Incumbents vs. Challengers: Is There Still a Technology Gap?

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, expert associate partner at Bain & Company, is joined by Chris Kuiper, Director of Research at Fidelity Digital Assets, Edward Woodford, CEO at Zero Hash and Jeremy Fox-Geen, CFO at Circle to discuss whether crypto has crossed the institutional and consumer chasm.Timestamps:06:22 Has crypto crossed the institutional and consumer chasm?09:41 What's underpinned this crypto bull run over the last 12 months?12:56 How do Bitcoin ETFs differ from other ETFs?15:11 Regulatory hurdles with Bitcoin ETFs17:21 Is there a correlation between user adoption and ETF approvals?18:57 Bitcoin: Will the use cases grow, or is it just a store of value?23:16 Which other crypto assets could go through this regulatory process in the near future?25:23 The future of stablecoins32:52 What are the blockers stopping widescale adoption of stablecoins?42:59 How has crypto influenced global culture and society?48:37 What role will crypto play in Financial Services once it has fully matured?Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Chris Kuiper hereYou can find Edward Woodford hereYou can find Jeremy Fox-Geen hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, recorded live from Money20/20 Europe, host Adam Davis, Bain associate partner, is joined by Jeff Tijssen, Bain partner and global head of fintech, Ronit Ghose, Citi Future of Finance global head of banks research and cohead of fintech and Anthony Craufurd, Visa Europe director of ventures and startup engagement, to discuss which transformative technologies will shape the future of Fintech.Timestamps:04:46 Betting on Fintech: Which transformative technologies will shape the future?09:48 Practical applications of new technologies in financial services13:50 How is the research at Citi translated into investment and product decisions?16:12 Dividing up ventures from a tech perspective18:09 Integrating investments back and driving revenue19:22 Overhyped technologies22:59 Proof points when looking at companies pioneering new technologies24:58 Money 2020 takeawaysPlease subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Jeff Tijssen hereYou can find Ronit Ghose hereYou can find Anthony Craufurd hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, expert associate partner at Bain & Company, is joined by Erin McCune, expert partner at Bain & Company, Ed McLaughlin, President and Chief Technology Officer at MasterCard, Sladjana Jovanovic, Chief Information Officer for the Canadian Personal Business Banking at BMO Financial Group, and Daragh Morrissey, director of AI at Microsoft Worldwide Financial Services, to discuss if the world is ready for AI and quantum's impact on payments.Timestamps:06:06 AI and Quantum: Is the World Ready for the Impact on Payments?12:19 Based on Bain's surveys on AI, are those expectations realistic? And what timeframe are we looking at?15:29 How will AI transform our experience with payments?18:32 How is Mastercard implementing AI to meet future expectations?21:05 How does the growth and maturation of accountability change as AI models develop?26:27 What are the most interesting use cases of AI?31:48 Quantum computing: What is it? And how will it impact us?37:01 How will quantum computing impact fraud?40:46 Who will be the biggest benefactors of quantum?45:36 How have partnerships effected POCs & go-to-market solutions?Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Erin McCune hereYou can find Ed McLaughlin hereYou can find Sladjana Jovanovic hereYou can find Daragh Morrissey hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, expert associate partner at Bain & Company, is joined by Wendy Redshaw, Chief Digital Information Officer at NatWest, and Jason Maude, chief technology advocate of Starling Bank, to discuss if there is still a technology gap between incumbents vs challengers.Timestamps:04:15 Incumbents vs Challengers – is there still a technology gap?05:24 How would you explain the technology gap previously between large tier 1s and neobanks?09:57 What are the key differences between a challenger stack and an incumbent stack?12:31 How have Starling maintained a simple / flexible architecture through the launch of new products and the scaling of your customer base?15:24 Occasional vs repeatable releases16:02 Centralisation efforts that have happened with NatWest’s tech estate over recent times19:36 Is the money banks spend on IT transformation programmes worth it?21:33 Do you believe the combination of ML / AI and Generative AI, alongside exclusive Cloud deployment, will level the playing field?25:15 What underpins the culture you want to see at your organizations, and how do you encourage it?29:57 How do you keep up with Futurology and trends, and does any of that thinking feature in your tech roadmaps?34:30 What is your one prediction for tech trends into 2024?Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Wendy Redshaw hereYou can find Jason Maude hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, expert associate partner at Bain & Company, is joined by Erin McCune, expert partner at Bain & Company, Manish Kohli, head of global payments solutions at HSBC, and Thierry Chilosi, chief strategy officer at Swift, to discuss what’s at stake in the world of Wholesale Payments.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction04:07 What’s at stake in the world of Wholesale Payments?08:06 Why are wholesale payments so important?10:05 From the FI's perspective, what are the profit pools and ways of making money within wholesale payments?14:51 How have wholesale payments changed in the last 10 years? What's driving innovation?23:39 Will real-time payment networks lower the barrier to entry for new payment products?29:00 What are the effects on working capital and liquidity with real-time infrastructures working 24/7?33:48 Swift's modernisation journey - from telex to the new XML standards36:57 How will Swift's new collaborations with Visa and Wise serve businesses and banks going forward?38:38 What makes a successful partnership in the fintech space?42:19 What will the wholesale payments industry look like in 15 years?You can read more about Bain’s POV on Wholesale Payments in the recently published brief: The Fragmentation of Wholesale Payments Calls for Banks to Remake Their ApproachPlease subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Erin McCune hereYou can find Manish Kohli hereYou can find Thierry Chilosi hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, Associate Partner at Bain & Co, is joined by Aman Narain, Global Head of Platforms and Embedded Banking, HSBC, to discuss the topic of embedded finance.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:42 Embedded finance use cases05:08 Maturity of integrated, insightful & instant in embedded finance06:09 Integrated definition & use cases07:06 Building a proposition inside HSBC10:14 Biggest business challenges in embedded finance11:38 Who will disrupt embedded finance in the future?13:56 Embedded finance sales plays for non-FIs16:05 Working capital17:47 Is gen AI overhyped?19:04 Given $10M to start a fintech - what would you do?19:40 Advice to your younger self about banking and the FS industryPlease subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Aman Narain hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, Associate Partner at Bain & Co, is joined by Jeff Tijssen, Expert Partner and Global Head of FinTech, Bain & Co, Christina Riechers, General Manager, Square Banking and Richard Davies, Chief Executive Officer, Allica Bank, to discuss SMB: Is there still a growth opportunity, or are they now over-served?Timestamps:00:00 Introduction07:37 SMB: Still a growth opportunity, or now over-served?12:52 Strategy of Square banking & what is your remit?15:27 Differentiating Square banking & gaining autonomy17:40 Success factors at Allica Bank19:33 Have SMB margins held for providers through the cost of living crisis/rising interest rates?23:52 How much share should fintechs take from incumbent FIs and banks?27:46 How hard is it to capture ongoing SMB engagement without a full integrated banking offering?29:53 What new products are Square and Allica Bank looking to provide?34:15 Jobs for small businesses: What are they, and how are they effected by technology?39:55 What are the differences in serving increasingly larger businesses, and how do jobs change with this?44:47 Should we expect consolidation in facets of SMB? And who's competitive in the space?Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Jeff Tijssen hereYou can find Christina Riechers hereYou can find Richard Davies hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, Associate Partner at Bain & Co, is joined by Jeff Tijssen, Expert Partner and Global Head of FinTech, Bain & Co, Mike Cashman, Partner at Bain & Co, Mariagiovanna Di Feo, Partner at Bain & Co and Mike Smith, Partner at Bain & Co, to discuss what trends will arise and what changes to the industry we will see in 2024.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction03:38 What will we see in fintech in '24?10:35 2023 rewind: Rising rates, regulations, open banking & digital assets13:30 Profitability16:40 Investor sentiment going into Q1 '2421:31 Differentiation between VC & PE23:43 Geographical nuances, investor appetite & growth25:13 Payment predictions for '2428:18 Growth, card flows, & alternative payment methods31:00 Embedded finance & connected vehicles - will we see growth?35:33 How will blockchain evolve over the next year?39:19 How can digital banks/players position themselves for the change in growth?44:59 No. 1 predictions for 2024Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Jeff Tijssen hereYou can find Mike Cashman hereYou can find Mariagiovanna Di Feo hereYou can find Mike Smith hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this special episode of Deciphered, recorded LIVE from Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas, Jeff Tijssen, Expert Partner and Global Head of FinTech, Bain & Co, Mike Cashman Partner, Bain & Co, are joined by Sophia Bantanidis, Future of Finance, Citi Global Insights, Citi and Peter Hazlehurst, Co-founder and CEO, Synctera, to discuss disequilibrium across the banking industry in 2023, restoring balance, and exploring the potential for new growth within the Financial Services industry going into 2024.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction05:04 Disequilibrium in banking: Have we restored balance, and where can we find new growth?08:05 The importance of understanding disequilibrium in banking10:20 Reflecting on what's been going on in the industry over the past 12-18 months12:53 Changes in the interest rate environment: Is the worst behind us? In what ways has finance & the banking sector resorted to balance in 2023?17:11 Turmoil in the FS industry & BaaS19:03 How do regulatory changes impact an organisation's ability to achieve new growth?21:44 Stimulating innovation vs protecting consumers24:28 The current funding landscape & projections for next year29:37 Significant challenges and opportunities when achieving sustained growth32:49 Where will new growth come from next year in FS?34:39 Surprising positive predictions for '24Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Jeff Tijssen hereYou can find Mike Cashman hereYou can find Sophia Bantanidis hereYou can find Peter Hazlehurst hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website

In this episode of Deciphered, Adam Davis, Associate Partner at Bain & Co, Bhavi Mehta Partner, Bain & Co, are joined by Sarah Hinkfuss, Partner, Bain Capital Ventures and CJ Przybyl, Co-founder and CEO, Reserv, to discuss how AI will impact fintech, whether or not it will level the competitive advantages of larger financial institutions, and just what this technology means the Financial Services industry. Timestamps:00:00 Introduction06:57 AI & Fintech: Will this level the competitive advantage & playing field?10:50 Why is generative AI such a game changer in this industry?13:10 Is generative AI just another tech bubble?15:32 What key ingredients do smaller vs bigger organisations need to benefit from AI?22:04 Who will take the majority of the market share with AI services?28:10 How difficult will it be for FIs to get their hands on data across multiple LLMs?29:59 Use cases & funding35:42 How will AI affect jobs in the future?39:31 Ethical considerations & biases of AI44:28 Implementation and execution of AI46:30 Maintaining competitive advantage50:30 Speed differences with utilising AI51:52 Over the next 10 years, which unexpected ways will consumers use AI?Please subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and leave us a review if you enjoy the show!You can find Adam Davis hereYou can find Bhavi Mehta hereYou can find Sarah Hinkfuss hereYou can find CJ Przybyl hereFor more insights from the Deciphered podcast, visit the page on Bain’s website