Purpose Driven FinTech

My guest today is Shalom Ben Or, Co-founder and CEO at Avenews. Avenews is building the first financial super app for the agriculture industry catering for the 2.5 million agriculture SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa. They empower businesses with access to capital and tools that allow them to understand and mange their business better, and source all the business services they need – all in one place.

In today’s episode, we discuss why FinTech in agriculture matters, the pain points in the sector, and why solving problems in product is not enough, instead we should focus on value. Shalom has an impressive mindset and has created a collaborative high performance culture so we also deep dive into his mind.

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact. Remember to connect in YouTube or LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Shalom here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalombenor/
• LinkedIn Avenews: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avenews-gt/
• Website: https://www.avenews-gt.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact. Remember to connect in YouTube or LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:01:19) Underwriting capabilities and providing capital to agriculture businesses

(0:03:02) Failure and the importance of learning from losses

(0:06:17) Embrace the journey and celebrate small wins

(0:09:08) The role of purpose in the industry and shifting power dynamics

(0:13:11) Expanding into riskier markets for higher impact and returns

(0:14:50) Power dynamics in providing loans to the agriculture sector

(0:21:11) Avenues' journey in becoming a lender

(0:22:21) Importance of agriculture and its potential in Africa

(0:25:25) Influence of growing up in a Kibutz on leadership style

(0:31:24) The difference between solving problems and adding value

(0:34:15) Identifying the value clients need and linking it to solutions

(0:36:52) Building a culture of purpose-driven individuals

(0:41:21) The importance of inner flame and winning together

(0:42:36) Aligning business models with client value

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is agtech FinTech in Africa?
• How to provide financial services to agriculture businesses?
• What are the pain points in agricultural financing?
• How to build a financial super app for SMEs?
• What is embedded finance in agriculture?
• How to serve agriculture supply chain financing needs?
• What is the role of FinTech in food security?
• How to create win-win business models in FinTech?
• What is value-based product development?
• How to build high-performance startup culture?
• What are the challenges of lending to agriculture businesses?
• How to shift power dynamics through financial services?
• What is the kibbutz leadership style?
• How to celebrate small wins as an entrepreneur?
• What markets offer high returns for FinTech?
• How to underwrite agriculture commodity risk?
• What is the future of agriculture financing in Africa?
• How to build collaborative team culture?
• What is the marathon mindset for entrepreneurs?
• How to align company and customer value?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Daniela Binnati, Co-founder and CTO at Pismo. Pismo is global leader in cloud-native core banking and a card issuing platform and Daniela to me is one of the most inspirational women in FinTech. Earlier this year Visa signed an agreement to acquire Pismo for USD $1 Billion.

In today’s episode, we go through Daniela’s journey. It was not easy. From working 45 days Sunday to Sunday, juggling being a mom, self shame of not being there for the kids, getting started investing her life savings, to selling the car to pay for school fees…

Daniela and the team went from struggle to struggle, and built a Unicorn. We talked about how she reinvent herself, designed a strength based org design and created a people centric company culture.

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Daniela here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielabinatti/
• LinkedIn Pismo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pismo/
• Website: https://www.pismo.io/
• Pismo in the news: https://www.pismo.io/news/visa-to-acquire-pismo/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact. Remember to connect in YouTube or LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Financial struggles and sacrifices made to launch Pismo

(0:02:47) Success and resilience

(0:05:08) Advice on embracing change and leaving comfort zones

(0:07:36) Building purposeful FinTechs by providing access to financial services

(0:09:32) Daniela's motivation to start Pismo and its legacy

(0:11:34)Overview of Pismo's services for banks and FinTechs

(0:12:24) Acquisition by Visa for $1 billion and future plans

(0:14:21) Mission to lead the transformation in payments and banking

(0:15:37) Daniela's inspiring background and upbringing in Brazil

(0:19:00) Secret to Daniela's success: Going above and beyond

(0:21:27) Balancing work and motherhood

(0:24:30) Coping with feelings of not being good enough

(0:32:21) Overcoming panic attacks and anxiety disorder

(0:34:11) Investing everything and struggling financially

(0:35:00) Series B fundraising round brought stability and growth

(0:36:36) Lessons in reinventing oneself and not feeling inferior to others

(0:38:20) It's all about people

(0:43:56) Creating a good culture and onboarding remotely during the pandemic

(0:47:59) Message to women: overcome obstacles, believe in yourself

SEARCH QUESTIONS:

• How to build a FinTech unicorn from scratch?
• What is cloud-native core banking infrastructure?
• How to balance motherhood and startup leadership?
• What is strength-based organizational design?
• How to overcome imposter syndrome as a woman in tech?
• What are the challenges of family business in tech?
• How to create people-centric company culture?
• What is the journey from employee to entrepreneur?
• How to pitch to investors as a technical founder?
• How to deal with self-blame as a working mother?
• What is resilience in entrepreneurship?
• How to build lean financial services solutions?
• What are the benefits of cloud-native banking platforms?
• How to leave legacy systems behind in banking?
• What is the role of gratitude in leadership?
• How to reinvent yourself in your career?
• What are the challenges of being CTO and mother?
• How to design organizations around team strengths?
• How to get acquired by Visa?
• What advice for women in FinTech leadership?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Christian Lehringer, CEO at Copecto. Copecto’s innovative product is The TIMBERCARD. The world’s first plastic-free wood payment card that can be used like any conventional banking card. It is fully biodegradable, except for the chip, antenna and magnetic stripe. and when exposed to the soil, it decomposes much quicker than conventional plastic cards

We talk about the 6 billion per annum plastic cards problem and how the Timbercard is part of the solution. He talks to us about the innovative processes behind the card and the challenges in building such an innovative product, including the controversial topic of deforestation. Let’s go and create a world where we have a wood bank card in everybody’s wallet!

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Christian here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-lehringer-745623137/
• LinkedIn Copecto: https://www.linkedin.com/company/copecto-gmbh/
• Website: https://timbercard.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) The problem of plastic cards in the payment industry

(0:03:08) Introduction to Copecto and the Timber card

(0:07:06) Definition of success and building long-term relationships

(0:13:03) Purpose of using wood as a material in Copecto's products

(0:21:02) Customers demanding sustainable products in financial services

(0:22:55) Impact of plastic card waste on the environment

(0:24:19) Size of the plastic card waste problem

(0:25:55) Biodegradable components and decomposition process of Copecto card

(0:27:07) Laser engraving and personalization options for Copecto card

(0:29:17) Contactless engraving and scheme logos on Copecto card

(0:32:18) Challenges in manufacturing and selling the product

(0:40:41) Leadership style and team approach

(0:43:37) Desire for a more balanced approach in the fintech industry

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is the environmental impact of plastic payment cards?
• How many plastic cards are produced annually?
• What is a biodegradable payment card?
• How does the TIMBERCARD wooden card work?
• What is sustainable card manufacturing?
• How to reduce plastic waste in banking cards?
• What are the challenges of wooden payment cards?
• How is wood densified for payment cards?
• What is the future of sustainable payment cards?
• How to make eco-friendly banking cards?
• What are the alternatives to plastic payment cards?
• How do wooden cards meet payment industry standards?
• What is the carbon footprint of payment cards?
• How to create environmentally friendly FinTech products?
• What materials can replace plastic in cards?
• How does regional wood sourcing work for cards?
• What are the certification requirements for wooden cards?
• How to balance profit and sustainability in business?
• What is the innovation process for sustainable products?
• How to build partnerships for green FinTech solutions?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Tony Craddock, the Director General of the Payments Association, an award-winning community to advance payments innovation, and encourage collaboration across the payments industry. We talk about mindset, AI and programmable money, Sustainability, making payments more efficient and encouraging more responsible and sustainable spending for all.

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Tony here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycraddock/
• LinkedIn The Payments Association: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-payments-association/
• Website The Payments Association: https://thepaymentsassociation.org/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Future of AI: programmable money with digital currencies

(0:02:33) Definition of success: doing what you love

(0:03:34) Dealing with tough times: redefine performance criteria

(0:09:12) Building purposeful FinTechs: it's our duty to have purpose

(0:11:48) Starting the payments community and Emerging Payments Awards

(0:15:01) Impact of the payments association on individuals and companies

(0:17:22) The role of payments in improving the world

(0:19:58) Short, medium, and long-term impact of AI on payments

(0:22:15) Personalized services and packages

(0:24:54) Excitement about programmable money and smart contracts

(0:26:50) Potential use cases for programmable money

(0:32:30) Challenges and opportunities for the payments industry in ESG

(0:36:36) Importance of empathy, engagement, and loyalty for sustainable growth.

(0:37:20) Building a strong team and community within the business

(0:38:21) Innovating the model for future communities

(0:40:44) Inspiring and enabling people to go beyond their limits

(0:43:05) Stepping out of comfort zones and exploring new possibilities

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is programmable money in payments?
• How will AI revolutionize the payments industry?
• What is the future of central bank digital currencies?
• How to use smart contracts in financial services?
• What is sustainability in the payments industry?
• How to reduce plastic card waste in banking?
• What are the benefits of programmable money?
• How does AI improve fraud detection in payments?
• What is the environmental impact of payment cards?
• How to create more sustainable financial services?
• What are the use cases for programmable money?
• How to personalize financial services with AI?
• What is the role of community in payments innovation?
• How to make cross-border payments more efficient?
• What is green investment with programmable money?
• How to teach financial education with digital currencies?
• What is the Payments Association mission?
• How to build a commercial membership community model?
• What is dynamic risk assessment in payments?
• How to create purpose-driven payment solutions?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Monica Eaton, CEO at Chargebacks911. We explore her success mindset, her early start as an entrepreneur, and the story behind Chargebacks911. We then explore how chargebacks are costing the industry 250 Billion usd, the impact of AI and Chargebacks and end with her thoughts on what is limiting women to thrive in their careers.

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Monica Eaton here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicaeatoncardone/
• LinkedIn Chargebacks911: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chargebacks911/
• Website Chargebacks911: https://chargebacks911.com/

👉 And you can find Monica Millares here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) How chargebacks are growing faster than ecommerce: a costly problem

(0:02:36) Monica's definition of success: feeling fulfilled and progressing

(0:04:59) Overcoming tough times by finding enjoyment and rewriting history

(0:07:23) Chargebacks 911 company culture and focus on creating impact

(0:10:17) Creating purposeful fintech products through collaboration and transparency

(0:13:58) The impact of transparency and the need for companies to adapt

(0:17:01) Monica's journey in building Chargebacks 911

(0:27:41) The size and cost of the chargeback problem in the industry

(0:30:31) The potential impact of AI in the chargeback process

(0:32:38) Structural challenges for women in thriving in their careers

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is the chargeback problem in payments?
• How much do chargebacks cost merchants?
• How to solve the chargeback problem?
• What is the impact of AI on chargebacks?
• How to prevent friendly fraud in e-commerce?
• What are the hidden costs of chargebacks?
• How to reduce chargeback rates effectively?
• What is post-transaction fraud?
• How do chargebacks affect authorization rates?
• What mindset do successful entrepreneurs need?
• How to build a FinTech business from scratch?
• What challenges do women face in FinTech careers?
• How to overcome imposter syndrome in business?
• What is the chargeback dispute process?
• How to start a business at a young age?
• What are the structural challenges for women in tech?
• How to balance career and family as a woman?
• What is the role of transparency in payments?
• How to turn negative motivation into success?
• What advice helps women thrive in their careers?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Svitlanka Sergiichuk Romaniuk, CEO & Co-founder at Neofin, a Lending SaaS FinTech. We had a ton of fun recording, we talk about how no code solutions are empowering companies to launch lending propositions faster.

Neofin started years ago in Ukraine, so we explore their founding story and their journey of losing all their Ukrainian bank customers one by one in a matter of days at the start of the war. They then had to make a very difficult decision to stop or adapt and continue. It is deep and inspiring.

Today Neofin has customers across the world, including the US, so we go deeper on the how to go about market expansion, specially in the US. And finally, Neofin has multiple awards, so Svitlanka shares with us her secrets to success, strength and perseverance.

If you enjoy this episode it would mean the world if you subscribe and give it a follow so that we can have more impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Svitlanka here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svitlanaromaniuk/
• LinkedIn Neofin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/neofin-solutions/
• Website Neofin: https://neo-fin.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Full-scale war starts, and banks in Ukraine close their credit business

(0:01:10) Neofin decides to scale internationally to survive

(0:01:59) How no-code solutions empower faster lending propositions

(0:08:37) Neofin's customer promise: launch lending business 4x faster with zero delivery risk

(0:15:18) Neofin's founding story and journey through the war in Ukraine

(0:19:16) Neofin expands to Canada and the US

(0:28:33) Neofin simplifies the complex lending process with no-code solutions

(0:32:51) Neofin's advantages: optimal for institutions without technical teams, ease and flexibility

(0:37:10) Challenges of market expansion: regulatory landscape, local data, cultural differences

(0:46:08) Improve collaboration between FinTechs and financial institutions

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is no-code lending technology?
• How to launch lending products faster in FinTech?
• What are the stages of the lending process?
• How to build resilience as a FinTech founder?
• What is loan origination automation?
• How to expand FinTech into international markets?
• What is Sharia-compliant lending?
• How to use alternative data in credit scoring?
• What is a loan management system?
• How to build lending products without developers?
• What are the challenges of building FinTech during war?
• How to diversify risk in FinTech market expansion?
• What is the difference between loan origination and servicing?
• How to automate credit decisioning?
• What data sources improve lending underwriting?
• How to market lending products effectively?
• What is KYC and fraud detection in lending?
• How to build a revenue-driven FinTech without VC funding?
• What accelerator programs help FinTech startups?
• How to make innovation normal in financial services?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Pawel Stezycki, Senior Fintech & Banking Consultant at Netguru. We talk about the future of FinTech in 2030! We first set context on the how to go about thinking about the future

We discuss how to go about finding underserved needs. We then go deep into what he sees as the top 3 opportunities:

• Banking in Middle East and Africa
• SME Banking
• And the Alpha Generation! Yes the teenagers of today are the customers of tomorrow...

But guess what a seamless banking app will not be enough for them

The big bet is they will hang out it the metaverse, but

It's a new place to hangout... and as such, payments and money movements will play a big part

We then finish with how to create differentiated propositions, and a different approach to solving diversity issues!

If you enjoy the episode it would mean the world if you give it a follow.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Pawel here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelstezycki/
• LinkedIn Netguru: https://www.linkedin.com/company/netguru/
• Website Netguru: https://www.netguru.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Intro to the future of FinTech

(0:05:58) How to build an industry with more impact

(0:07:47) Pavel's background in research and product design

(0:10:46) How to identify future trends and opportunities

(0:16:57) Underserved needs in the Middle East and Africa

(0:21:12) The potential impact of the Metaverse on banking and finance

(0:26:46) The economy within the Metaverse and potential services

(0:29:34) Finding a competitive advantage in product development

(0:31:35) Creating a culture of innovation and diversity in organizations

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is the future of FinTech in 2030?
• Who is the Alpha Generation in banking?
• How will the metaverse impact financial services?
• What are underserved markets in FinTech?
• How to identify future product opportunities in banking?
• What is SME banking in emerging markets?
• How to build differentiated FinTech products?
• What is McKinsey's Horizon planning framework?
• How to think long-term in FinTech product strategy?
• What are the opportunities in Middle East and Africa banking?
• How will payments work in the metaverse?
• What is the role of digital twins in commerce?
• How to solve diversity issues in FinTech workplaces?
• What is the future of contactless payments?
• How to identify growing industries for career growth?
• What research methods find competitive advantage?
• How to design products for future generations?
• What is the role of parenthood policies in FinTech diversity?
• How to balance short-term survival with long-term thinking?
• What banking features will teenagers need in 2030?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

My guest today is Marijke Koninckx, Chief Product Officer at Bankifi. We talk about the challenges of SMEs managing their payments flow, getting financing and managing their money, the importance of creating a safe environment to innovate and run successful FinTech's, the difference between product strategy and roadmap, and how to go about market expansion as per Bankifi’s success story.

“The question would probably be what would life and work be without purpose, right? Then it's just spending time. Everyone's looking for meaning in their life, but also in their work, because you spend a significant portion of your time working. And if you can, do something where that really aligns with the values you have”

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Marijke here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijke-koninckx/
• LinkedIn Bankifi: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bankifi/
• Website Bankifi: https://www.bankifi.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Challenges of late payments and financial admin for small businesses

(0:08:43) Importance of creating a safe environment for diversity and inclusion

(0:11:05) Marika's journey from saying yes to taking on new roles

(0:15:01) Bankify's mission to help small businesses manage their finances

(0:18:08) Pain points of SMEs: late payments, financial admin, and financing

(0:29:41) Bankify's successful entry into the US market

(0:34:57) Challenges for Bankify: scaling, prioritization, and maintaining company culture

(0:43:42) Difference between product strategy and roadmap

(0:47:29) Bankify's open and collaborative company culture

(0:50:41) Making a positive impact and democratizing financial services

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What are the biggest pain points for SME businesses?
• How to solve SME payment and financing challenges?
• What is the difference between product strategy and roadmap?
• How to create psychological safety in FinTech teams?
• How to successfully expand to the US market as a FinTech?
• What is embedded banking for SMEs?
• How to serve small business customers better?
• What are the challenges of SME banking?
• How to build diverse and inclusive product teams?
• What is the role of purpose in product management?
• How to celebrate team successes effectively?
• How to democratize financial services for SMEs?
• What makes a successful Chief Product Officer?
• How to say yes to opportunities outside your comfort zone?
• What are the differences between US and European markets?
• How to create user-centric banking solutions for SMEs?
• What is the impact of late payments on small businesses?
• How to reduce financial admin burden for SMEs?
• How to build a product management function from scratch?
• What are best practices for team communication channels?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at  [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Today I speak with Ken Hart, CEO and Founder at Snowdrop Solutions, a data enrichment FinTech. We talk about the importance of clarity and transparency of transactions in financial services, focusing on solving every day problems, the need for a user-centric approach using personalized spending insights and recommendations, the benefits of autonomy in building a company to have a meaningful impact on users' lives and the importance of creating a culture that builds challengers, not excellent sheep

"There's moments in people's lives where there's a lack of clarity, a lack of transparency, and if you could just make sense of it quickly and intuitively... people just get it."

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Ken here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenhart/
• LinkedIn Snowdrop: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snowdropsolutions/
• Website Snowdrop: https://snowdropsolutions.co.uk/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062789745407340544

📞 Schedule a free “Open Office” call with Monica: https://www.kalendme.com/en/fintechwithmoni-ejoob

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Financial stress in the UK: 40% of users struggle financially

(0:00:34) Snowdrop's goal: Provide clarity on spending and transactions

(0:01:52) Solving daily problems for consumers

(0:03:39) Ken's definition of success

(0:04:42) Ken's productivity habits: Walk and talk, and focused music

(0:07:00) Motivation behind starting Snowdrop: Autonomy and long-term vision

(0:11:23) Snowdrop's expertise: Providing clarity and intuitive user experience.

(0:13:09) Use case in financial services: Enhancing transaction clarity and reducing anxiety.

(0:22:52) Snowdrop's vision for the future: Spending insights and ESG tagging.

(0:26:35) How has autonomy helped Snowdrop build the product that they wanted to build?

(0:29:15) Defining what to build and not to build. Becoming a day to day product

(0:32:29) Career advice for kids getting ready for the university

(0:34:03) Choosing meaningful work over society expectations

(0:36:25) Leadership and culture at Snowdrop, why attitude matters

(0:38:15) Building a culture of challengers, not excellent sheep

(0:39:27) The one thing Ken would change in FinTech: Thinking about customer experience

(0:42:09) Where to find Ken and the team

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is data enrichment in FinTech?
• What are toothbrush products in product management?
• How to build everyday use FinTech products?
• How to create clarity in financial transactions?
• What does it mean to be a challenger not an excellent sheep?
• How to build a profitable FinTech without VC funding?
• What is transaction enrichment and why does it matter?
• How to focus on solving everyday customer problems?
• How to say no strategically in product development?
• What is the importance of autonomy in building companies?
• How to create user-centric financial services?
• How to prioritize product features by saying no?
• What is the role of transparency in financial services?
• How to build personalized spending insights?
• How to connect dots in product strategy?
• What are the benefits of bootstrapping a FinTech?
• How to focus on core competencies in FinTech?
• How to improve merchant name clarity in banking?
• What is the walk and talk productivity method?
• How to think differently in competitive FinTech markets?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at  [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

Today I speak with Fliss Berridge, Director and Co-founder at Ordo, an Open Banking Payments-as-a-Service FinTech. Fliss has a background in music, law, and payments.

We talk about resilience and embracing failure, account information services and payment initiation services open banking standards, learning who is your target audience and iterating accordingly, designing for customers who do not have your level of knowledge, addressing concerns about data privacy and security in open banking, and gender, social and economic background diversity in FinTech.

"You need people that have got different experiences, you want to see how different people react and interpret to ensure your product is fit for not just geeks like you, but broadly speaking, the population."

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Fliss here

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fliss-berridge-07a05b84/
• LinkedIn Ordo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ordohq/
• Website Ordo: https://ordopay.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
• Website: https://moni-millares.mystrikingly.com/

If you enjoy this pod, please follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062789745407340544

📞 Schedule a free “Open Office” call with Monica: https://www.kalendme.com/en/fintechwithmoni-ejoob

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Intro and Fliss’s background

(0:05:06) The role of purpose in Fliss's life and in Ordo's life

(0:11:38) Fliss's journey from being a musician to being a CEO and founder

(0:22:06) Overview of Ordo and its products

(0:29:55) What makes a great product

(0:40:33) The importance of protecting customer data in open banking

(0:45:20) The need for diversity in fintech

(0:49:20) Advice for regulators in building the regulatory framework for open banking

(0:55:41) The importance of social and economic diversity in fintech

(1:07:45) The impact of abandoning acronyms in the industry

(1:06:35) The importance of diverse perspectives in product development

(1:09:00) The negative impact of acronyms on inclusivity and communication

(1:09:37) Language matters and the need for inclusivity in society

(1:10:08) The concept of the "wild card" and its implications

SEARCH QUESTIONS

• What is open banking and how does it work?
• What are payment initiation services in open banking?
• How does open banking protect customer data?
• What is the difference between account information and payment initiation?
• How to design products for users without your knowledge level?
• What is user testing for FinTech apps?
• How does open banking improve payment security?
• What are the regulatory requirements for open banking?
• How to identify your target audience in FinTech?
• What is the role of consent in open banking?
• How does GDPR apply to open banking services?
• What are the benefits of open banking payments?
• How to build accessible FinTech products?
• What is guest checkout in open banking?
• How do open banking APIs work?
• What are the challenges of building MVP products?
• How does the FCA regulate open banking companies?
• What is economic background diversity in FinTech?
• How to overcome blind spots in product development?
• How does open banking compare to screen scraping?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.