Digital Disruption

Smart data, standards, trust frameworks, data exchange and orchestration are terms every lender is hearing right now, and most are being used interchangeably when they shouldn't.

In this episode the Novus Strategy team pulls them apart, explains how they fit together, and sets out what lenders should be doing about it now.

• What Smart Data actually is: verifiable, reusable data that moves securely between parties
• The difference between a data exchange (the rail that moves verified data) and orchestration (the layer that coordinates it)
• Where HDI (Horizontal Digital Integration) sits as the operating model that makes Smart Data usable
• Why a decade of digitisation made transactions slower, not faster, and what vertical vs horizontal integration really means
• The signals driving urgency now: the Data (Use and Access) Act, government-backed programmes, and property as a priority use case
• How this scales, the closed vs open loop question, and the governance and monopoly risks worth watching
• Why none of the AI being sold to lenders works without the data foundations underneath it

Fundamentally, stop guessing where your friction sits and ask us about Pathfinder, our mortgage journey simulator, and quantify the highest-value moves before you commit a pound of investment.

If you sit in transformation, product or customer journey, this is the context behind the questions lenders keep bringing us.

To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: https://events.novus-strategy.com/newsletter-sign-up

For more insights, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

The UK takes around 134 days to complete a home purchase, and roughly a third of sales fall through. The problem isn't technology. It's data: manual, duplicated, non-portable, non-trusted data.

In this episode of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Claire Van der Zant, Chief Exec of Novus Strategy, is joined by three organisations who have just proved a different model works. The Smart Property Data Trust Framework Sandbox has run its first successful test, moving data between organisations with provenance and trust intact, rather than recreating it from scratch at every organisational boundary.

Our guests:

• Stephen Ward, Director of Strategy and External Relations at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC)
• Eddie Davies, Deputy Director for PropTech and Platform Integration at HM Land Registry
• Kieran Witt, Founder of Kotini

What we cover:

• What actually moved in the sandbox, and how data travelled with a signature and a verifiable key
• Why you no longer need to trust the company sending the data, only the framework underpinning it
• The "innovation tax" firms pay to access data, and what falls away once it's removed
• "Speed to confidence": why certainty earlier in the transaction matters more than raw speed
• What changes for lenders, including the thousands of identity mismatches that quietly derail automation
• What's left to solve: governance, agreed standards, and getting the whole market to move together

To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: https://events.novus-strategy.com/newsletter-sign-up

For more insights, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this end of year edition of the Digital Disruption podcast, hosted by Claire Van der Zant, Chris Williams and Pete Gatenby, we look back at a pivotal year for the home buying and selling sector and share what it means for the road ahead.

From the biggest shifts of 2025 to the smart moves organisations need to make in 2026, it's a forward-looking conversation you won't want to miss.

To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: https://events.novus-strategy.com/newsletter-sign-up

For more insights, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this November micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Pete Gatenby, AI Practice Partner at Novus Strategy, is joined by Alastair Thornton, Director of Growth at Yopa. Together, they explore how Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is reshaping the property sector - and what estate agents can do today to stay ahead.

They explore:

• Why Proof of Concept is becoming a key catalyst for progress in 2025
• How connected digital thinking can streamline the home-buying journey
• Why shared data and joined-up working matter more than ever
• How to strike the right balance between smart tech and human expertise with Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI)

To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: https://events.novus-strategy.com/newsletter-sign-up

For more insights, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this month's micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Pete Gatenby, AI Practice Partner at Novus Strategy, is joined by Robert Thickett, Digital Policy Manager at the Building Societies Association. Together, they discuss how building societies are approaching digital transformation, the role of AI, and the emerging innovations shaping the mutual sector.

This episode dives into:

• How AI can speed up onboarding and reduce friction for savings and mortgage customers
• Why large language models may already outperform traditional customer service in certain scenarios
• How digital identity and electronic signatures could remove the need for paper-heavy processes
• Where building societies can expect the biggest gains from practical, policy-aligned digital transformation

To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: https://events.novus-strategy.com/newsletter-sign-up

For more insights, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Claire Van der Zant (Novus Strategy) is joined by Mat Hahn, Head of Estate Agent Partnerships at the LMS.

They explore:

• Why 2025 marks a turning point for digital progress in estate agency

• How Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is reshaping the property transaction process

• The growing role of material information and smarter collaboration across the chain

• Finding the right balance between technology and human service in the home-moving journey

• What a future-ready estate agency model could look like over the next five years

For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Chris Williams (Novus Strategy) is joined by Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy at the Building Societies Association.

They explore:

• Why 2025 has brought renewed momentum to the mortgage market
• The role of regulation in enabling (or restricting) innovation
• How horizontal digital integration could transform the home buying process
• The balance between technology and human advice for first-time buyers
• What a future-proof mortgage market could look like in the next five years

For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

In this episode of Digital Disruption, we explore Agentic AI and its potential uses for the UK homebuying and property sector.

Host Pete is joined by Novus Strategy's new CEO, Claire van der Zant to discuss how AI is evolving beyond chatbots and automation – now capable of taking initiative, making decisions, and linking complex processes across the housing chain.

We delve into:

• What Agentic AI is and how it works Real-world use cases in property, conveyancing, and lending
• Why the UK risks missing out on a £400 billion AI opportunity
• The importance of ethical AI adoption, transparency, and "humans in the loop"
• Practical steps for professionals looking to implement AI safely and effectively

Whether you're a lender, proptech founder, estate agent or conveyancer, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of AI in the property industry.

For more insights, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

• To connect with Pete on LinkedIn visit - Pete's LinkedIn profile
• To connect with Chris on LinkedIn visit - Chris's LinkedIn profile

For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

#IndustryInsights #NovusStrategy #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #AI #FutureOfWork #HDI #HorizontalDigitalIntegration #DigitalIntegration #UKHomeBuying #UKHomeBuyingAndSelling #PropTech #Lender #PropertyMarket #DigitalMaturity #Interoperability

🔍 Is your digital strategy keeping up with the demands of today's home buying journey?

In our latest Digital Disruption Podcast, we unpack Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) — a game-changing strategy for UK lenders and ecosystem players.

🏡 The challenge? Internal optimisation has hit its ceiling.

💡 The opportunity? Collaborating left and right — across CRMs, brokers, estate agents and data sources — to unlock new revenue, reduce fallouts, and dramatically increase efficiency.

Key takeaways include:

🔹 How internal HDI streamlines underwriting and speeds up workflows

🔹 How external HDI enhances partner collaboration and customer acquisition

🔹 Why HDI is central to enabling AI, green lending, and future-proof operations

🔹 Practical steps to define and implement your HDI strategy

For more insights, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

• To connect with Pete on LinkedIn visit - Pete's LinkedIn profile
• To connect with Chris on LinkedIn visit - Chris's LinkedIn profile

For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

#IndustryInsights #NovusStrategy #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #AI #FutureOfWork #HDI #HorizontalDigitalIntegration #DigitalIntegration #UKHomeBuying #UKHomeBuyingAndSelling #PropTech #Lender #PropertyMarket #DigitalMaturity #Interoperability

The property market is at a tipping point, and Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is set to transform the way lenders, brokers, and conveyancers operate.

🔑 Key Takeaways from Our Latest Podcast:

✅ HDI will drive predictability, allowing borrowers to select move-in dates with certainty.

✅ Lenders must shift from operational efficiency to customer-centric growth, using real-time data to offer in-life financial services.

✅ Interoperability is no longer optional—firms that fail to integrate will be left behind.

✅ Collaboration is key—2025 will test whether the industry is truly ready to embrace a connected ecosystem.

💡 The mortgage industry must take inspiration from e-commerce—those who move first in digital integration will gain a significant competitive advantage.

For more insights, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

• To connect with Pete on LinkedIn visit - Pete's LinkedIn profile
• To connect with Chris on LinkedIn visit - Chris's LinkedIn profile

For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at [email protected].

#IndustryInsights #NovusStrategy #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #AI #FutureOfWork #HDI #HorizontalDigitalIntegration #DigitalIntegration #UKHomeBuying #UKHomeBuyingAndSelling #PropTech #Lender #PropertyMarket #DigitalMaturity #Interoperability