Provoke.fm Media

This week on Breaking Banks, we feature a fascinating and thought-provoking episode from our sister podcast, The Futurists, where Brett King welcomes celebrated experimental astrophysicist Professor Brian Cox.

Professor Cox, an English physicist and musician, is widely recognized for presenting science programs such as BBC Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage and the Wonders of... series. He is also the author of two popular science books: Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?) and The Quantum Universe. He’s selected to deliver the keynote address at The Futurists X Summit in Dubai on September 22nd.

In this episode, Professor Cox dives into how our understanding of black holes and quantum information theory could change our fundamental understanding of the universe, ushering in a new era of scientific advancement.

Professor Brian Cox is one of the most articulate scientists in the world today. This interview underscores that, in an era where science faces ongoing challenges from political forces and media, our future lies in embracing knowledge and applied intelligence. Are we at the event horizon of something new and extraordinary?

Stablecoins, relationships, and licenses – inside the Flutterwave success story

Detailed Summary:

In this Finovate podcast, host Greg Palmer interviews Bridgit Antwi, Head of Strategy and Planning at Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments company. Founded in 2016 by Olubenga “GB” Agbola, Flutterwave was created to solve the significant friction in facilitating financial transactions across Africa’s complex landscape of 54 countries, 40+ currencies, and numerous payment systems. The company has built an infrastructure that abstracts this complexity through a single API platform, allowing merchants to seamlessly collect payments across multiple countries, currencies, and payment methods. Today, Flutterwave operates in over 30 countries, holds licenses in 14 African nations (making it the most licensed non-bank entity on the continent), and maintains 35 money transfer licenses.

Flutterwave’s growth has required not only technological innovation but also extensive relationship-building across the financial ecosystem. The company has established over 150 direct connections to banks, mobile network operators, payment schemes, and digital wallets, creating redundant payment rails necessary for reliable operation in Africa. This infrastructure has become a competitive advantage and now powers the next generation of African startups. Key customers include global companies like Uber, which Flutterwave helped expand from Nigeria to ten additional markets by localizing transactions and improving authorization rates. They also serve local merchants like Nigerian airline Airpeace and payment service providers from Europe, the US, and increasingly Asia.

Looking toward the future, Flutterwave is focusing heavily on stablecoins, particularly USDC. As a member of the Circle Partnership Network, they are one of few African partners that can mint USDC and provide on/off-ramp services between USDC and fiat currencies. This focus addresses critical needs in Africa, where currency volatility and inflation make stablecoins an attractive alternative for cross-border transactions due to lower costs and faster settlement times. Beyond facilitating local payments, Flutterwave is helping merchants expand their reach across borders, with particular interest in the “big four” e-commerce markets (Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt) as well as secondary markets like Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of Francophone Africa.

More info:

Flutterwave: https://flutterwave.com/us/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/flutterwave/

Bridgit Antwi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgit-antwi/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

#Finovate #Flutterwave #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #payments #stablecoins #paymentsystems #fintech #finserv #africanfintech #modernization #innovation #startup #banking #USDC

This week The Futurists welcomes celebrated experimental astrophysicist Prof Brian Cox. Prof Cox dives into why our understanding of black holes and what it means for quantum information theory could change our fundamental understanding of the universe and usher in a new era of scientific advancement. Cox is one of the most articulate scientists in the world today and this interview proves once again that in an age where science faces ongoing attacks from political forces and media that our future lies in embracing knowledge and applied intelligence. It could be said that we are at the event horizon of something new and extraordinary.

This week on Breaking Banks we’re continuing our series on Brett King’s new book, Branch Tomorrow, featuring interviews with contributing authors: Bruno Diniz, Efi Pylarinou,Jim Marous, Paolo Sironi, and Richard Turrin. Each brings specialty in different markets giving Branch Tomorrow a multi-perspective look at banking, banking culture, and the future of financial services across the globe, from the US to India, Europe, China, and Latin America.

In this episode, Branch Tomorrow co-author Efi Pylarinou, a leading global fintech and tech influencer, shares insights on branch transformation from the European zone. Efi delves into some of the uniqueness, challenges and opportunities of the European market — a great example of diversity and different ways of operating — one item of note, the large Post Office networks that can essentially compete with fintechs and offer services.

In looking at the evolution of banking and to the future of banking in Europe, Efi and Brett focus on the transition from traditional banking to digital-only models like Revolut, breaking down what makes them successful, taking a close look at the economics of the different models. They also explore how AI is reshaping customer experiences in banking, the impact of cashlessness, and the social implications of some of these changes.

How will regulatory challenges shape the future of banking? Will shared banking spaces emerge as a solution for branches? In the next five years, in Europe and globally, will we see new disruptors that will challenge existing disruptors from the last decade?

The future of banking is here. Branch Tomorrow, a must-read for future-focused leaders dedicated to thriving in the digital transformation of finance — available mid-September. Get a sneak peek by listening now!

The pitfalls of payments platforms that are “good enough”

Detailed Summary:

In this Finovate Podcast episode, host Greg Palmer interviews Rouzbeh Rotabi, Chief Revenue Officer at Qolo, about payment infrastructure modernization. Rotabi, with over 20 years of experience in fintech and payments, explains that banks face three main challenges: financial pressures to increase commercial deposits (especially following recent bank runs), infrastructure limitations of legacy systems, and the need to improve customer experience. He emphasizes that many financial institutions are reaching “terminal velocity” with their current technology, forcing them to hire additional staff and implement workarounds rather than adopting more scalable solutions.

The discussion highlights the false comfort of “good enough” payment systems in today’s competitive landscape. Rouzbeh advises financial executives to evaluate their infrastructure by examining how much “load weight” their current systems create—specifically, whether they’re continuously hiring more staff or consultants just to maintain existing systems. He recommends analyzing growth patterns over the past five years to determine if operational expenses are scaling disproportionately to business growth, and to gather direct customer feedback about their experiences with current platforms.

When implementing new payment technologies, Rotabi explains the trade-off between speed to market and maintaining control. He notes that additive solutions like Qolo’s virtual account management can integrate with existing cores without complete replacement, making implementation faster and less disruptive. The conversation distinguishes between consumer and commercial payment systems, suggesting that commercial implementations offer more flexibility and tolerance for minor disruptions compared to consumer-facing solutions where even small errors can significantly impact customer trust. Ultimately, the podcast emphasizes that financial institutions must modernize their payment infrastructure to meet evolving customer expectations and remain competitive.

More info:

Qolo: https://qolo.io/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/qolo/

Rouzbeh Rotabi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rouzbehrotabi/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

#Finovate #Qolo #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #payments #infrastructure #fintech #finserv #modernization #innovation #startup #banking

In this episode, Paolo Sironi interviews Sangeet Paul Choudary, author of Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Restacks the Knowledge Economy. They discuss how AI is set to transform the global economy and company operations by redistributing power among key players. Sangeet’s research delves into four central tensions: workers versus their software tools, tool providers versus the companies that purchase them, consolidating businesses versus the industries they disrupt, and empowered individuals versus established incumbents. Drawing on compelling examples, historical parallels, and innovative perspectives, this conversation uncoves the opportunities and challenges AI presents—and reveals who stands to succeed or struggle in this reshuffled landscape.

GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA

Sangeet Choudary – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeetpaul/

In this week’s episode Steve Suarez from Horizon X Quantum and one of the speakers at the Futurists Summit discusses the reality of the famed Q-Day or Quantum Day – a date sometime in the near future when Quantum computers can break our existing RSA encryption technologies exposing banks, government and military to significant cyber security risk. How real is it and how can we prepare our institutions for this change? Suarez and Brett get into it.

This week on Breaking Banks we’re continuing our series on Brett King’s new book, Branch Tomorrow. We feature interviews with some of Brett’s contributing authors: Bruno Diniz, Efi Pylarinou, Jim Marous, Paolo Sironi, and Richard Turrin. Each author brings specialty in different markets giving Branch Tomorrow a multi-perspective look at banking, banking culture, changes in ‘branching’ and the future of financial services across the globe, from the US to India, China, and Latin America.

In this episode, Brett speaks with Richard Turrin, an industry leader in fintech innovation and digital transformation, and Author of Cashless: China’s Digital Currency. Brett and Richard delve into the robust digital financial services landscape in China which experienced significant digital disruption starting in the mid-2010s. You’ll hear how bankers there are still reeling from the unprecedented scale of disruption brought on by MYbank, WeBank, WeChat and Alipay.

Then, Brett connects with Paolo Sironi, Global Research Leader in Banking and Financial Markets at the IBM Institute for Business Value and host of Provoke.fm‘s Bankers Bookshelf podcast. Paolo shares insights from the Eurozone on branch transformation, highlighting how some European banks are embracing digitization by evolving their branches. He discusses how they are balancing digital and physical presence by adjusting their in-branch product offerings, with a focus on personalization, financial inclusion, and maintaining strong customer engagement.

Tune in now for these insightful conversations! Branch Tomorrow, available mid-September, is an invaluable resource for bankers, regulators, fintech innovators, and future-focused leaders dedicated to thriving in the digital transformation of finance. The future of banking is here!

Your new go-to-market(ing) strategy – balancing compliance and speed with agentic AI

Detailed Summary:

In this Finovate Podcast episode, Greg interviews Asaf Baciu, President and Co-Founder of Persado, an agentic AI platform that optimizes both marketing performance and regulatory compliance for financial institutions. Assaf explains how banks and fintechs currently face a significant challenge with disjointed marketing and compliance teams, resulting in inefficient content approval processes that can take up to 12 weeks for a single subject line. This slow process prevents financial institutions from competing effectively in today’s fast-paced market against neobanks and other digital competitors.

Persado’s solution leverages AI to analyze content against both performance metrics (based on over a million A/B tests) and regulatory requirements (using specialized AI agents for different regulations). The platform can evaluate marketing content, identify compliance issues, suggest improvements, and generate compliant alternatives that still perform well. This approach has helped customers reduce approval times by 85-90%, cutting processes from weeks to hours. The technology is particularly valuable for sponsor banks managing fintech programs, where reviewing content like social media videos traditionally requires manual transcription and lengthy back-and-forth communications.

Assaf emphasizes that AI is ideally suited for this application because it can efficiently analyze thousands of pages of regulations and predict marketing performance based on vast amounts of data – tasks humans cannot perform at the necessary speed and scale. Currently working with eight of the top ten U.S. banks, Persado brings ten years of experience applying AI at scale within financial institutions. Assaf will be speaking FinovateFall (September 8-10) on a panel about harnessing AI in financial services, where he hopes to connect with executives concerned about growing their businesses responsibly.

More info:

Persado: https://www.persado.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/persado/

Assaf Baciu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assaf-baciu-17a4b3/

Greg Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbpalmer/

Finovate: https://www.finovate.com; https://www.linkedin.com/company/finovate-conference-series/

#Finovate #podcast #fintechpodcast #financialservices #marketing #compliance #fintech #finserv #financialmarketing #AI #innovation @#startup #banking #agenticai

In episode 8 of Breaking Banks Africa, host Matteo Rizzi speaks with Kigali-based entrepreneur Philip Ngarambe, now Entrepreneur in Residence at ALX Ventures. Philip recounts his journey with AC Group, the company that transformed urban transport in Rwanda by introducing digital “tap & go” bus payments. What began as a mobility solution quickly evolved into a driver of financial inclusion, proving how everyday services can seamlessly bring people into the digital economy.

Philip reflects on scaling a disruptive business, the importance of mentorship, and why investing in youth-led ventures is vital for Africa’s future. At ALX Ventures, he supports young founders in turning ideas into sustainable companies, while emphasizing AI, bottom-up innovation, and solving non-obvious but high-impact problems.

The episode also highlights upcoming opportunities for collaboration, including the Global SME Finance Forum in Johannesburg (September 2025)—a key event for exploring fintech, inclusion, and SME growth on the continent.

‌