke to Firas Rhaeim, CEO and co-founder of Relatic, Tunisian Venture Builder, Fundraiser & Tech Enthusiast, about crowdfunding enabling the Tunisian and African economy and scaling start-ups in the region through Diaspora investments.

Here is what they talked about:
• Initially, Dorra started the conversation with some insights and background from Firas’s experiences and why building a bridge between Europe and Africa through crowdfunding can be a great opportunity fr startups in the region
• Among other topics, Dorra and Firas discussed the opportunities that Relatic platform: afrikwity.com is suggesting to start-ups, VCs, and corporate partners in Tunisia and abroad
• Firas argues that Diaspora is an essential enabler of the Tunisian economy and would play a big role for investing in other fields such as Medtech, fintech, edtech, to create jobs and opportunities for local talents
• Finally, they discussed the difference between the legal framework in France and Tunisia, what are the main challenges and concluded the conversation with some insights into the future of Relatic & afrikwity.com as a platform and how they would be scaling it for a sustainable impact on the region

Simplifying financial lives of SMBs with Philipp Povel and Malte Huffmann, co-founders of Mondu (Germany)

Philipp Povel and Malte Huffmann, co-founders of Mondu, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about serial entrepreneurship, the need to focus on sizable opportunity, and helping SMBs thrive.

Here is what they talked about:

Philipp and Malte – what are your backstories? How did you get to what you do today, and how did you get together?

What’s the problem you are solving at Mondu, and why is it worth solving? What’s your focus?

Some commentators have started saying that FinTechs have gone too far with unbundling and Finance has become too complicated for no good reason. How do you see the pendulum? Have we gone too far? See FT article here: https://on.ft.com/3yzm2AR

What is your solution/services?

Why focus on B2B clients?

Why B2B BNPL is different from B2C?

Are B2B marketplaces maturing from nice to have to mainstream?

Many FinTech founders are young and haven’t experienced a recession yet. How do you keep on growing your business in a downturn?

What’s your technology angle, or do you have more brilliant engineers than other players?

Your favorite business books? Good to Great, Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great, Measure What Matters: OKRs: The Simple Idea that Drives 10x Growth, Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World

The best way to reach out: philipp@mondu.ai or malte@mondu.ai, or LinkedIn

Serial entrepreneurs investing in start-ups with Karl Alomar, Managing Partner at M13 (USA)

Karl Alomar, the Managing Partner at M13, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the value add that serial entrepreneurs turned investors provide to their portfolio companies.

Here is what they talked about:

Karl's entrepreneurial journey and then investing

M13's profile

M13's investment track record

M13's investment approach

Best tips for aspiring founders to start and grow their companies

Where are we regarding start-up and FinTech valuations, given the macro environment turning for the worse?

Success stories of the start-ups for which you raised funds

Deal sourcing tips

Appeal to inspiring entrepreneurs to learn more about M13 - Karl Alomar on LinkedIn

Insurance as an alternative to rental deposits with Meeri Savolainen, co-founder of INZMO

Meeri Savolainen, the CEO, and co-founder of INZMO, Berlin-headquartered InsurTech, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about creative solutions for tenants being asked to pay a rental deposit and house contents insurance which is not only easy when a client is being onboarded, but also when they make a claim.

Here is what they covered:

Meeri's background - why become an entrepreneur in InsurTech?

Inzmo and a previous foray into insurance with Bike ID – why pivot?

What is INZMO, and what problems are you solving?

Why is there much demand for InsurTechs’solutions – i.e., why are traditional insurance offerings losing traction with millennials /gen Z?

Who are your key clients? Many companies these days talk about customer centricity. What does it mean for you?

Where are you based? How does the Berlin startup scene compare to that of Tallinn?

How do you make money? What is your business model?

2022 has been a tough year, and many countries face a cost-of-living crisis. Why rental deposit alternatives are needed, and where do you fit in?

It’s unfortunately still evident that even in 2022, we have a gender funding gap, and there is a gender imbalance worldwide. How has it shaped the way you run your startup?

What are plans for your business going forward, scaling ambitions?

Favorite book: From Start-up to Grown-up: Grow Your Leadership to Grow Your Business and books by Marty Cagan on product development

Wrap up: the best way to reach out: Meeri on LinkedIn

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

Further reading on the Tunisian FinTech scene

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Published on December 09, 2022 02:00

November 3, 2022

October summary

Source: Unsplash

In case you missed out on the episodes of the Voice of FinTech podcast in October, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Upgrading core banking platform with Yves Eonnet, Chairman of Skaleet (France)

Yves Eonnet, Chairman of Skaleet, a core banking platform provider, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the importance of getting banks ready for the 21st century by upgrading their core banking infrastructure.

Here is what they talked about:

Yves' journey to entrepreneurship

What does Skaleet provide? What's the problem you are solving? Does your core banking solution leverage the cloud?

Skaleet's key clients - incumbents or neobanks who grow into fully licensed banks?

Why should the CEO of a major European bank hire Skaleet?

The technology angle

Plans for scaling up

The macro outlook for FinTechs and banks in France and Europe this year

Implementing core banking solutions can require enormous resources. How big is your team, and where are you based?

How do you make money?

What's in store for you before the end of the year and beyond?

The best way to reach out: Skaleet website

How secure are your smart contracts? Emilie Raffo and Torgin Mackinga from Chainsecurity (Switzerland)

Emilie Raffo, founding Partner and Head of Sales at ChainSecurity and Niko Torgin Mackinga, blockchain security engineer spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about smart contracts, its pros and cons and how to make them useful and secure.

Emilie, Torgin - why did they become entrepreneurs

What is a smart contract, and how does it differ from an escrow or automating contract steps that you could do say with a macro?

Smart contracts audits – sound like the next level of difficulty in the blockchain game. So why do we need them?

What are the sort of issues you found regarding smart contracts? Did the code not do what was promised? Anything malicious?

ChainSecurity is a PwC spin-off – will audit firms venture into auditing smart contracts at some point?

What’s different between Chainsecurity and other smart contract auditors?

What’s ChainSecurity's technology angle, or is it that they have more brilliant engineers than anyone else?

Key clients for their services

How does ChainSecurity deals with potential liability for its work

Plans for scaling up

Business model

Team and locations

Further reading: Le futur des espèces, Emilie Raffo's book on crypto (in French), DeFi News from Defiant, an article about Torgin's paper on oracle manipulation https://chainsecurity.com/oracle-manipulation-after-merge/ and the full paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/445, Andreas Antonopoulos Youtube channel

Reach out here: contact@chainsecurity.com

Trading crypto futures with Kraken Futures - Alexia Theodorou, Cyprus

Alexia Theodorou, Kraken Futures Product Lead, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the role of derivatives in the crypto markets and futures in particular.

Here is what they covered:

Why join Kraken Futures?

What’s the problem you are solving at Kraken Futures, and why is it worth solving? What’s your focus?

Who are your key clients?

How secure is trading at Kraken Futures?

Why are derivatives traded so much? Why are they so important to the centralized market and why are they relevant/used to crypto?

How big is the crypto derivatives market vs. underlying and how it compares to traditional markets

Who are the key crypto derivates players? Do you need ‘market makers’ or their equivalent?

You launched MCFs (multi-collateral futures) – what’s their benefit vs. other derivatives on crypto?

How do you see the crypto markets this year? Why we have seen such a correlation with traditional public markets this year?

What’s your technology angle, or do you have more brilliant engineers than other players?

September 30, 2022

September summary

Source: Unsplash

In case you missed out on the episodes of the Voice of FinTech podcast in September, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

MENA Series with Dorra Mahbouli: Building FinTech businesses in Tunisia with Amel Saidane, CEO and co-founder of BetaCube

In the first episode of the MENA (the Middle East & North Africa) Series, Dorra Mahbouli, VP of Corporate Strategy at Zitouna Finance, spoke to Amel Saidane, CEO and co-founder of BetaCube, Tunisian Tech venture builder, about FinTechs enabling the economy and scaling start-ups in the region.

Here is what they talked about:

Initially, Dorra started the conversation with some insights and background from Amel's experiences and why Tunisia specifically is a potential hub of talents and an excellent bridge for the African market

Among other topics, Dorra and Amel discussed the opportunities that BetaCube venture building hub is suggesting to start-ups, VCs, and corporate partners in Tunisia and abroad

Amel argues that FinTech is an essential enabler of the economy in general and would be a starter for investing in other fields such as mobility, logistics, and education to create jobs and opportunities

Finally, they concluded the conversation with some insights into the future of Betcube and how they would be scaling it for a sustainable impact on the region

Launching investment and WealthTech platforms with Tamara Kostova, CEO at Velexa (UK)

Tamara Kostova, CEO of Velexa, an investment services as a service platform, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about supporting new investment platforms with ready-to-go infrastructure.

Here is what they covered:

Tamara's entrepreneurship journey

Why help others launch their embedded investing solutions?

What's different between Velexa and other embedded finance technology providers?

Technology angle

Plans for scaling up

Macro outlook for the start-ups in the UK this year

Key clients

Business model

Team size and locations

Where are you on your journey, and what's in store for you before the end of the year and beyond?

What's your favorite business book? Flash Boys

The best way to reach out: is through LinkedIn here

Managing your property as any other asset with Roland Whyte, CEO of Nokkel (UK)

Roland Whyte, CEO of Nokkel, a property platform backed by FNZ, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about the importance of managing your property just like any other asset that you own. Also, how does Nokkel leverage technology to gather all the information that drives your property value and can lead to a deal if need be?

Here is what they covered:

Roland's journey from an accountant to a banker to an entrepreneur

For many people, the property is their most significant asset, yet they don't spend much time managing it like other assets (financial ones). So do the financial and property worlds adequately serve consumers, and what could be done better?

How can one create wealth through property, and how does data play a role?

How does and should property feature in retirement planning?

What is Nokkel, and how does this play an in all of this?

What's your technology angle?

What are Nokkel's plans for scaling up?

A high-level overview of the business model

What's in store for Nokkel before the end of the year and beyond?

What's your favorite business book? How to create tech products customers love

Automating your Finance function with Daniëlle Keeven VP Finance at Paddle (UK)

Daniëlle Keeven, VP Finance at Paddle, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about leveraging technology to turn your Finance function into a trusted advisor to the business.

Here is what they talked about:

Why Danielle joined a start-up/scale-up?

What does Paddle provide? What's the problem Paddle is solving?

What makes Paddle different from many payment or Finance infrastructure providers?

In addition to payment flows, what else can be automated and how?

How do you see the impact of automation on jobs in Finance? Aren't most of Finance jobs routine and therefore destined for extinction?

What's your technology angle?

Tell us about your scale-up journey so far – how do you deal with going international?

How do you make money?

How big is your team, and where are you based?

Recommended book on leadership: It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy

What's the best way to reach out: Daniëlle Keeven (Linkedin)

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

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Published on September 30, 2022 21:00

August 31, 2022

Summer summary!

Blue Lagoon, Malta

In case you missed out on the episodes of the Voice of FinTech podcast in July and August, here is your roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Innovation Strategies for Financial Services with Brigitta Gyoerfi, CEO of Creablin´ - Switzerland

Brigitta Gyoerfi, Innovation Strategist and CEO of Creablin´ spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about innovation strategies for banking incumbents, e.g., design thinking, metaverse, DeFi or sustainability and more.

Here is what they talked about in more detail:

Brigitta – what’s your background? How did you get to what you do today?

I know you are also an expert on Design Thinking – how would you assess the customer-centricity among incumbent banks in Switzerland and, say, a few years back?

What are some of the best resources (books, courses, studios) where can someone start with Design Thinking? Check out Sparkacademy or Ideo, for example.

DeFi and metaverse are hot topics – are these topics that banks can work on now or are they Horizon 3 kinds of problems?

Examples of where you worked with corporate clients on metaverse applications

Isn’t DeFi going against the incumbents by definition?

Does corporate innovation work or is it an innovation theater?

What would advise start-ups trying to work with incumbents? What’s the best way to talk to the right people, and who are they?

Sustainability entered mainstream investing a while ago as well, yes, we still have issues with ESG investing, sustainability reporting and greenwashing. What are some initiatives in Switzerland that address these issues? What can we do as individuals to progress these topics more?

Contacts: Creablin´ website or Brigitta Gyoerfi LinkedIn profile

Digital businesses and their payment needs with Uldis Tēraudkalns, CEO of Nexpay - Latvia

Uldis Tēraudkalns, CEO of Nexpay, Latvian FinTech supporting digital businesses and their payment needs, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about specific needs of digital businesses not addressed by incumbent banks and more.

Nexpay overview: We are supporting digital companies so they are no longer required to have a bank account at a legacy financial institution to do their business. You can build your digital business using the Nexpay dedicated IBANs and our seamless payments solutions. Integrate into your business flow via API, and shape your business with the ultimate digital infrastructure. Join Nexpay, the ultimate payments infrastructure provider.

Here is what they covered:

Uldis' background

What does Nexpay provide? What's the problem they are solving

What's different about Nexpay vs. other neobanks

Technology angle

Plans for scaling up and perhaps expanding the product range

Crypto or digital assets outlook this year

Your clients are based worldwide - compliance and regulatory aspects

Business model

Team size and location: from Riga, Latvia, to the world

How did you get going and acquire the first customers when you first started

The best way to reach out: find Uldis on LinkedIn here.

Helping start-ups grow and investing in them with Drew Glover, GP of Fiat Ventures and Founding Partner of Fiat Growth

Drew Glover, GP of Fiat Ventures and Founding Partner of Fiat Growth, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about what it takes to grow start-ups, especially FinTechs, and how insights from growth consultancy can lead to a unique edge as a VC investor.

Here is what they covered:

Drew's background

Fiat Growth and Fiat Ventures - what do they do? Growth consultancy and VC fund. No relation to Fiat, a car company:)

What kind of start-ups have you invested in, and what sort of FinTechs have you invested in?

What's your investment approach?

Tips for aspiring founders to start and grow their company

Where are we regarding start-up and FinTech valuations, given the macro environment turning for the worse?

Success story example: Teen-focused FinTech Copper, raising USD 29m in April 2022, led by Fiat Ventures

Growth consultancy and deal sourcing and insights

Best way to reach out: Check out Fiat Growth

Modern trade financing or B2B BNPL with Louis Carbonnier, co-CEO and co-founder of Hokodo

Louis Carbonnier, co-CEO, and co-founder of Hokodo, a B2B BNPL or trade finance solution, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about innovative digital approaches in trade financing, supporting SMEs, and commerce overall.

Here is what they talked about:

Louis' background: why become an entrepreneur?

What does Hokodo provide? What’s the problem you are solving? Why trade financing?

What’s different between Hokodo and other trade financing providers? You also call yourself a BNPL for SMEs – do you work like BNPLs in the consumer space?

What’s your technology angle?

What are your plans for scaling up and perhaps expanding the product range?

You serve SMEs – what sectors do you focus on, and what’s your outlook for the rest of this year, given the challenging global economic environment?

Where are your clients?

How do you make money?

How big is your team, and where are you based?

How did you get going and acquire the first customers when you first started?

What’s your favorite business book? The hard thing about hard things (of course!) by Ben Horowitz and Empowered by Marty Cagan

What’s the best way to reach out: louis@hokodo.co or LinkedIn

Revenue based financing for digital businesses with James Hickson, founder and CEO of Bloom - Luxembourg

James Hickson, founder and CEO of Bloom, Europe's leading provider of capital to digital businesses, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about revenue-based financing for e-commerce and retail businesses.

James's entrepreneurship journey

What does Bloom provide? What's the problem you are solving?

What's different between Bloom and other providers of revenue financing?

What's Bloom's technology angle?

What are your plans for scaling up?

What's the outlook for the rest of this year for SMEs that Bloom serves, given the challenging global economic environment?

How does Bloom make money?

Clients and Bloom's locations

Favorite business books: Steve Jobs and Good to Great

Reach out through LinkedIn or the website

Smarter insurance from Kenya with mTek Services's CEO, Bente Krogmann

Bente Krogmann, CEO of mTek Services, based in Nairobi, Kenya, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about disrupting the insurance industry in Africa with her insurance brokerage platform.

Here is what they talked about:

Bente – what’s your background? How did you get to what you do today in Kenya? Why become an entrepreneur?

What is mTek? What is the problem you are solving?

What’s different between mTek and other InsurTech platforms in Africa?

How did you get going and acquire the first customers when you first started?

What’s your technology angle?

What are your plans for scaling up and perhaps expanding the product range?

How do you make money?

How big is your team, and where are you based?

What’s your favorite business book? Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

What’s the best way to reach out: LinkedIn

Trading wherever you are with Tradier's CEO, Dan Raju (USA)

Dan Raju, founder, Chairman, and CEO at Tradier, a trading infrastructure provider, leading embedded Finance growth, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about why he believes financial services have been unbundled and why it's essential to enable traders to trade where they get inspiration to trade.

Here is what they talked about:

Dan – what's your background? How did you get to what you do today? Why become an entrepreneur?

What does Tradier provide? What's the problem you are solving? Why do you believe in embedded finance?

What's different between Tradier and other infrastructure players in the embedded Finance space?

What's Tradier's technology angle?

What are Dan's plans for scaling up and perhaps expanding the product range?

Thoughts on the social media companies offering investment products

How does Tradier make money?

Favorite business book: Built for Growth: How Builder Personality Shapes Your Business, Your Team, and Your Ability to Win by Chris Kuenne

The best way to reach out: sales@trader.com or LinkedIn

How to manage your subscriptions better with Indus Khaitan, founder and CEO of Quolum (USA)

Indus Khaitan, the CEO and founder of Quolum, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about helping businesses manage their many subscriptions to software services and save money!

Here is what they talked about:

Indus' background and entrepreneurial journey

What does Quolum provide? What's the problem you are solving? Why SaaS?

What's different between Quolum and other Saas companies out there?

What's Quolum's technology angle?

What is the secret recipe to growth at a company?

How does one transition from a small startup to a big corp?

What is the experience of being an immigrant founder in the US?

How does Quolum make money?

Favorite business books: 3Com: The unsung saga of the Silicon Valley startup that helped give birth to the Internet—and then fumbled the ball and Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

What's the best way to reach out: Indus Khaitan (LinkedIn)

Investing in Enterprise Software with Rajeev Dham, MD at Sapphire Ventures - USA

Rajeev Dham, Managing Director at Sapphire Ventures, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about investing in enterprise software companies with a positive impact on communities such as Wise, formerly TransferWise.

Here is what they talked about:

Rajeev's background

Sapphire Ventures introduction

Why focus on the enterprise software

What kind of start-ups Sapphire invests in

Investment approach

Tips for aspiring founders to start and grow their company, especially B2B

Funding status quo this year

Success stories: e.g., Wise, formerly TransferWise

Sourcing

Favorite business-related book: Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice

Best way to reach out: rajeev@sapphireventures.com

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

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Published on August 31, 2022 01:43

June 28, 2022

June summary!

Zurich Lake, Switzerland

In case you missed out on the June episodes of the Voice of FinTech podcast, here is your monthly roundup! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

How to win the war on talent with Cameron Peake, hosted by Wani Baumgartner

Cameron Peake, Partner at Financial Venture Studio spoke to Wani Baumgartner, Finance and Life Sciences recruiter and Voice of FinTech host, about building and leading FinTech businesses including attracting the right and diverse talent, getting ready for the opportunities in FinTech including Web 3 and more.

Cameron is an entrepreneurial leader who has launched, built and scaled FinTech companies around the world. Previously, she was the CEO and Co-Founder of Azlo, a leading digital banking platform for small businesses in the US. There, she grew the company to 150 employees, $1B in deposits, supported the financial and business needs of hundreds of thousands of small entrepreneurs, and was recognized as one of Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 for her work to deliver financial services to businesses impacted by COVID.

Topics discussed:

Bridging the gap between founders and investors

Experience and learnings having built a FinTech

Challenges as a female founder and investor

How to find the leadership style authentic to you

Is Web 3 truly the next big thing?

How will the FinTech space change in the next few years?

Bitcoin and crypto outlook with Julian Liniger, CEO and co-founder of Relai

Julian Liniger, CEO and co-founder of Relai, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about all things bitcoin, rationale, outlook, holding and trading bitcoin.

Here is what they covered:

Julian's entrepreneurial journey

Should people invest in bitcoin, and why?

What's the outlook for bitcoin this year?

What does Relai provide?

Overall, how does Relai differ from competitors?

What's Relai's technology angle - it is run on the blockchain?

Your clients are based worldwide - how do you deal with compliance?

How do you make money?

How big is your team, and where are you based?

What's the best way to reach out? Julian's LinkedIn profile: Julian Liniger, and chat within the Relai app.

Leveraging technology to support the rise of private capital with Ian Lynch, CCO, Intertrust - Ireland

Ian Lynch, Chief Commercial Officer at Intertrust Group, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about using technology (in-house or through partnering with start-ups) to serve private capital (PE and VC) and corporate, capital markets or wealth managers.

Here is what they covered:

Ian – what’s your background? How did you get to what you do today?

What does Intertrust provide? Corporate Client Services, Private Capital & Hedge Fund Services, Capital Markets and Private Wealth

Your services include many smaller tasks, so I guess leveraging technology is the only way to do it at scale. What’s the technology behind your solution?

What’s your view on open innovation, or do you prefer to develop what you can in-house and the rest from well-established technology vendors? Can FinTechs help you?

Overall, how do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?

You work a lot with Private Capital players – I bet you have seen a steady increase in private capital vs. public over the years. Do you think this trend will also continue in the world of rising interest rates?

Your clients are based all over the world - how do you deal with tax and other regulations?

How do you make money?

How big is your team, and where are you based?

What’s your favorite business book? Legacy - All Blacks, Michael O'Leary: A Life in Full Flight, Jim Collins's Good to Great. Related check out the micro-course inspired by Jim Collins's Built to Last on Emeritus Insights, presented by Rudolf Falat.

Test way to reach out: LinkedIn - Ian Lynch.

Vesna, a holographic banker by Nettle, with co-founders Andrej Gregus and Richard Guga - Slovakia

Andrej Gregus and Richard Guga, co-founders of Nettle, a Slovak-based AI start-up, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about their holographic, smart, retail banker and leveraging AI and holograms in Financial Services and elsewhere.

Here is what they talked about:

Andrej, Richard – what are your backgrounds? How did you get to what you do today, and how did you meet?

You are co-founders of Nettle – what is Nettle about?

You built a holographic banker for SLSP – how did this come about?

Your holographic banker is called Vesna – why Vesna, and can a customer change the name and appearance as they prefer, like voices on your iPhone?

What were customer reactions to Vesna?

What can Vesna do in addition to greeting customers at the branch?

What kind of technology do you use to make Vesna appear natural and intelligent?

Where do you see other potential use cases for holographic?

Will we be able to use holograms at home soon - just like video calls today?

What are your growth plans?

What’s your favorite business book? Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Y. N. Hariri and William Ury - Getting to Yes

What’s the best way to reach out (and what kind of parties would be most relevant for you)?

Keep safe!

Sincerely,