What will it take for banks to stay relevant as AI changes how people discover, access and interact with financial services?

In this episode of tell.talks, Daniel Cronin, serial fintech founder and co-founder of Integrated Finance, explores why traditional routes to market are losing their power and why the next generation of banking must be machine readable.

Dan shares why tier two and tier three banks are being squeezed by hyperscalers and Banking as a Service providers, why launching an account is not a business model in itself, and how AI could fundamentally change the way customers interact with their money.

From agent-controlled spending to hyper-specialised financial services, Rob speaks with Dan about the infrastructure, distribution and thinking banks need for what comes next.

Does regulation really hold innovation back, or is uncertainty the bigger problem?

In this episode of tell.talks, Lorraine Mouat joins us to unpack the relationship between regulation, risk and growth in financial services.

Drawing on experience from both inside financial services firms and regulatory consultancy, Lorraine shares why businesses can become too focused on second-guessing the regulator, what proportionality really means, and why a perfect-looking risk register isn't necessarily a good one.

We also explore the need for better dialogue between firms and regulators, what good governance looks like in practice, and the new challenges emerging as AI, embedded finance and open banking continue to evolve.

A practical conversation about getting regulation right, without letting it stop businesses moving forward.

For most people, making a payment is simple. But for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, the opposite is often true.

In this episode of tell.talks, Rob speaks with David Hunter, CEO of HY10, about why traditional transaction banking struggles to meet the needs of affluent clients, despite decades of innovation across financial services.

Together they explore:

• Why wealth can actually create more payment friction
• The gap between traditional private banking and modern fintech
• Managing complex, high-value and cross-border payments
• Where automation should end and human judgement should begin
• How relationship-led service is becoming a competitive advantage

An insightful conversation on customer experience, payments innovation and what the wider fintech industry can learn from serving one of its most demanding customer segments.

In this episode of Tell Talks, we're joined by Carl Raven, Head of Issuer Enablers at Visa, to explore what makes partnerships successful in today's payments ecosystem.

Carl shares how Visa works with more than over 65 enabler partners including issuer processors, program managers and other ecosystem partners, why strategic partnerships have become more important than ever, and the common mistakes companies make when trying to build relationships with larger organisations.

We discuss:

• Why partnerships are becoming increasingly important in payments
 • What large organisations look for in potential partners
 • The biggest mistakes companies make when approaching Visa
 • Why transparency builds stronger relationships than sales pitches
 • How fintechs can successfully navigate large organisations
 • What makes partnerships succeed, or fail

Whether you're a fintech founder, payments leader or partnership professional, this episode offers practical advice on building relationships that create long-term value.

In this episode of tell.talks, we're joined by Jim Wadsworth, Chief Revenue Officer at Invela and former leader of Mastercard's open banking strategy. As open banking evolves into open finance, innovation continues to accelerate. But while the industry focuses on growth, who is taking responsibility for risk?

Jim shares why fragmented accountability, complex third-party ecosystems and inconsistent risk management could become one of the biggest challenges facing the industry. 

From trust and liability to regulation and collective responsibility, he explores what happens when innovation moves faster than the safeguards designed to protect it.

Could a single major incident undermine years of progress?

Twenty years ago, fintech looked completely different.

Before smartphones, instant payments and digital wallets, payments relied on cheques, manual reconciliation and physical currency.

Rob Darby from IDT Finance joins tell.talks to discuss how the industry evolved from prepaid cards into modern fintech, why consumer expectations changed everything, and why strong foundations still matter in an industry obsessed with speed.

We also discuss:

• how the payments landscape changed after the iPhone
• why disruption alone isn’t enough
• the importance of timing in fintech
• how partnerships create longevity
• and what 20 years in payments teaches you about building sustainable businesses

Cash is disappearing, only 9% of UK retail transactions are now cash, and the workers who've always relied on tips are quietly losing out. Hotel cleaners, gym trainers, bar staff, mechanics: people giving great service in industries where there's no bill at the end to add a tip to.

In this episode of tell.talks, Alan Smith, CEO of Rebel Tip, joins David to explain why he's built a digital tipping platform that bypasses employers entirely and goes straight to the worker. 100% of the tip, no POS integration, no admin overhead, it's just a QR code in an Apple or Google Wallet.

Alan argues that hospitality tipping isn't broken, the bill works fine. It's everywhere else that needs fixing. We get into the rise of the "tippler society," why pooled tipping drags strong performers down, what's gone wrong with tipping culture in America, and why a fintech background matters when you're navigating FCA rules, card scheme compliance, and client money regulation behind a deliberately simple consumer product.

Topics covered: digital tipping, cashless economy, fintech UK, worker-first payments, QR code payments, FCA compliance, embedded finance, service economy, hospitality vs gig economy tipping.

Listen to tell.talks for honest conversations with the people shaping the our digital economy.

In this episode of tell.talks, we sit down with Alana Parsons, COO at Caxton, to unpack what it really means to step into leadership.

Alana shares her journey from operational roles to the C-suite, and the mindset shift that comes with it, from being the one doing the work to trusting others to deliver it.

We cover:

• The hardest part of moving from operator to leader
• Why trust becomes your biggest unlock (and biggest challenge)
• How to lead teams through change when not everyone is ready
• The role of networking, and why starting earlier matters
• What AI and regulation could mean for the future of payments

It’s a grounded, honest conversation about leadership, growth, and the realities behind building and scaling in fintech.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kevin McAdam, CEO of Andaria, to talk through the realities of building and scaling in embedded finance.

From Andaria’s evolution into a full embedded finance provider to the operational pressures of fraud, regulation and customer expectations, Kevin shares what it actually takes to build trust in today’s landscape.

We get into why partnerships are becoming non-negotiable for growth, where regulation is helping (and where it’s not), and the leadership mindset needed to keep moving forward in a fast-changing industry.

A practical conversation on how businesses evolve, collaborate, and stay relevant as the space continues to shift.

In this episode of tell.talks, we’re joined by Erica Katsambis to explore how innovation, partnerships and leadership intersect in the evolving world of embedded finance.

Erica’s career has taken her from telecoms innovation in the early days of mobile technology through to the rapidly changing fintech landscape. Along the way she’s worked at the intersection of payments, commercial strategy and digital transformation, helping organisations rethink how financial services can be delivered outside traditional banking.

In this conversation we explore:

• Why embedded finance is shifting from experimentation to long-term strategy
• How brands outside banking could shape the future of financial services
• The leadership lessons that come with driving transformation inside complex organisations
• Why clarity, trust and communication matter more than effort when leading teams through change

A thoughtful discussion on innovation, leadership and the next phase of embedded finance.