The FStech Podcast

Open banking is already rising in adoption and delivering value. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority measured a 53 per cent increase in open banking payments in 2025, and Open Banking Ltd found that open banking reached 16.5 million user connections throughout the year. The organisation also noted that open banking has already delivered £8.3 billion in benefits to the UK economy and could deliver up to £43 billion per year to the UK economy in the future. As more enterprises adopt the standard, it could also underpin other advances in financial services such as agentic AI commerce. In this FStech podcast associate editor Rory Bathgate speaks with Lee McNabb, group payments lead at Natwest, to discuss how open banking is already transforming the payments industry and what is on the horizon for organisations that have already embraced the standard.

With instant payments becoming the norm across Europe, treasury teams are operating in a fundamentally different environment. Funds no longer sit in transit for hours or days, improving visibility and creating new opportunities for liquidity management, investment decisions and operational efficiency. However, those benefits can only be realised if banks have access to accurate, real-time liquidity data. Legacy processes and systems were not designed to cope with the volume and speed of instant payments, leaving treasury teams to make decisions using outdated or incomplete information. In a real-time payments environment, liquidity positions can change in seconds, increasing the risk of payment failures, higher funding costs, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage. Instant payments also operate around the clock, meaning treasury teams must forecast liquidity more accurately than ever. Banks need to ensure instant payment accounts remain adequately funded to meet demand without holding excessive balances that reduce returns on surplus cash. In this FStech podcast, Dave Wild, Head of Payments Innovation and Strategy at Planixs, joins senior reporter Isaac Hanson to explore how banks can build the real-time liquidity visibility, forecasting capabilities and operational resilience needed to thrive in an instant payments environment. Together, they discuss the practical strategies institutions can adopt to reduce liquidity risk, optimise funding and confidently operate in a 24/7 payments landscape.

On 11 March, Revolut was granted a full UK banking licence after a four-year process. Revolut's cofounder and chief executive, Nik Storonsky, described the decision as the culmination of "a long-term strategic priority". In the short term, the bank has said nothing will change for customers. This raises a key question: if Revolut could already offer lending without a full UK licence, why go through the long and complex process of becoming a fully regulated bank? In this FStech podcast senior reporter Isaac Hanson speaks with Christoph Stegmeier, a senior partner in consultancy Simon-Kucher's global banking practice, to explore what the licence can tell us about Revolut's strategic priorities, and how the bank might change as a result.

As Global Capability Centres reshape the financial services landscape, one question stands out: how do leading banks balance in-house innovation with strategic partnerships to drive real transformation? In this compelling FStech video podcast, Bouke Hoving, Global CIO Wholesale Banking, ING and Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President and Head - Europe & UKI, Financial Services, HCLTech reveal how they're co-creating value through a hybrid model that goes far beyond traditional partnerships. Discover how ING is modernising its wholesale banking platform whilst maintaining customer centricity at its core. Learn why strategic partners are now seen as true collaborators, not just service providers, and how shared ownership drives innovation at scale. From AI and automation to talent strategy and core modernisation, this conversation explores the practical realities of digital transformation - including how organisations are evolving from GCC 1.0 cost centres to GCC 3.0 innovation hubs. Whether you're navigating cloud migration, platform standardisation, or building future-ready teams, this episode offers actionable insights on creating partnerships that deliver lasting impact. Listen now to understand how collaboration, not competition, is shaping the future of banking.

Early-stage FinTech is entering a new era. Macroeconomic headwinds, rising consumer expectations, and tighter capital markets are reshaping how innovation is funded and how success is defined. For founders and investors alike, navigating this landscape requires a sharper focus on fundamentals, smarter capital deployment, and a deeper understanding of where real opportunity lies. In this FStech podcast senior reporter Silvia Iacovcich speaks with Thomas Cuvelier, partner at early-stage venture capital firm RTP Global to explore how the firm is investing its $1 billion early-stage fund to back the next wave of FinTech startups. The venture capital specialist will examine where the firm is placing its bets, how it's thinking about risk, and what it looks for in founders in today's cautious funding environment.

How are leading financial institutions turning regulatory demands into strategic advantage? In this FStech podcast, sponsored by BMC Software, we explore how DataOps and AI are reshaping operational resilience across the sector. Drawing on the new report, "Shaping the future: The strategic role of DataOps and emerging technologies in enhancing operational resilience for modern financial services, " our discussion explores why a third of firms now place DataOps at the centre of their resilience strategy, and how barriers such as poor data quality, limited automation, and cultural resistance are being overcome. Listeners will discover practical steps for building a data-driven culture, overcoming implementation challenges, and using automation to transform compliance into a true and lasting competitive edge.

Trust has always been the cornerstone of banking, but in today's AI-driven landscape, how do financial institutions balance personalisation with privacy whilst maintaining customer confidence? In the second episode of FStech's three-part video podcast series sponsored by HCLTech, Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Services for Europe & UKI at HCLTech examines the critical relationship between data trust, transparency, and responsible AI implementation in financial services. Sudip joins FStech to explore how banks can transform data trust from a compliance requirement into a strategic competitive advantage. As customers become increasingly informed and cautious about their personal information, institutions must navigate the delicate balance between leveraging data for enhanced services and maintaining the highest standards of privacy protection. Moving beyond theoretical frameworks, we delve into practical governance structures that enable responsible AI deployment. From establishing centralised AI governance offices to implementing explainable AI systems that demystify decision-making processes, discover how leading financial institutions are building transparent, accountable AI capabilities that strengthen rather than compromise customer relationships.

In an era where AI promises to reshape banking's fundamental operations, how do institutions separate genuine transformation opportunities from temporary trends? In the first episode of a three-part podcast series sponsored by HCLTech, FStech explores how financial institutions can navigate the transformative potential of Generative AI while building lasting foundations for innovation. In this first episode, Sudip Lahiri, Executive Vice President & Head of Financial Services for Europe & UKI at HCLTech cuts through the noise to examine the cultural, technical, and organisational bedrock required for meaningful GenAI adoption in banking. Moving beyond proof-of-concepts and pilot projects, we explore how banks can build sustainable AI capabilities that align with their strategic vision while maintaining operational resilience. From fostering AI literacy across organisations to establishing governance frameworks that enable innovation, discover how leading financial institutions are laying the groundwork for a future where technology enhances rather than replaces human capabilities.

Open Banking is changing the payment industry and the adoption of Open Banking is increasing with over 11 million consumers and small businesses using the technology. Retailers are increasingly implementing Open Banking as a payment method offering it alongside more traditional methods. In this FStech podcast Lynsey Hunt, Head of Product at Payit by NatWest, takes a closer look at some of the challenges involved with the adoption of Open Banking and how the technology covers much more than payments. She also talks about how Open Banking compares to other payment methods, such as Buy Now, Pay Later and addresses concerns around security and customer adoption.

The banking sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by economic pressures, evolving regulatory demands and the growing need for technological innovation and strategic partnerships to navigate a rapidly changing landscape. To meet these challenges, banks are accelerating their modernisation efforts while ensuring compliance. By adopting innovative strategies, they aim to address operational hurdles, meet rising customer expectations, and shape the future of financial services through collaborations, partnerships and cutting-edge advances. In this FStech podcast, senior reporter Silvia Iacovcich is joined by Mike McGovern, global head of technology engagement for investor services at Brown Brothers Harriman, to discuss how banks are navigating today's complex environment, the challenges they face and the rising need for strategic bank partnerships and technology integration to help them remain competitive.