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FinovateFall Best of Show winner Illuma on call-center security and AI-based fraud

In this installment of The Bankers’ Bookshelf – guest and host roles mix in a discussion exploring the transformation of banking in the platform economy, focusing on embedded finance and conscious banking. Banks are shifting from traditional product-centric models to value-added services, leveraging data to offer personalized, outcome-driven solutions, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The conversation with Panagiotis Kriaris also highlights the importance of advisory platforms, where banks help clients make informed decisions, shifting value from products to relationships. Examples like Amazon show how transparency and data enablement can drive trust and engagement, shaping the future of banking through technology and customer-centric strategies. “Banks and Fintech on Platform Economies: Contextual and Conscious Banking” is the chosen work of the month, written by #BBE’s resident host, Paolo Sironi.

Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/-/pt/dp/1119756979/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.J9gh56H_DWuXjGWWUkdSYHU1M7BnvSKemankVx-6P4Fn7blQ6B19gyxjKT1gydTuzxr-en7ZdiYzkRvghKHhgN5H5IIlVfjGcPxtlc7O5QtqaMQNMrGJx2it0K3oodj9GsRbev3iKd4p32y16gwyWd5zwBdk4wJEEZq1oTYO6KNuabGfYpuNfO7clbUbSXLp.IzbK2jMEGiYQ3myvD_U9UdkOrkbV4Ej6oJs_gof4wRw&dib_tag=se&qid=1728041542&refinements=p_27%3APaolo+Sironi&s=books&sr=1-1

About our guest: Panagiotis Kriaris

Panagiotis has spent his career on the borderline between business and technology with a leadership background at an international level. 
Panagiotis brings senior expertise across Financial Services, Banking, Payments, FinTech, Retail and E-Commerce. Innovation, strategy, business development, strategic partnerships and building businesses and products from scratch have been at the center of his work and attention throughout his career. Being a recognized voice in the financial services industry, Panagiotis has contributed to various publications and podcasts and is often invited as a public speaker at events around the globe.

Paolo Sironi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepsironi/

IBM FinTech Strategy and Author

In this week’s episode of The Futurists, David Orban joins Brett King in the hosting chair and we get to talk Quantum with Roberto Siagri, a theoretical physcist working on putting quantum processors in orbit. We talk about the advances in photonic quantum multi-dimensional cubits (yes you heard that right), the likelihood of Q-Day (Quantum Day), and of course, what secrets of the universe quantum just might unlock. We discuss Roberto’s new startup Rotonium, working on exactly these questions. What happens when a physicist becomes a futurist engineer? Let’s find out.

AI is simultaneously taking over the world and disappointing in it’s ability to take over the world depending on the publication you read. No doubt we are in the first innings. Today Derek Higginbotham, CEO of First Electronic Bank, Matt Bochenek CEO of Avant and John Sun, CEO of Spring Labs, and Jason Henrichs talk about why everyone needs to be getting up to bat with AI, no matter the size of institution you work for.

Spring Labs AI Native Banking and Fintech conference is next week and has a powerhouse lineup. Register at conferences.springlabs.com and use code SpringLabsXBreakingBanks for a discount.

Brett King and Jason Henricks introduce the episode, framing AI as both transformative and overhyped. Guests discuss how AI adoption mirrors the rise of past technologies.

Derek Higginbotham, Matt Bocinek, and John Sun explore how financial institutions are narrowing down AI use cases, emphasizing incremental steps over broad adoption.

The discussion highlights how organizations can develop “AI muscles” by starting with small projects, learning from them, and ensuring flexibility for future applications.

Panelists delve into the importance of robust data infrastructure, the challenges of siloed data in financial services, and how AI reshapes data-driven decision-making.

The conversation shifts to cultural challenges in financial services, exploring how to transition from report-driven approaches to hypothesis-driven and data-informed decision-making.

The group discusses how AI is being integrated into regulatory compliance, emphasizing augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them outright.

A discussion on how AI compels institutions to rethink legacy processes, addressing “process debt” and identifying opportunities for deeper insights and efficiency.

Panelists explore the implications of early vs. late AI adoption in financial services, predicting winners, losers, and the creation of an AI digital divide.

The episode concludes with key takeaways about the unique challenges of deploying AI in financial services and the need for specialized knowledge in regulated industries.

Read the entire transcript here.

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Credit Mountain on the “warm decline” and relationship-building

In this month’s News From The Fintech Front, host Don Ginsel is joined by guests Alex Johnson and Gabriella Orille, marking a major milestone for the show: 500 unique guests!

Key topics include the increasing role of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) in transforming financial systems and how neobanks are strengthening ties with traditional banks to diversify their services. They also dive into the growth of Embedded Finance, reshaping consumer experiences by integrating financial services into everyday platforms, and innovations in RegTech and compliance technology to address regulatory challenges in fintech.

The episode closes with the last Fintech Groove segment, promoting the upcoming Milan Fintech Summit, where Matteo Castelnuovo interviews Alberta Pelino. Pelino, herself a summit speaker, discusses gender equality in fintech, her experience founding We Are Fibi, and her mission to close the gender gap in finance through education and empowerment.

Stay tuned as Breaking Banks Europe gears up to celebrate five years in two weeks!

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Connect with our guests:

Alex Johnson – Founder, Fintech Takes

Website: https://fintechtakes.com/

Subcribe now: https://newsletter.fintechtakes.com/

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Gabriela Orille – Independent Board Member, Denarius

Website: https://gabrielaorille.com/acerca-de/

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Alberta Pelino – President, Young Ambassadors Society and CEO & Founder Fibi

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Jerome Glenn is the CEO and co-founder of the Millennium Project, a global consortium of hundreds of experts in 70 nations, hailing from academia, government and private sector. Each year these experts collaborate on forecasting a consensus view of future trends. Jerome shares with The Futurists a summary of insights from this year’s 500-page report, The State of the Future. He describes a range of forecasting tools and techniques invented at the Rand Corporation in the 1970s and tells how they were used to generate the trends analyzed in the report. And he shares findings about General Artificial Intelligence, nuclear weapon proliferation, climate change and global temperature, and pandemics.

Globetrotter and Host Brett King shares banking news and investment conversations from around the world

We start today’s podcast on banking with Brett’s one on one discussion on tech in Thailand with Dr. Supachai Kid Parchariyanon. Dr. Kid is CEO and Co-Founder of consulting company Rise, and managing partner for SeaX Ventures, a Thai venture capital firm with presence in Silicon Valley. Rise’s company goal is to drive 1% of the GDP in Thailand as well as reduce 1% of carbon emissions in all of Southeast Asia. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kid was a key figure responsible for bringing the social media app Twitter (now known as X) to Thailand, it was a technical challenge, and one that had legal barriers as well. Later, he and his team were also able to code software for the Nokia phone, creating in his words a “Robin Hood-like app” for Thailand. He speaks to us today about the Thai tech scene, what’s happening in fintech and the VC world, and specifically what’s helping drive the Thai economy — from fintech to health tourism to the Thai lifestyle movement and digital nomad visas, the conversation is wide-ranging as this small country slowly recovers from covid and faces demographic headwinds. With an aging society they are looking to attract new talent and people to the country, collaborate not compete and expand investment in deep tech, AI, agritech, medical, and tourism tech.

Then, from the 24 Fintech Conference in Saudi Arabia, Brett introduces us to Saudi Arabia’s Barq, making headlines around the region and other parts of the world, as he sits down with its Chief Business Officer, Saad Almuhana. Barq is the newest and fastest growing private wallet and challenger bank in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and potentially the world, having garnered 1.5M customers in 35 days — having hit the amazing milestone of 1M customers in 21 days. In Saudi Arabia, younger people represent 70% of the population, tech savvy, mobile banking is very successful in the Kingdom with mobile penetration off the charts. Consumer appetite is high for help with finances in a quick manner. Remittance is a big part of Barq’s offering, assuring customers that the optimal rail is selected at the right time for payment transactions. The journey started August 2024 with an EMI license (e-money), expansion plans are already in the works. In their second month, Barq is enhancing service offerings through multiple partnerships and hoping to hit 2M customers. If the evolution of the fintech is such, they have the option to upgrade to a full bank. It’s an interesting and unique journey, one of incredible growth.

But……one last thing before you listen to the latest episode of our financial podcast,,,,you know what season it is? Not just pumpkin spice, it’s conference season and there is a new show to add to your list. The AI-Native Banking & Fintech Conference is happening October 7 in Salt Lake City and Breaking Banks is proud to be a media partner. Our listeners get a 20% discount when they register at conference.springlabs.com and use the code SpringLabsXBreakingBanks. They have an outstanding set of speakers and this is not to be missed. Once again, you have the link http://conference.springlabs.com and the code is: SpringLabsXBreakingBanks, don’t forget to claim your discount!

Brett King introduces the dual focus of this episode: the evolving Thai tech ecosystem and the rapid rise of Saudi Arabia’s Barq.

Kid Pacharianon discusses Thailand’s economic position in Southeast Asia, its aging population, and its recovery post-COVID.

The growth of Thai startups, the impact of corporate venture capital, and the success of initiatives like PromptPay and e-commerce.

Kid shares insights on emerging deep-tech trends, including AI, blockchain, med-tech, and agri-tech, and their potential for the Thai economy.

Saad Al-Muhanna discusses Barq’s origins, rapid growth, and its role in revolutionizing financial services for Saudi youth and expats.

A deep dive into Barq’s tech stack, its innovative KYC processes, international remittance capabilities, and customer-centric tools.

Saad outlines Barq’s future plans, including SME platforms, payroll management, and expanding its wallet and banking services.

Brett wraps up the discussion by reflecting on the global nature of fintech and its transformative potential in different markets.

Read the entire transcript here.

FinovateFall Best of Show winner Eko on a new approach to bringing investing capabilities inside FIs

Featuring Colleen Wilson, Fintech Advisor and Product Executive 
Technology, your customer base, your business—these things are constantly changing, and in order to be a good product manager, understanding each piece of the puzzle is essential. In this episode, Colleen Wilson, Fintech Advisor and Product Executive breaks down how you can be a strong product leader by effectively managing both product management and product strategy to bring humanity back to [product] leadership and grow business.