Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech Leaders

In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins chats with James Bowe, CEO and co-founder of OwnHome, about the innovative solutions his company is bringing to the housing market. 

James shares insights into the challenges of housing affordability and accessibility in Australia, and how OwnHome is empowering families to own homes sooner by funding deposits and providing buyer's agent support.

James discusses the genesis of OwnHome, highlighting the financial and legal structuring challenges that inspired him and his co-founder to tackle the housing crisis. 

Tune in to learn about the successes and partnerships that have propelled OwnHome forward, and gain valuable insights into the current state of the fintech industry. Whether you're a potential homeowner or interested in fintech innovation, this episode offers a compelling look at how OwnHome is making a difference.

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Welcome to Fintech Chatter Podcast. We're dedicating the month of August to showcase the Australian founders passionate about solving the housing affordability crisis.

Dexter Cousins kicks off the series with Lucinda Hartley of Mondus Capital. Lucinda shares how she's leveraging her background as a City Planner and SaaS founder to bring a zero deposit home loan to market.

Find out more - https://www.mymondus.com/

Watch out for their upcoming rebrand https://zeroo.com.au/

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Welcome back to Fintech Chatter Podcast! In this episode your host Dexter Cousins invites guest No2 back onto the show.

David M. Brear is CEO of 11:FS Group and 11:FS Holdings. The award winning digital consultancy has built digital banks all over the world and through 11:FS holdings, David and the team are finally going to build the next generation of financial services, this time for their own company!

Having first appeared on the show in January 2020, David and Dexter talk about the evolution of fintech, the challenges facing the fintech industry, and the future of digital banking. 

They also discuss the impact of AI on the consultancy model, the importance of understanding customer insights to drive innovation, plus the current state of fintech in the UK and Australia. 

David also reveals his new favourite hobby, the increasing role of influencers in fintech media and his personal health challenges that have him more motivated than ever.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction 
01:16 About 11:FS
03:05 Changing the Fabric of Financial Services
17:20 Regulatory Challenges and Market Dynamics
23:07 The Future of UK FinTech
26:00 Maturity Challenges in FinTech
29:05 Emergence of Influencers in FinTech
33:26 The Power of Podcasting in FinTech
38:13 The Reality of FinTech Media
41:54 Cult of Personality in FinTech
48:55 Building 11FS Holdings
54:30 Health, Work, and Life Balance

For more information on 11:FS - https://www.11fs.com/

Listen to Fintech Insider Podcast - https://content.11fs.com/podcasts

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Dexter welcomes back Josh Foreman to discuss their global expansion and recent Series C capital raise.

Josh first appeared on the show in 2020 and he shares the lessons he has learned from writing Indebted's first line of code to launching in 7 countries!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Indebted and Its Mission
03:04 The Evolution of Technology in Debt Collection
09:08 Disrupting Traditional Debt Collection Models
15:00 The Future of Credit Infrastructure
18:03 Lessons Learned and Strategic Insights
30:42 Scaling a Global Business
35:59 The Role of Intuition in Decision Making
39:00 Raising Capital in a Challenging Environment
45:41 The Future of Fintech and AI Innovations

Find out more about Indebted - https://www.indebted.co/careers/

You can find previous episodes with Josh - 

2020 - https://tieronepeople.com/2020/11/11/josh-foreman-indebted-fintech-australia-podcast/

2022 - https://youtu.be/iA0j-yejKDQ?si=ibKW4oNXZUxHaJpg

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Dexter Cousins interviews Antony Jenkins, the CEO and founder of 10X Banking, the core banking platform that makes banking ten times better.

Antony stands out in Fintech as the global CEO of Barclays who decided to start a fintech. Tune in for a deep dive into the challenges of core banking, the outdated technology in the banking sector, and how 10X helps banks like Westpac and Chase innovate fast. 

We talk about fixing the banking technology silo problem, Antony's transition from a large bank to a startup, and his approach to creating a high-performance culture within 10x and how it differs to running a global bank.

Antony also shares his thoughts on the future of fintech, opportunities in the Australian market (and their partnership with Constantinople) plus his advice for banking professionals considering a move to fintech.

Find out more https://www.10xbanking.com/

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Antony Jenkins, CEO and Founder of 10x Banking joins Dexter Cousins to talk about the Future of 10x and the Fintech Industry - Full interview available Monday 7th April

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In this episode of Fintech Chatter, Dexter Cousins interviews Julian Fayad, CEO of LoanOptions.ai about the challenges and advantages of bootstrapping a fintech company from the ground up. 

LoanOptions.ai aims to revolutionise the loan application process. Julian shares insights into how they’re using AI to build a mobile first loan application process.

Julian first appeared on the show in 2023. We chat about his progress and the lessons he has learned over the past two years. Julian also talks about the transition from a broking business to a technology-focused company, and the launch of Synapses, the API services hub for Fintech! 

We also discuss the launch of HAILO and LoanOptions.ai, expansion into New Zealand and future plans for market expansion into the US and UAE.

Find out more: https://loanoptions.ai

Chapters

00:00 The Bootstrap Journey of a Fintech Founder

02:12 Innovating the Loan Application Process

10:45 Transitioning from Broking to Technology

18:04 Launching New Products and Partnerships

25:49 Building an API Services Hub for Fintechs

26:48 Navigating B2B Partnerships and SaaS Pricing Strategies

32:05 Transitioning from Brokerage to Tech: Lessons Learned

35:21 Building a Cohesive Team and Company Culture

39:47 Innovative Talent Acquisition Strategies

41:45 Valuable Lessons in Business Partnerships

46:22 Expanding Horizons: New Markets and Future Plans

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In this episode of Fintech Chatter, Dexter Cousins chats to Nathan Walsh and Michael Starkey, Co-Founders of Athena Home Loans.

Making their long awaited return to the show, Nathan and Michael discuss their journey over the past four years, and the insane challenges they’ve had to navigate as interest rates rose rapidly and funding markets dried up. 

According to Wikipedia Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor; she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. She may have also aided Michael and Nathan over this last few years!

We ask Nathan and Michael the tough questions like how do you compete with banks, balance innovation with regulatory requirements, navigating the rapid interest rate rises since 2022, and the importance of partnerships. 

Nathan and Michael also share their secrets to building a resilient team and maintaining a strong company culture as they aim for the next stage of growth and innovation in the home loan sector.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Athena Home Loans
03:38 Founding Story and Vision
05:48 Tech Fin vs Fin Tech: Athena's Position
07:32 Navigating Regulation and Innovation
11:48 Challenges of Distribution in a Fragmented Market
13:34 Impact of Interest Rate Rises on Fintech
19:45 Lessons from Big Banks
23:23 Partnerships and Growth Opportunities
29:29 Cultural Alignment in Partnerships
33:47 The Journey of Co-Founders
37:59 Hiring The Right People
40:51 Navigating Growth and Change
45:09 Reflections on Past Experiences
48:40 Future Aspirations and Growth

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In this episode of Fintech Chatter, host Dexter Cousins speaks with Di Challenor and Macgregor Duncan, co-founders of Constantinople, about their journey in building the Operating System for banks. 

Constantinople is the most ambitious startup in Fintech, tackling the most complex problem in Fintech, rethinking how banks become fully digital.

Tune in as Mac and Di discuss the challenges of winning banking clients, the importance of establishing trust, and the strategies behind their successful capital raising efforts. 

We revisit our first interview in 2023 and talk through the challenges and learnings of the past two years.  As they look to the future, they share their vision for Constantinople and the endless quest for excellence.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Constantinople
04:09 The Evolution of Banking Technology
07:17 Challenges in Client Acquisition
10:10 Building Trust and Credibility
12:53 Creating a New Category in Banking
16:04 Navigating Capital Raising
19:03 The Importance of Execution
25:02 Scaling the Business
34:08 The Importance of Documentation in Scaling
36:49 Driving Excellence in Early Stage Companies
42:45 Commitment to Excellence: Attracting the Right Talent
49:07 Identifying and Filling Skill Gaps
53:15 Future Vision: Building a Multi-Tenanted Banking Platform

Find out about careers: https://www.cxnpl.com/

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In this episode of Fintech Chatter podcast, Dexter Cousins chats with Justin Greenstein, CEO of 1835i, about the evolution of corporate venture capital in Australia’s banks. 

Justin shares insights on the structure and strategy of 1835i, its investment thesis, and the importance of aligning with ANZ's overarching strategy. 

We get Justin's top tips for partnering with a CVC, his thoughts on the future of fintech in Australia, and what he sees as the Biggest untapped opportunity in Fintech. 

About 1835i

As ANZ Bank’s external innovation partner, 1835i invest in and partner with fintechs that are focused on homeowners, small and medium sized businesses, trade and capital flows, and transforming businesses through data, analytics and digital technologies.

Notable Fintech investments include Airwallex, Cash Reward, Lendi, Valiant, Datamesh, Slyp and Citoplus.

Chapters

00:00 How To Raise Capital From a Big 4Bank - Justin Greenstein, CEO of 1835i

04:24 The Evolution of 1835i: From ANZ to Independence

09:05 Understanding Corporate Venture Capital vs. Traditional VC

14:27 Horizon 2 and Horizon 3: Future Technologies and Startups

19:22 Success Stories and Strategic Partnerships

24:21 Navigating the VC Landscape and Founder Expectations

29:06 The State of Fintech in Australia and Globally

34:19 The Untapped Opportunities in Fintech

39:00 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions for 1835i

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