FinovateSpring 2024 is only a few weeks away! If you haven’t picked up your ticket, there’s still time to take advantage of early-bird savings if you register by this Friday, May 10.
This year’s FinovateSpring arrives at an interesting time for fintech and financial services. For the first time in decades, a new emerging technology – AI – promises to accelerate technological innovation in our space in a way that is truly generational. At the same time, governments and regulators are struggling to keep up with an ever-shifting, ever-growing landscape of financial products and services. Add to this the sudden shift from an easy money, ZIRP-oriented world to one that is preoccupied with geopolitics and inflationary threats not seen since the 1970s.
Our spring conference – May 21 through May 23 – will tackle many of these issues and more that are driving decision-making in fintech and financial services this year. Here is a brief survey of the kinds of conversations, keynotes, and commentaries we have in store.
It’s (Still) All About AI
It may have been an underwhelming first quarter for fintech funding. But for those fintechs who have effectively embraced AI – especially generative AI – investors have remained eager to engage.
FinovateSpring will feature multiple sessions on AI and financial services starting on Day One. These include our Out of the Box Keynote Address from author Brian Solis who will explain how to determine which emerging technologies really matter to financial services providers and why. Day One will also feature a special address from Intelygenz USA President Chris Brown on practical examples of how applied AI and hyper-automation can turn cumbersome, error-prone manual processes into fully-digitized operations in weeks rather than months or years.
Later in the day, we will feature more instances of AI at work in financial services – particularly the role of AI agents and the importance of ethical AI. And we’ll finish the day with a rousing Hot or Not Expert Debate specifically on GenAI and how banks and financial services companies can move beyond the hype to learn where the technology can be most effectively deployed.
Behavior, Financial Inclusion, and Human-centricity
One of the ironies of the “AI Era” in fintech and financial services is the way it has encouraged us to look more closely at the human behaviors, biases, and beliefs that drive financial decision-making. This development connects a number of key trends in financial services – from behavioral economics to financial inclusion to the importance of human-centricity when using technology to solve problems.
This year at FinovateSpring, we will address these ideas through sessions such as our Executive Briefing on Financial Inclusion. This discussion on “the new customer base” focuses on areas of innovation – such as investing, credit building and repair, and savings – that underserved populations often struggle to access. A keynote address later in the day looks at the psychology of financial decision-making directly as a way to help financial services companies better design and market their products to customers.
On Day Two, Danielle Shamos, Chief Revenue Officer with Revive Media, will give a Special Address on maximizing brand impact and the strategic use of tools like Amazon Ads to help financial services brands boost visibility and increase demand. We will also have a session on what banks and fintechs need to know about the worldview of Gen Z.
Our Women in Fintech Briefing is back, looking at how technology, the pandemic, and new ways of working have changed the way that companies large and small attract and retain female talent. The session will also examine what is necessary to continue to drive change and to support development for women at different stages of their lives.
Deposits, Lending, and More: Winning the Battle for Banks
In some ways, FinovateSpring saves some of its most potent conversation for the final day of the conference. For all the promise of AI and the opportunities of financial inclusion, the financial services space remains a hotly contested arena in which more businesses are competing for the dollars – and the deposits – of what often feels like a shrinking number of business and retail customers.
What can banks and fintechs do to attract and engage customers at a time of unprecedented competition – from Big Tech, Big Retail, and their own rivals in the space?
Day 3 of FinovateSpring takes this question head on in a series of keynotes and power panels first thing in the morning. Cornerstone Advisors’ Managing Director Sam Kilmer will lead a keynote address on how banks can innovate to drive revenue in a challenging economic environment. The morning also features a power panel on deposit generation growth strategies for banks, and keynote on why the secret to digital growth may have less to do with technology and tactics and more to do with a “future mindset” that is shared throughout the organization.
As always we will also present our All Star Analyst panel and Investor’s Where the Smart Money is Investing Now sessions on Day Two of FinovateSpring. Another big feature of FinovateSpring is our Credit Union Spotlight. This session is designed to give credit unions a special opportunity to meet, network, and foster greater collaboration between credit unions and fintechs. We’ll share more information about the spotlight here on the Finovate blog in the days to come.