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Finovate Blog
Tracking fintech, banking & financial services innovations since 1994
Microsoft has launched a public preview of Copilot for Finance, an AI-powered, role-based workflow automation tool.
Copilot for Finance can help finance professionals automate time-consuming aspects of their jobs, such as data entry and review.
Microsoft’s Copilot for Finance is part of the company’s Copilot Studio, which also includes a sales tool as well as a tool for contact centers.
This week, Microsoftlaunched a public preview of Copilot for Finance, a new offering that extends Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to help finance teams work more efficiently.
Copilot for Finance offers an AI-powered, role-based workflow automation that offers recommendations and guided actions. The new tool streamlines financial tasks, automates previously manual workflows, and offers insights into the flow of work.
The launch comes after a 2023 Microsoft study revealed that 80% of finance leaders and teams face challenges to take on more strategic work outside the scope of their roles. And another study found that 62% of finance professionals say they are stuck in data entry and review cycles. Offering an AI-powered workflow, Copilot for Finance can save finance professionals time and allow them to focus more on strategy.
Here are some of the specific tasks the new tool can help finance professionals accomplish:
Helps financial analysts conduct a variance analysis in Excel using natural language prompts, allowing themto quickly review data sets for anomalies, risks, and unmatched values.
Simplifies the reconciliation process in Excel with automated data structure comparisons. The tool also offers guided troubleshooting to help users know where to take action.
Helps expedite the collections process by summarizing relevant customer account details in Outlook, such as balance statements and invoices.
Enables customers to turn raw data in Excel into visuals and reports that they can share across Outlook and Teams.
Copilot for Finance is part of Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, a suite of services that also includes Copilot for Service (for contact centers) and Copilot for Sales, which already counts more than 30,000 clients, including Northern Trust, Schneider Electric, and Visa.
Microsoft has been testing Copilot for Finance inside its own organization. “Our finance organization is just like any other – looking for technology to help us do our work in a more efficient and impactful way – and we’re excited to track our journey as customer zero of Microsoft Copilot for Finance” said Microsoft Modern Finance Lead Cory Hrncirik.
Here’s an interesting way to celebrate the last day of Black History Month. Let’s talk about what banks and fintechs can learn from Beyoncé.
Affectionately known as Queen Bey, the black music and entertainment icon released a single this month called Texas Hold ‘Em, the pop singer’s first ever country music song.
The song, which you can listen to on Spotify (beware of the NSFW album cover image), has sparked a flurry of debate among die-hard country music lovers and pop music fans. Some country music enthusiasts perceive the lyrics of the song as inauthentic and the beat too poppy to be considered country. Others really enjoy the song and are offended that some country radio stations have refused to play the song. The new beat has even caused some pop music fans to start listening to country music. On both sides, however, Beyoncé’s new hit has divided people. Listeners either love it or hate it.
I’m far from a music critic, but I like Beyoncé and because I live in rural Montana, I listen to a lot of country music. However, I can’t stand the lyrics of the new song. I love the beat, but I feel like she used ChatGPT to gather a handful of “country” words– dive bar, tornado, liquor, slow dance, hoedown, whiskey– and poured them all into the song. Has Beyoncé really ever been to a true dive bar? I digress.
While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the hit single, there are a few hidden lessons in the controversy and conversation surrounding Texas Hold ‘Em. So what can it teach banks and fintechs?
Embrace change
Beyoncé showcased an impressive ability to convert serious pop music fans into country music enthusiasts. Listeners who would have previously never even considered playing a country music song on purpose have gained a new appreciation for the genre. This power to open consumers’ minds highlights the importance of embracing change and adapting to new trends. Despite the challenge of staying on top of trends, fintechs and banks should be open to evolving technologies and customer preferences.
Authenticity matters
Just like how listeners of all music genres value the authentic beat and genuine lyrics of their favorite type of music, so do customers appreciate a genuine experience from their financial services provider. It is easy for consumers to tell when a brand is trying to be something that they are not. Fintechs and banks should strive to be transparent and true to their brand values.
Don’t limit your audience
The song’s polarizing effect shows the power of how music (or products) resonate differently with various audiences. Financial services companies should occasionally revisit their offerings to see how they can expand and fulfill needs of a wider audience range. As long as it is authentic to the brand, banks and fintechs should consider offering a more diverse range of products and services that cater to more audiences, serving their varied needs.
Pay by bank expert Trustly and digital identity solutions provider Socure have teamed up this week.
Together, the companies will offer streamlined onboarding through Trustly’s Pay By Bank services.
Pay-by-bank is expected to see growth this year because of its potential to offer merchants enhanced security, increased speed of payments, and cost savings.
Online payments expert Trustly and digital identity verification and fraud solutions provider Socure are combining their expertis, to launch a pay-by-bank solution with enhanced onboarding, leveraging the power of open banking.
The new tool will offer businesses in a range of sectors– including investing, gaming, trading, and financial services– streamlined onboarding capabilities combined with pay-by-bank functionality. Specifically, Socure’s ID+ platform, leveraging AI-driven predictive analytics, will be integrated with Trustly’s direct banking integration Pay By Bank offering, enabling merchants to seamlessly onboard users and process payments in a single unified process.
“Combining open banking with KYC and screening greatly enhances the robustness of user onboarding and incorporates a seamless payment solution, providing consumers the ultimate onboarding experience,” said Trustly Chief Business Development Officer Craig McDonald.
On the fraud side, the augmented pay-by-bank solution enhances not only KYC compliance, but also fraud detection and ID verification capabilities, which are crucial in today’s era of advanced deepfakes and synthetic identities. Additionally, the tool helps merchants benefit from the power of open banking, which offers instant and guaranteed payments because they are authorized directly by the bank. This provides a higher level of security compared to other payment methods.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Trustly and its pay-by-bank business model. We think this diversity in payment types brought about by open banking is representative of a new era for consumer choice,” said Evan Rabinowitz, Vice President of Business Development at Socure. “We have a shared belief that trusted identity is essential to the transformation of open and connected banking.”
Trustly was founded in 2008 and today connects its 8,300 merchant clients with 650 million consumers and 12,000 banks in more than 30 countries. The company’s pay-by-bank network currently processes over $42 billion in transaction volume each year. In 2018, Nordic Capital bought Trustly for an undisclosed amount, and since then, Trustly has acquired three companies of its own, including SlimPay, Ecospend, and PayWithMyBank.
Trustly is positioned for growth in 2024, especially in the U.S., which offer significant potential. According to Financial Brand contributor Steve Cocheo, “Pay-by-bank services will accelerate in 2024 in the U.S., driven by a combination of at least five converging trends: the growing availability of real-time payment rails; increased interest from businesses seeking to avoid card processing fees and gain faster access to funds; increasing democratization of payments; a move away from subscriptions to micropayments, and even a potentially big push courtesy of Elon Musk’s banking ambitions.”
Nevada-based Socure was founded in 2012, focusing on its digital identity verification solution. As many services have moved online and ecommerce has accelerated, the company has grown, helping 2,000 customers– including SoFi, Chime, and Capital One– in verifying the identities of their end consumers to help prevent fraud. Socure has raised more than $744 million. Johnny Ayers is Founder and CEO.
NayaOne has received $4.7 million in funding in a round led by EJF Capital.
The company will use the funds to accelerate its product roadmap and meet demand.
NayaOne offers a sandbox-as-a-service, where banks can test new technologies, as well as a fintech marketplace, which serves as a network of vetted fintech solutions.
NayaOne, which just stepped off the FinovateEurope stage this week, has received $4.7 million in funding for its sandbox-as-a-service platform and fintech marketplace. The amount of the company’s total funds is undisclosed.
This investment round saw contributions from EJF Capital, which led the round, as well as from Valley Ventures and existing investor Carthona Capital. NayaOne will use the funds to accelerate its product roadmap and meet market demand by optimizing bank-fintech relationships.
When asked about the significance of today’s funding round, NayaOne CEO Karan Jain said, “It’s about more than just growth; it’s about setting the pace in a sector that’s fundamentally rethinking how it evolves.”
NayaOne was founded in 2019, just before the digital transformation wave that hit the industry in 2020. The company’s sandbox-as-a-service platform serves as a single place for banks to access hundreds of fintechs and datasets with which they can innovate, build, and test digital solutions quickly and securely. Banks also have access to NayaOne’s network of vetted fintech solutions that have been evaluated for quality, security, and compliance.
Providing banks with a single place where they can access fintechs and datasets helps them reduce the time it takes to adopt new technologies and solutions. It also reduces the risks associated with potential compliance, quality, and security issues.
“We’re still in the early stage of a tech revolution in banking and capital markets, and NayaOne stands out as the critical infrastructure enabling the next big leap forward,” said EJF Ventures’ Michael Cherepnin.
There’s a story behind the U.K.-based company’s name. The words Naya and One were derived from ancient wisdom. Naya signifies transformation and financial innovation, while One represents the company’s foundational principle, which is: unparalleled connectivity with a single gateway to financial technology.
Day One of FinovateEurope 2024 is in the books! That means it’s time to find out which demoing companies made the greatest impressions on our Finovate audience – earning our coveted Best of Show award.
Corsound AI for its technology that helps businesses fortify their security measures against voice-related fraud. Video.
Tuum for its solution that allows banks to orchestrate new businesses and business models, unlocking new revenue streams. Video.
Zeed for its platform that enables public companies and asset managers to reach and engage retail investors by leveraging video content. Video.
Thanks to all of the companies that demonstrated their latest technologies live on the Finovate stage on Tuesday. The diverse array of fintech innovations – from new ways to combat fraud to solutions that help banks attract new customers and boost revenues – was a great sign of where our industry is today, and where it appears to be headed.
Be sure to check out our FinovateEurope 2024 recap next Monday as we look back at some of the key themes and issues raised in this week’s conference.
Notes on methodology:
1. Only audience members NOT associated with demoing companies were eligible to vote. Finovate employees did not vote.
2. Attendees were encouraged to note their favorites during each day. At the end of the last demo, they chose their three favorites.
3. The exact written instructions given to attendees: “Please rate (the companies) on the basis of demo quality and potential impact of the innovation demoed.”
4. The three companies appearing on the highest percentage of submitted ballots were named “Best of Show.”
5. Go here for a list of previous Best of Show winners through 2014. Best of Show winners from our 2015 through 2023 conferences are below:
Payroll, benefits and HR management solutions company Gusto and B2B credit and financing expert Nav are partnering this week.
Under the agreement, Gusto’s small business clients will have access to Nav’s financial health insights as well as its network of financing options.
Originally founded as ZenPayroll in 2012, Gusto has raised a total of $746 million.
Payroll, benefits, and HR management solutions company Gusto has selected B2B credit and financing expert Nav to help its small business customers build business credit and access Nav’s network of financing options.
With 300,000 customers, Gusto processes payroll and provides HR services such as employee benefits, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. Following today’s announcement, those businesses will also benefit from Nav’s personalized financial health insights that offer visibility into cash flow, credit insights, and suggested financing options. Additionally, Gusto’s business clients will have access to Nav’s network of 160 different financing options, which include loans, credit cards, and banking.
Gusto anticipates the funding services will help small businesses overcome obstacles such as finding available funding, improving cash flow stability, and managing their expenses.
“At Gusto, our mission is to help small and mid-sized businesses take care of their teams, while accelerating their growth. But these businesses can’t grow without having a full picture of their finances and the funding options available to them,” said Gusto Head of Partnerships Sonya Jamula. “That’s why we’re excited to join forces with Nav to bring them a broader range of options for funding and financial services – and to help more small and mid-sized businesses succeed.”
Nav was founded in 2012. Together with its network of financial providers, the Utah-based company helps its 350,000+ small business customers improve borrowing power and access working capital.
“Nav’s platform makes the path to funding less opaque and limits exposure to painful rejections and predatory lending. Small businesses need to have a transparent view into what options are available to them,” said Nav VP of Revenue Walt Levengood. “Our partnership with Gusto helps small businesses to have more control of their capital and to better manage their costs.”
Headquartered in San Francisco, Gusto has raised a total of $746 million since it was founded in 2012 as ZenPayroll. Co-founder Joshua Reeves is CEO.
If you have your ear to the ground in the payments space, you have probably heard that pay-by-bank is the latest craze. Operating in the account-to-account (A2A) payments space since 2008, Dwolla is launching a new offering that echoes that trend.
To bring its A2A payments offering into the new era, the Iowa-based fintech announced the launch of Open Banking Services today. The new open banking integrations will expand on Dwolla’s existing API, adding instant account verification, balance checks, and fraud mitigation to the services offered to the company’s mid- to enterprise-sized business clients.
Dwolla’s Open Banking Services are available through a single API that allows businesses to integrate the entire payment experience– from identity verification to exchanging account credentials– into their existing application. The company has pre-integrated with leading open banking service providers to ensure a smoother implementation process for businesses, reduce complexity, and accelerate time-to-market for A2A payment solutions.
Overall, Dwolla eliminates the need for businesses to use multiple vendors. The company’s white-label API streamlines transactions, leveraging The Clearing House’s RTP Network to allow users to send and settle funds in real-time. Dwolla also offers lower transaction fees, improved accuracy, and enhanced security.
“Our vision with Dwolla’s Open Banking Services is to empower businesses with a seamless, all-in-one solution for A2A payments,” said Dwolla CEO Dave Glaser. “By consolidating essential A2A payment functionalities under one roof, we aim to simplify the payment landscape for businesses, enabling faster time-to-market and improved operational efficiency.”
Dwolla is a three-time Finovate alum and most recently demoed at FinovateSpring 2015 where it debuted FiSync. The company has raised $72.4 million across nine rounds of funding.
The first Finovate event of the year, FinovateEurope, is set to begin tomorrow. Taking place at the O2 Intercontinental in London, FinovateEurope is a great way to hear discussion on the latest trends and see the newest fintech tools and solutions.
I had the opportunity this month to sit down with podcast host and Finovate VP Greg Palmer to discuss some of the trends we expect to see unfold on stage at FinovateEurope. You can tune into the podcast to hear our conversation, or take a look at some of the sessions and metrics I highlighted during our chat.
What I’m excited about
I’m eager to listen to sessions on generative AI that filter out the hype of what’s really going on and what is actually possible. I’m also curious to listen in on the buy vs. build conversation and to hear from Jillian Godsil, Author and Broadcaster at CoinTelegraph, about the potential of a crypto spring.
Spotlighted sessions
The new Finovate Hot or Not Gameshow takes the idea of what’s hot and what’s not in fintech to gauge what the industry has its sights on. As in years past, we’ll also host the Analyst All Stars and Investors All Stars panels.
Demo company highlights
FinovateEurope 2024 will host 36 demo companies, coming from 15 different countries, on stage this year. Of the 36 demoing, 90% are demoing on the Finovate stage for the first time and 75% are either debuting a new technology or are a new company.
Other demo themes– including lending, sustainability, customer experience, life insurance, pure play generative AI solution, mortgagetech, and financial education– have three companies or fewer.
It’s a leap year, which means we have an extra day in the month of February. How will the financial services industry Use the extra 24 hours this year? Check back for real-time updates on how the fintech landscape evolves this week.
Traditional banking
Legacy Bank & Trust reports it has doubled its assets after employing Jack Henry’s technology.
VisalaunchesWorking Capital Performance Benchmark to allow mid-market businesses to see how their utilization of working capital solutions compares to other mid-market businesses across industries and regions around the world.
Security, fraud, and identity
DataVisorlaunches fraud and risk solution for sponsor banks to ensure compliance with new Banking-as-a-Service regulations.
AU10TIXlaunches Know Your Business solution to help companies know exactly who they are doing business with and avoid potential financial and reputational losses.
SaveAwayearns finalist spot in the TechImpact Startup Competition sponsored by the NYC Economic Development Corporation and Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
TIFIN AGannounces collaboration with RBC Wealth Management U.S. to deepen advisor-client relationships.
Ceterapartners with Wealth Access to help its bank and advisor clients deliver a more personalized experience to their end users.
Cross River Bank’s parent company CRB Group is launching an investment banking strategy.
The new division, which falls under CRB Securities, will be co-led by Benjamin Samuels and Henry Pinnell.
The new launch is sure to disrupt FT Partners, which has dominated the fintech investment banking scene since it was founded in 2001.
Banking-as-a-Service institution Cross River Bankannounced its parent company CRB Group has launched an investment banking division.
Benjamin Samuels, who was formerly the Co-Head of Alternative Capital Solutions for Morgan Stanley’s Global Capital Markets Group; and Henry Pinnell, former Co-Head of Investment Banking from SVB Securities; have been tapped to lead the new investment banking team, which will fall under CRB Securities. CRB Securities, which has previously focused on assisting clients with privately placed credit transactions such as asset-backed securities, will advise clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and other corporate finance decisions.
Cross River Bank has been building its network and banking expertise since it was founded in 2008. Today, the company offers marketplace lending, capital solutions, card and account programs, a wide range of payment tools, and solutions for loan financing. Cross River Bank plans to leverage its history and connections to offer its investment banking clients a comprehensive suite of investment banking services.
“We are proud to launch our investment banking division of our broker-dealer with two well-respected professionals in the industry, combining decades of experience in both the fintech industry and capital markets,” said Cross River Founder and CEO Gilles Gade. “Ben and Henry are tasked with enhancing even further our product offering to our fintech partners and beyond, enabling us to solve the distinct needs of each and every client.”
While the launch isn’t likely have a major effect on the fintech industry as a whole, it will certainly impact one player in particular: FT Partners. Founded by Steve McLaughlin, FT Partners has been one of the top fintech deal-makers since the firm’s 2001 launch. Cross River Bank is coming to the investment banking game with long-standing relationships from its vast network of fintech clients. This makes the new firm a formidable competitor to FT Partners.
Google is shutting down its Google Pay app in the U.S. on June 4, 2024. The payment infrastructure will still be available for ecommerce transactions and in-store tap-to-pay capabilities.
The app will still be available in India and Singapore.
Google is funneling users to Google Wallet, which U.S. consumers use 5x more than Google Pay.
Take a second to think about the last time you opened up the Google Pay app on your phone to make a payment or manage your digital payment cards…..
That may be the reason Google plans to shut down the U.S. version of its standalone Google Pay app. Starting June 4, 2024, users in the U.S. will no longer be able to access Google Pay. Instead, Google is funneling users to Google Wallet, which in the U.S. is used 5x more than Google Pay.
This move won’t impact the infrastructure of Google Pay– users will still be able to use the online payment system to checkout online or tap-to-pay in a physical brick-and-mortar store. Additionally, Google Pay will still be available to users in India and Singapore. In fact, Google said it will continue to build for the “unique needs” in those countries.
For now, here’s what U.S. users need to know:
Users can view and transfer their Google Pay balance to their bank account using the app until June 4. After that time, users can transfer their funds using the Google Pay website.
Users can access the offers and deals search capabilities within a new deals destination via Google Search.
After June 4, users will no longer have the ability to send, request, or receive peer-to-peer money transfers from the U.S. Google Pay app.
Google made clear that just because the app is dissolving, Google Pay isn’t going away. In fact, the company says it has “invested in making payments as fast and seamless as possible — like improving Google Pay autofill in Chrome, making it easy to pay for public transit and expanding the types of passes you can store in Wallet.”
Google Pay last made fintech headlines in December of 2023, when the company announced it was partnering with Affirm and Zip to add BNPL options for users in the online checkout flow.
This year at FinovateEurope (27-28 February) I will be interviewing 15 fintech entrepreneurs, CEOs, analysts, authors, and thought leaders on what they believe are the most important topics and trends in fintech and financial services. Here’s a preview of the people I’ll be speaking with, a note on what they will be presenting at FinovateEurope, and a sense of the questions I’ll be asking them next week.
Be sure to stay tuned immediately after the event as we begin to roll out our Finovate TV interviews from FinovateEurope.
Anette Broløs – Director and Founder, Finthropology
Anette will be a part of our Wednesday afternoon Power Panel: From Open Banking To Open Finance & Beyond – How Can Banks Seize The Opportunity To Generate Returns?
I will ask Anette about the challenges that financial institutions face when trying to become more customer-centric. We’ll also discuss her new book, Customer-Centric Innovation in Finance, which explains how to turn human insights into product innovation.
Nina Schick, Author, Generative AI Expert, Founder, Tamang Ventures
Nina will deliver our Out of the Box Keynote Address Tuesday morning titled Will AI Be More Profound Than The Invention Of The Internet? What Do Financial Institutions Really Need To Understand About Generative AI?
I’m looking forward to learning more about what financial services need to know about de-risking the adoption of enabling technologies like AI. I’m also curious what other enabling technologies Nina thinks should be on our radar.
Indrek Vainu, Head of Conversational AI, Zurich Insurance Company
Indrek will be a part of our Wednesday afternoon Power Panel: AI In Action & Real User Cases: How Smart Players Are Using AI To Solve Pain Points For Their Customers & Their Business. He will also deliver a keynote address – How Financial Institutions Can Harness The Era of Generative AI – as part of our invitation-only session Monday evening for financial institutions.
In our conversation at FinovateEurope, I want to hear about the challenges Indrek and his team have faced as they implemented generative AI applications at their firm. What lessons and insights can he share with other financial services as they embark on their AI journeys?
Ville Sointu, Chief Strategist, Digital Currencies, Nordea
Ville will be a part of our Wednesday afternoon Power Panel: Digital Payments Are Eating The World – How Will New Competitors & New Business Models Shape The Future?
I’m curious to learn from Ville about how embedded payments are spreading throughout Europe. I’m also interested in learning about his interest in super apps, which he mentioned last year. How might the rise of super apps impact the payments landscape?
Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance
Janine will be a panelist on our Tuesday evening Executive Briefing: What Embedded Finance & Banking As A Service Mean For Banks – Can You Afford to Hold Back?
I will ask Janine about the future of Banking-as-a-Service and embedded finance in Europe. I’m looking forward to hearing her take on how the competitive landscape for service providers – beyond retailers and Big Tech – will evolve in this context.
Ken Hughes, Consumer Behaviouralist, The King of Customer Experience
Ken will deliver an Out of the Box Keynote Address Wednesday morning titled, Financing the Future: Preparing For The Customer Of Tomorrow.
I want to ask Ken about the Customer of Tomorrow. In what key ways will the customer of tomorrow differ from the customer of today?
I’m also looking forward to hearing his thoughts on customer-centric innovation and how traditional brands are adapting to new challenges and opportunties.
Valentina Kristensen, Director of Growth & Communications, OakNorth
Valentina will be part of our special panel titled, Women in Fintech: How Can We All Make Sure We Are Moving The Needle?
I would like to hear from Valentina on the evolution of DE&I initiatives in recent years. How effective have these efforts been in terms of attracting and retaining female talent, in particular?
I also want to learn from Valentina about how financial institutions can be more responsive to their female professionals as they move through various stages of their careers.
Manas Chawla, CEO, London Politica
Manas will provide a Keynote Address Wednesday morning titled, The Global Economic & Geo-Political Outlook – What Are The Five Things You Need To Know?
He will also deliver a special Fireside Chat: The Escalation of Geopolitical Risk – What Does It Mean for Banks And Their Customers? as part of our invitation-only session for financial institutions Monday evening.
Always an engaging interview, Manas is likely to have a lot to say about the myriad geopolitical issues that are dominating headlines in 2024. How will these various crises – from Europe to Asia to the Middle East to the American border – impact banks, fintechs, and financial services companies? I’m eager to hear what Manas has to say about all of it at FinovateEurope next week.
Jurgen will be a part of our Wednesday afternoon Power Panel titled, Tales From The Frontline – How Can Financial Institutions Deliver Excellent CX By Blending The Human & The Digital?
I want to talk with Jurgen about the impact of enabling technologies in the wealth management space. I’m curious how everyoneINVESTED is innovating in this area and what innovations in the investing experience are most compelling for customers in wealth management.
Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer, Harrington Star Group
Nadia will moderate our Wednesday morning panel titled, Women in Fintech: How Can We All Make Sure We Are Moving The Needle?
In our Finovate TV conversation, I want to talk with Nadia about how many of the people she talks with in her podcast, Women of Fintech, are driving positive change in fintech and financial services.
I would also like her opinion on what it takes for companies to create more inclusive workplaces for their employees.
Samantha Seaton, CEO, Moneyhub Enterprise
Samantha will deliver a Special Address Wednesday morning titled, Your Product Isn’t The Hero – Your Customer Is.
I’m eager to hear from Samantha about how companies in financial services can pivot from an emphasis on the product to a more customer-centric approach.
I’m also curious how she sees the impact of technologies like AI and the role they may play in helping financial services companies make this pivot. I also will ask Samantha about her overall sense of the state of fintech right now.
Stephen Hutchinson, Head of Operations, IFX Payments
A few years ago a venture capitalist reminded us from the Finovate stage that “payments are the gift that keeps giving.”
With that in mind, I’m looking forward to talking with someone who walks the payment talk in Stephen Hutchinson, Head of Operations at IFX Payments.
I will ask Stephen what payment trends he finds most exciting and how he believes those trends will impact IFX Payments. We will also talk about some of the key targets and goals for IFX Payments in 2024.
Jose Luis Navarro, Head of Open Banking Strategy, BBVA
Jose will be a panelist on our Wednesday afternoon Power Panel titled, From Open Banking to Open Finance & Beyond – How Can Banks Seize The Opportunity To Generate Returns?
Given the success of open banking and open finance in Europe compared to many other parts of the world (I’m looking at you, US of A!), I’m eager to learn from Jose about what’s working in Europe and how BBVA has managed to capitalize on current trends in open banking and open finance.
I also will ask about the regulatory risks of open banking and open finance, and what institutions need to know in order to navigate these issues.
Edwin van Bommel, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, ABN AMRO Bank
Edwin will be part of our Wednesday morning Power Panel: Finding New Opportunities Through Digital Transformation – Success Stories & Insights To Help Financial Institutions Find Growth, Drive Revenue & Future Proof Their Business.
In my conversation with Edwin, I’m looking forward to learning more about AMRO Bank’s product roadmap, and the degree to which he sees AI becoming a greater part of financial services overall. I also want to talk with Edwin about the challenge traditional banks have when it comes to overcoming legacy systems.
Katharina Lueth, Chief Client Officer and Managing Director, Raisin
Katharina will be part of our Wednesday morning Power Panel: Why Fintech Will Revolutionize Customer Experience & How Financial Services Providers Can Compete In A Hyper Personalized World. What Are They Key Lessons To Learn From Other Industry Verticals & From How Big Tech Companies Build Customer Trust?
How can a financial services company that operates in multiple geographies successfully provide personalized services in these different regions? What are some of the key trends in fintech that are impacting what Raisin’s customers want and how is Raisin adapting to meet these trends?
These are a few of the questions I’m looking forward to asking Katharina next week at FinovateEurope.
There’s still time to pick up your ticket and join us for one of the most loaded FinovateEurope conferences to date! Visit our FinovateEurope page and register today!
