Fintech Insider By 11:fs

First up on today's news show, the FCA bans BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) across the the entire UK finance sector. Whilst regulation is on the tip of everyone's tongue, cryptocurrencies managed to sneak their way onto the show once more as Kodak launched KODAKcoin, boosting stock prices an outrageous 44%. From one major announcement to another, tech giant Tencent gets a licence to sell mutual funds to WeChat's 1 billion users in China. Moving on, TransferWise is quietly launching its "borderless" debit cards to 1,000 customers, with a full rollout coming later in the year. We discuss what the future of borderless payments could look like and how this brings the company in closer competition with Revolut. Our next story comes from a report written by FleishmanHillard named 'The Fads, The Fears and the Future' which details the most overhyped technologies and trends in 2017. Simon Taylor interviews Claudia Bate the author, where they discuss the report at length including the methodology behind the statistics

From pre-paid card to fully fledged Current Account, Tom Blomfield details the journey of UK challenger bank Monzo with great enthusiasm and vibrance. Tom talks our host Simon Taylor through Monzo's viral growth and how their marketing team has managed to grow the company 1000% in the last year alone, on a very limited budget. 'I don't think we're a million miles away from the mainstream' is a great quote and highlights the ambition of the challenger bank, as we discuss Monzo's roadmap for the future. Regulation has been a hot topic to kick off 2018 and so you won't be surprised that PSD2 is much discussed throughout the interview. Indeed Tom gives his opinions on how large banks and open banking will be impacted by the regulation. Murmurs of both a Monzo IPO and potential acquisition have been constant throughout 2017, and Tom's admirable attitude that an acquisition "would feel like failure" shows just how dedicated the Monzo team is to creating a better banking product for its customers. He takes r

In the first of our three-part series on investments, Simon Taylor is joined by special guests Joe Parkin, Gemma Godfrey, Phil Smith, Olivia Vinden & Gareth Johnson. We kicked things off by asking our panel what IS wealth management? How does it differ from asset management and what does the future of the industry look like? Our guests have a wealth of experience (pun intended) in this industry, and tried to dissect the role of the wealth manager and how technological evolutions will transform this space. We discuss whether or not digitisation of the role would to some extent mitigate the human element behind wealth management, and how exactly this will alter the customer relationship. DLT, Machine learning and AI are all buzzwords, but how could these growing areas of innovation change wealth management? How will data, in tandem with these technologies successfully make wealth management for more accessible to the consumer? The panel discuss how these areas could benefit the industry, offering some ve

First up on today's show, Alibaba's Ant Financial has abandoned a $1.2bn takeover of MoneyGram. So what were the US regulator's concerns over national security and personal data. Continuing the regulatory theme, we explore open banking and traditional banking. The guys discuss why open banking might threaten the survival of traditional banks. Plus, new research suggests that consumer awareness of open banking is at a major low, amidst suggestions that in 2018 you'll pay through Amazon and Facebook. Next, we ask what is MiFID II and how will it increase transparency and bolster investor protection? The guys discuss why the credit card fees ban has backfired, and why consumers face new 'service charges' and higher prices. Is it right that by 'fat-cat Thursday', top bosses' pay after just three days overtakes workers' average annual salary? P2P payments are back, so is it true that Apple Pay Cash won't be the death of Venmo? And if not, could Zelle do it? And in the world of banking and savings apps

Sam Maule is joined by Jason Bates and new 11:FS team member, Doug Bobenhouse in Chicago to discuss the State of the Union in the US, wrapping up 2017 and looking ahead to next year. They discuss the history of fintech, starting with pre-paid cards, and the slowness of movement by the big players in the US in particular to adapt and change. Jason talks through "platformification" and the ability to make fast changes by building new propositions on top of old systems, turning products into services. They discuss the risks and also the opportunities for smaller banks in the space to collaborate and share learnings and also APIs and backend systems, with each other and also the big banks in order to take advantage of the changes in the space, and "take the game to the big guys". What does "ruining the romance" in banking mean? Jason and Sam explain all. Sam and Doug discuss how Chicago made its mark on the financial services landscape of the US, and its benefits for start ups in the space. And Jason

Simon Taylor speaks to Eric Wilson, CEO at Xinja, who are building Australia's first digital bank. First off Eric introduces us to Xinja - what is it, how does it work and what makes it unique and of course we had to ask how they came up with the name Xinja and how it's pronounced (like ninja). We ask about Xinja's business model; how they make money, who their customers are and how they acquire them, and what their longterm goals are. Eric also tells us about Xinja's partnership with Equitise to offer equity crowdfunding and the Founding Xinja community, and their aims to bring humanity back to banking and how they feel about the label "neobank". We also get his thoughts on the future of cash, particularly in Australia, and how the Australian market compares to the UK, Europe and the States. We hope you enjoy the show - spread the word, tell your friends and don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. If you want to get in touch, drop us a line at podcasts@11fs.com or on Twitter @FintechInsiders a

Jason Bates meets Toby Triebel, CEO for Europe of Wealthsimple, a leading innovative software company. ] They discuss Toby's background, how he got into fintech and finance, and introduces us to Wealth Simple for those who might not know. They only started in September 2014 and have come a long way since then - $1bn (CAD) in AUM as of May 2017 - we ask how they scaled up so fast? They also discuss Wealthsimple's accomplishments being Canada’s first robo advisor in the space, and the challenges and impact this had, in addition to having real, human advisors on hand via phone, text, email or video call, to give advice - and is this at odds with their business model of fast, digital investment? Toby tells us all. He also talks about their hugely successful social media marketing campaign with their Wealthsimple Money Diaries, using celebrity stories to open up conversations around money and finance. Jason also asks the gritty questions about how they acquire customers, what their customer base looks like, an

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings to all our listeners and thank you for your support over the last year as Fintech Insider has gone from strength to strength. As this episode airs on Christmas Day we thought we'd give the gift of the best bloopers from over the last year on the show, featuring David Brear, Jason Bates, Simon Taylor and guests. Enjoy! Thanks to all our guests over the last year, and thank you for listening. Spread the word, tell your friends and don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes. If you want to get in touch, drop us a line at podcasts@11fs.com or on Twitter @FintechInsiders and follow us on Facebook.

David, Nigel and Sarah visit Aviva's Digital Garage for InsurTech Insider's very first takeover show! Recorded from Aviva's offices, the team were joined by Claire Woodcock – Digital Strategy Lead for Digital Product and Design; Anna Stables – Digital Innovation Manager; Alex Allen – Senior Digital Innovation Manager and Colin Richardson – Co-Founder & Head of Marketing at Cocoon for a roundtable discussion of all things Aviva! We kick off with a run through of what Aviva does and in particular the digital garage, their take on the insurance industry at present and how innovation is beginning to take off, and what that looks like for Aviva. They also tell us about the Founders Factory, the digital garage culture and adapting to customer expectations as the industry shifts and changes. They conclude with looking ahead to 2018 and what that will look like for Aviva and the team. It was great fun hosting this show from Aviva's Digital Garage, - don't forget if you enjoy the show to subscribe so you never mi

It's nearly the end of the year and we're knee-deep in good tidings. So here's a dollop of festive fintech cheer - the third installment of our special live show, After Dark, and it's the Christmas Special, recorded live at our offices in WeWork, London! Simon and the guys steer us through the top news stories from 2017 - and what a year it's been! - with help from an expert panel and an all-star cast. First up it's January (who knew?) and Nigel Walsh, Partner at Deloitte, helps talk us through the amazing story of insurtech startup Lemonade. Into February, and Co-op Bank is up for sale. March saw a deluge of fintech and challenger bank outages, while April saw Will.i.am join Atom Bank. Alexa Fernandez, Director of Fintech Partnerships at BBVA talks us through the launch of BBVA's open banking business in May, and 'Girl, interrupted' Liz Lumley discusses the Dodd Frank repeal in June. Listen in to hear what we covered for the second half of the year, with help from Hugo Cornejo - Head of Design at Monzo;

This week, Sam's joined by Rahmi Serageldin, co-founder & CEO of Honeyfi; Rob Frohwein, CEO & co-founder of Kabbage; Matt Potere, CEO of Sunlight Financial; and Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke, Financial Services Partner and FinTech Practice Group Co-Leader at McGuireWoods LLP. First up, the guys talk about the South East - why's Charlotte become the go-to location for fintech and what makes it such a vibrant community hub? Alex tells us about the Carolina Fintech Hub - a non-profit group that fosters fintech in the city. Plus, why regulatory and legal can be such big barriers to fintech startups. Is Atlanta the finance capital of the United states? Matt tells us about the Fintech Atlanta Taskforce, and why a lot people might not get what fintech really means. With three years of experience at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Alex gives her perspective on her time there, some of the recent changes and what they'll mean for the industry. Plus, the guys discuss how regulators can furth

First up this week, the guys tackle the news that Revolut is into crypto! Can they break down the divide between old and new money? And is it dangerous that retail investors have such simple access to cryptocurrencies? And, hot on the heels of Revolut, Square has been running a trial on Cash App, a rival to Venmo, that has allowed a small number of users to purchase bitcoin. Next up, the report on the overhaul of the core banking system. And, as we at 11:FS know only too well, what a task that is! So why is it that banks need help to do it and how can they mitigate the risks involved? The FCA has announced a successful third round of its regulatory sandbox, with 61 applications and 18 accepted into the next stage, including Curl, Bud, Nationwide and Orca. And in a surprising twist (?), the European Commission has announced that it has extended the deadline for banks to meet new payment standards. So what are the most controversial changes and when's the new deadline? We also bring you a special interv

This week Jason is joined by Edward Berks, Director of Banking, Fintech & Ecosystem at Xero; Clare Sheehan, Deputy Director of Making Tax Digital for Business at HMRC; Mags Laidlaw, accountant and Partner at Mazars; and Charlie Wood from Capco, representing the fintech angle. We discuss the changes that are coming for small businesses (SMBs), including the digitisation of tax. So how can SMBs keep up, and how can we raise the profile of the changes that are coming? We hear why the traditional role of accountants might be changing, and why we're still going to need them in future! Are professional services business models changing as a result of technology? And among all the change and progress, what will be the role of people and where can they really add value? How far are we really from a set of workable tax APIs? Clare explains what HMRC are doing to streamline the process of filing returns. And finally, what do SMBs have to look forward to in the coming years? We talk about the impact of PSD2, r

This week's very special show was recorded live at a beach party in Helsinki (no, really), hosted by Finnish bank, OP. Jason, Simon and Sam bring you three shows in one, as we host an insights panel around the relationships between fintechs and incumbents in Scandianavia, the rise of fintech in the Nordics in particular, why payments are the most popular segment for disruption, and the rise of cashlessness in the region. The panel is made up of Finnish fintech experts, Antti-Jussi Suominen, CEO of Holvi; Jani Tierala, VP of Product at Zervant; banking and innovation expert, Marisol Menendez, Head of Innovation at BBVA and Jamie Campbell from growing UK fintech, Bud. We also have fantastic thought pieces from Mark Pettit from Visa, Jitendra Kavethekar from Accenture, and Tashi Sylten from Tink Technology as well as interviews with Tuomas Toivenen, co-founder of Holvi and our host for the evening, Kristian Luoma, Head of OP Lab and the reason we got the opportunity to put on this amazing show. It was an aw

David is joined by Sarah Kocianski and James York to discuss insurance as a platform. First up, James talks us through the Worry+Peace origin story, including his background in insurance, and why he strove to not take funding as the company found its feet. He also talks about why insurance is a slightly unique market, and why that warrants a different approach. The guys take on the topic of "insurance as a platform" (with air quotes) - a "trifle of potential platforms". What is it and why has it come about? And if platforms are to take control of the customer relationship, what does that mean for the big players? Plus, as big insurers come to terms with the wealth of data at their disposal, how might they incorporate AI to change the way that data is used? And what's the role of the highstreet in the distribution of insurance? The guys talk discuss the structure of the insurance industry, and why the platform plays the good cop while the underwriter plays the bad cop. Onto the news, where we tackle

In this episode, Ali Paterson, Editor of Fintech Finance; Valentina Kristensen, Head of Marketing & PR at Oak North; & Tanya Andreasyan, Editor of Banking Technology join hosts David, Jason and Simon to discuss the last week's news including: Uber's data hack and alleged payoff to the hackers to delete the data; BBVA's iris scanner for mobile phone security which opens up a debate about biometrics and security overall; and as Garmin kick off contactless payments in their watches, it kicks off in the room about card payments vs smart payments, Jason is adamant that card payments are not broken and vetoes similar stories in future. Also, as Tencent's valuation overtakes Facebook for the first time, they discuss the contest between Tencent and Alibaba as well as its competition around the world - is Tencent a threat to the west? They also take on the Revolut founder's latest statements around how he hires and his expectations in the work place - causing a diatribe from Valentina attacking these sentiments

Today, David is joined by Andy Ellis, Head of Strategy & Innovation at RBS; Tunde Olanrewaju, Senior Partner at McKinsey; and Peter Ryan-Bell, Head of Sector and Specialist Businesses at RBS, recording live from the Tavern Stand at Lords Cricket Ground to talk about new ways of working. The guys discuss how working practices are changing, and the things they're having to do to keep up, and the impact this has had on partnerships. What are the best hiring practices and how can you build the best team possible? As the narrative has shifted to big firms that want a more digital and agile workforce, how can this be achieved with a workforce of tens of thousands? Plus, what's the changing nature of procurement and what's the importance of collaboration styles? And of course, we ask the million dollar question - how can firms make innovation an integral part of the way they work? We also learn about "fin-ology" and why it's important in the modern workplace. Plus, how to foster a decision-making culture and

In our first all female episode, Sarah Kocianski takes the lead alongside Fiserv's Anna Bennett, Bud's Nina Mohanty, Girl Disrupted Liz Lumley and Innovate Finance's Sophie Winwood, to go through the top stories from the world of fintech and financial services in the last seven days. Kicking off with the US' first new payment system in 40 years that seemed slightly underwhelming, especially when compared with Alibaba's spending record on China's Singles Day. They also take on the new AI chatbot from Standard Chartered and whether or not the Apple FaceID hack was or wasn't a hoax, and are bankers right to feel sorry for millennials - and what are they going to do about it if they are? They also discuss Zimbabwe's lack of currency and huge bitcoin surges following the deposition of Robert Mugabe, a new bank card for spending bitcoin and ethereum; how banks such as Monzo stand to make money in the wake of open banking - and finally is it right that David Davis has promised bankers special travel rights in th

Welcome to this week's Insider show, where Simon hosts a panel on the future of banking, featuring Marko Wenthin, co-founder of solarisBank; Leanne Kemp, founder and CEO at Everledger; and Elena Alfaro, Global Head of Data at BBVA. Before getting stuck in to the detail, our expert panel discuss the current situation in banking. What are the biggest challenges and why hasn't banking kept up with the pace of technological change and the change in customer behaviour? How are banks learning to respond to the pace of change, and why shouldn't we just focus on digitising but being truly digital? The panel also explores the evolution of the customer journey and the importance of understanding the customer context. And Elena discusses how data might unlock a truly personalised process. Leanne delves into the importance of understanding your processes and your customers, and Marko talks about his approach to customer data. And we discuss whether machines can ever replace people in customer interactions, or whet

In this episode Caroline, Pete and the guys break down a trilogy of P2P payment stories featuring Facebook, Apple and... Walmart? Meanwhile Square's Jack Dorsey is frustrated by the time it takes to get a banking license and Deutsche Bank signals the end of fiat money as we know it. The second half of the show is almost entirely devoted to challenger banks as there were so many in the news this week! First up, Revolut apply for a European banking licence ahead of the Brexit agreements in order to not lose access to the European market, whereas N26 announce their plans to launch in the UK in 2018 with or without Brexit. Monzo raises another £71M in VC investment while its rival Starling becomes the first mobile only bank to connect with Yolt, and ASOS and Klarna team up for a buy now pay later scheme that had a lot of people talking about whether its actually beneficial for consumers and will it ultimately cost them more in the long run? Finally, rounding out the show is the news that Snoop Dogg's VC fir