IBS Intelligence Global FinTech Interviews

Adam Toms, CEO, OpenFin EuropeOpenFin aims to provide a unifying foundation for next-gen financial industry applications. Since launch in 2010, the OpenFin OS has deployed more than 1,200 desktop applications across 225,000 desktops in more than 1,500 buy-side and sell-side firms in 60+ countries. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence spoke with Adam Toms, CEO of OpenFin Europe. 

Simon Bateman, CIO, Allica BankSpecialising in supporting UK SMEs, it took Allica Bank just 12 months to build the institution from scratch. Six months later, the pandemic hit. But Allica was lucky to the extent that it does not have a legacy backbook of loans to service. It has also been built with an API-led approach that, as CIO Simon Bateman of Allica Bank told Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence, confers certain advantages.

 Gary Bond, Chief Executive Officer, TURNTURN (TISA Universal Reporting Network) is an industry-backed blockchain solution for the collection and dissemination of fund related data. As Gary Bond of TURN explains to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence, the overall aim is to increase market compliance, reduce regulatory and operational costs, and provide a better service to investors. TURN claims it will enable asset managers to save up to 90% of their MiFID II reporting costs. 

Gudmundur Kristjansson, Founder & CEO, LucinityLucinity is an AML software company, founded in 2018, with offices in New York and Reykjavik. CEO Gudmundur Kristjansson (GK) is a former Director of Compliance Surveillance Technology with Citigroup. Lucinity has developed a new human-AI platform that aims to improve the way the suspicious activity is tracked and, as GK told Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence, that can be used effectively and ethically to help stop money laundering.

Richard Byworth, Chief Executive Officer, DiginexDiginex listed on NASDAQ in October 2020, becoming the first cryptocurrency exchange to be listed in the US. The firm’s cryptocurrency exchange EQUOS currently provides for spot trading but there are plans to introduce digital futures and options. Richard Byworth of Diginex discussed the significance of its NASDAQ listing with Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence

Murray Gardiner, Managing Director, Bluecode Africa As the continent of Africa faces its first recession in 25 years, Murray Gardiner of Johannesburg-based FinTech Bluecode Africa tells Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence why digital payments are more than just keys to open the doorways of financial inclusion. He highlights the need for banks and FinTechs to engage with the informal business sector. Prior to launching Bluecode Africa with Bluecode International Murray was the business lead for inclusive banking with BankTech firm Temenos. 

Nir Levy, VP Product & Omer Aljanati, Senior Product Manager, CredoraxIn 2019, the European Banking Authority announced a delay to the enforcement of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). With the new deadline fast approaching, is the European payment ecosystem ready to fully support and comply to 3DS 2.0? Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence spoke with Nir Levy and Omer Aljanati of smart payments provider Credorax. 

Carey O’Connor Kolaja, Chief Executive Officer, AU10TIX AU10TIX specializes in automated identity intelligence and cyber fraud prevention. CEO Carey O’Connor Kolaja was previously Global Chief Product Officer with Citi FinTech and VP, Global Consumer Products at PayPal. She explained to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence how the digital identity landscape is changing and warns about the emerging vulnerabilities for both businesses and individuals.

Rich Cooper, Principal – Financial Services, Fusion Risk ManagementThere has been a fundamental shift in how the modern bank is approaching operational resilience to ensure the continuity of key services driven in part by regulatory focus, customer centricity, the digitisation of financial services and the growth in reputational risk. Rich Cooper of Fusion Risk Management explains the challenges of operation resilience to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence.

 John Garvey, Global Financial Services Leader, PwC US Five years of evolution in financial services have been compressed into a matter of months and it is not over yet! More digitisation is one the way, zero interest rates will redefine financial products, capital constraints on regulated banks will see a rise in non-bank lenders and ESG will become mainstream. John Garvey of PwC takes Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence through the report ‘Securing your tomorrow, today – The future of financial services’.