Rudolf Falat's Blog, page 4
October 30, 2020
October summary
London, by James Padolsey on Unsplash
In case you missed out on October episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly summary! 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.
B2B payments don't have to be painful - with Veem from San Francisco
Marwan Forzley, CEO of Veem, a B2B payments platform, operates worldwide, based in San Francisco Bay Area. We talk about:
Marwan's back story: from Ottawa, Canada to Silicon Valley
What is Veem? What is the problem they are solving - how does it work?
How did Marwan and his team build the network needed to effect payments?
How did they go about acquiring first clients, and how were you able to scale up
If I am a small business, why should I bank with Veem and not someone else, including some banks who claim they have specific services for SMEs and large corporates? Marwan explains.
How does Veem make money?
How are small and medium businesses in the US coping with the pandemic, especially when it comes to payments? Are they willing and able to adapt to be more digital-like some of their larger competitors?
The impact of the COVID-19 on the payments industry and, more broadly, FinTechs? Are contactless or even contact-free and digital payments here to stay? Opportunities and threats? Short term and long term?
Veem's journey as of today and the milestones ahead of them
Where can interested parties find out more about Veem
Leadership Special: Strategic Side Gig with Ken Banta (founder of The Vanguard Group for Leadership and Harvard Business Review contributor)
Ken Banta is the founder and principal of the Vanguard Group for Leadership. Ken is a leadership development consultant and executive advisor to both tomorrow’s top leaders and today’s CEOs.
We talk to Ken about:
Why Ken he become a leadership consultant
In his article Strategic Side Gig, co-authored with Orlan Boston and published in the HBR recently, Ken argues that executives need to be engaged in the right kind of side work as it can boost their career – why?
What sort of side activities are productive and helpful for one’s career, apart from the usual, golf, or tennis?
How was his research conducted?
How to find time for the outside activities like these? Say most leaders would agree with the argument for a strategic side gig – but would probably put off acting on it. Should they first a book on how to end procrastination?
How can one find the right opportunities - ones that create the kind of virtuous cycle we described earlier?
One would need an understanding boss and family – how to justify a commitment to the strategic gig in addition to existing responsibilities?
What are the long-term benefits?
Future of work and leadership: Any signs of systemic changes in the way we work due to the pandemic? Will remote working stay for good or not? Will we strive for fully digital processes from end to end? Or will we rush to the old « normal»?
What are the next steps for you this year and beyond?
Where can interested parties reach you and find out more about the Vanguard Group for Leadership?
Albion VC: investing in companies that improve your lives
We talk to Ed Lascelles, Partner at Albion and Jessica Bartos, Investment Manager at Albion.
You will find out more about:
What brought Jessica and Ed to VC investing? Jessica from the White House under Obama's Administration to Rothschild's at Wall Street and the City to Albion and Ed, a VC investor from before it became fashionable
What is Albion? Who founded Albion? When?
What’s Albion's investment focus/philosophy? Geographic focus?
How much money they have raised since inception and for how many start-ups?
What kind of start-ups do they invest in? Series A, post-product-market fit, writing checks of GBP 0.25 to 10 million
What kind of FinTechs has Albion invested in? E.g. Quantexa or Imandra
How do you find them? How do scouting and due diligence work? What are your selection criteria?
What’s your investment approach? E.g. min size of the stake, board seat, time to exit, economics?
Investment success stories of the start-ups - Booking.com or active.com
How do you see the prospects of Fintechs vs incumbent banks?
Assessment of the start-up scene in the UK and Europe vs. the rest of the world
Wrap up: where and how can inspiring entrepreneurs learn more about Albion
Voice of FinTech Americas with Clementina Giraldo (in Spanish / En español): Introduction to FinTech in LatAm / Introducción a FinTech en LatAm - Erick Rincon Cardenas & Mariano Biocca
Este episodio Voice of FinTech conducido por CLementina Giraldo, Founder & CEO of Dots & Tech / FinTech / Blockchain. This episode of Voice of FinTech: Americas Series is hosted by Clementina Giraldo, Founder & CEO of Dots & Tech / FinTech / Blockchain. Founder of FinTech Latinoamérica Community, based in Colombia in Spanish! English description below.
Mariano Biocca, Coordinador Cámara Argentina de FinTech
Licenciado en Administración de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, luego de 2 años al mando de las relaciones institucionales en iBillionaire, fue convocado para encabezar el desarrollo de la Cámara Argentina de FinTech con fuerte foco en la vinculación entre el sector privado, sector público y sector académico.
Erick Rincon Cardenas, Presidente Colombia FinTech
Abogado de la Universidad del Rosario, especialista en Derecho financiero y en Derecho Contractual de la misma casa de estudios, Master en Derecho mercantil de la Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Máster en Administración y dirección de empresas y Doctor en Derecho de la Universidad Europea de Madrid. Es Profesor Asociado de la Facultad de Jurisprudencia de la Universidad del Rosario, Presidente de la Asociación de Empresas Fintech en Colombia y de la Alianza Fintech Iberoamérica
América Latina cuenta con más de 2.000 empresas FinTech. Brasil, México, Argentina y Colombia son los países que lideran el desarrollo de la industria en la región. Este episodio presenta un panorama completo de la industria Fintech de Colombia y Argentina. Se presentan cifras en cuanto a número de empresas por país, principales segmentos, números de la actividad y el efecto de COVID 19 en cada caso; se destacan los unicornios y otras empresas líderes y con mayor potencial de crecimiento.
Mariano Biocca y Erick Rincón compartieron los avances de cada país desde el punto de vista regulatorio, el aporte de la industria en materia de inclusión financiera, los desafíos y oportunidades, así como de dónde provienen principalmente los inversionistas y las empresas que están llegando a establecerse para expandir sus operaciones en la región. Nos contaron cuáles son los principales mercados de destino o países foco de las empresas FInTech colombianas y argentinas. Si quiere conocer la evolución de esta industria imparable en la región no se pierda este episodio.
Latin America has more than 2,000 FinTech companies. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia are the countries that lead the development of the industry in the region. This episode presents a complete overview of the Fintech industry in Colombia and Argentina. Figures are presented regarding the number of companies per country, main segments, activity numbers and the effect of COVID 19 in each case; unicorns and other leading companies with the greatest growth potential stand out.
Mariano Biocca and Erick Rincón shared the progress of each country from the regulatory point of view, the contribution of the industry in terms of financial inclusion, the challenges and opportunities, as well as where the investors and companies that are coming to establish themselves mainly come from to expand its operations in the region. They told us which are the main destination markets or focus countries for Colombian and Argentine FInTech companies. If you want to know the evolution of this unstoppable industry in the region, don't miss this episode.
Mimi Nguyen is co-founder of Mana Labs R&D and Ph.D. Fellow at Imperial College in London and Lloyd Wahed, is founder, CEO, and investor at Mana Search, a FinTech search firm based in London and UK.
We discuss:
Mimi's backstory. An academic and entrepreneur: how does it fit together?
How has life changed during the lockdown/pandemic from the perspective of a founder and a parent?
Lloyd – backstory: How did Lloyd get to do what he does today?
Mana Search firm and podcast – What is its' mission and objectives?
How do Lloyd and Mimi see the FinTech job market this year and next? Where are the pockets of opportunities, and what’s the best way to break into this market, for example, if you had worked at an incumbent before and don’t have a start-up experience?
Why is striving for diversity in the start-up world is important? What's the state of the women in tech and inclusivity in the UK?
Where are the opportunities for FinTech companies post-pandemic?
Based on their discussions with founders, arguably digital transformation ambassadors, what's the future of work? Office work vs. remote or hybrid work (focus on the nuanced view of the workers with less social capital, i.e., juniors or incoming leaders vs. well-established teams)
Female guests on Searching for Mana podcast – most popular examples
Best way to reach out
Asia Pacific Series with Angela Conroy: Entrepreneurship and innovation with Varun Mittal from EY
In this episode of Asia Pacific Series, hosted by Angela Conroy based in Singapore, Angela talks to Varun Mittal, EY Global’s Emerging Markets FinTech Leader.
Varun and Angela talk about:
How through a combination of good timing and hard work Varun managed to craft an unconventional but ultimately successful career path for himself
How public-private partnerships are the foundation of tech development and how Singapore has used this model to become a FinTech powerhouse
Why emerging market countries are on the cusp of leading a FinTech revolution and the trends we can already see emerging from this region
The considerations large corporates make when decided if they should ‘build or buy’ technology and how start-ups can leverage their agility and ability to execute into ‘closing the deal’
The early days of the Singapore FinTech Association and how a carefully crafted charter ensures start-up voices are heard along with the bigger players in the ecosystem
His new book, Singapore: The FinTech Nation, which covers ‘the liberalisation of financial services, the establishment of regional hubs and the embracement of financial services’. His book is available for pre-order here.
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com. You can also leave feedback using a quick form here: https://www.voiceoffintech.com/feedback. Alternatively, you can also leave a voicemail here. If you are based in the US or Canada, you can also text at (646) 328-6550!
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
Resources RSS
October 2, 2020
September summary
New York City, photo by Barron Roth on Unsplash
In case you missed out on September episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly summary! 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.
FinTech Talents Virtual North America Preview with Jim Marous from the Financial Brand and Sarika Sangwan from Pinterest
Jim Marous is a financial industry publisher, global speaker, podcast host, owner and CEO of Digital Banking Report and co-publisher at The Financial Brand (#2 in the United States and #1 free resource on banking). Jim also hosted Gary Vaynerchuk, Tom Peters or Steve Wozniak on his Banking Transformed podcast.
We talk about:
Digital Banking Report's recently published Digital Transformation report says the most successful transformation efforts are led by CEO or CDO. How is the pandemic affecting these efforts and management views? Are more of them now finally ready to embrace digitalization, and why?
Who will the winners in financial services be in the post COVID world? What will be the key success factors?
What are the most exciting innovations in financial services for Jim, perhaps from the founders featured on the podcast?
How do you get the insights from the Financial Brand, Banking Transformed and Digital Banking Report most efficiently
Sarika Sangwan, former American Express executive, is Global Head of Strategy & Marketing - Financial Services at Pinterest. In the second segment, we talk to Sarika about:
Sarika's transition from Amex to Pinterest
Pinterest is a visual search engine for people who are looking for inspiration for events like parties, weddings and home decorating. That means financial services brands can target consumers who are displaying clear signals around life moments. How does Pinterest work with financial services companies to build partnerships where sometimes Pinterest wasn't their obvious choice?
How has life at Pinterest changed post IPO - obviously a major step for a successful start-up. How has life within the company changed? Does Pinterest staff like bankers now more than before or the same?
Where do interested parties from Financial Services or FinTech world can find out more what Pinterest can do for them and what's the best way to get in touch
Jim and Sarika will be speaking at the FinTech Talents Virtual North America on September 9 from New York City alongside many rockstar speakers. Check out the agenda and register for free here.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): A wealth of resources for FinTechs worldwide
Kathryn Van Nuys, US Head of Business Development, Start-ups and Venture Capital at Amazon Web Services (AWS) based in New York, talks about:
Amazon Web Services (AWS) value proposition - low cost, easy to use, global infrastructure to support start-ups from the early stage to global scale. Many household names like Coinbase, Transferwise and many others use AWS infrastructure
Strategic partnerships of AWS with VCs like Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital Ventures or incubators and accelerators like Barclays Techstars, FinTech Sandbox, Venture Center and others to reach and work with their portfolio companies and program participants, respectively
Go to market and educational services, like:
AWS Activate program: AWS Activate offers start-ups free tools, resources, and more to quickly get started on AWS, including USD 100k credits. Specifically, check out AWS Active Founders for self-funded and bootstrapped start-ups
AWS Well-Architected review: helping B2B start-ups to be enterprise-ready, mainly in Financial Services
AWS Partner Network: webinars and speaking opportunities for lead generation, direct customer intro: Behalf (on-demand purchase financing), Behavox (RegTech automates insider threats and misconduct detection), see specifics for start-ups here.
Partnerships with other technology companies like Nvidia: check out the joint marketplace here. Joint customers include Upstart, BlueVine and Clinc and others, all leveraging AI to help service customers on their journey
Connecting enterprises, banks, insurance companies and start-ups partnerships
Success stories of start-ups, now scale-ups, using ASW solutions:
Kabbage, a small business lender, just acquired by American Express, facilitating the US government's support program for small businesses through Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Stripe, how did they scale up using AWS solutions
Events: the transition from in-person to virtual, targeted events on-demand, fostering relationships with the start-up community around the world
Best way to reach out and learn more about AWS's resources available to start-ups, and FinTechs in particular
Disrupting securitization with Gentwo, Switzerland
Patrick Loepfe is the founder and Chairman of Gentwo, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Gentwo provides securitization of all assets; bankable and non-bankable assets, including digital assets with a Swiss ISIN off-balance sheet.
We talk about:
What is Gentwo? What do they do? Securitization of what assets? Bankable, non-bankable, and digital assets (Gentwo vs. Gentwo Digital)
Why Gentwo? What's their unique selling point
Target clients and key markets
Regulation and liability: not regulated and not liable for investment performance and why
How did the pandemic affect Gentwo's business so far?
Passion projects: financing production of the content for streaming services like Netflix or sustainability
Gentwo's journey as of today: fundraising, hiring, expansion plans
Best way to find out more
Asia Pacific Series with Taneia Bhardwaj: Jitendra Gupta, CEO & founder of Jupiter, India’s first & only co-created banking experience dedicated to millenials
In this episode of our Asia Pacific Series, host Taneia Bhardwaj chats with Jitendra Gupta, Founder & CEO of Jupiter, a neo-banking start-up that wants to create mobile-first banking experiences for Indian millennials. Jupiter has raised a total of $26 million, whilst in stealth mode. Bedrock Capital and Hummingbird Ventures are the most recent investors in Jupiter. Jitendra also co-founded Citrus Pay, a leading digital payments company, which was sold to Naspers-backed PayU in 2016 for $130 million; the largest cash exit for a payments company in India.
Taneia and Jitendra talk about:
Jitendra’s entrepreneurial journey – what led him down the path of payments/fintech
How he built a tech company ground up despite being a non-tech person
What Jupiter is solving for: first & only co-created banking experience dedicated to millennials
Jupiter’s USP – a co-created banking experience that takes a community-first product approach
What will drive adoption for neobanks in India
Investment ideas in the Indian fintech sector
Best way to reach out
LendIt FinTech USA Preview with Plaid, Mouro Capital (ex Santander InnoVentures) and OakNorth
Ahead of LendIt FinTech USA, we talk to representatives of companies participating in this virtual event: Keith Grose, Head of UK and International at Plaid, Jillian Cohn, Partner at Mouro Capital (formerly Santander Innoventures), and Sean Hunter, CIO of OakNorth.
With Keith, we talk about:
Plaid's growth ambitions and plans, including the US
Recap of the key use cases and target customers for Plaid
Out of these, key products and services that Plaid focuses on when expanding internationally.
Plaid's role in driving the evolution from open banking to open finance and how they see that playing out
The best way to find out what Plaid can do for a prospective client - demos, contacts, etc.
Jillian explains:
The rationale for the recent spin-off of Santander Innoventures and rebranding as Mouro Capital
Santander Innoventures and now Mouro Capital's investment philosophy and approach
What Jilian likes most about her current role as Partner of Mouro Capital and why
Jillian will be on the jury for the Lendit Awards - find out more how it works. Also, Jillian's colleague, Chris Gottschalk, will interview CEO and co-founder of the US alternative lender Upgrade, Mouro Capital's portfolio company from San Francisco, Renaud Laplanche
Success stories from their portfolio: iZettle (Swedish payments company for SMEs acquired by PayPal) and Kabbage (being acquired by American Express), for example
Appeal to interested parties to learn more about Mouro Capital and reach out
and with Sean, we talk about:
OakNorth focuses on lending to small businesses that are in the scale-up mode - why this particular segment?
There are OakNorth platform and OakNorth Bank – why it makes sense for OakNorth to license their credit scoring methodology and platform to other banks?
OakNorth's priorities regarding the home market, UK, Europe, and the United States?
What do you need to do if you would like to apply for a loan with OakNorth? Conversely, what to do if you would like to save with OakNorth?
What's the best way to find out about your products and services and reach out?
Voice of FinTech: Live Speaker Series - Digital Assets, Blockchain and Crypto: 2020 reality check
In this virtual event from Voice of FinTech: Live Speaker Series, we talked to Naina Sethi from Magic FinServ New York, Darko Pilav from Digital Asset Zurich and Emilie Raffo from Geneva about Digital Assets, Blockchain and Crypto: 2020 reality check.
Pandemic has accelerated digital transformation trends - have digital assets, blockchain and crypto players capitalized on the opportunity?
Can you keep focused on the customer’s problem first, and technology second?
Do enterprise blockchain and smart contracts have a future? How can blockchain facilitate inclusion and social mobility?
These are just some of the questions we tried to tackle. Joins us next time for the full experience. The best way not to miss out is to subscribe to our newsletter on https://www.voiceoffintech.com/.
You can also watch the video, including entertainment by fantastic violinist, Irina Pak from Tonhalle Zurich and an entrepreneur bringing music to unusual settings, here. Check out here business More than Classic.
Corporate VC as a strategic tool - with ING Ventures
Frederic Hofmann, Managing Director at ING Ventures, based in London, UK, explains:
ING's approach to working with start-ups - a range of teams and strategies, from partnering to investing and ING's commitment to digital transformation
ING Ventures' mandate - do they focus on the strategic alignment with ING or financial gain?
Deal sourcing - how does ING find new investment opportunities
What are the minimum criteria to invest, if any?
Success stories: Aigen Technologies, Flowcast - an early warning system for ING retail to identify when retail clients are likely to be distressed, Cobase, a company built and spun out from ING Labs (now with Nordea and Credit Agricole as investors)
Lessons learned:
Lean governance for a corporate VC is key to success in a fast-changing environment
Working with a large bank takes time, but it can be massively impactful.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to innovation in a large corporate, so many avenues need to be explored at the same time
Start-ups should continuously invest time in building a network of potential investors and, more
The most efficient way to pitch your ideas to the ING Ventures team or ING in general
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com. You can also leave feedback using a quick form here: https://www.voiceoffintech.com/feedback.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
Resources RSS
August 31, 2020
August book tips and other resources
Photo by Vladyslav Bahara on Unsplash
Following up on the recaps of August episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here are also book tips and additional resources related to August episodes. You can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast apps here. Keep safe!
The Currency Cold War and more with David Birch
In our podcast with David, we talk about his new book, The Currency Cold War, which outlines the pros and cons of the digital currencies and the outlook for the the future of digital money.
The Financial Markets Series: Pan-European connectivity through microwave network with SIX, NASDAQ and 12H
Read more about cooperation between SIX and Nasdaq here: ow.ly/IPuN50AXDVK or listen to our podcast: bit.ly/2FaqahV with Gregor Braun from SIX, Henrik Husman from Nasdaq and Reinier Boeschoten from 12H on microwave or RF technology for trading.
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group . If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com .
Plug and Play, a corporate innovation program, whose CEO is an early backer of PayPal, explainedCheck out this blog where Saeed Amidi, founded of Plug and Play, interviews Hanif Joshaghani, co-founder of Symend, Canadian FinTech here or a full video above.
Digital Transformation with David M. Brear from 11:FS11:FS team says that digital banking (and FinTech) is only 1% finished, as we discuss with its Group CEO, David M. Brear in the podcast. Watch also Simon Taylor, Head of Ventures at 11:FS, who explains in this video what they mean by this.
Asia Pacific Series with Chia Jeng Yang: P2P FinTech in Indonesia: Koinworks and AC Ventures
Photo by jarrad horne on Unsplash
Following up on the interview of CEO of the largest socially responsible digital lender and the first super financial app in Indonesia, Koinworks and one of its core investors, AC Ventures, here is further suggested reading. Check out also Switzerland’s Global Enterprise report about business opportunities for FinTech in Indonesia here. Also, Bain’s report on the Future of South East Asia’s digital financial services here.
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
August recap!
In case you missed out on August episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly recap! 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.
The Currency Cold War and more with David Birch
David Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services, based in the UK.
In this episode, we cover:
David's activities as a keynote speaker, an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services
David's digital finance consulting work
Big picture views on digital money and digital identity - before and after the pandemic
E-currencies - developments and prospects. Setbacks and upside
David's views on Big Tech's move to the financial services sector, as articulated in his latest article in Forbes Bye Fintech. Hello Techfin
Crypto and blockchain: pure vs. enterprise, which one will have an upper hand?
Plans for the rest of the year
Best way to reach out
New type of economy, digital economy, needs a new type of money, i.e. digital currency.
David Birch
Find his latest book, The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony, on Amazon or any of your favorite booksellers.
with Gregor Braun and Henrik Husman
Gregor Braun is Head Sales Switzerland & Europe for Equities and ETFs at SIX, Henrik Husman is President Nasdaq Helsinki, VP, Head of European Cash Equities Nasdaq and Reinier Boeschoten is Board Member at 12H.
In this episode, we cover:
Gregor explains SIX's services as primarily cash equities exchange - as the third-largest operator of financial market infrastructure in Europe by revenue and his team's mandate
Henrik outlines activities of Nasdaq in Europe - the only exchange group active in the US and Europe, operating more than 25 markets and its role as a technology provider to over 130 exchanges and financial institutions worldwide
Reinier describes how microwave or radiofrequency (RF) technology connects markets around Europe. We also dive into the pros and cons of optical fiber technology vs. microwave technology (e.g. across speed, bandwidth, capacity parameters)
The strategic rationale for SIX acquiring majority stake in 12H earlier this year
Benefits of a three-way partnership between SIX, Nasdaq and 12H for its partners and customers
The role of computers in trading - robots and algorithms vs. jobs and safeguards against flash crashes
What's the best way to find out more about the microwave network of SIX, available routes, etc. for interested parties
You can more about SIX's microwave network here.
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group. If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com.
with Arianna Elena Maschietto and Gabrielle Inzirillo
Arianna Elena Maschietto, Corporate Partnerships & Program Manager at Plug and Play Tech Center in Milan, Italy and Gabrielle Inzirillo, Director, Fintech (EMEA) at Plug And Play Ventures in Paris, France. Plug and Play Tech Center is an early-stage investor, accelerator and corporate innovation platform with global headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in Silicon Valley.
We talk about:
Gabrielle's and Arianna's journeys to their current roles
Plug and Play origins - landlords to PayPal:
Plug and Play chief executive Saeed Amidi got his start 15 years ago when he was trying to rent some real estate. Amidi and his brother, Seena, were considering startups to lease space in their Palo Alto, California, office and met a couple of young, promising entrepreneurs behind a then-unprofitable product. The entrepreneurs were Max Levchin and Peter Thiel and the startup was PayPal. After seeing the Amidis’ ambivalence, Thiel pushed an offer they couldn’t refuse. He said he would pay his rent — then, a paltry $10,000 per month in Silicon Valley — upfront, for two years. “We said, ‘sure,’” Saeed told Business Insider at Plug and Play’s first New York demo day. “And then, we took half the money and invested it in their seed round.” Putting more than $100,000 in PayPal’s very first funding round proved to be a wildly successful investment.
What kind of start-ups Plug and Play supports: alignment with corporate sponsors is crucial
Their programs feature: no fee, no equity
The character of the start-up scene in Europe vs. the rest of the world
FinTech is a key vertical for Plug and Play
What does successful participation in the program means
Success stories
How to get involved
Digital Transformation with David M. Brear from 11:FS
with David M. Brear
David M. Brear is Group CEO of 11:FS, Host of the Fintech Insider Breakfast Show and FinTech Insider Host by 11:FS.
We talk about:
How pandemic exposed organizations that haven't truly embraced digital transformation and what lies ahead of them
Potential opportunities for FinTechs despite the economic downturn
David's advice to start-ups attempting partnerships with banks or enterprise sales
Best way to reach out and get in touch with 11:FS and David
As David points out:
I've seen the good
August 30, 2020
August recap!
In case you missed out on August episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly recap! 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.
The Currency Cold War and more with David BirchDavid Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services, based in the UK.
In this episode, we cover:
David's activities as a keynote speaker, an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services
David's digital finance consulting work
Big picture views on digital money and digital identity - before and after the pandemic
E-currencies - developments and prospects. Setbacks and upside
David's views on Big Tech's move to the financial services sector, as articulated in his latest article in Forbes Bye Fintech. Hello Techfin
Crypto and blockchain: pure vs. enterprise, which one will have an upper hand?
Plans for the rest of the year
Best way to reach out
New type of economy, digital economy, needs a new type of money, i.e. digital currency.
David Birch
Find his latest book, The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony, on Amazon or any of your favorite booksellers.
with Gregor Braun and Henrik Husman
Gregor Braun is Head Sales Switzerland & Europe for Equities and ETFs at SIX, Henrik Husman is President Nasdaq Helsinki, VP, Head of European Cash Equities Nasdaq and Reinier Boeschoten is Board Member at 12H.
In this episode, we cover:
Gregor explains SIX's services as primarily cash equities exchange - as the third-largest operator of financial market infrastructure in Europe by revenue and his team's mandate
Henrik outlines activities of Nasdaq in Europe - the only exchange group active in the US and Europe, operating more than 25 markets and its role as a technology provider to over 130 exchanges and financial institutions worldwide
Reinier describes how microwave or radiofrequency (RF) technology connects markets around Europe. We also dive into the pros and cons of optical fiber technology vs. microwave technology (e.g. across speed, bandwidth, capacity parameters)
The strategic rationale for SIX acquiring majority stake in 12H earlier this year
Benefits of a three-way partnership between SIX, Nasdaq and 12H for its partners and customers
The role of computers in trading - robots and algorithms vs. jobs and safeguards against flash crashes
What's the best way to find out more about the microwave network of SIX, available routes, etc. for interested parties
You can more about SIX's microwave network here.
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group. If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com.
with Arianna Elena Maschietto and Gabrielle Inzirillo
Arianna Elena Maschietto, Corporate Partnerships & Program Manager at Plug and Play Tech Center in Milan, Italy and Gabrielle Inzirillo, Director, Fintech (EMEA) at Plug And Play Ventures in Paris, France. Plug and Play Tech Center is an early-stage investor, accelerator and corporate innovation platform with global headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in Silicon Valley.
We talk about:
Gabrielle's and Arianna's journeys to their current roles
Plug and Play origins - landlords to PayPal:
Plug and Play chief executive Saeed Amidi got his start 15 years ago when he was trying to rent some real estate. Amidi and his brother, Seena, were considering startups to lease space in their Palo Alto, California, office and met a couple of young, promising entrepreneurs behind a then-unprofitable product. The entrepreneurs were Max Levchin and Peter Thiel and the startup was PayPal. After seeing the Amidis’ ambivalence, Thiel pushed an offer they couldn’t refuse. He said he would pay his rent — then, a paltry $10,000 per month in Silicon Valley — upfront, for two years. “We said, ‘sure,’” Saeed told Business Insider at Plug and Play’s first New York demo day. “And then, we took half the money and invested it in their seed round.” Putting more than $100,000 in PayPal’s very first funding round proved to be a wildly successful investment.
What kind of start-ups Plug and Play supports: alignment with corporate sponsors is crucial
Their programs feature: no fee, no equity
The character of the start-up scene in Europe vs. the rest of the world
FinTech is a key vertical for Plug and Play
What does successful participation in the program means
Success stories
How to get involved
Digital Transformation with David M. Brear from 11:FSwith David M. Brear
David M. Brear is Group CEO of 11:FS, Host of the Fintech Insider Breakfast Show and FinTech Insider Host by 11:FS.
We talk about:
How pandemic exposed organizations that haven't truly embraced digital transformation and what lies ahead of them
Potential opportunities for FinTechs despite the economic downturn
David's advice to start-ups attempting partnerships with banks or enterprise sales
Best way to reach out and get in touch with 11:FS and David
As David points out:
I've seen the good
August 5, 2020
July book tips and other resources
Photo by Brittney Weng on Unsplash
Following up on the recaps of July episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here are also book tips and additional resources related to July episodes. You can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast apps here. Keep safe!
Crowdfunding made simple with Seedrs
Learn more about equity crowdfunding from this outstanding book, Equity Crowdfunding, The Complete Guide for Startups and Growing Companies, here.
Or listen to our podcast with Jeff Lynn, Executive Chairman of Seedrs of course here.
The Financial Markets Series: SIX (the Swiss Exchange Group) and F10 incubator/accelerator in Asia
Photo: S. Bapat on Unsplash
Check out one of the examples of what SIX does in Asia here. Recently, CONNEXOR – the global reference data distribution platform from SIX – was used in Asia for the first time. Thanks to high straight-through-processing rates enabled by CONNEXOR, reference data for cross-border transactions can now be exchanged in less than an hour instead of days.
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group . If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com .
Nomisma & SCX: Europe's first licensed, blockchain-based MTF for digital asset derivatives
Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash
Read up on Nomisma’s matching engine here. Nomisma is a groundbreaking matching engine in addition to the MiFID II EU regulated Multilateral Trading Facility "MTF" for Digital Asset Derivatives.
Can you teach entrepreneurship? Bocconi Ph.D. and INSEAD Professor explains
Is there a scientific approach to entrepreneurial decision making? Or is being an entrepreneur same as playing a lottery? Read the research co-authored by Chiara Spina here, or listen to the podcast with Chiara here.
Asia Pacific Series with Angela Conroy: Neal Cross - PictureWealth, orangutans and sense of it allCheck out the Hotel Orangutan and Pulau Weh Paradise, hotels in Indonesia, financed by our guest Neal Cross to support orangutans’ and coral reef preservation, respectively:
Orangutan Hotel and Pulau Weh Paradise, Sumatra, Indonesia
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
August 3, 2020
July recap!
Photo by Greg Nunes on Unsplash
In case you missed out on July episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly recap! 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.
Crowdfunding made simple with Seedrs
Jeff Lynn is Executive Chairman and co-founder at Seedrs, an equity crowdfunding platform headquartered in London, UK.
We talked about:
Why and how Jeff and his classmate, Carlos Silva, turned their classroom project at Said Business School (University of Oxford) into a very successful business
How does it work? Seedrs is based in London and Lisbon and around Europe
Is the same idea as the outset, or did they pivot?
What kind of start-ups can raise funds at the platform (pre or post-revenue, UK based or pan-European)?
What sort of due diligence do start-ups go through?
FinTechs the most significant sector on the platform
A secondary market for your investments in start-ups, how does it function?
Start-ups who took a chance on Seedrs when it was an early-stage start-up itself
How vital were partnerships for the growth of the platform: from Andy Murray to the British PE and VC association
An impact of the pandemic on Seedrs business and thoughts on the fundraising prospects for start-ups this year
Money raised and how fees work
The Financial Markets Series: SIX (the Swiss Exchange Group) and F10 incubator/accelerator in Asia
In this episode, we spoke to Neil Thomas, SIX Group's representative in Asia - Head of Sales and Country Head Singapore and Japan and Jonas Thuerig, Head of F10 in Singapore.
We talked about:
SIX's objectives in Asia
The state of financial services in Asia and Europe
Comparison between Singapore's and Japan's economies and implications for financial markets
Why is SIX the core corporate partner for the F10 incubator/accelerator and supported expansion to Singapore?
F10 in Singapore: similarities and differences vs. F10 in Zurich
Which start-ups are best positioned to benefit from the F10 program?
How does the selection and monitoring process work?
Financial support, co-working (when safe!) and other terms
Current trends: acceleration of digitalization in the financial services due to pandemic
The best way to reach out
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group . If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com .
Nomisma & SCX: Europe's first licensed, blockchain-based MTF for digital asset derivatives
with Francesco Adiliberti and Dimitrios Kavvathas
Dimitrios Kavvathas is former Co-Head of Asia Pacific Securities Division Distribution and Partner at Goldman Sachs, is Executive Chairman and CEO of Nomisma. Nomisma is the first company in Europe with the license granted by the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority for an MTF, which allows trading of tokenized financial instruments, in particular derivatives, on a blockchain.
Francesco Adiliberti is CEO of the SCX - Swiss Crypto Exchange and former MD at Goldman Sachs and HSBC. Nomisma will join forces with the Swiss Crypto Exchange, regulated exchange for institutional and sophisticated retail clients who want to trade blockchain-based digital assets.
We talked about a matching engine that Nomisma has developed, leveraging blockchain to allow trading, especially derivatives of tokenized assets, more efficiently. The entrepreneurial transition of two senior bankers, the key differentiation factors of their technology and their businesses, why they are joining forces, other critical partnerships in the pipeline, and plans to hit their milestones.
with Chiara Spina
Chiara Spina, a Ph.D. graduate from Bocconi, is joining INSEAD in Singapore in September as Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise.
We talked about:
How Chiara became interested in becoming an academic in entrepreneurship
Chiara's goals at INSEAD in her first year as a professor
Can you teach entrepreneurship? If yes, how? In terms of method, through the case study method or the traditional way?
Is there anything scientific about decision making in the early-stage ventures? How can you improve your odds of survival and success?
How can you experiment in a highly regulated industry like Financial Services?
Strengths and perhaps weaknesses of the start-ups in Italy vs. the rest of the world
Chiara's research on emerging phenomena in entrepreneurship like crowdfunding, accelerators, and hackathons
Chiara's involvement with Hackathon Research Center
Asia Pacific Series with Angela Conroy: Neal Cross - PictureWealth, orangutans and sense of it all
Angela Conroy speaking to Neal Cross
Neal Cross is co-founder and Chairman of PictureWealth, an award-winning innovator and speaker based in Perth, Australia, who is active in FinTech and innovation across the Asia Pacific.
In this first episode of Asia Pacific Series with hosts from the region, Angela and Neal talked about:
Why, of all the issues in the current financial services sector, he chose to focus on personal wealth management
Neal's background in innovation and if an enterprise is ready for a fundamental shift (ex DBS, MasterCard, Microsoft)
The biggest mistakes corporations and start-ups make when trying to work together and how to fix this
How do start-ups pick the best partners and avoid those who are part of the "milking" the start-ups
His commitment to sustainable tourism through hotelorangutan.com and pulauwehparadise.com in Indonesia and how we can support their mission.
Hotel Orangutan is a non-profit start-up that seeks to empower villagers economically and to raise awareness of the precarious situation of orangutans, which are being driven out of their natural habitat by wildfires.
Pulau Weh Paradise: besides its mission to raise awareness of the plight of the coral reefs, the hotel has also been a source of jobs and education for the local villages
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
Resources RSS
July 5, 2020
June book tips and other resources
Photo by Michelle Tan on Unsplash
Following up on the recaps of June episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here are also book tips and additional resources related to June episodes. You can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast apps here. Keep safe!
Discussion with Janine Haendel, CEO of Roger Federer FoundationWith all his success, Roger Federer has always felt the need to give something back to those less fortunate. In 2003 he started a foundation that supports educational programs for children. CEO Janine Händel talks about the challenges of her job and her famous boss on CNNMoney Switzerland.
One Year Anniversary Special: Breaking Banks with Brett King
The Rise of Technosocialism: Brett King’s new book due out later this year on the impact that Artificial Intelligence and technology will have on society. It's an exploration of how governance, politics, economics and social cohesion will be impacted by technology automation, increased longevity and climate change. Pre-order it on Amazon.
The Financial Markets Series: Financial Information
As a follow-up on our podcast on Financial Information, check out also Data Is the Fuel of Financial Markets, says Marion Leslie in the interview you can read here.
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group. If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com.
Market Opportunity Navigator
Incumbents need to innovate or risk losing market share.
In relation to our interview with Generali and IMBurse on the Corp-Up approach, check out this awesome book "The Corporate Startup", which is a great playbook for management how to apply lean startup methods at their company here.
This episode of the InsurTech Series was brought to you by HITS - House of InsurTech Switzerland. HITS is the innovation corp-up hub focusing on the InsurTech sector, bringing corporates and start-ups to develop customer-centric solutions. HITS creates the perfect environment to make innovation happen with early-stage investors and partners from the InsurTech sector.
Digital Identity with OnfidoIs privacy the price of a COVID-19 immunity passport? Not according to Onfido’s CEO Husayn Kassai in the interview with Julia Chatterley on CNN. Watch here:
Is privacy the price of a #covid19 immunity passport? Not according to @Onfido CEO @HusaynKassai, who’s currently advising the UK govt on how the tech will work. (Though we need the serology right first!) pic.twitter.com/Nx1Ub7UTqV
— Julia Chatterley (@jchatterleyCNN) April 29, 2020
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
July 1, 2020
June recap!
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash
In case you missed out on June episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly recap! 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.
Discussion with Janine Haendel, CEO of Roger Federer Foundation
with Janine Haendel
Janine Haendel is CEO of Roger Federer Foundation. A lawyer, diplomat and philanthropist. In this podcast, we discuss:
Origins and mission of Roger Federer Foundation
Focus on performance in the NGO sector: efficiency and effectiveness
Difference between charity and philanthropy
Improving education in Africa: focus on a teacher
Leveraging technology
Making an impact on the aid recipient: village banking
I believe in the power of people. They might only need some initial empowerment. We know that a good education empowers children by allowing them to take their future into their own hands and play an active part in shaping it. And we trust in the best will of parents that they want to ensure the best possible opportunities for their children. For 16 years my Foundation has therefore been committed to enable parents and local communities in providing these children with the opportunity for a good education. We have reached one million children by today.
— Roger Federer
One Year Anniversary Special: Breaking Banks with Brett King
with Brett King
Brett King is a speaker, author, founder, podcast host, pilot, gamer and a scuba diver, based in New York, NY. Founder and host of #1 FinTech podcast and radio show, Breaking Banks. Founder and Executive Chairman of Moven, an enterprise-focused challenger bank. Brett has an insightful new booking coming out later this year; you can pre-order it on Amazon: The Rise of Technosocialism. Check out also the episode of Breaking Banks: Sci-Fi Legends talk COVID-19 mentioned in this podcast.
In this Voice of FinTech's One Year Anniversary Special, we talk about:
Virtual events during the lockdown - are they here to stay? Do traditional conferences have a future?
Breaking banks podcast and radio show - beginnings, regional spin-offs, focus on the content and high profile guest focus (previous guests included Elon Musk, Boris Johnson or Bill Gates)
Science-fiction as an inspiration for the future of banking
His new book, The Rise of Technosocialism: what are the possible scenarios for humans as species. Brett argues the technosocialism, which is a highly automated society, broad quality and prosperity and ubiquitous technology infrastructure which provides for health, education transport is the preferred scenario.
The founding of a challenger bank Moven, pivoting to enterprise clients to drive the growth and journey to scale worldwide
Plans for the rest of the year, including hopefully spending more time in Thailand
How to get noticed - tips for when approaching time-poor influencers
Basic bank account should be something that’s helpful to the customers, not a passive thing that stores value and charges you interest on your credit card. Secondly, let’s raise our total social consciousness and awareness so we understand that things like climate change disruption on society is a choice, it’s not inevitable and we can change the future, if we just set our mind to it and get to work.
— Brett King
The Financial Markets Series: Financial Information
Marion Leslie
Marion Leslie is Head of Financial Information and Executive Board Member at SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group. She is also a trustee at Prostate Cancer UK charity and Non-Executive Director at UK's Hydrographic Office.
In this episode, you will find more about:
Marion's team mandate and mandate as a Board Member at SIX
SIX's Whitepaper on Data Transformation
Focus on data quality
Use of data for compliance and regulatory purposes
Leveraging technology in delivering data and ultimately, financial information, to SIX's clients, primarily banks
Key trends in the data business over the years, especially after the crises
Alternative data and sustainability (ESG)
How does the Head of Financial Information keep on learning?
Read more also in the recent interview with Marion here: Data Is the Fuel of Financial Markets.
While SIX takes care of providing well-connected data and valuable insights, our clients can concentrate on their core business.
— Marion Leslie
This episode of the Financial Markets Series was brought to you by SIX, the Swiss Exchange Group. If you would like to learn more about SIX, please go to www.six-group.com.
with Stefano Bison and Oliver Werneyer
In this episode on the corp-up approach in the insurance sector, we talk to Stefano Bison, Group Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Generali and Board Member of HITS - House of Insurtech Switzerland, and Oliver Werneyer, CEO and Co-founder of IMburse AG, a participant in Generali Innovation Garage, now HITS.
You will find out more about:
How Stefano's passion for the start-ups outside of work also serves him well in his role at Generali
Oliver's entrepreneurship roots from the age of 16 when he started buying and selling computer games and his passion for his current venture
Generali's overall approach to partnerships, especially with start-ups
How close the connection between Generali's current business and the start up's focus Generali requires to engage and why
How do both a corporate and a start-up measure success in a corp-up setting
How IMBurse pivoted to their current B2B instant payment business, a capability that Generali needed
Why IMBurse picked Generali Innovation Garage (now HITS) as a partner
Innovation trends in the insurance sector and the acceleration of digital transformation by COVID-19 from the perspective of an incumbent and a start-up
Next steps for both Generali and IMBurse this year
How to reach out to Stefano and Oliver most efficiently
This episode of the InsurTech Series was brought to you by HITS - House of InsurTech Switzerland. HITS is the innovation corp-up hub focusing on the InsurTech sector, bringing corporates and start-ups to develop customer-centric solutions. HITS creates the perfect environment to make innovation happen with early-stage investors and partners from the InsurTech sector.
Digital Identity with Onfido
with Husayn Kassai
Husayn Kassai is CEO and co-founder of Onfido and Oxford University alumnus. Onfido is a market-leading digital verification provider, based in London and San Francisco. We talk about online document verification and the vision of digital identity in the future.
More specifically, we talk about:
Co-founders and the need to complement one another
Interest to digitize document's verification
Onfido's recent raise of USD 100 million and plans to spend it
How does Onfido leverage AI to verify documents remotely?
Is it perfect? Can it be hacked? How does it work in terms of liability?
Expansion plans to DACH region
Living on the edge as a part of start-up life
Digital immunity passports for the post-COVID-19 world
The vision of digital identity
If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com.
Keep safe!
Sincerely,
Resources RSS
June 28, 2020
May book tips and other resources
Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash
Following up on the recaps of May episodes of Voice of FinTech podcast, here are also book tips and additional resources related to May episodes. You can subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast apps here. Keep safe!
Emerging technology due diligence - how?
Following up on the podcast with Rodney Reis, here is further recommended reading.
