Appetite for Disruption: The Business and Regulation of FinTech

Joachim Schwerin, principal economist at DG GROW within the European Commission, discusses that vision for Europe, how it is developing, and the impacts on and implications for individuals and small- to mid-sized businesses.  There are many considerations at play and many different technologies, so the topic is a broad one.  Joachim takes us on a tour of the issues and technologies, with good stops about blockchain and decentralization.  We even manage to cover the industrial revolution and economic theory.  This wide-ranging conversation made us think about a lot of different areas of an economy and life more generally.  Enjoy the listen!

Tim Mohin of Persefoni joins Troy and Lee to talk about the development over the years of disclosures related to carbon and other environmental topics.  Tim’s extensive background in environmental science and climate disclosure gives him a distinctive perspective about how companies have voluntarily enhanced disclosures, what standards can apply to such disclosures, and how standardization is developing.  He provides a brief historical tour and also discusses the SEC’s latest proposed rules.  His approach and experience were the basis for an informative conversation.

Melanie Pickett and Paul Fahey of Northern Trust join us to discuss how a traditional financial services company thinks about and engages with FinTech.  Melanie focuses on front office solutions for clients while Paul leverages data science.  They both are keenly focused on what a digital experience means, particularly what it means for humans and the judgments they need to exercise.  This includes figuring out what information to present to people, and in what format, to improve decision making.  As always, nothing in this episode is investment, legal, or any other advice of any kind, and nothing in this episode is an endorsement or recommendation of any kind. 

Everybody talks about the difference between traditional banks and FinTech companies.  Treasury Prime seeks to facilitate the interactions between the two so that banks can have a FinTech offering and FinTech can have the risk management and compliance of banks.  CEO Christopher Dean is leading Treasury Prime into this world between these two major industries and helping both sides understand each other through education and, most importantly, technology.  He sees a bright future developing from these partnerships and Treasury Prime is committed to facilitating that future.  And his love of start-ups and the process of building a company shines through.

Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck, has continued his father’s work in the funds world.  Jan sees Bitcoin as part technology and part store of value as it matures as an asset.  He also shares his view that individual investors have insights that institutional investors sometimes miss.  Jan's journey in considering the impacts of Bitcoin and other trends over the years might be a harbinger for how the world is evolving.  Jan’s perspective shows a healthy interest in the world around him.  As always, nothing in this episode is investment, legal, or any other advice of any kind, and nothing in this episode is an endorsement or recommendation of any kind.

Rana Gujral, CEO of Behavioral Signals, joins us to explain how his company uses AI to help businesses improve their customer interactions.  Behavioral Signals has a cool technology that uses AI to learn speech patterns and match the people who are predicted to engage most effectively with each other, especially in tough conversations.  There is a lot to learn in this episode, and Rana explains how the AI works to help the matching result in improved communication, customer satisfaction, and business outcomes.  We found it all fascinating.