Purpose Driven FinTech

The $443 Billion AI Lending Bias: Why 65% of Good Customers Get Declined | Carla Canino, Founder and CEO Kindlee

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:30:00 +0800

In this pod,Carla Canino, CEO of Kindlee AI, shares with us how AI bias is costing lenders $443 billion annually and what financial institutions can do about it.

Key highlights:

• 65% of loan declines are actually creditworthy customers being misclassified by biased AI models

• Traditional lending models ignore 23% disabled, 20% elderly, and 22% neurodiverse populations

• Small banks waste $4-5M annually on operational friction caused by bias in customer interactions

• European AI Act requires independent third-party auditing of high-risk AI systems

• Inclusive lending models can increase profitability while ensuring regulatory compliance

We also go personal, and Carla shares her journey from payments expert to solo founder, explaining how her experience as a disabled immigrant showed her gaps in financial services that inspired her to start a company that solves for these.

She demonstrates why reducing bias isn't just about social responsibility - it's about capturing enormous untapped market opportunities while maintaining risk standards and regulatory compliance.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

Socials:

👉 Follow Carla Canino:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlakerstenscanino/

Website: https://www.kindlee.ai/

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] The $443 billion lending opportunity being missed

[00:28:00] Core question: How to lend more without losing money

[02:21:00] Why 65% of good customers get declined by AI

[04:46:00] The invisible customers AI models ignore

[08:07:00] Personal banking discrimination story

[10:17:00] Who exactly are these declined customers

[13:24:00] Biometric authentication bias problems

[18:21:00] What Kindly AI does for financial institutions

[23:43:00] Zero integration implementation approach

[28:50:00] European AI Act compliance implications

[33:02:00] Quantifying operational waste from bias

[37:54:00] Build versus buy decision framework

[45:16:00] Career pivot to solo founder journey

[55:14:00] Key startup pivot moments and lessons

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to reduce AI bias in lending decisions

What is the cost of algorithmic bias in finance

How to approve more customers without increasing risk

European AI Act compliance for banks

Why do good loan applications get rejected

How to measure bias in credit scoring

What causes AI lending discrimination

How to build inclusive financial products

AI bias detection platforms for fintech

How to reduce false loan declines

What is systematic bias in banking

How to serve disabled customers in fintech

Solo founder challenges in AI startups

How to comply with new AI regulations

What is ROI of bias reduction initiatives

How to audit AI models for fairness

Why biometric authentication fails minorities

How to calculate operational costs of bias

What is Kindly AI technology

How to retrain discriminatory AI models

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

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.

From 36 Cents To 32 Cents: The Growing Gender Wealth Gap No One Talks About | Kristine Beese, Founder and CEO of Untangle Money

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0800

The retirement crisis is a women's crisis - and the numbers are shocking! For every dollar men have in wealth, women have just 32 cents. Even worse? That gap is growing, not shrinking.

In this episode, I speak with Kristine Beese, Founder and CEO of Untangle Money, about the alarming wealth gap affecting women and why traditional financial services aren't designed for our needs. Kristine shares powerful insights from her journey as a former stock analyst and portfolio manager to building a FinTech solution that's actually helping women take control of their financial futures.

We explore the real drivers behind wealth inequality, the hidden costs women face throughout their careers (hint: it's between $500K-$1M in lost earnings in the US and Canada), and why financial stress hits women harder. Kristine also breaks down her practical "hours worked" framework that removes judgment from spending decisions and explains why robo-advisors might be your best investment ally.

🔑 Key Highlights:

Women have lost ground on wealth accumulation — from 36 cents to 32 cents per dollar over just one decade
Why women plateau in earnings at age 40 while men continue earning $10K-$25K more annually for 25+ years
The powerful "hours worked" framework that transforms how you think about money and joy
Why every rich person has a financial plan, but middle-income earners don't — and how that needs to change
How living to 95 (not 90) completely changes your retirement planning strategy

👉 Kristine Beese

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinebeese/

Website: https://www.untangle.money/

👉 Monica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

We cover

[00:00:00] The retirement crisis is a women's crisis

[00:02:00] Shocking stats: 32 cents on the dollar wealth gap

[00:06:00] Why the wealth gap keeps growing

[00:11:00] Untangle Money: Building purpose-driven FinTech

[00:15:00] Women's financial superpowers we don't talk about

[00:18:00] The $500K-$1M career earnings gap explained

[00:24:00] The longevity paradox: Why living longer is actually a superpower

[00:28:00] How financial stress affects women differently

[00:33:00] Why Untangle Money threw out traditional financial planning

[00:39:00] The revolutionary "hours worked" spending framework

[00:49:00] Managing spending with joy, not judgment

[00:55:00] Why robo-advisors beat 80% of professional investors

[01:00:00] Planning for 95, not 90: The retirement reality check

[01:08:00] Key takeaway: Every rich person has a financial plan

SEARCH QUESTIONS

Why is the retirement crisis worse for women?

What is the women's wealth gap in 2025?

How much less do women earn than men over their careers?

Why do women plateau in earnings at age 40?

How to calculate what I can afford using hours worked?

What is Untangle Money and how does it work?

Why are women better investors than men?

How much money do I need to retire at 65?

What is the best robo-advisor in Canada?

Should I use Wealthsimple?

How to remove judgment from spending decisions?

Why is financial stress worse for women?

How to align spending with joy and values?

What is the pink tax and how does it affect women?

How to start investing with limited money?

Why should financial plans go to age 95 not 90?

How to create a financial plan on a budget?

What can women do about the wealth gap?

How to make a financial plan without thousands of dollars?

Why do traditional financial services fail women?

#WomenAndWealth #FinancialPlanning #WealthGap #PurposeDrivenFinTech #RetirementPlanning

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.

How To Get Into Home Ownership With Just 1% Down (No Mortgage Required) | Chris Smith, Founder and CEO at Bloxxs

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:15:00 +0800

What if home ownership could start with just 1% down and you could build equity without taking on any debt? This revolutionary approach is transforming how people achieve the dream of owning their own home.

In this episode, I speak with Chris Smith, Founder and CEO at Bloxxs. We explore an alternative to traditional mortgages that's opening doors for people who thought home ownership was out of reach. Chris shares his powerful journey from banking executive to unpaid startup founder, building a solution that directly connects capital to aspiring homeowners.

We dive into the innovative “subscription” model that's making home ownership accessible, how indigenous values are reshaping our approach to property and community, and why Chris and his team of 20 executives have worked unpaid for years to bring this mission-driven vision to life. This conversation reveals how one bold idea is creating pathways to happier, healthier lives through the stability and security of home ownership.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products and teams with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Chris:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealchris-smith/

Website: https://www.bloxxhome.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] The mission: Making home ownership accessible to everyone

[00:03:00] Why home ownership creates happier and healthier societies

[00:05:00] From banking executive to unpaid founder: The inspiring journey

[00:08:00] Lessons from 2008: Understanding what needs to change

[00:10:00] Building a values-driven company with 20 unpaid executives

[00:13:00] The power of sacrifice: Protecting the mission over profits

[00:16:00] How capital really flows in the housing market

[00:18:00] The Blocks breakthrough: Subscription to home ownership explained

[00:20:00] Starting with 1% deposit instead of 20%: Opening new doors

[00:23:00] Built-in flexibility: Supporting homeowners through life's challenges

[00:27:00] Indigenous values: Community-driven approach to home ownership

[00:30:00] The vision: Taking Blocks global and helping millions

[00:32:00] From social housing to solutions: Why this mission is personal

[00:34:00] Creating pathways to stability, security, and intergenerational wealth

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to buy a house with 1% deposit?

What is Blocks home ownership platform?

How does home ownership without a mortgage work?

Can you buy a home without taking on debt?

What are innovative alternatives to traditional mortgages?

How do subscription home ownership models work?

What is equity-based home buying?

How to get into home ownership in 2025?

What are alternatives to traditional mortgages?

How does home ownership create happiness and stability?

Can you buy a home without a 20% deposit?

What is the subscription model for home ownership?

How to build equity in a home without debt?

What is purpose-driven FinTech innovation?

How do indigenous values apply to property ownership?

What are solutions to the housing affordability challenge?

How to make home ownership accessible to first-time buyers?

What happens if I need flexibility with home payments?

How is technology changing home ownership?

What is the future of affordable housing?

#HomeOwnership #FinTechInnovation #AffordableHousing #PurposeDrivenTech #FutureOfHousing

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.

The Future of SMB Banking: AI, Automation, and Financial Intelligence | Akhil Nigam, CoFounder at Finmo,

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0800

In this episode, I speak with Akhil Nigam, CoFounder at Finmo, and we answer the critical question: How can global businesses transform their fragmented treasury operations into unified, intelligent systems that drive growth?

He shares insights on why SMEs deserve better treasury solutions, how real-time payment rails are transforming cash management, and why MO AI is becoming the intelligent co-pilot every finance team needs.

👉 Follow Akhil Nigam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhilnigam562/

Website: https://finmo.net/

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Why SMBs should be at the center of treasury innovation

[00:01:00] The economic impact of SME financial health on the wider economy

[00:03:00] Why SMBs are fast-moving segments banks ignore for enterprise clients

[00:05:00] How automation frees finance teams from manual work to focus on growth

[00:07:00] Enterprise vs SMB treasury: The critical differences explained

[00:10:00] The connected finance challenge: Why bank integration matters

[00:12:00] The purpose behind building Finmo's complex treasury platform

[00:15:00] Why the founding team's diverse skill set made payments possible

[00:16:00] How to keep purpose alive when you're in the trenches

[00:19:00] Reimagining treasury workflows: Real-time visibility and forecasting

[00:20:00] The cosmetics company spending $1M on treasury with 6-month reporting delays

[00:22:00] Outcome-driven product development: From features to measurable KPIs

[00:23:00] Introducing MO AI: The intelligent advisor for CFOs

[00:27:00] The practical transition: From FinTech to AI-powered FinTech

[00:30:00] How Finmo uses AI to help AI build AI (yes, really!)

[00:33:00] Upskilling product teams on vector databases, MCPs, and AI infrastructure

[00:34:00] Advice for PMs: How to upskill on AI when it's not your day job

[00:37:00] The cost reality of AI: Why capital intensity matters for innovation

[00:38:00] Final message: From reactive reporting to growth driver

Search Questions

What is the difference between enterprise and SMB treasury management?

How can SMEs get real-time cash visibility across multiple currencies?

Why do finance teams spend so much time on manual reconciliation?

What is MO AI and how does it help CFOs?

How to transform fragmented treasury operations into unified systems?

What are real-time payment rails and why do they matter?

How much does treasury management software cost for SMBs?

Why is connected finance important for global businesses?

How to automate cash flow forecasting for small businesses?

What is the biggest challenge SME finance teams face?

How to build AI-powered features in FinTech products?

What skills do product managers need to understand AI?

How to upskill on AI for non-technical product teams?

Why is AI implementation so expensive for startups?

What is vector database and MCP in AI development?

How to justify AI costs in early-stage FinTech companies?

What is purpose-driven product development in FinTech?

How to measure success in treasury management platforms?

What are the key KPIs for SME cash management?

How to choose between building in-house AI vs using cloud APIs?

#TreasuryManagement #FinTechInnovation #AIinFinance #SMEFinance #ProductLeadership

How To Actually Protect Your Crypto Users: 79% of Users Demand This Crypto Feature | Anthony Yeung, Chief Commercial Officer at CoinCover,

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:30:00 +0800

Trust remains the biggest barrier to crypto adoption. Security breaches, lost access, and the fear of irreversible mistakes keep 79% of users demanding better protection before they'll fully commit to crypto.

In this episode, I speak with Anthony Yeung, Chief Commercial Officer at CoinCover, the leader in digital asset protection, and we answer the critical question: How can FinTechs build crypto products that users actually trust?

Anthony shares insights on the real risks FinTech leaders need to understand when building crypto offerings, the layered protection approach that top institutions use, and why traditional banking security just doesn't transfer to the crypto world.

🔑 Key Highlights:

Why 79% of crypto users demand mandatory compensation schemes for protection
How 20% of all Bitcoin ($billions) is permanently lost due to access issues
Why your existing bank security partners won't work for crypto infrastructure
The layered defense approach that protects 600+ institutions globally
How fraud protection with compensation builds trust like traditional card payments

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Anthony Yeung:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coincover-anthony/

Website: https://www.coincover.com

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:01:00] Why trust is crypto's biggest barrier to adoption

[00:05:00] What is CoinCover and why 600+ institutions use it

[00:09:00] The loss of access crisis: 20% of Bitcoin is gone forever

[00:14:00] When exchanges get hacked: The $1.5B Bybit story

[00:18:00] Why the crypto industry collaborates differently than traditional finance

[00:19:54] The risks FinTech CEOs don't know they don't know

[00:22:14] Why you can't reuse your bank security partners for crypto

[00:27:45] Making crypto accessible: Beyond the top of the pyramid

[00:30:32] What is layered protection and why it matters

[00:35:30] How to protect against loss of access to wallets

[00:41:11] The breakthrough: Fraud protection that works like card disputes

[00:44:33] Why 79% of users demand compensation schemes

[00:45:48] Top 3 takeaways for FinTech teams launching crypto

[00:47:52] CoinCover's global reach and regulatory approach

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to protect crypto users from losing access to wallets?

Why is 20% of all Bitcoin permanently lost?

How do crypto exchanges get hacked?

What is layered protection in crypto security?

How to build trust in crypto products?

Why traditional banking security doesn't work for crypto?

What happens when users lose their crypto wallet password?

How to prevent crypto fraud and scams?

What is non-custodial crypto backup?

How much does crypto security cost for FinTech companies?

What are the biggest risks when launching crypto products?

How to make crypto accessible for mainstream users?

What is MPC and multi-sig in crypto security?

How does crypto fraud protection with compensation work?

Why do 79% of crypto users want mandatory compensation?

How to choose crypto security partners for FinTech?

What happened in the Bybit crypto hack?

How to recover lost crypto wallet access?

What is defense in depth for digital assets?

How to build crypto products users actually trust?

#CryptoSecurity #FinTechInnovation #DigitalAssets #TrustInCrypto #Web3Product

Solving Wealth Management for MENA Henrys: Why Sharia-Compliant Investment Platforms Matter | Ziad Mabsout, Co-Founder & CEO at Vennre

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 23:00:00 +0800

The MENA region presents a massive opportunity for growth: The High Earners, Not Rich Yet (HENRY's).

In this episode, I speak with Ziad Mabsout, Co-Founder & CEO at Vennre, about building investment platforms specifically for the Henry segment in MENA and why Sharia-compliant solutions are an unlock.

Ziad shares his journey from getting rejected for a $50K investment to building a fintech that solves exactly the problem he had back then: Accessibility. We explore how the lack of pension systems in MENA creates urgent demand for investment solutions, and why Sharia-compliant products attract non-Muslim customers seeking ethical investing options.

We dive deep into the unique challenges of building for emerging markets, the importance of customer protection in investment platforms, and practical strategies for serving high earners who lack access to private banking. Ziad also shares invaluable insights on startup team building, the importance of conviction in your mission, and why being humble while staying persistent is crucial for FinTech founders.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes!

👉 Follow Ziad Mabsout:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziadmabsout/

Website: https://www.vennre.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[02:30:00] Defining High Earners, Not Rich Yet (Henrys)

[05:12:00] Why Henrys are underserved by traditional wealth management

[08:31:00] The relationship with money: spending, saving, investing

[12:40:00] MENA vs Western market differences for Henrys

[17:26:00] The pension gap crisis in emerging markets

[20:00:00] Understanding Sharia-compliant investing

[23:46:00] Why non-Muslims choose Sharia-compliant products

[26:10:00] Incorporating Zakat calculation into the platform

[34:09:00] Building startup teams: values, attitude, conviction

[36:34:00] The importance of humility and learning as founders

[39:05:00] Handling failures and maintaining persistence

[42:52:00] Future vision and conviction in the Henry market

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is FinTech?

What are Henrys in FinTech and why do they matter?

How to build investment platforms for high earners in MENA?

What is Sharia-compliant investing and how does it work?

How to build FinTech products for emerging markets?

What is the pension gap in MENA region?

How to serve underserved high earners with FinTech?

Building wealth management platforms for professionals?

What makes Sharia-compliant FinTech successful?

How to protect customers in investment platforms?

Building startup teams in FinTech: best practices?

Why is team building harder than fundraising for startups?

How to find a job in FinTech?

How to validate FinTech product ideas in MENA?

What are the challenges of building FinTech in emerging markets?

How to design investment products for busy professionals?

What makes investment platforms successful in MENA?

How to serve the middle market in wealth management?

#MENAFinTech #ShariaCompliant #WealthTech #FinTechFounders #EmergingMarkets

What Separates Sustainable Neobanks From Those That Fail To Reach Profitability? | Brian Muse-McKenney, CRO at Episode Six

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:30:00 +0800

With 400 Neobanks globally raising $300 billion but only a few achieving profitability, the industry faces a critical question about sustainable business models.

In this episode, I speak with Brian Muse-McKenney, Chief Revenue Officer at Episode Six, and we answer the big question: What separates sustainable Neobanks from those that fail to reach profitability?

Brian brings deep expertise from over 16 years in global payments, having led PayMe to become Hong Kong's #1 payments app and now helping fintechs build modern payment products at global scale in Episode Six. He shares insights on the fundamental shift from growth obsession to economic discipline and reveals the specific metrics and strategies that actually drive profitability.

We explore the critical importance of unit economics over vanity metrics, the power of the 80/20 rule in customer focus, and why multi-product revenue strategies are essential beyond interchange fees. We also discuss the infrastructure decisions that can make or break scaling economics, the culture shifts needed for sustainable growth, and practical frameworks for identifying and nurturing profitable customer segments.

🔑 Key Highlights:

The shift from growth at all cost mentality to disciplined economics in Neobank’s strategy
Why LTV matters more than downloads and monthly active users
How the 80/20 rule transforms customer acquisition into profitable growth
The infrastructure partnerships that enable or destroy unit economics at scale
Why saying "I was wrong" creates winning cultures that drive profitability

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

Socials

👉 Follow Brian Muse-McKenney:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-muse-mckenney-1423a21aa/

Website: https://episodesix.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

Timestamps

We cover:

[00:00:00] Neobanking profitability state : 400 companies, 15 profitable

[00:02:00] From growth at all costs to economic discipline mindset shift

[00:03:00] Unit economics that actually matter for sustainable growth

[00:09:00] Revenue diversification beyond interchange fees

[00:11:00] FX, lending, and subscription models that drive margins

[00:16:00] The 80/20 rule: Why power users beat customer acquisition

[00:19:00] Customer research strategies for identifying profitable segments

[00:24:00] Low-hanging fruit for struggling Neobanks

[00:26:00] The courage to say "I was wrong" and cut unprofitable customers

[00:29:00] Psychological safety and winning culture fundamentals

[00:32:00] Global profitability patterns: Asia vs Europe vs North America

[00:39:00] The 10X innovation doctrine for market differentiation

[00:45:00] Infrastructure partnerships that enable profitable scaling

[00:51:00] Three key takeaways for sustainable Neobank success

Search Questions

What separates profitable neobanks from failing ones?

How many neobanks are actually profitable in 2025?

What unit economics metrics matter most for neobanks?

How to build revenue beyond interchange fees in fintech?

Why do most Neobanks fail to reach profitability?

What is the 80/20 rule for Neobank customer growth?

How to identify profitable customer segments in fintech?

What infrastructure decisions affect Neobank profitability?

How to create winning culture in fintech startups?

What revenue streams work best for Neobanks ?

How to calculate customer acquisition cost for fintech?

What gross margins should Neobanks target by product?

How to build multi-product strategy for sustainable growth?

When should Neobanks cut unprofitable customers?

What psychological safety techniques work in fintech teams?

How do profitable Neobanks differ globally by region?

What lending products drive the highest margins for Neobanks?

How to build hypothesis-driven testing culture in fintech?

What subscription models work for digital banking?

How to negotiate better infrastructure partnerships for scale?

#NeobankProfitability #FinTechEconomics #UnitEconomics #SustainableGrowth #FinTechStrategy

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.

How Neobanks Can Use Bitcoin & Stablecoins for Competitive Advantage | Richard Green, RootstockLabs

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:45:00 +0800

Neobanks are struggling with differentiation, rising costs, and intense competition - but what if Bitcoin and stablecoin infrastructure could be your competitive advantage?

In this episode, I speak with Richard Green, Director of Ecosystem and Rootstock Institutional at RootstockLabs, the largest and longest-running Bitcoin sidechain, and we answer the big question:

How can neobanks strategically integrate Bitcoin and stablecoin infrastructure to create competitive advantages?

Richard leads GTM for strategic partnerships and growth across cross-border remittance, DeFi, institutions and stablecoins clients, bringing deep expertise from Bloomberg, Circle, and now RootstockLabs. He shares practical insights on building crypto-enabled products that solve real customer problems.

We explore the fundamentals of stablecoins, cost considerations for implementation, user experience challenges, security and fraud protection, partnership selection strategies, and practical frameworks for getting started. Richard breaks down complex technical concepts into actionable strategies that Neobank founders can implement without breaking their budgets.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Richard Green:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-thomas-green/

Website: https://www.rootstocklabs.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Welcome and key question introduction

[00:01:00] The most overlooked competitive advantage for neobanks

[00:06:00] Stablecoin basics: What they are and how they differ from Bitcoin

[00:09:00] Top use cases: Global payments and remittances

[00:13:00] Cross-border payment infrastructure and partnerships

[00:18:00] Real-world application and user adoption challenges

[00:20:00] Cost considerations: Custodial vs self-custody models

[00:24:00] Security and fraud protection in blockchain systems

[00:29:00] Product design and user experience considerations

[00:31:00] Customer education and trust building strategies

[00:34:00] Partnership selection and evaluation criteria

[00:39:00] What RootstockLabs does and Bitcoin sidechain benefits

[00:41:00] Practical implementation roadmap for neobanks

[00:45:00] Security advantages of Bitcoin-backed infrastructure

[00:49:00] Common implementation mistakes to avoid

[00:50:00] Three key takeaways for neobank founders

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How can neobanks use Bitcoin for competitive advantage?

What are stablecoins and how do they work for neobanks?

How to reduce cross-border payment costs with crypto?

What are the security risks of Bitcoin in banking?

How to choose stablecoin partners for neobanks?

What is custodial vs self-custody in crypto banking?

How to implement Bitcoin infrastructure on a budget?

What user experience challenges exist with crypto payments?

How does blockchain fraud protection work?

What is RootstockLabs and Bitcoin sidechains?

How to educate customers about crypto banking features?

What compliance requirements exist for crypto integration?

How to build crypto products without technical expertise?

What revenue streams do Bitcoin features create?

How to differentiate neobanks with crypto infrastructure?

What are the costs of implementing stablecoin payments?

How to serve underserved markets with crypto banking?

What mistakes do neobanks make with crypto integration?

How to build secure Bitcoin-enabled banking products?

What partnerships do neobanks need for crypto features?

How AI-Powered FinTech is Solving the £4B UK Energy Debt Crisis | Fliss Berridge & James Sharpe

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0800

In today's episode, we explore how innovative fintech partnerships are tackling the UK's massive £4 billion energy debt crisis through compassionate collections and flexible payment solutions.

I speak with Fliss Berridge, UK Managing Director and Co-Founder at Ordo, and James Sharpe, Sales Director, Digital Native Business at Eviden. We talk about their groundbreaking partnership creating an intelligent recommendation and notification engine that helps consumers manage utility payments in a way that matches their actual income patterns, not arbitrary monthly billing cycles.

Their solution combines open banking, AI, and a deep understanding of customer behavior to transform how utilities collect payments while making financial management more accessible and humane for consumers struggling with the cost of living crisis.

🔑 Key Highlights:

The UK energy debt crisis £4 billion challenge
The concept of "compassionate collections with kindness" that benefits both consumers and utilities
Using AI and open banking to create payment schedules that match actual income patterns
The importance of designing financial services around people's lives, not forcing people to adapt
How partnerships between large corporations and agile fintechs can drive purpose-driven innovation

We discuss how traditional payment methods like direct debits are failing vulnerable customers, particularly those with irregular income streams or in the gig economy. The solution recognizes income patterns and suggests appropriate payment amounts at the right times, providing relief for consumers while improving collection rates for utilities.

This collaboration demonstrates how fintech innovations can address significant social challenges while creating commercial value, proving that compassion and profitability can coexist in financial services.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Connect with Fliss and James:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fliss-berridge-07a05b84/

Website: https://ordopay.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrnsharpe/

Website: https://eviden.com/

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Introduction to the UK's £4 billion energy debt crisis

[00:03:00] Breaking down large bills into manageable chunks

[00:07:00] Compassionate collections: How kindness can coexist with effective payment solutions

[00:11:00] Preventing late payments through early intervention and intelligent recommendations

[00:15:00] Designing financial services around people's lives, not the other way around

[00:19:00] Partnership for purpose: How Eviden and Ordo collaborate effectively

[00:25:00] How startups and large corporations can work together effectively

[00:32:00] The six-week proof of concept: How rigor and discipline drive innovation

[00:37:00] Understanding diverse customer attitudes toward money and bill payment

[00:42:00] The trust problem with direct debits and how open banking solves it

[00:47:00] How AI creates personalized, ethical payment recommendations

[00:51:00] The future: Variable recurring payments and expanding to other sectors

#CompassionateCollections #OpenBanking #FinTechPartnerships #EnergyDebtCrisis #FlexiblePayments

A Conversation About Rebuilding Trust in Digital Assets | Natalya Thakur and Kevin Hoang

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0800

In this episode, I speak with Natalya Thakur, CEO of Knova, and Kevin Hoang Founder of EQ Exchange (EQX), two innovative founders who are tackling the fundamental issue of trust in the digital assets space

🔑 Key Highlights:

How EQX aims to become the first company in the world to disclose financial statements in real-time
The critical difference between "compiled" vs "generated" financial statements for transparency
How technology can play a central role in creating new trust frameworks for financial services

👉 Follow Natalya and Kevin

Natalya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nthakur9/

Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinh5/

https://www.eq.exchange/

Press release of their partnership: https://www.eq.exchange/blog/building-a-new-era-of-trust-in-digital-assets-with-knox-network

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Introduction and defining trust in financial services

[00:04:00] Exploring the components of trust: what is transacted and who is transacting

[00:06:00] Knox's purpose: creating a multi-asset ledger as a unified source of truth

[00:08:50] Natalya's background in traditional finance and digital assets

[00:12:30] EQX's purpose: rewriting the script on crypto exchanges

[00:15:00] How Knova and EQX collaborate to solve trust problems

[00:18:30] Kevin's background and entrepreneurial journey

[00:21:30] EQX's innovative approach to real-time financial statements

[00:24:00] Product thinking behind building a trust-based moat

[00:28:45] Translating radical transparency into user-facing features

[00:32:00] How companies can help customers trust the crypto space

[00:36:00] Challenges of applying design thinking with institutional users

[00:39:00] Obstacles financial institutions face with crypto adoption

[00:42:00] Why crypto remains too complex for mainstream adoption

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the definition of trust in financial services?

How did FTX collapse affect crypto exchange trust?

What does transparent financial reporting in crypto look like?

How to build trust in cryptocurrency exchanges?

Why do we trust traditional banks over crypto platforms?

What are real-time financial statements for crypto exchanges?

How can crypto exchanges improve user experience?

What is a multi-asset ledger in cryptocurrency?

How to manage both traditional and digital assets together?

What challenges do financial institutions face with crypto adoption?

Why is crypto still too complex for mainstream users?

How can design thinking improve crypto user experience?

What's the difference between compiled and generated financial statements?

How can technology build trust in financial services?

What is radical transparency in financial services?

How do you establish trust as a new financial services company?

What are best practices for crypto custody and security?

How to simplify cryptocurrency for everyday users?

What is the purpose of Knova in the crypto ecosystem?

What trust problems is EQX trying to solve?

The Bold Move: How I went from Banking to Building FinTech Startups | Monica Millares, CPO at BigPay & Purpose Driven FinTech Podcast Host

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0800

The financial industry is transforming rapidly, with traditional banking giving way to innovative FinTech solutions that are reshaping how people interact with money worldwide.

In this solo episode, I share my personal journey from traditional banking to building FinTech startups and products across multiple continents, revealing the challenges, insights, and transformational lessons learned along the way. From my first steps into product leadership to scaling products to millions of users, I share the journey, what helped me succeed and the mistakes that taught me the most valuable lessons.

What you'll learn:

How I transitioned from traditional banking to the dynamic world of FinTech
My unexpected path into product leadership
How I ended up in Malaysia - from startup to scaleup
The reality of building financial products across different markets and cultures
Key insights from 10 years of FinTech product development

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00] My journey into FinTech - why I left traditional banking

[05:30] The catalyst moment that changed my career trajectory

[10:45] Discovering product leadership and the early challenges

[15:20] Building FinTech products from Mexico to Malaysia

[22:10] The unique challenges of developing products across different markets

[28:40] How purpose drives better product decisions

[34:15] Balancing innovation with compliance and security

[39:30] My framework for building high-performing product teams

[45:10] The future of FinTech and where I see the industry heading

[50:25] Critical advice for aspiring FinTech builders

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to transition from banking to FinTech?

What skills transfer from banking to FinTech product development?

How to build FinTech products that solve real customer problems?

What are the biggest challenges when building FinTech products?

How to balance innovation with compliance in FinTech?

How to build purpose-driven financial products?

What does a FinTech product leader do?

How to build FinTech products across different markets?

What are the key differences between banking and FinTech product development?

How to build high-performing FinTech product teams?

How to create successful FinTech products with limited resources?

What is the future of FinTech product development?

How to build customer-centric financial products?

What are the most important metrics for FinTech products?

How to identify opportunities in the FinTech space?

How to navigate regulatory challenges in FinTech?

What does it take to be a successful FinTech builder?

How to scale FinTech products globally?

How to create inclusive financial products?

What are the biggest pitfalls when building FinTech products?

#FinTechBuilder #BankingToStartups #ProductLeadership #FinancialInclusion #PurposeDrivenFinTech

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.

Breaking the Rules of Banking: Why LATAM Needs Infinite Adaptation | Maria Mancuso & Ray Ruga, Co-Founders FinTech Americas

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0800

FinTech LaTam is booming; but it's not just just about digital transformation - we have the power to transform the region, but to do so, we must do a paradigm shift and focus on infinite adaptation and human-centered innovation.

In this episode, I speak with Maria and Ray from FinTech Americas, who share powerful insights about LaTam, building trust in financial services, driving true financial inclusion, and fostering innovation that puts people first. And of course, they reveal why LaTam's unique challenges require a paradigm shift from traditional transformation to continuous adaptation.

🔑 Key Highlights:

Why trust remains the foundation of financial services innovation
How COVID accelerated digital adoption but created new challenges
The critical balance between technological efficiency and human connection
Why Latin America needs "infinite adaptation" rather than linear transformation
The role of collaboration between banks and fintechs in driving meaningful change

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Maria & Ray:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialmancuso/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayruga/

Website: https://www.fintechamericas.co/en/

👉 Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] Introduction to FinTech Americas' mission

[00:02:04] Key challenges in Latin American financial services

[00:04:32] Building trust in digital financial services

[00:07:34] Banking fundamentals and regulatory challenges

[00:09:33] Bank-FinTech collaboration benefits

[00:12:30] The infinite adaptation paradigm

[00:15:14] Power of peer-to-peer learning at conferences

[00:16:06] Human-centered financial inclusion

[00:18:09] Balancing technology with humanity

[00:20:51] FinTech Americas 2025 event details

[00:22:27] FemTech and leadership initiatives

[00:24:15] Networking and innovation opportunities

SEARCH QUESTIONS:

How to build trust in financial services in Latin America?

What is the future of banking in Latin America?

How are fintechs collaborating with banks in LATAM?

What is infinite adaptation in financial services?

How to drive financial inclusion in Latin America?

Why do people not trust digital banking in LATAM?

What is the unbanked population in Latin America?

How did COVID impact digital banking adoption?

What are the biggest challenges for FinTech in LATAM?

How to balance technology and human touch in banking?

What is the role of conferences in financial innovation?

How to create human-centered financial products?

What is the state of digital transformation in LATAM banks?

How are banks and fintechs working together?

How to build trust in digital financial services?

What is the future of financial inclusion in LATAM?

How to drive innovation in traditional banks?

What are the key fintech trends in Latin America?

How to succeed in Latin American fintech market?

What makes FinTech Americas different from other conferences?

#FinTechLatAm #FinancialInclusion #DigitalTransformation #BankingInnovation #FutureOfFinance

How To Grow Customer Acquisition Without a Big Marketing Budget in 2025 | Araminta Robertson, Founder Mint Studios

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 21:30:00 +0800

We live in a world where marketing acquisition budgets are tight and we have a ton of pressure to deliver growth! - as a result content marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy for FinTech growth.

In this episode, I speak with Araminta Robertson, Founder of Mint Studios, and we answer the big question: How to leverage content marketing effectively in the FinTech space?

Araminta brings deep expertise in content strategy and SEO and shares insights on building effective content strategies that drive measurable results and explains why bottom-of-funnel content is becoming increasingly crucial in the age of AI.

We explore how content can bridge the financial education gap, the strategic approach to SEO in an AI-driven world, and the balance between brand awareness and lead generation. We also discuss the challenges of creating technical content that resonates with B2B audiences and the importance of authentic expertise in content creation.

🔑 Key Highlights:

The shift from paid acquisition to content marketing as budgets tighten
Why bottom-of-funnel content is crucial for driving measurable results
How AI is changing SEO and content strategy in 2025
The importance of technical expertise in FinTech content creation
Why customer obsession should drive content strategy

👉 Follow Araminta:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aramintarobertson/

Website: https://www.mintcopywritingstudios.com/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover:

[00:00:00] The challenge of FinTech growth with tight budgets

[00:01:19] How content democratizes financial knowledge

[00:07:23] Content marketing ROI and measuring success

[00:13:52] B2B FinTech content challenges

[00:17:28] Introduction to Mint Studios and FinTech Marketing Hub

[00:20:05] Building an effective content strategy

[00:25:54] The impact of AI on SEO

[00:33:26] In-house vs. agency content creation

[00:37:00] Finding quality FinTech writers

[00:41:24] Content distribution strategies

[00:44:11] Building customer-centric FinTech businesses

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the future of FinTech content marketing in 2025?
How to measure content marketing ROI in FinTech?
What is bottom-of-funnel content in FinTech?
How is AI changing SEO for FinTech companies?
Should FinTechs build in-house content teams or hire agencies?
What makes effective B2B FinTech content?
How to create technical content that converts?
What is the best content distribution strategy for FinTechs?
How to balance brand awareness vs lead generation in FinTech?
What skills do FinTech content writers need?
How to create content with limited marketing budget?
What is the impact of AI on FinTech content strategy?
How to measure content marketing success in FinTech?
What are the best SEO strategies for FinTech companies?
How to create authentic FinTech thought leadership?
What content formats work best for B2B FinTech?
How to stand out in FinTech content marketing?
What is the role of technical expertise in FinTech content?
How to build a scalable content strategy for FinTech?
What are the common FinTech content marketing mistakes?

#FinTechMarketing #ContentStrategy #B2BFinTech #FinTechGrowth #ContentROI

How Product Managers Can Use AI To Build Better Products | Jas Shah, Founder Bitsul and Product Consultant

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:30:00 +0800

We all wonder how to incorporate AI into our workflows! Soo I've recorded as special episode on AI in FinTech Product Development! Join me with Jas Shah, founder of Bitsul, and 3rd time guest in the show as we dive deep into how AI can streamline innovation and create more purpose-driven fintechs.

We take a very practical approach so you'll learn frameworks for implementing AI, from automating admin tasks to enhancing customer research, and discover how to build sustainable, customer-centric solutions that create lasting value

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow in Spotify, and leave a 5 star rating apple podcast. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s get into it!

👉 You can find Jas here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jas-shah/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitsul/
Website: https://bitsul.co.uk/

👉 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/

We cover:

[00:00] AI as a catalyst for customer impact

[03:05] Purpose-driven FinTech with AI

[06:01] Incorporating AI in product development

[10:06] Practical AI tools for product teams

[14:00] Crafting effective AI prompts

[21:42] Using AI for customer research

[29:16] Building AI-powered solutions

[32:34] Cost considerations and ROI

[38:38] Common mistakes to avoid

[41:48] Ethical considerations in AI

[45:54] Future of open banking

[50:00] Key changes for sustainable AI

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to implement AI in FinTech products?

What are the best AI tools for product development?

How to use AI for customer research in FinTech?

Is AI replacing product managers?

How to measure AI ROI in FinTech?

What are common AI implementation mistakes in FinTech?

How to build cost-effective AI solutions?

Should FinTechs build or buy AI capabilities?

How to create AI-powered customer experiences?

What is the future of AI in banking?

How to use ChatGPT for product development?

What are the best practices for AI in FinTech?

How to automate product management tasks with AI?

What are the risks of AI in financial services?

How to build ethical AI products in FinTech?

How to use AI for product innovation?

What is the impact of AI on product teams?

How to create AI strategy for FinTech?

How to scale AI solutions in FinTech?

How to balance AI automation with human touch?

DISCLAIMER

Future-Proof Your FinTech: Why Your 2030 Customer Won't Be Human | Pawel Stezycki, Principal Consultant at Spyrosoft

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:30:00 +0800

The AI revolution in FinTech is happening faster than you think! This week I speak with Pawel to explore how AI is transforming financial services and what it means for product leaders.

From beating competitors with limited resources to preparing for a future where your customers might be AI copilots - this episode is packed with actionable insights for FinTech leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve.

Discover:

Why the AI transformation will happen 20x faster than the industrial revolution
How to identify high-impact AI use cases with limited resources
Real examples of cross-industry innovation that drove ROI in months
The secret to building sustainable, purpose-driven AI products
Why your 2030 customer might not be human (and how to prepare)

Perfect for FinTech leaders, product managers, and innovation teams looking to create lasting impact in an AI-first world.

👉 Follow Pawel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelstezycki/

👉Follow Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

We cover:

[00:00:00] The biggest fear in FinTech today

[02:49:00] Building purpose-driven AI solutions

[05:17:00] How AI enables better financial habits

[08:00:00] Historical perspective: From printing press to AI

[13:32:00] Framework for identifying AI use cases

[16:10:00] Cross-industry innovation success stories

[22:06:00] The human factor in AI transformation

[25:21:00] AI-powered learning revolution

[29:25:00] Ethics and trust in AI solutions

[32:29:00] Your 2030 customer isn't human

[36:30:00] Preparing for the bot economy

[39:31:00] Building sustainable AI-powered businesses

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How fast are competitors copying FinTech features in 2025?
How to build purpose-driven AI products in FinTech?
How can AI improve financial habits?
How long will AI transformation take compared to other revolutions?
What are the best AI use cases for FinTech?
How to innovate with AI on a limited budget?
Will AI replace jobs in FinTech?
How to use AI for financial education?
How to ensure AI solutions are trustworthy?
What will FinTech customers look like in 2030?
How to prepare for AI copilots in banking?
How to build sustainable AI products?
What is the ROI of AI in FinTech?
How to test AI solutions quickly?
How to find AI innovation opportunities?
How to build an AI-ready culture?
How to make complex financial information engaging with AI?
What are the risks of AI in FinTech?
How will AI change banking services?
What regulations affect AI in FinTech?

#FinTechInnovation #AIStrategy #ProductLeadership #FutureOfFinance #PurposeDrivenTech

Understanding DORA's Impact: Your Fintech's Partners Could Be Your Biggest Risk | Wayne Scott, Regulatory Compliance Lead at Escode

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:30:00 +0800

DORA is here and if you are a FinTech in Europe you MUST listen to this conversation! DORA is the Digital Operational Resilience Act that is effective from 17th Jan, 2025; and will affect all FinTech partners – yes it’s a biggy one; potentially bigger than GDPR!

In this pod I speak with Wayne Scott, Regulatory Compliance Solutions Lead at Escode. Wayne brings his extensive global regulatory expertise and breaks down why this new European regulation is a game-changer for FinTechs worldwide - and why we should be paying attention NOW.

🔑 Key Highlights on DORA:

DORA goes into effect January 17th, affecting 15,000+ financial institutions and 7-8,000 fintechs
Unlike previous regulations, DORA extends to ALL critical suppliers and partners in the fintech ecosystem
Potential fines could reach 2% of global revenue PER DAY for non-compliance
The regulation impacts any company providing services into Europe, regardless of their location
Not just about security - DORA focuses on operational resilience, supplier failure, and concentration risk

We discuss how regulation actually spurs innovation rather than stifling it, diving deep into the practical implications of Europe's new Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and its global ripple effects; explore the concept of operational contagion in our interconnected fintech ecosystem, and how businesses need to prepare for the AI revolution from a regulatory standpoint.

We go wide and talk critical supply chain risk management, demystifying the process of identifying and protecting vital business infrastructure, and the future of global financial regulation in 2025 and beyond.

We cover:

[00:10:00] What is DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) explained in plain English

[00:10:25] The scope: Affects 15,000 financial institutions and 7-8,000 fintechs

[00:11:29] Why you can't argue your way out of DORA compliance

[00:11:49] Understanding critical services - from cloud providers to core systems

[00:15:10] The five key principles for DORA compliance checklist

[00:30:22] Redefining Business Resilience - Beyond just "getting up and trying again"

[00:31:43] The real meaning of resilience in fintech operations

[00:35:03] Understanding Operational Contagion and its domino effects

[00:36:20] Real-world example: How a single outage affected global operations

[00:37:33] The Silicon Valley Bank case study - When operational fails trigger financial contagion

[00:39:35] AI's impact on financial services regulation

[00:41:00] How AI could make current tech companies obsolete

[00:42:15] Managing the risks of rapid AI adoption in financial services

[00:48:57] The regulatory roadmap for 2025 and beyond

🚀 Your Action Items:

Assign someone to own DORA compliance
Map your critical suppliers and infrastructure
Document policies and procedures
Test scenario capabilities

👉 Connect with Scott:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynethomasscott/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escodeglobal/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://www.escode.com/

👉 Connect with Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

Building Trust in the Metaverse: A Strategy Playbook for FinTech | Victoria Richardson and David Birch , Authors

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 18:30:00 +0800

The Metaverse isn't just a GenZ trend -- it's our chance to rebuild financial services with trust at the core! 🔥

Join Victoria Richardson, David Birch and I as they share their findings from their book "Money in the Metaverse". We explore why identity infrastructure must be built differently this time, how native metaverse payments will transform commerce, what it really means to build safe spaces in virtual worlds, and what Gen Z is teaching us about virtual economies.

Finally, Victoria and David reveal their framework for financial institutions to navigate this transformation: from establishing presence to creating entirely new products for virtual economies, and yup, they explain why it's not about building another app! 😎

We cover:

(00:00) The Future of the Metaverse: Beyond Commerce

(06:13) Purpose Driven Innovation and the Human Element

(15:30) Trust: The Foundation of Virtual Worlds

(23:15) Digital Identity and Authentication

(27:45) The Evolution from Virtual Worlds to Metaverse

(33:20) Building Experiences vs Building Platforms

(37:00) The Future of Payments and Digital Assets

(40:15) Three-Stage Strategy for Financial Institutions

(42:45) Risk Management and Training in Virtual Spaces

(43:26) The Power of Shared Experiences

(45:32) Building Trust Through Mutual Authentication

👉Get their book "Money in the Metaverse" HERE

👉 Connect with Victoria:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-richardson-40a48b6/

👉 Connect with David:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgwbirch/
Website: https://dgwbirch.com/

👉 Connect with Monica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

Key Takeaways:

1. The Metaverse Purpose

It's not just about new ways to buy - it's about human connection
Will create entirely new job categories and ways of working
Success depends on building safe, trusted spaces first

2.Trust Architecture

Mutual authentication is critical (both users and companies need verification)
Trust indicators should be built into the infrastructure (like color coding for verification status)
Move from consumer-verified to system-verified trust

3.Metaverse Strategy Framework

Stage 1: Establish Presence
Stage 2: Enable Transactions
Stage 3: Create Native Products

4.On Payments

Keep transactions within the metaverse
Use tokenization for efficiency
Focus on seamless wallet experiences

5.On Risk Management

Use the metaverse for training and risk reduction
Consider new types of risks in virtual spaces
Think about liability and monetization models

How to build a career you love And be in-demand in 2025 | Monica Millares

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 18:15:00 +0800

Are you feeling that growing pressure of becoming irrelevant in today's fast-paced FinTech landscape? In this episode, I'm going solo and I'm sharing my battle-tested career development framework - the exact approach that has helped me stay ahead in an industry where yesterday's innovations become tomorrow's table stakes.

I'll show you how to transform that fear of irrelevance into your biggest advantage, building a strategic career plan that keeps you at the forefront of FinTech innovation.

Key Insights:

Why traditional goal-setting fails and how strategic development planning leads to lasting career growth
The power of being the driver of your career instead of letting circumstances control your path
How to identify and leverage growth opportunities in industry, company, and team
The importance of building distinctive capabilities that make you irreplaceable
Why visibility planning is crucial, especially for women and introverts

We cover:

(00:00) Welcome to 2025: Why Strategic Planning Beats Goal Setting

(01:00) My personal story: From Big Banks to FinTech Startups

(02:45) The Power of Creating Your Own "Practical MBA"

(04:02) 1: Being Strategic About Your Direction

(06:00) The Importance of Clarity in Career Planning

(07:03) Exercise: Permission to Dream Big

(09:07) Being Honest With Your Self-Assessment

(13:15) 2: Following the Growth

(14:53) Identifying Growing Industries and Companies

(16:00) Analyzing Trends and Their Impact on Your Role

(19:26) 3: Building Your Capabilities

(20:29) Developing Your Value Proposition

(22:14) The Power of Unique Combinations

(24:03) Creating Your Visibility Plan

(26:00) Common Mistakes to Avoid

(27:10) Action Steps for Implementation

Take Action This Week:

The Dream Exercise: Give yourself permission to envision your ideal career without constraints
Growth Audit: Assess your current skills against where you want to be
Value Proposition: Create your unique combination of skills, experiences, and personality traits

Follow for more insights on building successful careers in FinTech and strategic professional development.

👉 Connect with Monica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

—

Inside Velexa's Mission to Transform Wealth Management | Tamara Kostova, Founder & CEO Velexa

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Join us for an insightful conversation with Tamara, CEO of Velexa, as we explore how FinTech is revolutionizing wealth management and financial education. From democratizing investment access to building community-driven platforms, discover how Velexa is making financial services more inclusive and less intimidating for everyone.

Why education and community are key to next-generation FinTech solutions
How Brazil became a leader in neobank adoption with 43% population penetration
The importance of hybrid approaches in empowering women investors
Why Southeast Asia leads in digital wealth management innovation
The role of AI and ChatGPT in shaping the future of investment advice
Building scalable B2B solutions while keeping focus on end-user needs

We cover:

(00:00) The Essence of FinTech: Revolutionizing Money Management

(02:08) Brazil's FinTech Success Story: From Unbanked to Digital Leaders

(03:29) Velexa's Mission: Democratizing Investment Access

(05:07) The B2B Approach to Achieving Global Impact

(06:10) The Future of WealthTech and Investment Adoption

(08:31) Financial Stress and Education: Building Better Solutions

(11:03) Gen Z's Approach to Financial Health

(14:13) Building Community-Driven Financial Products

(15:27) Women in Investment: Challenging Industry Misconceptions

(18:38) Velexa's Customer Base and Global Market Differences

(22:29) Overcoming Legacy Infrastructure Challenges

(24:09) Velexa's Award-Winning Vision and Success Factors

(29:18) The Role of AI in Investment Decision-Making

(34:56) Responsible Innovation in Financial Education

(36:34) Leadership Insights: Creating a Winning Strategy

(39:00) CEO Mindset: The Importance of Team and Vision

(41:34) The Future of FinTech: Prioritizing Financial Education

If you're interested in the intersection of FinTech, financial education, and inclusive wealth management, this episode provides valuable insights into building purpose-driven financial solutions that make a real difference in people's lives.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Connect with Tamara:

👉 Connect with Monica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

—

Building Trust with AI: How Rural Laos Is Innovating Financial Services | Tim Scheffmann, CEO and Chief Investment Officer LTS Ventures

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Imagine a world where rural communities thrive with access to financial services tailored to their unique needs. That’s exactly what Tim Scheffmann, CEO of LTS Ventures, is making possible with the largest digital village banking network in Southeast Asia.

In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of FinTech in underserved regions and how Tim is redefining financial inclusion. From adopting cutting-edge AI to ensuring communities have access to emergency funds, LTS Ventures bridges the gap between technology and humanity to create lasting change.

How LTS reached profitability
Why a strong business model is key to driving meaningful impact
How AI supports fair and efficient credit decisions in rural communities
The role of standardization in scaling financial inclusion
Climate challenges in Laos and how FinTech is helping villages stay resilient
The secret to building trust in small communities with technology and human connection

Tim also shares his journey from growing up in a German village to leading a social enterprise in Laos and the lessons learned from early hesitations to now championing digital village banking.

If you’re curious about how FinTech can solve real-world problems and how AI is reshaping the credit landscape, this episode is for you!

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

We cover:

(02:15) Transitioning from NGO Roots to a Profitable Social Enterprise

(05:00) The Importance of Business Models in Financial Inclusion

(08:00) Scaling to 900+ Villages: Standardization and Technology

(10:50) Leveraging AI for Credit Decisioning and Fraud Prevention

(15:30) Building Trust: The Role of Community and AI in Lending

(18:45) Financial Literacy and Behavioral Change in Rural Communities

(22:10) Addressing Climate Challenges with Village Banking

(27:30) Village Banking as a Hub for Knowledge and Community Building

(31:40) The Human Element in Rural Financial Services

(36:10) Lessons Learned: Advocating for Digital Village Banking

(39:20) Transforming Financial Inclusion in Rural Laos

👉 Connect with Tim:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scheffmann/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ltsventures/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://www.ltsventures.com/

👉 Connect with Monica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.purposedrivenfintech.com/

—

Reaching the 98% using Blockchain - How Fasset is Innovating for Financial Inclusion | Umair Javed, Chief Business Officer at Fasset

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Purpose Driven FinTechs are predicated on accessibility and inclusiveness - it's not about building a product that a very few people really love and admire and adore and become early adopters.

Fasset is an all-in-one financial super app that allows people and businesses to securely invest, earn, and make payments and they are targeting a broader subsegment of society with financial services using blockchain technology — so that more people to benefit from it!

Come behind the scenes with me all the way to the UAE. Meet Umair Javed, Chief Business Officer at Fasset. We discuss how to reach 98% of society with Fasset Connect, the complexities of building a high-performance culture, handling execution challenges, and fostering innovation without getting swayed by technology hype, financial education, rethinking traditional business models to achieve long-term impact - what and much more!

Remember to like and subscribe for more episodes like this!

👉 Connect with Umair:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mumairjaved/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fassethq/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://fasset.com/

👉 Monica’s Socials

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

—

Zubin Reveals Why Empathy Is the Secret to Building Differentiated Solutions for Southeast Asians | Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO at BigPay

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Come behind the scenes of one of the largest NeoBanks in Southeast Asia! Zubin Rada Krishnan, CEO at BigPay, shares BigPay's mission of leveling up people's lives through accessible and simple financial services and explains how BigPay aims to promote financial well-being by shaping positive spending habits and providing innovative financial products.

We discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in the Southeast Asian fintech market, the importance of empathy in product development and leadership, BigPay's exciting developments like their expansion into Thailand, their partnership with AirAsia MOVE, their innovative stashes solutions and much more!

BigPay is committed to providing the financial services that Southeast Asians need to live better lives, by providing accessible, transparent, simple and secure digital financial services. From cross-border and domestic payments to international transfers, credit, micro-insurance, personal loans, and smart budgeting, BigPay continues to innovate to level-up Southeast Asian lives - one transaction at a time.

👉 Connect with Zubin:

LinkedIn Zubin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zubin-rada-krishnan-aa93172/
LinkedIn BigPay: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigpayme/
Website: https://bigpayme.com/

👉 Monica’s Socials

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

Remember to like and subscribe for more episodes like this!

We cover:

(00:00) Intro

(03:58) BigPay's Mission and Vision

(14:51) Leadership and Empowerment

(20:32) Fintech Growth in Southeast Asia

(24:19) Addressing Financial Pain Points

(25:31) Understanding BigPay Customers

(27:30) Innovative Savings Solutions

(30:09) BigPay goes live in Thailand!

(32:44) Embedded Finance with AirAsia MOVE

(39:30) Defining Great Products

(46:55) Final Thoughts on the one thing to change to make FinTech better for everyone

—

Connecting FinTechs and Banks to Drive Efficiency and Innovation | Jorge A. Ruiz, CEO at FinConecta

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0800

The future is about Fintech & Bank Partnerships! And FinConecta is here to make it easier, cheaper and more efficient for all!

If you are bank you know you have legacy systems, and that you need new tech to innovate

As a B2B FinTech it is likely you are solving a problem for Banks... Well FinConecta makes it easy for both parties to find each other - And more importantly, to connect to multiple partners with one API.

FinConecta supports Financial Institutions in their digital transformation journey. They've created an interconnected network of modern FIs and FinTech solutions from around the world linked through a proprietary platform. and they are building the first global integrated FinTech marketplace.

In this episode I had the pleasure to speak with Jorge A. Ruiz M. CEO at FinConecta

We talk about:

- Purpose

- Financial Inclusion

- FinConecta's marketplace

- The benefits of the platform

- Utilizing AI for efficiency

- Building high-performance teams

- The global reach of FinConecta,

- The future of interoperability in Financial Services

and much more!

Worth reaching out to Jorge if you are a FinTech looking to grow,

If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Jorge here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgearuiz/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/finconecta/
Website: https://finconecta.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/

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about being in the show, coaching, consulting, creative collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Max Reveals How We Are Solving Real Problems in Crypto: Customer Pain Points Explained — Max Krupyshev, CEO at CryptoProcessing by CoinsPaid

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0800

500M own crypto, 30% want to pay with it — are you ready?

Customer expectations are changing fast

And crypto payments are rapidly becoming the new normal!

In today's episode I spoke with Max Krupyshev. CEO at CryptoProcessing.com by CoinsPaid

to deep dive and understand what's going on!

We cover:

- How crypto is solving for real customer problems

- Argentina as use case

- Freelancers! A biggy one!

- Pain points crypto payments are solving for

- De-bust the myth about volatility... love it!

- What makes a great product

- The CEO mindset

And much more!

If you are interested in learning more about accepting crypto payments, reach out to Max and the team!

If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Max here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrupyshev/?originalSubdomain=ee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cryptoprocessing-com/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://coinspaid.com/
Website: https://en.cryptoprocessing.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/

—

How Tapi is Revolutionizing LATAM's Outdated Payments Infrastructure from the Ground Up | Kevin Litvin, CBO & Co-Founder Tapi

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0800

LATAM's payment infra is fragmented and outdated... Imagine a single API that breaks down barriers across LATAM and unlocks a seamless payment experience, and multiple geo launches; a smooth, unified digital payment experience for the entire region!

Well, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Litvin, Co-Founder at tapi, and he's doing exactly that! In LATAM people still line up to pay bills and basic services... And while FinTechs and banks have a massive opportunity to fix this, The real magic happens on the infra layer... and this is why tapi is disrupting the region: One solution that works everywhere. One integration. One contract. Of course a touch of AI to make it easier, faster better for your devs, and a fantastic team who understands how you want to work...

We cover:

- Lessons from his failed e-wallet startup

- Insights that led him to evolve into Tapi

- Understanding the LATAM landscape

- The reality of customer pain points when it comes to payments

- What makes a great product

- How he's using AI to disrupt

- What's next after his very successful round

- Why the culture of your tech partner matters (a ton)!

And much much more

Follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Kevin here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinlitvin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tapi-latam/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://tapi.la/

👉 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/

—

Bankifi Reveals How Engagement Banking With Human Interaction And Data Delivers Impact To Underserved SMEs | Mark Hartley, CEO & Founder at Bankifi

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:15:00 +0800

There are 5. 5 million small businesses with less than 20 people in the UK - and we can argue small businesses are the most underserved of all FS customers today! That’s why Bankifi is transforming the space and making bank's digital banking platforms from something that's purely transactional into the place where a small business run and operate their business from.

In this episode Mark Hartley, CEO & Founder at Bankifi, shares with us Bankifi’s backstory and purpose, the challenges of both banks and SMEs, and we go deep on data, AI, engagement - and more importantly human interaction! Because the majority of the population still fears AI, the hypothesis is that customers will value more human interaction, and that will be a differentiator.

If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Mark here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hartley-038b38/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bankifi/
Website: https://www.bankifi.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/

—

Unlocking Financial Data to Drive Customer and Commercial Impact | Nare Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder at Ntropy

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0800

“There's a lot of power behind financial data. Every time we move money from point A to point B, we also move information” BUT the power is unlocked by the quality of the data, and the what we do with the data!

In this episode Nare Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder at Ntropy, the immense potential of financial data and its impact on both consumers and businesses. We discuss how standardizing and unifying fragmented financial data can unlock new opportunities in lending, payment authorization, accounting automation, and more. We explore the challenges and role of AI and advanced models in transforming financial services and of course, how we can use tech to drive social change…. very good points on social mobility!

If you enjoyed this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Nare here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narevardanyan/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ntropy/
Website: https://www.ntropy.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/

—

Oper Reveals How To Reduce Mortgage Borrower Anxiety by Blending Human Touch With AI Efficiency | Geert Van Kerchkhoven, CEO & Co-Founder Oper

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:45:00 +0800

Buying a property is a big life moment, and one full of anxiety! And yes, we the people in the industry are guilty of creating anxiety to our customers! That’s why Geer Van Kerchkhoven, CEO & Co-Founder Oper is doing something about it, and helping both banks and customers create a much better mortgage experience!

In this episode Geert shares his journey and insights on improving the mortgage process. He reveals how we can reduce borrower anxiety and streamline the home-buying journey, why Oper is a great product and his secret sauce to building products people love and are willing to pay for! He also shares valuable experiences on leveraging AI Oper, lessons learnt re AI, and building high-performance teams, and top advice for anyone in the journey!

We cover,

(00:00) Intro to the Mortgage Experience

(04:10) Geert’s Initial Hypotheses

(06:10) Challenges and Mindset in Building a Fintech

(11:37) Defining a Great Product in Fintech

(14:37) Addressing Borrower Anxiety and Mortgage Challenges

(23:22) The Hybrid Model: Combining AI and Human Touch

(26:15) Loan Advisor Interaction in Virtual Environments

(28:16) AI in Document Matching and Loan Processing

(29:32) Key Takeaways of Building AI Features in Fintech

(31:04) Challenges in AI Deployment: Compliance and Integration

(33:00) Understanding Vertical AI and Its Applications

(38:55) Fireside Chat: Insights on Strategy and Leadership

Follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Geert here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geertvankerckhoven/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opercredits/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://www.opercredits.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/

—

Franchising is broken. Kenny reveals the top benefits of Franchise Investing and how FranShares makes Franchise Investing accessible for all | Kenny Rose, Founder and CEO at FranShares

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 08:30:00 +0800

Have you ever thought about owning a Franchise, but got discouraged by the large amount of investment capital?

Many of us have. Franchises pose barriers to entry to most of us, but not any more!

In today’s episode I speak with Kenny Rose, the founder of FranShares. He is on a double mission to allow individuals to invest in franchises and to solve for the generational wealth gap through local business ownership. Kenny has an amazing mindset and energy.

So we go deep both on him as an entrepreneur and his business. We cover his definition of great product - not your traditional answer!, why wealth creation is a problem with a big surface area, why franchises is a good asset class, what makes FranShares innovative, how he pays earnings, how he chooses franchises in the platform and his mindset as an entrepreneur.

It’s a fascinating conversation!

We cover,

(01:54) Franchises as an investment opportunity

(02:52) Empowering entrepreneurs

(11:42) Building a successful team

(24:06) Why invest in Franchises?

(28:21) Equity growth vs. income in Franchising

(29:05) The appeal of franchises

(31:15) Why FranShares is an Innovative Fintech

(35:58) Selecting the Right Franchises

(42:43) Challenges in Franchising investments

(48:19) FranShares future plans

(49:58) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

(52:37) The one thing to change in FinTech

Follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Kenny here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyrose/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/franshares/
Website: https://franshares.com/investments/

👉 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/

—

Wio Bank Reveals How They Reached Profitability Within Year One | Prakash Sunkara, Chief Financial Officer at Wio Bank

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 08:30:00 +0800

Wio Bank has become one of the fastest Neo-Banks globally to achieve profitability. In its first full year of operations, Wio reported a revenue of AED 266.4 million and a net profit of AED 2 million. Wio has over 50,000 Wio Business and 40,000 Wio Personal customers… and in today’s episode we go through the How they achieved such amazing success!

I speak with Prakash Sunkara, Chief Financial Officer at Wio Bank - and I have to say he’s a CFO that sounds like a CPO! He is absolutely super customer centric!

We discuss Wio’s story, their mindset and how that sets them apart, what’s the definition of innovation - in the eyes of Jayesh Patel, Wio’s CEO; and ways of working to bring it to life, the how they reached profitability, what happens once they hit month one of profitability, and finally we put Prakash in the hot seat with some fire side questions!

It’s a fascinating conversation!

Prakash has a long career in Financial Services and as a CFO - across both traditional financial services and FinTechs. Wio Bank is disrupting banking for consumers and small businesses in the UAE and has created an all-in-one digital financial platform to reboot banking for everyone!

We cover,

(00:00) The framework behind hitting profitability in year one

(03:55) Wio's Mission and Customer Focus

(05:52) Achieving Rapid Profitability

(06:37) Mindset and Ecosystem in Dubai

(08:23) Innovative Approaches in SME Banking

(13:05) Continuous Innovation and Customer Needs

(20:50) Strategic Thinking Behind Profitability

(25:53) Introduction to Platform Banking

(26:15) Innovative Features for SME Banking

(27:27) Customer-Centric Approach

(30:14) Scaling and Growth Strategy

(33:32) Teamwork and Company Culture

(39:36) Profitability and Sustainable Growth

(47:22) Challenges and Future Focus

Follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with Customer and Commercial Impact and stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Prakash here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakashsunkara/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wiobank/
Website: https://www.wio.io/

👉 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/

—

51% Feel out of Control With Their Finances: How Can We Enhance Financial Engagement? | Theo Paraskevopoulos, CEO & Founder Invessed

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:30:00 +0800

The Statistics are brutal!

56% of young investors avoid professional advice due to high fees and outdated approaches.
51% of respondents feel they lack control over their finances, indicating a significant financial literacy and engagement gap.
63% of women are uncomfortable with basic investment principles, with 72% not actively monitoring their investments.
47% of participants save little to no income, reflecting poor financial habits and future preparation.

Theo Paraskevopoulos, CEO & Founder of Invessed, is taking the challenge straight on and transforming wealth management to better serve younger generations.

I sit with Theo to discuss the evolving landscape of financial advice in the UK and the enormous challenge we have ahead. Theo shares with us how Invessed aims to empower financial professionals by leveraging technology to reduce admin tasks and enhance client interactions, and therefore provide a solution to this problem.

We cover,

(00:00) Understanding the Hesitation in Seeking Financial Advice

(01:13) The Importance of Purpose in Business

(02:24) Building Purpose-Driven FinTechs

(06:30) Simplifying Financial Services for Greater Impact

(09:42) Engaging More People in Financial Management

(13:48) Challenges Faced by Young Investors

(19:03) The Role of Technology in Modern Financial Services

(22:42) The Responsibility of Wealth

(23:29) Innovative Fintech Solutions

(24:07) Empowering Investment Professionals

(25:40) Behavioral Data and Predictive Technology

(28:43) Customer Pain Points and Scalability

(37:42) Building Successful Products

(41:10) Fireside Questions and Closing Remarks

Follow for more discussions on how to build great FinTech products with Customer and Commerical Impact and stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 You can find Theo here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoparaskevopoulos/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/invessed-tech/
Website: https://invessed.com/
Invessed report: https://invessed.com/invessed-client-engagement-survey-2024/

👉 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/

—

How Businesses Save Money on SAAS Subscriptions with Lemon | Matt Bird, Co-Founder and CEO, Lemon

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 08:45:00 +0800

Over a TRILLION dollars per year is spent on SAAS and so much of that is wasted! Customers know they are overpaying for subscriptions, don’t have good visibility on them, and are aware they could save so much Money if they could bring them all into a single place easily and unlock savings from the software providers

This is exactly what Matt Bird, Co-Founder and CEO of Lemon is on a mission to do! To help Businesses save Money so that they can focus on growing their business - and the impact is huge!

Not only we go deep on understanding Lemon’s customers and solutions, but we go behind the scenes with Matt and understand his thinking process behind driving innovative products. We explore how to build an empowering company culture, customer driven products and feedback loops, pricing, the secret to building great product, the underdog mentality and much more!

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow in Spotify, and leave a 5 star rating apple podcast. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s get into it!

👉 You can find Matt here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbird1/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spendlemon/posts/?feedView=all
Website: https://spendlemon.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/

We cover:

(00:00) Intro

(03:10) The Importance of Customer Feedback

(03:56) Lemon's Approach to Subscription Management

(08:20) Impact of Financial Solutions on Businesses

(15:00) Building a Strong Company Culture

(19:28) Creating Customer-Driven Products

(22:13) Practical Implementation of Feedback Loops

(27:33) Targeting the Right Customer Segments

(29:00) Subscription Management Challenges

(30:18) Pricing Strategies and Customer Insights

(32:14) Lemon's Features

(35:17) Financing and Lending Solutions

(38:30) Building a Successful Product

(42:09) The Underdog Mentality

—

Gavin Nachbar Reveals How FinTech is Changing Tax for Good | Gavin Nachbar, Cofounder at Column Tax

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:45:00 +0800

“I love filing my return!” Said no one ever… did you know in the US people spend over 5 billion hours per year to get their taxes done. And Column Tax is in a mission to do something about it!

Gavin Nachbar, Co-Founder of Column Tax, shares how Column Tax is disrupting the process of filing taxes - and it all starts by leveraging customer’s existing apps! Column Tax is a B2B2C solution that enables Neobanks, Banks, and Institutions to solve a taxing problem for their users.

We discuss the complexity of the US Tax System and how it affects Americans, who Are Column Tax's Customers, how Column Tax saves people time and money, User Experience with Column Tax,

what sets Column Tax apart? Building trust with customers and much more!

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow in Spotify, and leave a 5 star rating apple podcast. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s get into it!

👉 You can find Gavin here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinnachbar/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/column-tax/
Website: https://www.columntax.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/

We cover:

(00:00) Intro

(01:10) Building Purpose Driven Fintechs

(03:34) About Column Tax

(07:14) Impact of Fintech on Financial Inclusion

(08:29) Strategies for Greater Impact: Starting Small

(16:01) Sustainability in Fintech

(17:39) Leadership and Empowering Culture

(20:52) The Complexity of the US Tax System

(25:14) Who Are Column Tax's Customers?

(26:29) The Problem Statement: Time and Money

(27:50) User Experience with Column Tax

(29:41) Future of Banking and Tax Integration

(32:26) What Sets Column Tax Apart?

(35:17) Challenges in Integrating Tax Products

(41:47) Building Trust with Customers

(43:49) The one thing to change in FinTech to have most impact

—

What’s Best Practice for FinTech Metrics? Discover Practical Frameworks to Define Metrics, AB Test, and Move the Needle | Jas Shah, Independent Fintech Product Consultant

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:30:00 +0800

Jas shares with us the importance of data metrics in building purpose-driven fintech. We go deep and practical! We start by defining what makes great product and the role of metrics in product development. We give examples across fintech verticals to bring it to life. It’s a super practical conversation, so defining metrics is not enough, we also deep dive into the challenges like confirmation bias and tools necessary for efficient product growth, including A/B testing, and the potential of AI.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow in Spotify, and leave a 5 star rating apple podcast. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s get into it!

👉 You can find Jas here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jas-shah/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitsul/
Website: https://bitsul.co.uk/

👉 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/

We cover:

(00:00) Intro

(00:25) Building Purpose-Driven Fintechs

(02:56) Defining Great Product

(05:34) The Importance of Metrics

(08:43) Getting Started with Metrics

(16:45) Moving the Metrics

(23:50) A/B Testing in Fintech

(27:11) Challenges in Building Metrics

(29:09) The Role of AI in Metrics

(32:24) Frequency of Reviewing Metrics

(36:04) Fireside Questions and Insights

(43:05) The one thing to change that would have most impact

—

How Data, Simplicity, and Innovation Drive Payment Solutions | Robert Kraal, Co-Founder of Silverflow

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 01:30:00 +0800

Today DATA is a differentiated proposition! And that's why it matters who you select as your payments processor and partner in crime! I had the honour and pleasure to speak with Robert Kraal, Co-Founder at Silverflow, and hear all about how Silverflow has designed with data in mind!

Silverflow is a cloud-based payment processing platform that provides a state-of-the-art upgrade for payment-providers, shielding them from the current antiquated legacy technology still in use today. With Silverflow, PSPs can now directly access card networks, instantly add new functionality, have real-time insight into transaction fees and get smart data direct from the networks – all to better serve their merchants.

We may think payments and acquiring are purely infra, but actually acquirers are having a ton of impact on businesses who need it the most. We go behind the scenes on Silverflow’s culture and go deep on what’s so special about the leadership style in Nordic countries that many of us of the world can learn from. Robert’s mindset around entrepreneurship, Silverflow’s proposition, and how it actually makes them a DATA platform - unlike platforms built in the eighties who saved minimum data. We explore what are the challenges of his clients, and of course what’s the one thing he would change in FinTech to make the industry better for everyone!

We cover:

(00:00) Intro to Silverflow's Unique Value Proposition

(01:35) Purpose-Driven Fintech and Financial Inclusion

(02:47) Challenges in Digital Payments and Infrastructure

(06:53) The Need for Real-Time Settlement in Cash Economies

(11:36) Sustainability in Fintech Companies

(14:17) Building a Global Company with Diverse Teams

(23:46) Diving into Acquiring Processing Solutions

(25:13) The Evolving Payment Landscape

(25:57) Merchant Perspectives on Payment Methods

(29:30) Silverflow's Role in the Payment Ecosystem

(31:11) Innovations and Challenges in Payment Systems

(36:58) Addressing Fraud in the Payment Industry

(41:54) The Future of Global Regulation in FinTech

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

👉 You can find Robert here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkraal/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silverflow/
Website: https://www.silverflow.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/

Let’s dive into it!

—

Ensuring that Green Inclusive Finance is Truly Green and Truly Inclusive | Tiffany Tong, CEO and Co-Founder, Aloi

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 20:45:00 +0800

In Today’s episode we speak with Tiffany, CEO and Co-Founder of Aloi, a multi-award winning FinTech in Nepal. Aloi is enabling climate financing for grassroots entrepreneurs through real-time loan journey insights. They have a cashless-financing platform offering 3 features to track a full loan cycle for informal sector business loans: monitor loan usage, loan repayments, and payments.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Tiffany here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tong-tiffany/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aloiglobal/
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aloiglobal/

👉 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

—

Turning sustainability into a competitive advantage with planet-leading solutions | Oli Cook, CEO and Co-Founder, ekko

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:30:00 +0800

In Today’s episode we speak with Oli Cook, CEO and Co-Founder of ekko, the multi-award winning sustainability platform for banks and payments. Ekko’s solution allows you to make any transaction or customer interaction an opportunity to do good for the planet and your business.

We discuss how we should understand sustainability first and then think of how FinTech can be part of the solution, not the other way around; how ekko is a positivity driven FinTech .. I love the idea and this makes them unique among all FinTechs across the world. What is sustainability, sustainability and impact, sustainability lessons from Europe to be aware of in Asia, the Planet Saver account and much much more!

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Oli here

LinkedIn Oli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-cook-2ba72460/
LinkedIn ekko: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinekko-earth/
Website: https://ekko.earth/join/

👉 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

—

Insights from Money20/20 Bangkok and Dubai FinTech Summit 2024

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 21:30:00 +0800

This is the start of season number two!We had a small break a few weeks and we are ready to go with more exciting guests and FinTechs

One of the reasons why we had a short break in between season one and season two is because I've been attending conferences. I've been to Money 20/20 Bangkok, and then I went to Dubai FinTech summit, of course in Dubai.

In this episode I cover the key insights that I got, and what are the things that we need to be aware of?

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow on Spotify, and leave a 5 star rating in Apple Play. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 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/

—

Decoding Embedded Finance for SMBs | Regina Lau, CFO at Weavr.io

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In Today’s episode we speak with Regina Lau, CFO at Weavr.io. Regina is a proponent of merging purpose and profit by not thinking of business as a zero sum game, but as an endeavor to growing the pie together. We discuss how measuring customer sentiment help us understand the actual impact we are having in customer’s lives. I love this approach because the amount of money we have in the bank is not indicative of our financial wellbeing. We go personal and discuss how as a minority woman she’s reached C-level as a CFO and we get her thoughts about how to break the ceiling, allies and co conspirators.

Weavr is an embedded finance solution that supercharges revenue and customer experience for digital businesses. There is a debate that today every company can be a FinTech, but FinTech requires specialist knowledge, so Weavr focuses on making it simple, safe, and regulatory compliant for businesses to integrate financial services offerings. We discuss their customer segment and their pain points, including a non talked about much segment of HR Tech.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Regina here

LinkedIn Regina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-lau-7772681/
LinkedIn weavr.io: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weavrpayments/
Website: https://www.weavr.io/

👉 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

—

Solving for Debt Management for Peace of Mind | Yaseen Rostom, Founder and CEO at Incredible

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0800

For the first time ever in history, consumer borrowing in the UK has racked up to 2 trillion pounds. We've never seen that before. Pandemic ripple effects, high interest rates, and the raising cost of living have led people to rely on credit more. Even the richest 20 percent of the population are using credit to get by. This problem statement must to talked about.

Today we speak with Yaseen Rostom, Founder and CEO at Incredible. I absolutely love their product, it’s solving a genuine customer pain point and it’s well thought through. He is not building just a debt management solution, he is providing a solution for peace of mind. For us to have 10x impact as an industry, he advocates we collectively must put customer outcomes at the centre of what we do; key word collectively.

Incredible is a debt management solution that allows customers to make credit repayments on autopilot, while ensuring customers pay off their most expensive debt first. We expand on his user experience, financial resilience, how to measure his impact including how can we increase the overpayments people make towards their loans? How we can nudge people to round up to pay off debt vs round up for savings, findings from user testing and much more.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Yaseen here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yrstm/
LinkedIn Incredible: https://www.linkedin.com/company/incredibletechnologies/
Website: https://www.getincredible.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

—

Is It the End of Card Payments or Are They the Key to Financial Inclusion? | Jeff Parker, CEO at Paymentology

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Today we have the honour to speak with Jeff Parker, CEO at Paymentology. He takes us back to the core. We explore what is Purpose, how Paymentology is having direct impact in customers’ lives - even though they are a B2B FinTech. He emphasizes how we need to collaborate more and share ideas as a FinTech community for us to be able to have 10x the impact in 5 years time. Jeff is known as a great leader, so I dig deeper on his leadership style and what we can do as an Industry to make it better for FinTechers.

Paymentology is a card processor, so we explore the controversial question… is it the end of card payments? Or actually are they key for financial inclusion? We discuss how cards will evolve. And Jeff shares with us the key Paymentology capabilities he wishes every FinTech product team knew about, and how Paymentology is reducing complexity and empowering FinTechs and Brands to better serve their customers.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Jeff here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-parker-504a10/
LinkedIn Paymentology: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paymentology/
Website: https://www.paymentology.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

—

Expert: Accelerating Financial Wellbeing impact with Trust, Investing in Women and Consolidating Transaction Data | Tina Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer at Intix

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode Tina Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer at Intix, shares with us the how we can 10x the impact we have as FinTechers and go deep on the role of trust.

Tina has an impressive trajectory, she was named “Top Female Tech Founder” by the British Government, and her company SnapSave was listed as “Top 12 Series A investment opportunity” by VC4A. We tap into her mind and heart and she shares her top advice for women wanting to grow their business and career and as part of international women’s month, we deep dive on how we as an industry can invest more in women.

Lastly, in today’s world, Data is king! Data empowers so many propositions and operations, hence it’s important we become data savvy. In this episode we discuss how Intix helps organizations consolidate transaction data for improved efficiency and hence better customer experience and reduced costs, and the power of their unique value proposition.

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts. Remember to connect in LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Tina here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-fisher-a62852/
LinkedIn Intix: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intix/
Website: https://www.intix.eu/

👉 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

—

Founder: Only 200 Million adults in India have credit history, Credit Fair is on a mission to 5x the impact with Purpose Driven Underwriting | Aditya Damani, Founder at Credit Fair

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode Aditya Damani, Founder at Credit Fair, shares with us his vision on having impact in over one million adults in India who currently don’t have access to credit, and the one thing we can do as FinTechers to have 10x results in solving for financial stress.

We discuss what makes Credit Fair different and why they are able to give credit to customers that banks usually wouldn’t. We explore how to go about building alternative credit risk models, how to manage late payments and loan defaults to minimize risk of non payment and finally deep dive on his mindset as a founder and entrepreneur of a FinTech that has hit profitability.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Aditya here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adityadamani/
LinkedIn Credit Fair: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credit-fair/
Website: https://www.creditfair.in/

👉 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

Questions:

How to build alternative credit risk models?
What is purpose-driven underwriting approach?
How to serve unbanked adults in India?
What is fair finance for everyone definition?
How to assess creditworthiness without credit history?
What is no-cost EMI zero percent interest loans?
How to enable financial inclusion in developing countries?
What is ESG lending earning savings growth?
How to build credit history from scratch?
What is point of sale lending strategy?
How to balance growth and compliance in FinTech?
What are alternative data sources for credit?
How to manage loan defaults and late payments?
What is responsible lending and outcome-driven approach?
How to give credit to organized workforce millennials?
What is ecosystem approach to lending?
How to assess education loan repayment likelihood?
What is solar panel financing model?
How to achieve profitability in lending FinTech?
What is right amount of credit at right cost?

—

Founder: Shameer Unveils FinTech Growth Strategies For Budget Constrained Times | Shameer Sachdev, Founder & MD at Growth Gorilla

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode Shameer Sachdev, Founder & MD at Growth Gorilla, shares with us his hypothesis on why he thought he could win by adding value no else did at the time in FinTech, the power of diversity when building Purposeful FinTechs, how Growth Gorilla is having impact in millions of customers - despite not having a Financial Services offering, and the one thing we can do as FinTechers to have 10x results in solving for financial stress.

After discussing all things impact and purpose deep dive on how we can grow FinTechs during times of turbulence and budget cuts. He shares with us the current key trends and challenges that FinTechs are facing when it comes to scaling and growth, how to craft a bullet proof retention strategy, how influencer marketing and the so called fin-fluencers are here to supercharge your FinTech impact driven by customer demand on financial educational content, and much much more!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Shameer here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shameersachdev/
LinkedIn Growth Gorilla: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthgorilla/
Website: https://www.growthgorilla.co.uk/
Shameer’s Podcast: https://www.thefmlpodcast.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

Questions:

How to grow FinTech during budget constraints?
What is bulletproof retention strategy?
How to build purpose-driven FinTechs with diversity?
What are finfluencers and influencer marketing in FinTech?
How to retain customers with limited budget?
What is impeccable customer service approach?
How to solve financial stress with 10x impact?
What are current FinTech growth trends and challenges?
How to build diverse founder ecosystem?
What is customer retention versus acquisition strategy?
How to create valuable purposeful helpful content?
What is the role of diversity in FinTech innovation?
How to grow profitably not at all costs?
What are pain points diverse founders surface?
How to maximize lifetime value with existing customers?
What is customer service as retention team?
How to navigate macroeconomic climate in FinTech?
What are growth strategies for scaling FinTechs?
How to be more creative with fewer resources?
What is financial education content demand?

—

Monica Millares Masterclass: What is purpose in FinTech? Financial Wellbeing? And how do we have more impact? | Monica Millares

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode I step back to have deep thinking time. I went through key Purpose Driven FinTech episodes and found common threads and insights that allow us to answer the research question — How can FinTechs have better impact?

This is not an interview pod, but a Masterclass split in four sections:

Let’s define Purpose
How can we build more Purpose Driven FinTechs
What is Financial Wellbeing
Summary of findings: How can we deliver most impact

Let’s dive into it!

👉 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

Questions:

What is purpose in FinTech definition?
How to build purpose-driven FinTechs?
What is financial wellbeing framework?
How to define company purpose versus personal purpose?
What is value creation in FinTech?
How to elevate customer voices in research?
What is working culture for empowered teams?
How to solve community-based financial problems?
What is financial health versus financial wellness?
How to measure financial wellbeing?
What is the relationship between credit score and wellbeing?
How to build better financial habits?
What is financial literacy versus financial education?
How to reduce financial anxiety and stress?
What are pain points in financial wellbeing?
How to build purpose from best version of ourselves?
What is the role of education in financial services?
How to align personal and company purpose?
What is financial inclusion approach?
How can FinTechs deliver most impact?

Referenced:

Simon Clarckson, Founder of Purposecraft

Dannielle Haig, Principal Business Psychologist

—

AI: Regenerating Banking with AI | Paolo Sironi, IBM Institute for Business Value & Co-host Breaking Banks Europe Podcast

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 06:30:00 +0800

In today’s episode Paolo Sironi shares with us in plain English the findings of his most recent research paper “Global Outlook for Banking and Financial Markets Regenerate Banking with AI” where he surveyed 600 banking executives about how they are working with generative AI.

78% of Financial Institutions are tactically implementing generative AI for at least one use case, which makes AI governance a must-have.

We cover how generative AI can transform the banking and financial sectors; why risk, compliance reporting, and client engagement lead the way in AI potential most critical use cases; making financial services accessible; Communication as a service (which is the first time I encounter this concept); skills we need to develop as an industry to adapt and thrive in the world with AI, and of course, a practical framework to manage AI risk and implement successful AI projects.

As the global research leader in banking and financial markets at IBM Institute for Business Value, Paolo provides strategic insights and guidance to a network of executives among financial institutions, start-ups, and regulators. He has over 20 years of experience in quantitive risk management, investing, and digital transformation and is one of the most respected fintech voices worldwide, helping shape the future of the financial services industry. Paolo is also a bestselling author of "Banks and Fintech on Platform Economies", co-host of the Breaking Banks Europe podcast, and a sought-after international speaker.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Paolo here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepsironi/
“Regenerate Banking with AI” report: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/2024-banking-financial-markets-outlook
LinkedIn Breaking Banks Europe Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbankseu/
Breaking Banks Europe: https://provoke.fm/show/breaking-banks-europe/

👉 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 today’s episode we cover:

(0:00) Everyone should be an AI Risk Manger

(02:08) The Global Outlook for Banking and Financial Markets report

(02:58) Building Purpose-Driven FinTechs

(05:36) Understanding the Value of AI in Banking

(07:46) The Impact of AI on client engagement and compliance

(10:15) Exploring the Use of Generative AI in Banking

(27:28) The Shift from Traditional AI to Generative AI

(28:25) Understanding 'Communication as a Service' in Financial Services

(36:25) Reimagining the Workforce Experience in Financial Services

(43:02) Practical Steps for Implementing AI in Banking

—

Expert: How to stop fraud with AI and Machine Learning| Amanda Lieu, Director Brand, Product Marketing & Growth at SEON

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode, Amanda Lieu, Director Brand, Product Marketing & Growth at SEON, shares with us the fundamentals of fraud.

Why fraud is on the rise?
Different types of fraud - we can’t prevent nor manage if we don’t understand it well
Fraud rings
The black box and white box - how to understand why fraud is happening
How AI and Machine learning help us prevent, detect and stop fraud

If you enjoy this Purpose Driven FinTech pod, please subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts. Remember to connect in YouTube or LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Amanda here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandalieu/
LinkedIn SEON: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seon-tech/

👉 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

Questions:

How to stop fraud with AI and machine learning?
What is white box versus black box machine learning?
How to prevent fraud at every touchpoint?
What is device fingerprinting for fraud detection?
How to build purpose-driven FinTech culture?
What are fraud rings and connected accounts?
How to detect fake accounts and bots?
What is transaction monitoring versus prevention?
How to automate manual fraud reviews?
What are fraud patterns in online businesses?
How to elevate customer voices in research?
What is psychological safety in FinTech teams?
How to identify fraudulent behavior patterns?
What is anti-money laundering integration?
How to prevent account takeover fraud?
What is fraud prevention platform consolidation?
How to balance profit and purpose in startups?
What are fraud opportunist tactics?
How to build lasting FinTech culture?
What is machine learning pattern detection?

—

Founder: AI, The Coreless Banking Revolution, and The Bank of the Future | Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO at Monese

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode, Norris Koppel, Founder and CEO at Monese, shares his vision of hyper personalization and customer-centric financial services enabled by AI, and becoming 'the bank of the future.'

We discuss the impact of AI on the financial industry, understanding the current state of AI in FinTech, concerns regarding its implications, and practical usecases for AI to improve processes, prevent fraud, and offer highly personalized services to customers. Norris talks to us about Monese’s spin off, XYB by Monese, an end-to-end coreless banking platform and his partnership with Google for generative AI.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Norris here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norriskoppel/
LinkedIn Monese: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monese/
Website Monese: https://monese.com/gb/en
LinkedIn XYB by Monese: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xyb-ltd/?originalSubdomain=uk
Website XYB: https://xyb.co/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(01:10) The Evolution of Neobanks

(04:29) The Journey of Monese

(13:18) Hyper-Personalization in Banking

(17:39) The Bank of the Future

(18:38) Incorporating AI in Banking Operations

(25:51) Introducing XYB: The End-to-End Coreless Banking Platform

(28:41) Advantages of Coreless Banking

(29:42) Real-world Application of Coreless Banking

(30:47) The Revolution of Speed in Banking

(32:31) Partnership with Google and AI Integration

(35:23) The Impact of No-Code Solutions

(39:20) The Role of XYB in Hyper-Personalization

(45:09) The Importance of Culture in Innovation

Questions:

How to build engagement banking for SMEs?
What is value exchange in banking solutions?
How to serve 5.5 million UK small businesses?
What is beyond banking services concept?
How to combine human interaction with AI in banking?
What are SME banking challenges and solutions?
How to build cashflow forecasting for businesses?
What is digital and physical approach to customers?
How to make banks' platforms into business operation centers?
What are regulatory requirements for bank vendors?
How to build great product in banking industry?
What is entrepreneurship mindset in FinTech?
How to understand domain expertise before building?
What are phases of FinTech revolution?
How to build banks and FinTechs partnerships?
What is difference between FinTech and bank approach?
How to solve real customer problems with technology?
What are bank procurement and vendor requirements?
How to build invoicing with payment capability?
What is the importance of joining process dots?

Monese and XYB by Monese in the Press:

—

Founder: The Secret to Building Trust in FinTech | Kimberley Waldron, Founder at SkyParlour

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0800

We can not talk about Money without talking about Trust. Since the begining of time customers have trusted financial institutions to look after their hard earned money - or have they not? This is a critical topic for FinTechs — why would customers decide to put their money with new players vs going with established brands? Smooth interface and a nice promise is not good enough. We need to go back to trust.

In today’s episode, Kimberley Waldron, Founder at SkyParlour talks to us about Trust. We start with defining trust, followed by how to build trust in FinTech, the role of PR in Trust, the downsides of not building trust and in this hyper social world, the role of Personal Branding and trust.

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.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Kimberly here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberley-waldron-skyparlour/
LinkedIn SkyParlour: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyparlour/
Website: https://skyparlour.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 subscribe in YouTube, follow and leave a 5 star rating on Spotify and a review on Apple podcasts

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(00:36) Building Trust in FinTech

(00:57) The Role of Trust in FinTech

(02:13) Building Trust in the FinTech Industry

(04:52) Introduction to Sky Parlor

(06:56) The Role of PR in Building Trust

(09:07) Defining Trust

(10:25) Building Trust with Customers

(21:18) The Role of Regulators in Building Trust

(39:55) The Importance of Building Personal Brands

(47:19) The Future of Trust in FinTech

Questions:

How to build trust in FinTech?
What is the role of PR in building trust?
How to build brand visibility consistently?
What is trust definition in financial services?
How to deliver to promises and commitments?
What is personal brand building for FinTech professionals?
How to protect brand reputation?
What is the role of regulators in building trust?
How to stop living in echo chamber?
What is purpose-driven business approach?
How to get solutions to end users?
What is consistency in brand building?
How to invest in human face of brands?
What are downsides of not building trust?
How to build reputation in financial services?
What is the importance of diversity and inclusion policies?
How to be accountable for diversity progress?
What is finfluencer pressure on professionals?
How to focus on value over funding?
What is trust versus transactional relationships?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Best of: 11 tips to make your FinTech better to move the needle | 2023 Compilation Pod

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0800

Today, we have a compilation episode with my favorite question. I always ask this question at the end of the episode, which is, Hey, if you were to change one thing in fintech that could have the most impact to customers, colleagues, and investors, what would that be?

The immediate response from almost everyone is. That's a tough question, Monica. So today let's hear what our guest had to say in 2023.

Here you go! The top 11 from 2023 💥

👉Put customers at the Heart of what you do, not the centre, by Gregor Mowat at Loqbox

👉 Get rid of acronyms to be more inclusive and help people understand. Why would you want your team to be confused?... by Fliss Berridge at Ordo

👉 Change onboarding -- help people understand why this information is being collected and then accept all official IDs available, by David Wachira, PhD at Waya

👉 Acknowledge that FinTechs and Banks are different and with different strengths... then find ways to work better together. 2024 is ready for partnerships! by Ara Abrahamyan at Cognaize

👉Making a positive impact always needs to be at the center and remember we are in business, ask yourself... is this a solution that people want to pay for? by Marijke Koninckx at BankiFi

👉Use open banking, open finance, open data to have a effect on society and economy --> Create the right foundations to remove the big cost barriers of the banking industry of today, by Huw Davies at Ozone API

👉 Really think about customer experience. Deep be care about it, that really makes a difference, by Ken Hart at Snowdrop Solutions

👉 Build products thinking of solving everyday customer problems, by Iliana de Silva at techreo

👉 When selecting partners, create efficient due diligence procedures to evaluate the best fit, key word, efficient, by Svitlanka Sergiichuk Romaniuk at Neofin solutions

👉Think sustainability. Do I really have to push to squeeze the last droplet out of the lemon? Or is it also sufficient if I only get three droplets out of that lemon and leave the rest to us?... this applies to business travel too, by Christian Lehringer at COPECTO GmbH

👉 Have fintech companies and financial institutions partner with governments to promote financial lives and financial education within schools since, from the beginning, when people are kids, by Eduardo Moore at Clara

This is one of my favourite pods of all time!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 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

Questions:

How to put customers at heart of FinTech?
What is the impact of acronyms on team inclusion?
How to improve onboarding for financial inclusion?
What are differences between FinTechs and banks?
How to create viable business with positive impact?
What is role of open banking in society transformation?
How to think deeply about customer experience?
How to build products solving everyday problems?
What is efficient due diligence for partner selection?
How to think about sustainability in FinTech?
What is role of financial education in schools?
How to make onboarding more inclusive?
What are best practices for customer-centric FinTech?
How to eliminate barriers to financial services?
What is democratization of financial services?
How to balance profit and positive impact?
What are cost barriers in banking industry?
How to improve consumer experience in FinTech?
What is long-term customer value thinking?
How to create partnerships between FinTechs and banks?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Best of: Dealing with Failure | 2023 Compilation Pod

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0800

We can't talk about FinTech, startups, and entrepreneurship without talking about failure, the tough times, mistakes and all the difficult things in life.

Today's episode is a compilation episode for one of my favourite mindset questions

Thank you for all our wonderful guests who have been in the Purpose Driven FinTech pod throughout 2023

👉Svitlanka Sergiichuk Romaniuk at Neofin solutions

👉Monica Eaton at Chargebacks911

👉Tony CraddocK at The Payments Association

👉Shalom Ben Or at Avenews

👉Barry Levett at Mypinpad

👉Lauren Jones at Open Banking Exchange

👉Delphine Emenyonu at ScribePay

👉Jas Shah bitsul

👉Sarah King Obu

Let’s dive into it!

👉 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

Questions:

How to deal with failure in FinTech startups?
What is resilience in entrepreneurship?
How to find strength during tough times?
What is growth mindset in business?
How to redefine failure as learning?
What are traits of resilient entrepreneurs?
How to cope with difficult times in startups?
What is the role of support network in success?
How to embrace discomfort as learning opportunity?
What is internal narrative about failure?
How to view challenges as test boards?
What is work-life integration vs balance?
How to be comfortable in uncomfortable periods?
What is economic cycle perspective on business?
How to extract learning from tough experiences?
What is growth through adversity?
How to hang on to hope during dark moments?
What is psychological safety during failure?
How to keep going when scared or crying?
What are lessons from entrepreneurial tough times?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Monica Millares Featured in The Fintech Marketers and Leaders Podcast, with Shameer Sachdev

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0800

Shameer, host of “The FinTech Marketers and Leaders Podcast”, goes extensively through my career journey, my trajectory within BigPay, my thoughts and advice on Product leadership and growth, improving communication between marketing and product teams, diversity of thought, inclusion and mentorship, and much more.

We cover:

👉Product leadership and growth in FinTech

👉Managing growth and product development

👉Diversity and inclusion in FinTech leadership

👉Diversity and mentorship in the workplace

👉Career development, mentorship, and self-promotion

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find The FinTech Marketers and Leaders Podcast here:

https://www.thefmlpodcast.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

Questions:

How to improve marketing and product team collaboration?
What is diversity of thought in FinTech?
How to create psychological safety in workplace?
What is the role of mentorship in FinTech?
How to track achievements for performance reviews?
What is a brag book for career development?
How to build purpose-driven FinTech products?
What are challenges of multi-product multi-territory growth?
How to communicate between marketing and product teams?
What is the importance of self-promotion?
How to be a woman in FinTech leadership?
What is the future of diversity in financial services?
How to create sense of belonging in teams?
What are role models for working women?
How to transition from corporate to startup?
What is principal product leader role?
How to build culture in growing companies?
What are best practices for product interviews?
How to mentor women in FinTech?
What is the evolution from startup to scale-up?

—

For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

This episode was first released in November 2023 at the FinTech Marketers and Leaders Podcast here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xjPos33iQxwM7eyjUa6Mz

Monica Millares Featured In The All Immigrant Podcast, with Vivek Ishwar and Abin Shetty

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0800

This is raw and personal.

Vivek Ishwar and Abin Shetty, host of “All Immigrant Podcast”, interview me on my over 15 year journey living away from home.

We go back in time on the why I decided to move out of Mexico in the first place, the personal challenges of being an Immigrant, work in Corporate vs Startup, the evolution of my own podcast, advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in FinTech and much more

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Vivek and Abin here:

The All Immigrant Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/allimmigrantpodcast

👉 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

Questions:

What are challenges of being immigrant in FinTech?
How to navigate visa constraints across countries?
What is the "whatever it takes" immigrant mindset?
How to find job during 2008 financial crisis?
What are differences between student visa and work permit?
How to work harder as immigrant to prove yourself?
What is the importance of hiring immigration lawyer?
How to pivot from engineering to product management?
What are lessons from moving Mexico to UK to Malaysia?
How to start podcast during COVID pandemic?
What is creative expression through podcasting?
How to overcome rejection after rejection?
What is the role of resilience in immigration?
How to master basics in FinTech entrepreneurship?
What are challenges of geography expansion in FinTech?
How to ensure product solves real customer need?
What is difference between corporate and startup mindset?
How to balance passion projects with full-time work?
What advice for aspiring FinTech entrepreneurs?
How to put positive spin on immigrant struggles?

—

For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

This episode was first released in October 2023 at the All Immigrant Podcast here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DsvyNFktlBp3hHON83F3g

Monica Millares Featured in A Girl in the Product World Podcast, with Aamna Hussain

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Aamna Hussain, host of “A girl in the product world”, interviews me with her somewhat tricksy questions….

We worked together in Tandem Bank, while she worked with one of our Tech Partners back then, so she brings this perspective of seeing us grow the bank from scratch. She queries me on our culture in Tandem Bank, how was it actually working with our Tandem CEO.

As a curious product leader she is, she then gets deeper into my mind to understand the real journey on how come I ended up moving to Malaysia to help launch and grow BigPay. We explore the FinTech trends (at the time of recording), how to go about Market Expansion, and how to challenge your CEO when you believe what we are about to do is not the right thing. We share a passion for personal development, so she asked about my “worst day in this crazy financial services world”, how did I overcome it, and why mentoring is so important to me.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Aamna here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aamna-hussain-7981a677/
A Girl in the Product World Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/62HPd4JRR85Sofut4Z2Rck

👉 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

Questions:

How to build challenger bank culture from scratch?
What is it like working with startup CEO?
How to move countries for FinTech opportunity?
What are challenges of market expansion in Southeast Asia?
How to challenge CEO when you disagree?
What was Tandem Bank's Olympic dream team culture?
How to embed yourself in new market culture?
What is the difference between UK and Asian FinTech markets?
How to transition from corporate to startup leadership?
What is worst day in FinTech career?
How to overcome funding crisis in startups?
What is the importance of mentoring in FinTech?
How to do user research in different countries?
What is the role of leadership in building culture?
How to learn by osmosis from founders?
What are similarities between Mexico and Malaysia markets?
How to customize products for new markets?
What is the value of diverse leadership teams?
How to build psychological safety in startups?
What is the domino effect of good mentorship?

—

For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

This episode was first released in June 2023 at A Girl in the Product World Podcast here - https://open.spotify.com/show/62HPd4JRR85Sofut4Z2Rck

Monica Millares Featured In The Digital Transformation & Leadership Podcast, with Danny Levy

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0800

This week I'm on the hot seat! Danny Levy, Managing Director Asia & ANZ at Money20/20 invited me to his pod "Digital Transformation and Leadership".

We start with a quick intro and icebreaker questions, the work we are doing at Big Pay and we then deep dive into talking about money! We discuss how to bridge the gap and get people to open up about their financial struggles, the challenges I see with the unbanked, and close off with advice to people who are just starting out in the Fintech industry

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Danny here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-levy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-transformation-leadership-podcast/posts/?feedView=all
Digital Transformation & Leadership Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4NSxmkUKynXRQZZulbPalG

👉 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

Questions:

How to bridge the gap for people to discuss money?
What are challenges facing 1.5 billion unbanked adults?
How to build neobank from scratch in Southeast Asia?
What is the future of FinTech and why is it human?
How to create safe spaces for money conversations?
What is financial wellbeing for underbanked populations?
How to start a career in FinTech industry?
What is the role of community in financial education?
How to transition from startup to scale-up in FinTech?
What is product leadership in digital banking?
How to create psychological safety around money topics?
What are barriers to financial inclusion globally?
How to build product playbook for growing teams?
What is upward mobility for unbanked customers?
How to collaborate to solve unbanked problem?
What advice for newcomers to FinTech industry?
How to avoid analysis paralysis in FinTech career?
What is the role of mobile adoption in banking?
How to build trust in financial communities?
What is BigPay's approach to financial inclusion?

—

For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

This episode was first released in May 2023 at Digital Transformation & Leadership Podcast with Danny Levy - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xSarHexfLY8GSpmNcCKwj

Founder: The Truth Behind Empowering The 44 Million Immigrants In The US contributing to 22% of US GDP | Dr David Wachira, CEO & Co-Founder at Waya

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Being an immigrant in the US comes with financial challenges, starting with struggles to open a bank account. This is a 44 Million problem with 13% of US population classified as immigrants, and contributing to 22% of US GDP - that’s USD 3.9Trillion per year.

In today’s episode, Dr David Wachira, CEO & Co-Founder at Waya, talks to us about this customer problem statement and how Waya is being part of the solution.

We explore how to create purpose driven FinTechs to create more impact, the biggest challenges immigrants have accessing financial services in the US. Waya’s customer segments ranging from students, workers, minorities and professionals, solving for financial inclusion, requirements for illegal immigrants to open a bank account, and how marketing efforts to reach out to immigrants is different from your traditional FinTech.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Dr David here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-wachira/
LinkedIn Waya: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wayapay/
Website: https://getwaya.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:

(01:05) The Role of Fintechs in Society

(05:43) The Challenges of Immigrants in the U.S.

(07:11) The Importance of Financial Access

(08:19) The Journey of Immigrants in the U.S.

(09:00) The Role of Waya in assisting immigrants

(14:42) The Size and Impact of the Immigrant Population in the U.S.

(18:17) The Challenges Immigrants Face in Accessing Financial Services

(20:41) The Possibility for Illegal Immigrants to Open Bank Accounts

(24:18) The Importance of Financial Education and Literacy

(27:19) Overcoming Fear as an Immigrant

(28:23) The Reality of Deportation and Living in Fear

(30:10) Understanding the Struggles of Immigrants

(31:00) Defining Financial Inclusion

(32:09) The Impact of Financial Exclusion

(36:56) The Role of Fintech in Financial Inclusion

(43:27) The Power of Word of Mouth in Community Outreach

(44:30) The Importance of Trust in Building a Fintech Brand

(49:07) The Potential Change in the Fintech Industry

Questions:

How can illegal immigrants open bank accounts in US?
What is an ITIN tax ID number?
How to build credit as an immigrant in America?
What are challenges immigrants face accessing financial services?
How many immigrants contribute to US economy?
What is financial access for undocumented immigrants?
How to open checking account without social security number?
What is neobanking for immigrants and minorities?
How to pay taxes as illegal immigrant?
What are community-based marketing strategies?
How to reach immigrant communities through churches?
What is the difference between legal and financial documentation?
How to build wealth without credit history?
What are deposit requirements for immigrants renting apartments?
How to reach unbanked immigrant populations?
What is the role of remittances in immigrant communities?
How to design FinTech for non-digital savvy customers?
What are valid IDs for immigrant bank accounts?
How to market FinTech to immigrant communities?
What is financial education for immigrant populations?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Bringing Banking Access to the 60% Unbanked Mexicans | Iliana de Silva, CEO & Co-Founder at Techreo

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Financial Inclusion means reaching out to customers who are by definition not very digital savvy, so how do we do it in the age of digital banks? … A hybrid partnership approach seems to work as a solution!

In today’s episode Iliana de Silva, CEO and Co-Founder at Techreo brings her perspectives on financial inclusion, financial wellbeing, and how Techreo is actually reaching the unbanked in Mexico with a Bank Partnership model. 60% of Mexicans do not have access to a bank account, and social media and referral rewards won’t be enough to include them, we need a different approach and Iliana and the Techreo team bring a sustainable solution!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Iliana here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilianadesilva/
LinkedIn Techreo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techreomx/
Website: https://techreo.mx/

👉 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/

We cover:

(01:56) Understanding the Customer's Needs

(03:34) The Journey of Tecreo

(08:29) The Underbanked Population

(12:05) The Role of Women in Financial Inclusion

(17:26) The Challenges of Financial Inclusion

(20:32) The Success of Tecreo

(24:40) Planning for the Future

(34:50) The Experience of Fundraising as a Female Founder

(38:39) The Importance of Customer-Centric Product Development

QUESTIONS

How to serve unbanked population in Mexico?
What is the hybrid bank partnership model?
How to reach 60% unbanked Mexicans?
What is financial inclusion in Latin America?
How to solve daily financial problems for underbanked?
What are cash-in and cash-out solutions?
How to serve women in financial services?
What is the mom-and-pop shop banking model?
How to build products from customer standpoint?
What is financial wellbeing for low-income segments?
How to enable savings for informal workers?
What are barriers to banking in LATAM?
How to onboard customers in under 3 minutes?
What is the difference between banked and underbanked?
How to solve prepaid phone recharge problem?
What is informal savings behavior?
How to reach non-digital savvy customers?
What are daily financial services needs?
How to build financial education for underserved?
What is the future of financial inclusion in LATAM?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

AI: Deconstructing AI and Digital Transformation in Financial Services | Ara Abrahamyan, Board Advisor at Cognaize & Ameriabank

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Incorporating AI in your tech stack is a digital transformation project among both big banks and FinTechs. To do it well it’s important first we understand the challenges of both digital transformation and AI.

In today’s episode Ara Abrahamyan shares with us his wealth of experience working in digital transformation projects in the largest banks in Europe and his experience working in the AI space in Financial Services.

We discuss how the DNA of FinTechs and incumbent banks are different, his fascinating career journey, how to breach the world between innovative tech, while still being able to stay in line and constraints with their priorities and pressure from investors, the struggles of implementing modern technology, and the role of culture in digital transformation.

We then move on to AI.

We discuss the biggest challenges when adopting AI, what to take into account to create an AI strategy, How Cognaize is helping Financial Services companies and the concept of “hybrid Intelligence” which is part of Cognaize’s proposition.

Ara is a Board Advisor at Ameriabank, an innovative bank in Armenia, and at Cognaize and AI FinTech.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Ara here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/araabrahamyan/
LinkedIn Cognaize: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognaize/
Website: https://www.cognaize.com/
LinkedIn Ameriabank: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ameriabank-cjsc/
Website: https://ameriabank.am/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(01:25) Discussion on Purposeful Fintechs

(04:52) Ara's Career Journey

(09:10) Role of Purpose in AmeriBank and Cognize

(12:10) Challenges in Implementing Digital Transformation

(23:56) Introduction to Cognize

(25:39) Challenges in Adopting AI Technologies

(29:46) Planning AI Strategy

(34:25) Impact of AI in Building Purpose-Driven Fintechs

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What are the biggest challenges of AI adoption in banking?
How to create an AI strategy for financial services?
What is hybrid intelligence in AI?
How to implement digital transformation in banks?
What is the difference between FinTech and bank DNA?
How to build trust in digital transformation?
What is data governance for AI implementation?
How to extract data from unstructured documents?
What is the role of regulators in AI adoption?
How to bridge FinTech and bank partnerships?
What are AI skills gaps in financial services?
How to decompose complex financial services?
What is the future of human-AI collaboration?
How to prioritize AI implementation projects?
What is the ROI of AI experiments?
How to work with regulators on AI projects?
What is the role of culture in digital transformation?
How to build successful startup-corporate partnerships?
What is unstructured data extraction in banking?
How to accept AI as the new normal?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Loqbox shares shocking stats! and the path to helping 1,000,000 people build their credit scores and improve their financial wellbeing | Gregor Mowat, Founder & Co-CEO at Loqbox

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0800

11.5 million people in the UK have less than a hundred pounds in savings
9 million people are in serious debt
81% of young people in the UK feel anxious about money
73% of adults say that money worries impact them at work
58% of people do not understand money and say they don't recall being taught anything about money at secondary school or sixth form college

that’s why Loqbox exists!

Loqbox is a multi-award-winning FinTech and they are in a mission to “give everyone access to a richer life.” Gregor is the Co-CEO and Founder of Loqbox, and in this episode he shares with us the shocking reality of financial wellbeing of people in the UK… and what Loqbox is doing as part of the solution

We must understand the basics first, so we explore how solving a customer problem while having market demand is key to building purpose driven FinTechs, what do we mean with financial wellbeing, the relationship between our credit score and financial wellbeing, Loqbox’s customer segments and the personal finance tools they’ve built to enable people build up their credit histories and access finance methods that they may have previously been excluded from.

Gregor is an experienced entrepreneur and executive and non-executive director, has lovely leadership style, and has lived and worked in countries like Kazakhstan, Brazil, South Korea, and Thailand!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Gregor here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregor-mowat-03b85b3/
LinkedIn Loqbox: https://www.linkedin.com/company/loqbox/
Website: https://www.loqbox.com/en-gb/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(00:32) How to build Purpose-Driven Fintechs

(03:19) The Triad of Market Readiness, Founders, and Regulations

(04:18) The Shift from Growth to Profitability

(06:16) The Story and Purpose of Lockbox

(07:38) The Three Pillars to Access a Richer Life

(07:42) The Importance of Financial Education and Habits

(08:36) Building a Good Financial Profile

(09:17) The Journey from Debt to Savings and Wealth Enhancement

(15:20) Understanding the Customers of Lockbox

(24:12) Understanding Financial Wellbeing

(25:09) The Intersection of Financial Health and Personal Feelings

(26:30) The Impact of Financial Anxiety

(27:34) The Role of Education in Financial Wellbeing

(28:52) The Importance of Financial Health

(30:11) The Effects of Financial Stress on Work

(43:09) The Power of Financial Coaching

(46:03) Putting the Customer at the Heart of Fintech

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to build credit score from scratch?
What is financial wellbeing in the UK?
How many people in UK have no savings?
What is credit history building?
How to improve credit score while saving money?
What are the barriers to financial inclusion?
How to build credit score at 18 years old?
What is Loqbox Save and Loqbox Grow?
How to report rent payments to credit agencies?
What is the relationship between credit score and mortgage rates?
How to rebuild credit after debt management plan?
What are credit score bands in the UK?
How to help new immigrants build credit?
What is unregulated financial advice?
How to democratize financial coaching?
What is the impact of money anxiety on work?
How to change financial behavior through product design?
What is the "so what" principle in product development?
How to help vulnerable customers with credit building?
What are the unintended consequences of credit building tools?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Obu aims to close the gender investment gap through angel investing | Sarah King, CEO and Co-Founder at Obu

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0800

I bet you are not an angel investor because you think you need a ton of money to be part of the club, or you have no idea even where to start because you don’t have a network of entrepreneurs building projects you believe in! Well all of that may be true, but not anymore!

In this episode, Sarah helps us demystify Angel Investing. She explains what angel investing is, the challenges of Angel Investing, and a solution to make it accessible for all of us - Obu! We then go broader into the role of Obu in closing the Gender Investment Gap, the Importance of Financial Education, the inherent risks of angel investing, and creating a culture of psychological safety so that we can create FinTechs with impact!

Sarah is the CEO and CoFounder of Obu, an entrepreneur with Design Thinking embedded at the core of the work she does and a disruptor of the dominant narrative of entrepreneurship and investment in the U.K. Why? Only 1% of VC funding goes to women founded businesses.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Sarah here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlking/
LinkedIn Obu: https://www.linkedin.com/company/obu-invest/
Website: https://www.obuinvest.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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:01:08) Importance of diversifying the angel investor population

(0:02:03) Definition of success based on internal measures and values

(0:04:02) Coping with tough times by focusing on learning and growth

(0:07:54) Building purpose-driven fintechs through demystifying regulation, serving underserved audiences, and empowering entrepreneurs

(0:11:35) Demystifying angel investment as placing a bet on a business and supporting its success

(0:14:44) Due diligence for angel investors

(0:15:40) Obu's purpose to close the gender investment gap

(0:17:13) Sarah shares her personal journey and reasons for starting Obu

(0:20:08) Challenges within the current financial services system for women in angel investing

(0:23:29) Flipping the problem and focusing on changing the system to be more inclusive

(0:26:40) Sarah describes their fintech platform as a dating app for early stage entrepreneurs and angel investors

(0:31:07) Making legal documents more accessible for angel investors

(0:32:47) Financial education and due diligence for angel investors

(0:35:27) Evaluating the financial position and accepting the risk of potential loss

(0:38:57) Psychological safety in creating a culture that supports innovation

(0:41:06) The 1% jar and the importance of learning and growing together

(0:43:15) Funding diverse fintech founders as a way to drive inclusion

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is angel investing for beginners?
How to close the gender investment gap?
What percentage of VC funding goes to women founders?
How to become an angel investor?
What is inclusive design in FinTech?
How to invest in diverse entrepreneurs?
What is the risk of angel investing?
How to do due diligence on startups?
What is psychological safety in investment?
How to build investment education programs?
What is capital plus in angel investing?
How to democratize angel investing?
What are barriers to women in investing?
How to create investor communities?
What is the Obu Angel Collective?
How to fund female-founded businesses?
What is purpose-driven angel investing?
How to design financial products inclusively?
What is the 1 percent jar culture?
How to flip systemic problems in finance?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Product: Jas Shah Reveals How to Build a Killer FinTech Value Proposition | Jas Shah, Founder and Consultant at Bitsul

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0800

A differentiated FinTech value proposition that resonates with customers is what differentiates the great from the average - nice UI/UX is not enough anymore! It is easier said than done. But it’s not an impossible mission.

In today’s episode, Jas Shah takes us step by step on how to build a solid proposition. We first get very clear on the difference between Product and Proposition - or the relationship between these two. We define what makes a strong proposition, go in detail on how to do Discovery work, and the very delicate topic of trust.. how do we create trust with our customers?

Jas is an experienced Product manager & Consultant with a history of successful projects across Financial Institutions. He is the founder of Bitsul, a consultancy that helps organizations supercharge their products and implement process and strategy.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Jas here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jas-shah/
LinkedIn Bitsul: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitsul/
Website: https://bitsul.co.uk/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(00:11) Discussing the Complexity of Building a Product

(00:50) Dealing with Difficult Times

(04:17) Reflecting on Career Choices and Lessons Learned

(05:25) The Role of Networking in Career Progression

(08:27) The Journey into Entrepreneurship

(10:41) Building Purpose-Driven Fintechs

(15:27) The Story behind Bitsul

(20:45) Understanding the Distinction Between Product and Proposition

(22:44) What Makes a Great Proposition

(25:47) The Role of Clarity in a Killer Proposition

(26:58) Discussing Examples of Clear Propositions

(27:56) How to Achieve Clarity in a Proposition

(28:38) Understanding the Problem: The Importance of Discovery

(28:55) The Process of Research and Hypothesis Formulation

(29:37) The Iterative Nature of Product Development

(30:00) The Importance of Market Analysis and Competitor Research

(30:14) The Product Development Cycle: Ideate, Discover, Design, Build, Launch, Repeat

(30:37) The Challenge of Getting the Basic Process Right

(31:00) The Importance of Review and Reflection in the Process

(31:16) The Pitfalls of Assumptions and Skipping Discovery

(32:04) The Challenge of Changing Course Once a Strategy is in Place

(33:15) The Challenge of Making a Product 'Sticky'

(34:14) The Importance of Customer Feedback and Community Building

(34:31) The Role of Metrics in Understanding Product Performance

(37:38) The Importance of Iteration and Learning from Failures

(42:01) The Challenge of Building a Culture that Drives Innovation

(42:13) The Role of Leadership in Fostering Innovation

(54:20) The One Thing to Change in Fintech

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the difference between product and proposition?
How to build a strong FinTech value proposition?
What is discovery work in product management?
How to create customer trust in FinTech?
What makes a differentiated value proposition?
How to validate product ideas with customers?
What is the role of customer feedback in product development?
How to build innovation culture in FinTech?
What is psychological safety in product teams?
How to iterate on product features effectively?
What is the importance of talking to customers?
How to build community around FinTech products?
What are the challenges of retrofitting customer research?
How to balance perfection and progress?
What is the consultant approach to FinTech product?
How to empower frustrated users to build solutions?
What is the mission-driven approach in FinTech?
How to celebrate wins and failures in innovation?
What is the role of senior leadership in innovation?
How to create space for experimentation in product teams?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: £2 Billion Annual Lost Payments in Subscriptions: Taking Control of Subscriptions While You Sleep | Delphine Emenyonu Co-founder at ScribePay

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Did you know that in the UK consumers lose £2 Billion per year on unwanted subscriptions? Yes the ones that you join a trial and then forget about and boom! You get charged by surprise. This in turn creates financial stress, mainly to individuals, freelancers and small businesses. Even though it’s a big pain point, somehow it is still underserved. Till now!

Delphine takes us through her story on what inspired her to start ScribePay. ScribePay is a UK FinTech that allows consumers to track all their subscriptions in one place so that you are not caught off-guard when charged again! We go deep into what is the source of the problem - as simple as a distinction between subscriptions and recurring payment, how ScribePay brings control back to customers, and Delphine’s challenges fundraising as a woman of colour.

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Delphine here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delphine-emenyonu-2602744/
Website: https://getscribepay.co.uk/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:02:02) Dealing with failure and tough times

(0:05:47) Believing in oneself and taking charge of one's destiny

(0:07:29) The role of purpose FinTech and how it can make a difference in communities

(0:10:04) Scribepay to reengineer the way people pay for subscriptions

(0:13:22) Impact of wasted money on subscriptions and the stress and anxiety it causes

(0:14:34) Pain points experienced by consumers and content creators when it comes to subscriptions

(0:18:17) Growth of subscriptions and the need for organizations to distinguish between subscriptions and direct debits

(0:20:45) Scribepay unique features and controls

(0:24:36) Product development and customer research and iterating based on feedback

(0:27:20) Challenges of accessing funding and the need for more support for women in FinTech

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to manage unwanted subscriptions?
What is the difference between subscriptions and direct debits?
How much money is wasted on forgotten subscriptions?
What is continuous payment authorization?
How to get control over subscription payments?
What are subscription traps and free trials?
How to track all subscriptions in one place?
What is the future of subscription management?
How to prevent auto-renewal charges?
What are the pain points of subscription payments?
How to budget for multiple currency subscriptions?
What is an e-money wallet for subscriptions?
How to cancel subscriptions while sleeping?
What are the challenges of fundraising as a woman of colour?
How to build community-focused FinTech products?
What is the subscription economy growth rate?
How does open banking help subscription management?
What is the role of virtual cards in subscriptions?
How to reduce fraud in digital financial services?
What are free trial notification best practices?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Expert. The Role of Open Banking and Open Data in Fostering Financial Inclusion | Lauren Jones, Director Market Development at Open Banking Exchange

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Today I speak with Lauren Jones, Director of Market Development at Open Banking Exchange. Lauren is an expert focused on delivering open banking and open finance to central banks, regulators and market infrastructures around the world.

Open Banking Exchange aims to foster innovation, competition and efficiency to increase consumer choice and enhance security for online payments and is globally known for guiding central banks, authorities and regional communities through operational and technical set-up of open banking and open finance ecosystems.

Lauren explains open banking, open data, and open finance in a simple to understand manner and we discussed how Open banking and open finance are a journey - more specifically a journey setting foundations for future innovation. We touch of the role of the regulator, competition, the actual benefits of open banking, and how it fosters financial inclusion.

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 Lauren here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-jones-payments/
LinkedIn Open Banking Exchange: https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-banking-exchange/
Website: https://www.openbanking.exchange/

👉 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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:00) Financial inclusion vs. financial access

(0:02:33) Resilience and overcoming challenges

(0:03:40) Viewing failure as a learning opportunity

(0:06:13) Taking initiative and upskilling in career

(0:07:28) Building purpose-driven fintechs with a public good element

(0:08:06) Investing time in understanding and future-proofing fintech

(0:10:09) Developing an industry strategy for the future

(0:10:59) Regulators in the UK and Europe lack a clear vision for the fintech agenda

(0:12:01) The convergence of open banking, real-time payments, identity, and AI is crucial

(0:12:54) The industry should coalesce around a clear direction for the next 20 years

(0:17:50) Open banking, open data, and open finance involve third-party access to customer accounts

(0:19:31) Open banking focuses on transactional accounts, while open finance includes other financial products

(0:20:03) Open data expands beyond financial data to include health, telco, and energy data

(0:21:57) Building open banking ecosystems requires adapting best practices to each market

(0:22:19) Financial inclusion and access vary depending on the market's development level

(0:23:30) Open banking is just one part of a bigger story of financial inclusion

(0:27:57) PSD3 regulation aims to standardize and open up all financial products

(0:30:48) Open finance will drive competition and innovation in the industry

(0:37:45) Open banking is not easily pitched to retail consumers as a positive thing

(0:40:09) Trust may not be the selling point for future generations in financial services.

(0:45:07) Diversity is important at all levels of the financial services industry

(0:49:33) Work with other industries to build inclusive financial products

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the difference between open banking and open finance?
How does open banking foster financial inclusion?
What is open data in financial services?
How do APIs enable secure data sharing?
What is the role of regulators in open banking?
How to implement open banking at national level?
What are the benefits of open banking for consumers?
How does screen scraping compare to API access?
What is the future of open finance?
How to build trust in open banking ecosystems?
What are the challenges of deploying open banking?
How does open banking improve competition?
What is the journey from open banking to open data?
How to reduce infrastructure costs in financial services?
What is diversity in financial services policy?
How to get into board positions in FinTech?
What are the use cases for open finance?
How does open banking work globally?
What is the role of central banks in open banking?
How to access younger customers in financial services?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Merging two companies to create an innovative SoftPOS solution known as one of the best of the world | Barry Levett, Co-Founder and CEO at Mypinpad

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Today I speak with Barry Levett, Co-founder and CEO at Mypinpad. Mypinpad strives to be the solution of choice for money on the move — making mobile transactions safe, easy and enjoyable and Barry confidently says they are known for being some of the best of the world!

We discuss building soft POS, the impact Mypinpad is having in society when it comes to financial inclusion, lessons from merging two companies with different but supplementary strengths and products and successfully creating an innovative solution, not flawless execution, their recent 30 million investment round, community, market expansion and much more!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Barry here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrylevett/
LinkedIn Mypinpad: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mypinpad-ltd/
Website: http://www.mypinpad.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/

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:00:30) Focusing on performance and creating a fast and compliant product

(0:01:12) Making transactions safe, easy, and enjoyable

(0:03:02) Failure is part of the entrepreneurial journey, but spotting failure early is important

(0:05:02) Limited resources can lead to creative problem-solving and learning opportunities

(0:08:03) Mypinpad's North Star and Financial Inclusion

(0:12:55) Performance and experience for creating a successful product

(0:14:27) The process of merging companies and creating something new

(0:15:27) Knowing when to stop doing what made you successful and start something new

(0:17:18) Getting buy-in from the team and maintaining communication during the transition

(0:19:16) Challenges faced during the process of change and transition

(0:22:47) The importance of effective communication and finding translation agents

(0:25:52) The recent success of closing a $13 million investment round

(0:26:11) Getting investments and the pressure that comes with it

(0:27:01) The importance of community and the journey in business

(0:28:30) The benefits of having experienced investors in the payment industry

(0:30:14) Successfully expanding globally without physical presence

(0:31:58) Understanding your role in the ecosystem and building around it

(0:33:34) Identifying what you can do better than anyone else

(0:35:16) Asking the right questions to develop a unique value proposition

(0:39:53) Sorting out processes and fixing issues in teams

(0:40:30) Enjoying the journey and finding fulfillment

(0:42:39) Need for international standards in fintech

(0:43:35) Simplifying regulatory frameworks for global expansion

SEARCH QUESTIONS:

What is SoftPOS technology?
How to merge two FinTech companies successfully?
What are the benefits of SoftPOS for merchants?
How to achieve financial inclusion through payments?
What is the journey mindset in entrepreneurship?
How to build community-driven FinTech products?
What are the challenges of SoftPOS certification?
How to create agency banking solutions?
What is the role of community in FinTech success?
How to expand FinTech to multiple geographies?
What makes SoftPOS secure and compliant?
How to avoid culture clash in company mergers?
What is the importance of failing fast?
How to build confidence in leadership teams?
What is contactless payment on mobile phones?
How to raise investment rounds in challenging markets?
What are PCI compliance requirements for SoftPOS?
How to bring ATM services to rural populations?
What is the future of mobile payment acceptance?
How to create international regulatory standards for FinTech?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about coaching, collabs, sponsoring the podcast or creating or editing your podcast email fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: The financial super app for the 2.5 million agribusinesses feeding Africa | Shalom Ben Or, Co-Founder and CEO at Avenews-GT

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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/

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: The journey to becoming a FinTech Unicorn - with female Co-Founders | Daniela Binatti, Co-Founder and CTO at Pismo

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

CEO: The world's first plastic-free wooden card: Solving the 6 billion annual plastic cards production challenge | Christian Lehringer, CEO at Copecto

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Unleashing the Power of AI, Sustainability and Programmable Money | Tony Craddock, Director General of the Payments Association

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Understanding the US$250 Billion Chargebacks challenge | Monica Eaton, CEO at Chargebacks 911

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Innovation despite all odds. Growing a Lending SaaS FinTech during times of war | Svitlanka Sergiichuk Romaniuk, CEO & Co-founder, Neofin

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Product: FinTech in 2030! Mastering Product Innovation for the Metaverse & Alpha Generation” | Pawel Stezycki, Senior Fintech & Banking Consultant at Netguru

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Product: Navigating FinTech Success: Insights on solving SME's painpoints, US market expansion, product strategy and psychological safety | Marijke Koninckx, Chief Product Officer at Bankifi

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Think differently: be a challenger, not an excellent sheep. How data enrichment can help you stand out and remove anxiety from your customer's lives | Ken Hart, CEO and Founder at Snowdrop Solutions

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 08:45:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Open banking, data privacy, learning who is your target audience and economic background diversity in FinTech | Fliss Berridge, Director and Co-founder at Ordo

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 06:30:00 +0800

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 fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Product: How to build and scale Products with a customer centric focus| Edu Moore, Product Director at Clara

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:00:00 +0800

In today’s episode I speak with Edu Moore, Product Director at Clara, Latin America’s leading end-to-end business spend management platform. Edu has an impressive career and worked in three FinTech Unicorns - Nubank, Bitso and Clara. We go through challenges of collecting feedback, prioritization, the differences between B2C and B2B product management, and how to keep PMs motivated

"You don't necessarily need to jump from one product to another. If the one product you have is working well, is attracting new customers, is gaining traction, you got retention, you got engagement, then maybe you should focus on the core, build the key functionalities that customers want and the ones that will actually help your business grow."

Maybe this is the secret to successful unicorns let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Edu here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edumoore/
LinkedIn Clara: https://www.linkedin.com/company/claracc/
Website: https://www.clara.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) The struggle of collecting feedback and customer intuition

(0:04:08) The role of purpose in Edu’s career and leadership style

(0:08:11) Transition from investment banking to FinTech

(0:10:10) The fulfillment and impact of working in FinTech

(0:12:52) Differences in product management between startup and scale-up FinTech

(0:17:19) Prioritization and focus in B2C and B2B FinTech

(0:21:20) The importance of focusing on the core product

(0:27:19) Collecting feedback and decision-making in B2C and B2B

(0:35:50) Keeping product managers motivated and high-performing

(0:43:09) Partnering with governments to promote financial education in schools

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to build customer-centric products in FinTech?
What are the differences between B2C and B2B product management?
How to collect customer feedback in B2B FinTech?
How to keep product managers motivated and high-performing?
How to prioritize product features in B2B vs B2C?
What is the secret to FinTech unicorn success?
How to manage product workload effectively?
How to scale products from startup to unicorn?
What makes a good product director in FinTech?
How to balance stakeholder involvement in product decisions?
How to avoid feature bloat in product development?
What is the role of financial education in FinTech?
How to manage PM career development?
How to transition from zero-to-one to growth in product?
What are best practices for product backlog management?
How to focus on core product vs new features?
How to measure product impact in B2B FinTech?
What skills do product managers need from unicorns?
How to handle product prioritization trade-offs?
How to create clarity and vision for product teams?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

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; nor those of the guests. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.

VC: People, Process, Product - What VCs wish you knew about Product | Kevin Brockland, Founder and Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 19:15:00 +0800

In today’s episode I speak with Kevin Brockland, Founder and Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures, a seed stage venture fund in Malaysia. We go through the three Ps needed to build products and companies with impact: People, Process & Product.

The conversation is packed with Product gems - we go deep in product growth, onboarding optimization, removing friction, customer mapping, fluidity in processes and much more!

Let’s dive into it!

👉 You can find Kevin here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/
LinkedIn Indelible Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/
Website: https://indelible.vc/
Kevin’s Podcast “SEA of Startups”: https://insights.indelible.vc/podcast

👉 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:

(0:05:14) The role of purpose in Kevin’s life and business, and the branding problem around impact investing.

(0:07:13) What does Indelible Ventures do

(0:09:07) Navigating regulation in the APAC region and the potential benefits of unification around regulation and policy

(0:13:23) Kevin’s three P's for evaluating investable companies: people, process, and product

(0:14:48) Establishing frameworks and processes for collecting users feedback

(0:16:08) Comparing building a product to the scientific method and the need for perpetual learners with a growth mindset.

(0:17:47) The need for fluidity in processes and shortening feedback loops, and the spiraling out of control of large organizations' check and balance systems.

(0:20:21) The importance of understanding unknown unknowns and the need to act responsibly.

(0:21:16) The challenges of evaluating CEOs and founding teams as critical people in a startup

(0:25:35) The practical terms of feedback loops in building products and the importance of shortening them.

(0:29:29) Mapping out user journeys and focusing on optimizing individual components of the conversion funnel.

(0:30:55) Establishing ideal customer personas and understanding triggers for awareness in the conversion funnel.

(0:40:16) The need for product design to consider the user's competency, pain points, and usage characteristics, and the importance of creating habitual formations in the product design.

(0:41:47) The importance of showing value right away in the onboarding process, and the potential for personalizing the onboarding process based on initial usage desire.

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What do VCs look for in FinTech startups?
What is the People Process Product framework for VCs?
How to optimize product onboarding for growth?
How to remove friction from product experiences?
What makes a CEO investable for venture capital?
How to shorten feedback loops in product development?
What is customer journey mapping in FinTech?
How to balance control and agility in startups?
What are the differences between B2C and B2B product management?
How to prioritize product features effectively?
What metrics do VCs track in portfolio companies?
How to keep product managers motivated?
What is the role of process fluidity in startups?
How to avoid analysis paralysis in product decisions?
What are the key product growth strategies for FinTech?
How do payment interoperability standards affect competition?
What is the impact investing approach to FinTech?
How to reduce international payment costs?
What are the challenges of multi-currency commerce?
How to build value-add services in payments?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Money2020 Special Edition: The Sound of Payments | John Ryan, Founder at PayEd - Education in Payments

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0800

Money20/20 Amsterdam was the event of the Summer! A place where new ideas, perspectives and people meet. It is definitely not your traditional event, it is fun and experiential. I had a blast and without a doubt I can say it was an amazing life and professional experience. So I’ll dedicate today’s episode to my session titled "The Sound of Payments"

Of course I’m biased because that was my talk . But genuinely, I thought it was an amazing creative session where we mixed the right and left brain. First you had me explaining the trends of the industry, while in the background you had poets capturing my thoughts and message in their own words. After each trend, I would then handover to the DJ Angus, and he’d open the floor to the poets, who in turn, they would do an amazing performance paraphrasing my words into a wonderful piece of art / music. I was told by the audience, this was mesmerizing and as I talked through each of the trends, the energy started to build up!

And of course I can’t close this section without giving huge thanks and kudos to John Ryan, founder of PayEd. He was the mastermind behind The Sound of Payments, and I’m honored that out of all the people in the world, he invited me as part of the Advisory Board to be the one representing PayEd - Education in Payments on stage. I’m extremely grateful, thanks John!

Let's go backstage and find out all the detailed of what happened before, during and after!

👉 You can find John here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ryan-5514315/
LinkedIn PayEd: https://www.linkedin.com/company/payed1/
Website: https://payed.biz/
Download PayEd's ebook: https://payed.biz/careerinpayments/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
Newsletter: Innovating FinTech: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062789745407340544
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.moni.millares.com

👉 You can find more about Money2020 here:

LinkedIn Money2020: https://www.linkedin.com/company/money2020/
Website: https://www.money2020.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:

(0:01:43) The experience of The Sound of Payments at Money 2020

(0:05:49) Motivation behind attending Money 2020

(0:08:17) PayEd and its focus on payments education

(0:12:25) The concept of the Sound of Payments

(0:13:55) Importance of creating a fun and memorable experience

(0:16:55) Audience perspective on the high-energy performance

(0:19:23) Goal to have payments education resonate outside the event

(0:21:15) Bringing the energy from the performance to the workplace

(0:24:03) Upcoming events in Europe and the Knowledge Partner role

(0:25:33) Transitioning between remote work and returning home

(0:27:33) Importance of looking at different markets and opportunities in payments

(0:28:59) Increase in open roles in payments industry

(0:30:43) Importance of sustainability in payments

(0:32:19) Need to focus on making the transition to digital payments sustainable

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is payments education and why does it matter?
How to build a career in payments industry?
What is The Sound of Payments from Money2020?
How to work remotely as a digital nomad in FinTech?
What are the best payments training courses?
How does Money2020 support innovation in payments?
Is it worth going to Money2020?
What is experiential learning in FinTech events?
How to transfer knowledge from conferences to workplace?
What are the key payment trends across different markets?
How to compare payment systems globally?
What is the Payments Express learning experience?
How to create engaging education sessions in FinTech?
What skills do you need for a payments career?
How does payments education improve financial services?
What are the opportunities in the payments industry?
How to make FinTech education more creative?
What is the role of poetry and music in payments education?
How to bring conference energy to the workplace?
What are the differences between payment markets globally?
How can companies benefit from structured payments training?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: Empowering Businesses: Payments and banking solutions for medium and high risk businesses | Lissele Pratt, Founder at Capitalixe

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0800

Lissele Pratt is the Founder of Capitalixe, a fast-growing fintech consultancy. Capitalixe specializes in helping medium to high-risk industries obtain market-leading fintech, payments, and banking solutions. Lissele has been recognized by the industry multiple times, she was named in Forbes' 30 under 30 Finance list and won Rising Star of the Year at the UK FinTech Awards

👉 You can find Lissele here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisselepratt/
LinkedIn Capitalixe: https://www.linkedin.com/company/capitalixe/
Website: https://capitalixe.com/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
Newsletter: Innovating FinTech: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062789745407340544
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.moni.millares.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) Purpose of Capitalixe: Provide reliable payment and banking solutions to businesses globally

(0:08:14) Underserviced industries, jurisdictions and medium and high risk businesses

(0:13:32) What makes a good product

(0:15:45) Framework for assessing tech partners

(0:19:18) How Lissele got on the Forbes 30 under 30 list

(0:22:01) Overcoming the challenge of lack of experience

(0:23:18) Challenges of being a young CEO

(0:26:25) Company culture and values: teamwork and celebration

(0:28:09) Remote work and freedom as a core value

(0:33:03) Suggestions for promoting diversity in fintech

(0:37:00) Male dominance and challenges in the payments sector

(0:38:59) Importance of transparency for customers, staff, and shareholders

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What are medium and high-risk industries in payments?
How do high-risk businesses get payment solutions?
What is financial inclusion for underserved industries?
How to find payment providers for high-risk businesses?
Why do some industries struggle with banking access?
What makes a business high-risk in payments?
How to match businesses with specialized payment providers?
What are the compliance challenges for high-risk industries?
How do payment service providers assess risk?
What is the role of consultancy in FinTech payments?
How to serve underserved jurisdictions in payments?
What payment solutions exist for Eastern Europe markets?
How does compliance monitoring work for high-risk sectors?
How to build a global network of payment providers?
What transparency practices improve FinTech customer experience?
How to scale a FinTech consultancy business?
What are the barriers to payment access globally?
How do specialized providers cater to niche industries?
Why is diversity important in FinTech?
How to create an inclusive financial environment?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: What is open banking, open finance and open data, and how it will change the world | Huw Davies, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Ozone API

Tue, 30 May 2023 08:15:00 +0800

Huw Davies is the Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at OzoneAPI. Huw believes open banking, open finance and open data will change the world, and he is a man on a mission to make it happen. He’s spent over 20 years in banking and payments building high growth businesses and teams at places like Barclays, MasterCard and HSBC before turning his attention to building FinTech start ups.

To me Huw gives us the best explanation of open banking, open finance, and open data on the internet today! We cover what do we mean with “Open APIs”, the benefit of open, how does open banking enables embedded finance, the role of the regulator, understanding open banking APIs as a Product, the challenges of Ozone API’s Product team, global expansion, and we go back to full circle to explore how open banking has the potential to improve the quality of millions of lives.

Ozone API and Smart Data Foundry created a free industry tool to help deliver more clarity in this complex world of open banking, open finance and open data. They just launched the Standards Library and Innovation Atlas where you can explore the evolution of worldwide standards for open banking, open finance and the open data economy, and learn more about the ecosystems they exist in at The Global Open Data Tracker.

👉 You can find Huw here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huwwilliamdavies/
LinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ozoneapi/
Website: https://ozoneapi.com/
Ozone API and Smart Data Foundry Standards Library and Innovation Atlas: https://ozoneapi.com/resources/the-global-open-data-tracker

👉 And you can find Monica here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
Newsletter: Innovating FinTech: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7062789745407340544
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.moni.millares.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) Exploring the role of purpose in life and business

(0:04:16) Finding purpose in FinTech

(0:06:29) Open banking and Open Finance

(0:07:54) What are Open Banking APIs

(0:11:57) Benefits of Open Banking and Open Finance

(0:13:50) Open Data in financial services and beyond

(0:16:30) Challenges of Open Data

(0:20:25) Embedded Finance

(0:24:33) Global expansion and regulatory challenges

(0:29:46) Building a core platform for global Open Banking Standards

(0:37:58) Challenges for Product and Tech

(0:39:49) Financial Inclusion

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is open banking and how does it work?
What is the difference between open banking and open finance?
What is open data in financial services?
How do open banking APIs work?
How does open banking enable embedded finance?
What are the benefits of open banking for consumers?
How can banks implement open banking APIs?
What is the role of regulators in open banking?
How does consent work in open banking?
What security protocols protect open banking data?
How is open banking different from screen scraping?
What are the challenges of implementing open banking?
How can open banking improve financial inclusion?
What is payment initiation in open banking?
How does open banking drive economic growth?
What are the global standards for open banking?
How can fintechs leverage open banking APIs?
What is the future of open finance?
How does open banking enable better customer experiences?
What are the compliance requirements for open banking?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Product: Exploring Purpose Driven Robowealth and Outcome Driven Product Culture | Julie Martin, Head of Product at Stashaway

Tue, 23 May 2023 06:00:00 +0800

Julie Martin is the Head of Product at Stashaway. Julie started her career in investment banking, moved to Product in a Fashion company and now heads a team building Investment Products at a Robowealth FinTech.

We cover her story on how she entered the FinTech market coming from Fashion, transitioning from a Product Manager solo contributor to a Head of Department, the customer pain points Stashaway is solving for in the investments journey, how to build an outcome driven product culture, diversity in Fintech , and how regulators can improve to facilitate innovation in FinTechs.

👉 You can find Julie here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejuliemartin/
Stashaway LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/stashaway/
Stashaway Website: https://www.stashaway.my/

👉 And you can find Monica here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/
Newsletter: Innovating FinTech - on LinkedIn
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares
Website: https://www.moni.millares.com

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

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(0:02:41) How to aligning work with purpose: Finding impact and enjoying the process

(0:04:55) How to move career trajectory from Fashion to FinTech

(0:08:24) How to Crack the Product Interview

(0:10:55) The Challenges of Transitioning from Individual Contributor Product Manager to Head of Product

(0:16:13) What does Stashaway do?

(0:18:51) Exploring Long-Term Wealth Building Strategies and Wealth Management Solutions

(0:20:26) Thoughtful Product Development and Customer Engagement

(0:23:25) Exploring the Top Pain Points of Retail Investment Customers

(0:29:09) Women in Fintech and Product Management

(0:32:04) The Importance of Diversity in Product Management and Hiring

(0:33:31) Qualities of an Outcomes-Driven Product Team

(0:37:34) Agile Product Development and Measuring Impact

(0:39:02) Strategies for Delivering MVPs and Improving the Product Development Processes

SEARCH QUESTIONS

How to transition from fashion to FinTech product management?
What is outcome-driven product culture?
How to build an outcome-driven product team?
How to shift from delivery mode to outcome focus?
What pain points does robowealth solve for investors?
How to transition from IC product manager to Head of Product?
What is the difference between PM and Head of Product?
How to prepare for FinTech product manager case studies?
How to manage product managers effectively?
What skills do product managers need at different career stages?
How to balance regulation and innovation in FinTech?
How to improve female representation in investment products?
What is the role of purpose in product management careers?
How to create impact as a product manager?
How to coach product managers without micromanaging?
What are the challenges of managing multiple product squads?
How to make investment products accessible to everyone?
How to measure success in outcome-driven teams?
How can regulators enable FinTech innovation?
How to hire diverse product management teams?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Founder: The role of Purpose in FinTech and how to craft a strategic Purpose to create differentiated Products that add customer value | Simon Clarkson, Founder and Consultant CMO at Purposecraft

Tue, 16 May 2023 06:00:00 +0800

Simon Clarkson is the Founder and Consultant CMO at Purposecraft where he helps companies develop and implement a clear, evidence-based strategic purpose, while empowering functions to be catalysts for change and creators of customer value.

In today’s episode, we go deep to understand what do we mean with Purpose. Its impact on company success, the governance to measure it - and how he’s successfully done this with a 9000 people organization! We explore the role of Purpose in FinTech and discuss a framework you can use to define a clear evidence-based strategic purpose to differentiate your Product and FinTech.

We discuss how Purpose and Strategy are two sides of the same coin and how strategic purpose development is the highest level of strategy, which involves defining the value that a company brings to the world and drives its strategic direction.

👉 You can find Simon here

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonclarkson/
LinkedIn Purposecraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purposecraft-ltd/
Website: https://purposecraft.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: Innovating FinTech - Available on LinkedIn

In this Purpose Driven FinTech episode we cover:

(02:05) The Why of Purposecraft - a story about their journey and how they got into existence

(06:26) Purposecraft’s purpose and problem statement they are solving

(10:07) Definition of purpose in the context of an organization

(11:34) The relationship between having a clear purpose and having impact in society

(16:03) The role of the CEO, Clevels and Board when creating a company purpose

(16:54) The impact of leading with the heart

(19:27) How Simon brought a 9000 people organization on board setting up a new company purpose

(23:03) How to measure purpose and success

(25:23) Fintech and purpose

(30:38) How our capabilities and identity place us in a unique way to help customers with financial well being in a way that it's different than everybody else

(35:50) Questions can we ask ourselves to set a strategic purpose

(40:53) Where to find out more about Simon and Purposecraft

(41:15) Closing question: If you could change one thing, just one thing in Fintech, to make fintech better and have positive impact to customers, staff and investors, what could it be?

SEARCH QUESTIONS

What is strategic purpose in FinTech?
How to develop company purpose for FinTech startups?
How to differentiate your FinTech product with purpose?
What are the three ingredients of strategic purpose?
How to measure company purpose effectively?
How to marry purpose and strategy in FinTech?
How to create purpose with 9000 employees?
What is the difference between mission and purpose?
How to engage stakeholders in purpose development?
How to track purpose through OKRs?
Why is FinTech an inherently purposeful industry?
How to avoid generic purpose statements?
How to ensure purpose drives strategic direction?
What is the role of customer needs in purpose?
How to create evidence-based strategic purpose?
How to develop purpose for asset management companies?
How to overcome skepticism when developing purpose?
How to ensure purpose isn't ignored after development?
What is the relationship between purpose and company growth?
How to make purpose relevant beyond product lifecycles?

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about supporting or sponsoring the podcast, collabs or guest appearances email Monica at fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Purpose Driven FinTech Trailer

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0800

Welcome to Purpose Driven FinTech.

I’m your host Monica Millares.

In this podcast, I interview FinTech Founders, Product leaders and experts to uncover their stories, challenges, and lessons learnt in building products with impact.

Let’s be honest.

It’s a lot of work to build FinTechs and products people love while giving investors positive returns.

If you want to stay ahead of the game you need to be able to cut through the noise and build FinTechs that solve real customer needs in a differentiated manner.

The underbanked and the squeezed middle class are fighting with Financial stress.

We as FinTechers have the power to influence people’s financial lives by making FinTech better and more human.

Its a big mission, so we need to put our minds and hearts together to make financial safety a reality for everyone.

Tune in every Tuesday for new insights, actionable tips and inspiring conversations

👉 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

⭐ Leave a Spotify Review: Coming soon

⭐ Leave an Apple Review: Coming soon

🗞️ Newsletter: Coming soon

📞 Schedule Free Call: https://www.kalendme.com/en/fintechwithmoni-ejoob

—

Production and marketing by Monica Millares. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email fintechwithmoni@gmail.com

Music by Alex_Kizenkov & prazkhanal from Pixabay