Kate Pohl spoke with Miriam Wohlfarth on a variety of topics surrounding start-ups, fintechs, and banks. We also spent time discussing the technologies of today and tomorrow! Miriam is a great believer in embedded and contextual banking, "in the future, people will need products that support their lives and fit them better".

Miriam feels it is vital to use and further develop APIs for better access to data. For her, Artificial Intelligence will be the foundation for what fintechs develop in the future. What does Miriam Wohlfarth worry about, what keeps her up at night?

Does she think there are problems that cannot be solved? We loved Miriam's optimism and positive attitude as well as her motto - from her father -  "Enthusiasm is the principal [the foundation] for all possibilities".

Please tune in and listen to a very inspiring leader and get the answers to the above questions plus so much more!

Steven Batiste and Kate Pohl discuss the topic of Banking as a Service (BaaS).

Today, platforms want to integrate a range of financial products and services from payments to financing. It all began with cards - both debit and credit and today there is no end (of use cases) insight.

Non-banks e.g., fintechs, neo banks, or even incumbent banks... are looking for players with a banking license or banking products and services. Why? So that they can concentrate on building and maintaining their brand and the customer experience!

BaaS can be a bridge that drives value for platforms as well as end users.

How and when did this all begin? Does size matter?  Who are actually the providers, the actual players in BaaS? Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more!

Steven Batiste and Kate Pohl discuss the topic of the Metaverse (OR is it Multiverse....?) in order to really understand what these terms mean!

We also touch on the concepts of both Virtual and Mixed Reality that are key to understanding the Metaverse. Steven explains the origins of this new frontier and how it has developed over time. We look at Facebook, Microsoft, etc. that are developing and using the Metaverse in order to get a feel for use cases and future potential.

Is Facebook - or Meta as it is now called - investing billions in the technology? Is Microsoft really planning to turn us all into cartoon characters through avatars (or is this merely a joke or a gimmick)?

Will Steven Batiste become SpongeBob and Kate Pohl become Princess Leia? Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more

Steven Batiste and Kate Pohl explore the realm of deepfakes to better understand the topic itself as well the effects on society.

Steven explains exactly what a deepfake is as well as the technology behind it. We look at the connection to artificial intelligence and explore the power of GANs (generative adversarial networks). The adversarial relationship between the "decoder and the discriminator" turns out to be key. In other words, both work in a competitive fashion to continually improve the deepfake.

What are the use cases... both those used to do good as well as ... evil?  What are the key concerns around this technology? And can we make sure that it is used safely?

Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Steven Batiste and Kate Pohl spoke with Daniel Bartsch on the topic of Cooperation between Fintechs and Banks, giving us some insight on whether they are "still dating or have truly tied the knot"! Daniel took us through the evolution of both the cooperation and competition, highlighting big pros but also a few cons. He explained the ability to leverage synergies that create real benefits for both parties.

What do fintechs and banks actually bring to the party? What are the biggest barriers to working well together? And importantly, what can fintechs learn from banks and vice versa!

Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Steven Batiste and Kate Pohl spoke with Erwin Kulk on the topic of IXB - Immediate Cross-Border Payments.

Erwin explained to us how this initiative was "born" and what part was played by the TCH, SWIFT, various banking partners, and of course EBA Clearing.

What we felt was particularly exciting and promising is that IXB leverages (clearing) systems that exist today to achieve synchronized settlement. 

But, what does immediate really mean?  What about geography and currency... is this system limited to the Euro/Dollar corridor? What value-added services will IXB support? Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Today Steven and Kate are talking to Thomas Haida, Customer Happiness Officer at Microsoft, who has a passion for Cloud, Big Data, and Analytics.

Thomas with his background across many industries, geographies, and technologies goes deep on AI i.e., the beginnings, where we are today, and where we are going. He shares his views on machine and deep learning as well as quantum giving us a good understanding of how AI is shaping and changing our world.

Is Artificial Intelligence really… intelligent?  Is data the key?  What about bias?

Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Today Steven and Kate are talking to Simon Jones, Fintech Mentor and Financial Entrepreneur with a deep and rich background in banking and treasury.

Simon gives us an insider’s view and understanding of the world of neo banks and how they compare to incumbents.

He shares some of his insights on what works and what doesn’t… and why!

Are the high valuations of challenger banks justified? Are neo banks truly a threat to established financial institutions? What are the key technologies that are needed to drive this business today and tomorrow?

Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Today Steven and Kate are talking to Dr. Jörg Howein, the CPO of Solarisbank.

We are exploring the world of Banking as a Service, a fascinating and relatively new concept.

Jörg talks about the products and services that Solaris offers the market today and where they plan to go in the future. What role does data really play in the bank’s development? What does platformization contribute to the success of Solaris? How did the pandemic influence certain choices made… including New Ways of Working?

Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more.

Today we are having a discussion on REQUEST TO PAY (R2P) with Thomas Egner, Secretary General of the Euro Banking Association (EBA).

Steven and Kate are exploring this new payment type with Thomas to help our listeners become more familiar with the future of payments!

R2P goes far beyond simplifying the payment of invoices - for both individuals and companies - it supports a variety of additional use cases! 

Thomas has shared his views on what it will take to make R2P successful and what kind of cooperation is necessary for that success. Is new regulation needed?  What type of data can R2P support?  Will Request to Pay replace direct debits or card payments?  Please tune in and find the answers to these questions and a lot more!