In a riveting dialogue that takes you on a journey through technology, personal evolution, and societal shifts, Simon and Helen delve deep into the transformative power of gamification. From its impact on modern-day dating apps to finance and healthcare, they unpack the pros and cons of this motivational tool. Simon opens up about his personal tribulations, shedding light on how hardships can shape one's outlook and build resilience. But the debate doesn't end there; they also ponder whether adversity is the only path to developing empathy and resilience, or if self-mastery can be achieved through alternative avenues.

Throughout their conversation, expect a cerebral tennis match filled with insightful analyses and thought-provoking debates that promise to challenge your viewpoints on multiple fronts. Don't miss this intellectual feast that leaves you questioning, pondering, and above all, eager for more.

• Intro to the podcast. 0:00

• What is Minerva AI and how does it work? 5:19

• The future of anti-money laundering compliance. 10:18

• Regulation and regulation of crypto. 15:33

• Why do we do what we do? 21:16

• Bringing the human side of compliance to the forefront. 27:28

• Quick Fire? 33:31

• Intro to the show. 0:00

  • Welcome to one of the best news and fintech podcasts out there.

    Fintechionary: mpesa, a mobile banking service that allows users to store and transfer money through their mobile phones.

  • News

• Benjamin's background. 5:05

  • Benjamin Fernandez, founder and CEO of Nala, and how he got involved in the payments industry in the first place.

  • Why Africa is the most expensive region to transact in the world.

  • Building African payment routes.

• The challenges of payments across the continent. 8:11

  • Going to Gambia

  • Payments across Africa are going to be built over the next five to 10 years, and there is massive opportunity and challenges.

  • The future of the African tech space over the next five to 10 years, and what the future of African tech will look like in the region.

  • How African countries will be able to trade with each other more often and more frequently and also make sure the cost of these trades is low.

• Responsibility of the diaspora to help the continent. 13:23

  • The big question that everyone has been trying to ask themselves since independence is the question of what responsibility the diaspora has to Africa.

  • The burden of financial support for African families in the U.K. is a lot of weight, and the burden falls on fellow African citizens.

  • The two most popular reasons for sending money home are the health industry and the education industry.

• How does the diaspora see the country? 18:48

  • The african cross-border trade volume has doubled in the last two years, and there is no other region in the world where that has happened.

  • There are many pull and push factors from this. For example, sometimes there was trade happening through cash on planes, and because of covid, a lot of those transactions have become digital.

  • The market size is significantly massive. Most people don't realise how big it truly is.

• How to build trust into a digital product? 23:19

  • One of the things that has worked really well for Nala is transparency. They tell their customers every single thing they're building. They also do customer meetups.

  • Nine out of 10 customers after one year still use Nala because of the honesty they are honest.

• Welcome to this week’s episode. 0:00

  • Welcome to the fintech podcast.

  • Fintechionary

  • News

• Karta and their mission. 4:41

  • Introducing Karta and his mission.

  • The pain point of gift cards.

• • The need for gift cards in the UK.

  • Bringing gift cards into the 21st century in a new way for younger people.

• What does the big plan look like for Karta? 11:26

  • Partnering with retailers in Australia.

  • Gift card sales.

• Is the focus on brick-and-mortar stores still the best option for gift cards? 15:30

  • Gift cards, brick and mortar, and online.

  • The culture of gift cards.

  • The worst gift card experience.

  • The two-fold effect of gift cards.

• What’s one fintech story we haven’t seen yet that we’re excited about? 22:02

  • Fintech hot takes today.

  • Claire shares her regrets as a founder.

  • The importance of survival and cash flow.

• The difference between working for a big company vs a startup? 25:44

  • The oh-shit moment.

• Quick Fire, Signals and Events 30:34

Intro

Fintechionary: 0.58

News: 1.38

Interview: 5.14

Signals: 44.30

Events: 46.50

0.55 - Fintechionary DAO

2.13 - News

6.00 Guest Interviews

41.10 - Signals

43.00 - Events

0.55: Fintechionary (Public Key)

1.55: News

5.07: Emily Man Interview

30.28: Emily Man quick-fire session

39.65: Signals 'Why fintech has failed Mexico’s unbanked'

42.05: Events

Timestamps

Intro

1.04: Fintechionary

1.33 News

5.30 Interview

52.39 Signals

55.31 Events

Intro

0:51 Fintechionary 

01:49 News

05: 45 Interviews

32:55 Quick Fire

39:55 Signals 

42:58 Events

• Intro
• ‘Fin-techionary’ of the Week: Fintech (1.20)
• News (1.53)
• Quick Fire Questions with Rodney and Travis (7.30)
• Interview with Rodney and Travis (a deeper dive into SoLo Funds  (12.32)
• Signals: What Wise Platform tells us about fintech bundling (33.17)