Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

16 January 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Ben Goldin, Founder and CEO of Plumery, explores the key banking trends for 2026 – from fraud and digital assets to stablecoins and AI applications

As we head into the second half of the decade, several emerging trends will come to the fore in 2026. The interconnectedness among these trends is also noteworthy. Artificial intelligence (AI) and progressive modernisation act as common threads.

A strong current throughout 2026 is the shift from customer-first banking to human-first banking. This relates to the concept of ethical banking. It focuses on creating financial services that have a positive social and environmental impact. 

Human-first banking aims to get even closer to the customer by understanding their actual human needs, rather than just consumer needs. For example, a bank should be acting as a coach to improve a customer’s financial health, not solely as an advisor on which products they should buy. Banks can build trust in a digital world through tailored and empathetic interactions, effectively simulating the experience customers formerly had with their personal banker.

To attain that level of hyper-personalisation, banks will need to be capable of processing vast amounts of transactional data, which can only be accomplished by deploying AI and big data tools. This requirement, in turn, will turbocharge progressive modernisation, another trend that has been bubbling under the surface for the past few years.

Traditional banks are using progressive modernisation to deal with legacy infrastructure that is not fit for purpose in a digital-first, AI-driven world. Instead of a big bang replacement of core banking systems, which is risky and can take years, banks are creating change from within existing architecture. Banking is leveraging technologies that support a multi-core strategy. With this approach, banks can add new cores for specific products that require greater agility and innovation. Modern cores are necessary for deploying the latest AI and big data tools because they provide a unified, real-time data foundation to deliver hyper-personalisation.

Fraud Threats

Fraud will remain a top concern throughout 2026. Adversaries use AI to expand the range of techniques, such as impersonation scams and identity theft, as well as accelerate and scale fraudulent activity.

According to the UK Finance Half Year Fraud Report 2025, £629.3 million was stolen by criminals in the first six months of this year, and there were 2.09 million confirmed cases across both authorised and unauthorised fraud. Card not present cases rose 22% to 1.65 million and accounted for 58% of all unauthorised fraud losses.

However, the good news is that there was a 21% increase in prevented card fraud in the first half of 2025. The £682 million which was stopped from being stolen is the highest-ever figure reported.

To combat fraud, new and improved tools to help banks identify, verify and onboard customers will come to market in 2026. The move away from paper-based identity (ID) and widespread adoption of digital ID will play a key role in the fight against fraud. Hence the UK government’s recently announced plans to roll out a new digital ID scheme.

In addition, I expect to see a fundamental shift in fraud detection using real-time behavioural analytics, data analytics for proactive risk identification, and other applications of AI and machine learning in this space.

Digital Assets and Stablecoins

Digital ID verification is also essential for fighting fraud in the digital assets and stablecoins space. Another hot topic at several banking and payments industry conferences last year.   

In 2026, digital assets and stablecoins will become much more mainstream. Banks have left the sidelines and are now actively engaged with running pilots. For example, in September a consortium of nine European banks, including CaixaBank, ING and UniCredit, announced an initiative to launch a euro-denominated stablecoin.

Central banks and regulators are developing a comprehensive agenda for digital assets. Banks will need to blend traditional fiat currencies and assets with their digital counterparts. This trend is also driving a progressive modernisation approach, as legacy core banking systems weren’t designed to manage digital assets, nor do they support moving money via blockchain-based rails. I expect to see more banks looking to deploy a multi-core strategy where digital assets are managed and stored elsewhere, but they can still provide a seamless and unified experience to customers.

AI

Last year, I predicted that the industry would adopt a ‘meet-in-the-middle’ approach to AI, with banks beginning to uncover the real value that the technology can deliver. I also predicted consolidation, recalibration and stabilisation in the market.

GenAI Banking Applications

My predictions held true, by and large. In 2025, institutions explored what is possible, relevant and achievable within the banking context, then specifically for each individual institution within its legacy architectures and technological environments.

This trend will evolve into more practical actions and initiatives over the next 12 months to provide greater clarity around where GenAI shines versus where it’s not applicable.

To gain clarity, it’s important to understand the difference between AI and GenAI. The latter is built on stochastic principles, which uses probability to model systems that appear to vary in a random manner. This means that the same input could potentially generate different outputs – this isn’t acceptable for automated financial operations, which requires much more determinism. Hence, I believe that GenAI will be used chiefly in scenarios where there’s human intervention.

One area where GenAI is applicable is in conversational applications. For example, banks will begin launching more interactive user interfaces. Customers will be able to interact with the bank as they would a human. Moving beyond simple, frequently asked questions to actual actions.

GenAI in the Back Office

Similarly in the back office, banks can leverage GenAI to provide guidance to their employees and accelerate certain tasks. Using the technology to improve efficiency and help staff do more will have a positive impact on customer experience. Processes will take much less time.

It will also help to bring unbanked segments or non-standard customers, which are difficult and costly to onboard because they require a bespoke assessment, into regulated financial services. Applying GenAI can make the bespoke process much more efficient by providing data-driven insights to support faster and smarter decision-making. This will make it much cheaper to serve these segments. Including smaller and medium-sized enterprises, which will drive financial inclusion and improve customers’ financial health.

Learn more at plumery.com

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Blockchain & Crypto
  • Cybersecurity in FinTech
  • Digital Strategy
  • Fintech & Insurtech
  • InsurTech

Author

Jan Van Hoecke

Published

5 January 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Jan Van Hoecke, VP AI Services at iManage and a highly experienced computer scientist with a passion for technology and problem-solving. on navigating the AI landscape for success in 2026

The AI landscape faces a number of big shifts in 2026. Agentic AI will undergo a reality check as enterprises discover the gap between marketing hype and actual capabilities, while organisations will go through a mindset change from treating AI hallucinations as crises to managing them, acknowledging the inherent limitations of the technology. There will also be a shift in how data will be structured in AI systems, to help the move from just finding facts (“what”) to understanding reasons (“why”).  Middleware application providers will face new challenges, as those vendors controlling both platforms and data will become more influential. Finally, standardised AI chat interfaces will evolve into smarter, dynamically generated, task-specific user experiences that adapt to immediate needs.  

Agentic AI Reality Check  

2026 is the year when agentic AI will get a reality check, as the gap between marketing promises made in 2025 and their actual competencies will become starkly visible. As enterprise adopters share the mixed successes of agentic AI, the market will begin to differentiate between true autonomous agents and the clever workflow wrappers.

Currently, many products promoted as AI agents are, in reality, rigidly programmed systems that simply follow predefined paths. They cannot independently plan or adapt in real-time to accomplish tasks. The current evolution of AI agents closely resembles the development of autonomous vehicles: early self-driving cars could only maintain lane position by relying strictly on preset instructions, and likewise, today’s AI agents are limited to executing narrowly defined tasks within established workflows. True autonomy, where AI agents can dynamically perform and solve complex problems better than humans and without human intervention, remains, for now, an aspirational goal.

AI Hallucination Goes from Crisis to Management

In 2026, the AI hallucination crisis will reach a critical juncture as organisations realise they must learn to coexist with the current fundamentally imperfect technology – until a new technology comes into play that can effectively address the issue. The focus will shift from AI hallucination ‘crisis’ to management.

As the industry deliberates who carries the liability for AI’s mistakes and inaccuracies – the tool makers or the users – enterprises will stop waiting for vendors to solve the problem and take matters into their own hands. They will adopt a variety of pragmatic risk mitigation strategies – from double and triple-checking work, and enforcing human oversight for high-stakes decisions, to taking hallucination insurance policies.

Major model builders acknowledge that current foundational LLM technology cannot eliminate hallucinations and ambiguity through incremental improvements alone. New technology is needed. Until then, and perhaps with the realisation that a technological breakthrough is years away, users will start driving the hallucination conversation – both by building systematic defenses within how they use AI, and forcing vendors to accept shared responsibility through better documentation and clearer model limitations.  

The Next Evolution in AI Data Architecture Lies in a Shift from “What” to “Why”

There will be a fundamental shift in how data is structured for AI systems, driven by the limitations of current approaches in answering complex questions. While Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) has proven effective at locating information and answering “what” questions, it struggles with the deeper “why” and “how” inquiries.

This limitation stems from RAG’s flat-file architecture, which excels at locating information but fails to capture the complex interconnections and relationships that underpin meaningful understanding and knowledge, especially in specialised domains like legal and professional services information.

The solution lies in AI-driven autonomous structuring of data. These systems will be better placed (than humans) to reveal critical relationships across multiple data points at scale, also highlighting the contextual dependencies essential for answering the “why” and “how” questions effectively.

Consequently, in 2026, with machines taking the lead, the method of structuring data will undergo a complete transformation, gradually eliminating the human role in creating structure, to reveal the business-critical interconnections across multiple data points.

Middleware AI Apps Squeeze

Given the essential link between data and AI, middleware companies that specialise in building custom applications layered on top of data platforms will begin to get pushed to the margins, forced to compete on niche features – while the core value of data and insight is captured by the platform owners. The true leaders will be those organisations that both own and manage their data, while also offering an AI-powered interface that enables users to interact with their data securely and efficiently, fully leveraging the capabilities of modern AI technology.

Shift to AI-generated, Task-Oriented User Interfaces

In 2026, the current traditional vendor-designed, standard AI chat-based user interfaces will transition to dynamically AI-generated task-specific user interfaces that adapt to users’ immediate needs. This represents a fundamental shift from standardised software – for example, where everyone uses identical Microsoft Word or SharePoint interfaces – to personalised, short-term user interfaces that exist only as long as the user requires them for a specific task.

This transformation will also address the critical pain point that users typically have – i.e, the crushing cognitive load of navigating bloated, feature-rich software. Instead of searching through endless menus in an overstuffed application like Excel, the user will simply state their goal – “Compare the Q3 and Q4 sales figures for our top 5 products and show me a chart” – and the AI will instantly generate a temporary, purpose-built interface – a “micro-app” – solely designed for that one single task.

In the context of dynamically generated user interfaces, both data storage and the creation of bespoke interfaces will be managed by AI. The AI organisations that will truly lead in providing such bespoke user interface-generating capability are those that possess and control their own data.

About iManage

iManage is dedicated to Making Knowledge Work™. Our cloud-native platform is at the centre of the knowledge economy, enabling every organisation to work more productively, collaboratively, and securely. Built on more than 20 years of industry experience, iManage helps leading organisations manage documents and emails more efficiently, protect vital information assets, and leverage knowledge to drive better business outcomes. As your strategic business partner, we employ our award-winning AI-enabled technology, an extensive partner ecosystem, and a customer-centric approach to provide support and guidance you can trust to make knowledge work for you. iManage is relied on by more than one million professionals at 4,000 organisations around the world.

Learn more at imanage.com

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

16 December 2025

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Interface issue 68 is live featuring Microsoft, Virgin Media O2, CIBC Caribbean, Telkom, Zoom, ServiceNow, Snowflake and more

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Click here to read the latest edition!

Driving Business Transformation Through Cloud & AI

Microsoft’s Shruti Harish, Head of Solution Engineering for Cloud and AI Platforms across the tech giant’s Manufacturing and Mobility vertical, talks to Interface about how to achieve successful AI implementations augmented by Cloud. Our future focused fireside chat covered everything from driving value through cloud modernisation to responsible AI.

“Leaders should align AI initiatives with clear business outcomes and foster a culture that embraces change. The focus is shifting toward AI-operated, human-led models where intelligent agents handle tasks and humans guide strategy.”

Virgin Media O2: Democratising Data as a Cultural Movement

Mauro Flores, EVP for Data Democratisation at Virgin Media O2, talks to Interface about the leading telco’s data journey and how it is supporting colleagues to innovate faster, make smarter decisions and deliver brilliant customer experiences.

“Data-driven insights are essential. They’re helping power our decisions like optimising our network performance, anticipating outages before they happen, identifying and preventing fraud, personalising offers and pricing to build customer loyalty, and forecasting demand so we invest in the right things.”

CIBC Caribbean: Shaping the future of Banking in the Caribbean

Deputy CIO Trevor Wood explains how CIBC Caribbean is blending technology, culture, and customer-centricity to deliver seamless digital experiences across the region with a ‘Future Faster’ strategy.

“We want to lead in every market we operate, build maturity across our practices and be architects of a smarter financial future for all.”

And read on for deep AI insights from ANS’s CIO on why AI isn’t just for big business, Emergn’s CTO on how your business can get AI-ready and Kore.ai’s Chief Strategy Officer on taming AI-sprawl with governance-first platforms.

We also hear from Celonis, Snowflake, ServiceNow, Make and Zoom with their tech predictions for 2026 and chart the key dates for your diary with global networking opportunities at the latest tech events and conferences across the globe.

Click here to read the latest edition!

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Payments
  • Digital Strategy
  • People & Culture

Author

Kyle Hill

Published

28 November 2025

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Kyle Hill, CTO of leading digital transformation company and Microsoft Services Partner of the Year 2025, ANS, explores how businesses of all sizes can make the most of their AI investment and maintain a competitive edge in an era of innovation

Across the world, businesses are clamouring to adopt the latest AI technologies, and they’re willing invest significantly. According to Gartner, generative AI has produced a significant increase in infrastructure spending from organisations across the last few months, which prompted it to add approximately $63 billion to its January 2024 IT spending forecast. 

Capable of reshaping business operations, facilitating supply-chain efficiency, and revolutionising the customer experience, it’s no wonder major enterprises are keen to channel their budgets towards AI. But the benefits of AI can extend beyond large enterprises and make a considerable difference to small businesses too if adopted responsibly. 

Game-Changing Innovation 

Most SMBs don’t have the same ability for taking spending risks as their larger counterparts, so they need to be confident that any investments they do make are worthwhile. It’s therefore understandable why some might assume it to be an elite tool reserved for the major players.

To understand how SMBs can make the most of their AI investments, it’s important to first look at what the technology can offer. 

Across industries, AI is promising to be a game changer, taking day-to-day operations to a new level of accuracy and efficiency. AI technology can enhance businesses of all sizes by:

Enhancing customer experience

Businesses can use AI tools to process and analyse vast amounts of data – from spending habits and frequent buys to the length of time spent looking at a specific product. They can then use these insights to provide a more tailored experience via personalised recommendations, unique suggestions and substitution offers when a product is out of stock. And, with AI chat functions, businesses can provide more timely responses to any questions or requests, without always needing an abundance of customer service staff on hand. 

    Powering day-to-day procedures

    One of the most common and inclusive uses of AI across organisations is for assisting and automating everyday tasks including data input, coding support and content generation. These tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot applications, don’t require big investments to adopt. Smaller teams and businesses are already using them to save valuable employee time and resources and boost productivity. This also saves the need for these organisations to outsource these capabilities where they might not have them otherwise. 

      Minimising waste 

      AI is also helping businesses to drive profit, minimising wasted resources, and identifying potential disruptions. By tracking levels of supply and demand, AI can automatically identify challenges such as stock shortages, delivery-route disruptions, or a heightened demand for a particular product. More impressively, however, they are also capable of suggesting solutions to these problems – from the fastest delivery route that avoids traffic, to diverting stock to a new warehouse. Such planning and preparation help businesses to avoid disruptions which costs valuable time, money, and resources. 

        According to Forbes Advisor, 56% of businesses are already using AI for customer service, and 47% for digital personal assistance. If organisations want to keep up with their cutting edge-competitors, AI tools are quickly becoming a must-have for their inventory. 

        For SMBs looking to stay afloat in this competitive landscape of AI innovation, getting the most out of their technological investment is crucial. 

        Laying down the foundations

        Adopting AI isn’t as straightforward as ‘plug and play’ and SMBs shouldn’t underestimate the investment these tools require. Whilst many of the applications may be easy to use, it’s important that business leaders take time to fully understand the technology and its potential uses. Otherwise, they risk missing some major benefits and not getting the most from their investment, particularly as they scale out. 

        Acknowledging the potential risks and challenges of implementing new AI tools can help organisations prepare solutions and ensure that their business is equipped to manage the modern technology. This can help businesses to avoid costly mistakes and hit the ground running with their innovation efforts. 

        SMB leaders looking to implement AI first need to ask the following:

        What can AI do for me? 

        Are day-to-day administration tasks your biggest sticking points? Or are you looking to provide customer service like no-other? Identifying how AI might be of most use for your business can help you to make the most effective investments. It’s also worth considering the tools and applications you already have, and how AI might enhance these. Many companies already use Microsoft Office, for instance, which Microsoft Copilot can seamlessly slot into, making for a much smoother rollout. 

        Can my business manage its data? 

        AI is powered by data, so having sufficient data-management and storage processes in place is necessary. Before investing in AI, businesses might benefit from first looking at managed data platforms and services. This is crucial for providing the scalability, security and flexibility needed to embrace innovation in a responsible and effective way. 

        What about regulation?

        The use and development of AI are becoming increasingly regulated, with legislation such as the EU AI Act providing stringent, risk-based guidance on its adoption. Keeping up with the latest rules and legislative changes is vital. Not only will this help your business to maintain compliance, but it will also help to maintain trust with customers and employees alike, whose data might be stored and processed by AI. Reputational damage caused by a data breach is a tough blow even for big businesses, so organisations would be wise to avoid it where possible. 

        Embracing Innovation

        This new age of AI is exciting; it holds great transformative potential. We’ve already seen the development of accessible, affordable tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, opening a world of new innovative potential to businesses of all sizes. Those that don’t dip their toes in the AI pool risk getting left behind. 

        The question smaller businesses ask themselves can no longer be about whether AI is right for them; instead, it should be about how they can best access its benefits within the parameters of their budget. 

        By thoroughly preparing and taking time to understand the full process of AI adoption, SMBs can make sure that their digital transformation efforts are a success. In today’s world, this is the best way to remain fiercely competitive in a continuously evolving landscape. 

        About ANS

        ANS is a digital transformation provider and Microsoft’s UK Services Partner of the Year 2025. Headquartered in Manchester, it offers public and private cloud, security, business applications, low code, and data services to thousands of customers, from enterprise to SMB and public sector organisations. With a strong commitment to community, diversity, and inclusion, ANS aims to empower local talent and contribute to the growth of the Northwest tech ecosystem. Understanding customers’ needs is at the heart of ANS’s approach, setting them apart from any other company in the industry. 

        The ANS Academy is rated outstanding by Ofsted and offers in-house apprenticeships across a range of technology disciplines. ANS has supported more than 250 apprentices to gain qualifications in the last decade via apprenticeships across technology, commercial, finance, business administration and marketing. 

        ANS owns and operates five IL3‐accredited data centres in Manchester and has an ecosystem of tech partners including Microsoft (Gold Partner), AWS, VMWare, Citrix, HPE, Dell, Commvault and Cisco. It is one of the very few organisations to have received all six of Microsoft’s Solutions Partner Designations. 

        Find out more at ans.co.uk

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Data & AI
        • Digital Strategy

        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        4 September 2025

        Estimated Read time

        5Mins

        The Financial Transformation Summit (FTS), presented by MoneyNext, took place June 18-19 2025 at London’s ExCeL Centre, Royal Victoria Dock. With over 2,000 attendees, 300+ speakers, and 400 roundtables, it stood out as one of the most immersive and interactive events in the financial services calendar.

        FinTech Strategy hit the conference floor at the heart of the action delivering insights from experts across Banking, Insurance, Wealth, and Lending at Financial Transformation Summit (FTS).

        Financial Transformation Summit attendees from banking, insurance, wealth, lending, fintech, consultancy, and regulatory sectors convened for two days packed with keynotes, panel talks, immersive demos, and networking among 60+ exhibitors and startups.

        Co-located streams – Banking, Insurance, Wealth, and Lending part of themed zones – meant that ticket-holders could explore adjacent sectors fluidly across a guiding theme: culture, collaboration, and customer centricity driving tech adoption and transformation.

        Programme Highlights

        Keynotes & Panels

        1. Data Silos & Cross‑Institutional Collaboration

        A panel featuring senior leaders from EVLO, Aon, Schroders, and Brit Insurance tackled how institutions – despite collectively spending over $33 billion annually on data – still struggle to collaborate due to privacy concerns and regulation. Innovative solutions included federated learning, anonymised client IDs and consent-backed APIs.

        2. Digital Insurance via Wallets

        Anna Bojic (Miss Moneypenny Technologies) unveiled a fresh take on insurance – embedding policy and claim data into Apple/Google Wallets. The idea: dynamic customer interaction directly from smartphone wallets, enhancing real‑time engagement and retention.

        3. ESG Economics & Market Reality

        Marc Kahn (Investec) challenged ESG orthodoxy, urging firms to emphasise human and planetary wellbeing – beyond purely financial returns – to capture stakeholder trust and sustainable growth.

        4. People & Psychological Safety

        Kirsty Watson (Aberdeen Group) and Vikki Allgood (Fidelity International) underlined that technological investments are futile without organisational design and psychological safety. Allgood cited a McKinsey study revealing only 26% of leaders build teams with a sense of safety – a critical step toward innovation.

        5. Human‑Centred AI

        Monica Kalia (Planda AI) championed AI that models individual financial contexts – recognising diversity within demographic cohorts and personalizing services accordingly.

        Roundtable Experiences at FTS

        At the event’s heart were the TableTalk roundtables – 400+ small-group sessions, each led by a subject-matter expert. These were limited to six participants each, enabling deep, peer-led discussions on themes like:

        • AI in risk and compliance
        • Open banking integration
        • ESG data standards
        • Cyber resilience
        • Change management and culture adaptation

        Attendees consistently praised their interactive nature – far removed from the stage‑focused “listening” format often critiqued at other conferences.

        Demonstrations & Exhibitor Showcase

        Over 60 exhibitors presented tech-driven innovations: Generative AI, open‑banking APIs, ESG reporting tools, embedded finance solutions, and more. A few standouts were:

        • CRIF highlighted AI-powered credit scoring with ESG overlays – promising dynamic risk assessments backed by sustainability data
        • Emerging FinTechs demoing AI compliance engines, digital wallet insurance packaging, and data-sharing platforms
        • Hyland demonstrated the intuitive end-user experience of its Hyland Content Innovation Cloud™ and showed how easy it is to configure, tailor and deploy solutions that can empower key stakeholders across any business

        The demo zone allowed engaging, hands-on exploration and real-time Q&As; it complemented the content with practical insights.

        Standout Themes & Strategic Insights

        1. Tech is Not Enough Without Culture

        Recurrent messaging emphasised that culture, trust, governance, and psychological safety are foundational – not secondary – to digital initiatives. Technology alone won’t deliver transformation without a people-first mindset.

        2. Cross‑Sector Data Collaboration

        Despite heavy investment, institutions still operate in silos. Shared, secure infrastructure and regulatory-aligned frameworks are being prototyped, but broad adoption remains a work in progress.

        3. AI-as-a-Personalisation Backbone

        AI is shifting from automation to empathy. Organisations showcased tools to hyper-personalise offers yet maintain privacy and inclusion – moving beyond outdated demographic frameworks into genuine behavioural understanding.

        4. Embedded Finance & Digital Wallets

        Insurance via wallet applications and embedded finance models point to seamless customer journeys – less app hopping, more value delivered at the point of need.

        5. Rebalancing ESG & Profit Metrics

        Speakers emphasised integrating ESG factors into performance metrics – not just for compliance, but as an operative advantage anchored in long-term stability and stakeholder trust.

        Who Should Attend FTS Next Year?

        Ideal for:

        • Transformation and change leaders
        • CTOs, CIOs, and Heads of Innovation
        • Data and AI strategists
        • Operational and HR leaders focused on culture
        • FinTech innovators and solution providers

        If you’re crafting digital transformation strategies, an attuned leader in financial services, or a consultant embedding tech in legacy environments, this summit provides rich, actionable content.

        Expect next year’s event to build on this foundation:

        • More AI-specific tracks, possibly Generative AI streams
        • ESG deep-dives with case studies on implementation
        • Expanded regulator involvement around data governance and cross-border compliance

        FTS: Final Verdict

        Overall, the FTS 2025 delivered on its brand promise:

        • Interactive and inclusive: 400 roundtables empowered voices across levels.
        • Cross‑sector learning: Banking, Insurance, Wealth, and Lending streams offered both breadth and depth.
        • Insightful keynotes: Big ideas on AI, ESG, data-sharing, and culture were well-explored.
        • Real-world relevance: Exhibitor demos connected theory with practice.
        • Networking with purpose: Opportunities to engage, learn, and collaborate were abundant.

        The Financial Transformation Summit struck a compelling balance between big-picture vision and granular, execution-level insight. It emphasised that while technology enables; culture, customer centricity and collaboration drive real progress. The format – with its roundtables, demos, and keynotes – offered a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange.

        If you attended, chances are you left with practical next steps. If you didn’t, you missed one of the most interactive, future-focused events shaping financial services transformation today.

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Digital Payments
        • Embedded Finance
        • Events
        • Host Perspectives
        • InsurTech

        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        12 August 2025

        Estimated Read time

        8Mins

        Read in brochure format

        FinTech Strategy meets Eastern Horizon Founder & CEO Christine Le to discuss client expectations and the changing landscape of wealth management

        Financial Transformation Summit 2025 EXCLUSIVE

        At Financial Transformation Summit, Christine Le, a Chartered Financial Planner and Founder & CEO of Eastern Horizon Wealth Management, spoke on an investment panel – “Generational Wealth Transfer: Meeting the Expectation of Younger Clients”. Appearing with industry colleagued representing Citi Global Wealth, HFMC Wealth and Lightbox Wealth, Le considered: What trends and technologies are shaping NextGen investment decisions, and how can WMs stay ahead? Can digital wealth platforms meet the demand for hyper-personalised, user-friendly experiences? How does social responsibility & ESG investing influence younger investors, and how can advisors align with these priorities? How can wealth managers build and maintain trust with NextGen investors?

        Following the panel, we spoke with Christine to find out more…

        Hi Christine, tell us about your role at Eastern Horizon?

        “I’m a Chartered Financial Planner and the Founder & CEO of Eastern Horizon Wealth Management. We are a financial advisory firm and also a partner practice of St. James’s Place. They are among the biggest wealth management firms in the UK based on assets under management. We get a lot of support from St. James’s Place in terms of technology compliance and investment solutions. At my practice, we focus on a diverse range of clients including ethnic minorities, especially British Asians in the UK. I’m also the president of the Vietnam Investment and Finance Association in the United Kingdom (VIFA). We aim to provide useful financial information for Vietnamese people in the UK and become a bridge between Vietnam and the UK.”

        You were part of a panel at this Summit focused on Generational Wealth Transfer. Can you give us an overview of your thoughts?

        ‘’Having worked in the financial services industry for over 15 years, I’ve observed a persistent gap in how the industry serves diverse client segments – particularly ethnic minority communities in the UK. This gap is especially pronounced when it comes to financial education and long-term planning, including wealth transfer across generations. When I speak to members of my own Vietnamese community, I often find that there’s a limited understanding of how to navigate financial systems effectively – from managing investments and pensions to planning for intergenerational wealth. It’s not due to a lack of interest or ambition, but rather a lack of access to culturally relevant and accessible financial advice.

        “This is where I believe I can make a meaningful difference. I not only bring professional expertise and technical knowledge to the table, but also a deep understanding of the cultural values, family dynamics, and communication styles that shape financial decision-making in the community. That cultural insight is key to building trust, something that is essential when discussing personal finances and planning for the future. My goal is to help bridge that gap – to empower families with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed financial decisions, preserve their wealth, and pass it on confidently to the next generation.’’

        Why is this an exciting time for the business?

        “At the moment the world is so integrated, and many people can benefit. A lot of people want to go to the UK, invest into the UK. I think with that in mind this is an exciting time to run my business and to be able to bridge that gap, providing sufficient knowledge for people as a trusted source when they come to the UK and need to understand the financial regulations. We can give people solid support to understand the financial processes of settling and building wealth in the UK.”

        “Right now, everyone is talking about AI, and for good reason. In my business, we rely heavily on digital tools to streamline administrative tasks. It’s truly a game-changer. Compared to starting a business 15 years ago, when I would have needed a full-time assistant just to take meeting notes and summarise action points, many of those processes can now be automated, saving both time and cost. Another advantage is in how we communicate. Many of my clients are British Vietnamese. While they understand and speak English, they often feel more comfortable communicating in Vietnamese. We use AI-powered translation tools to make this process faster and more seamless. These technologies are allowing us to broaden the range of services we offer and tailor our support to each client’s needs.”

        What pain points are your clients experiencing that you need to address?  How are you meeting the challenge?

        “It’s about meeting the client’s highest priority. When people come to me, they maybe want to support their children to get onto the property ladder or plan for their retirement. They might be looking to buy a new car or move home. So, as a regulated financial advisor, I can sit with a client and talk them through key priorities and tailor the solutions best for them and help them overcome the pain points of decision-making.

        “Additionally, the UK’s financial regulations are complex and changing all the time. It’s very difficult for people to follow. It’s my job as a financial advisor to follow up those changes and stay up to date with the regulations to assess how it can impact our clients and then give them the best recommendations. Allied to this, many of our clients will need support with cross-border services as they move freely between different countries they need somebody they can trust, an expert that knows what they’re doing and who can provide the right financial services for them.”

        Tell us about a recent success story…

        “Success for Eastern Horizon is to know that our clients feel they have somebody to rely on. For example, I have an old friend who came to me as a client. She was based in Vietnam but wanted to relocate to the UK. She had assets across Europe and in Vietnam and needed to understand the big picture of financial planning in the UK. We examined her assets across different countries to bring them into the UK and find the best solution for her to utilise tax efficient savings, pensions and investments to support her family and her business in the long term.”

        What’s next for Eastern Horizon when it comes to wealth management? What future launches and initiatives are you particularly excited about?

        “Over the next few months, we are keen to collaborate with different associations and communities across the UK – whether that’s related to Vietnam or British Asian communities and offer useful information and workshops and webinars tailored to different audiences. Also, with my work for the Vietnam Investment and Finance Association I want to organise workshops for those keen to invest in the UK but don’t know where to start. They often don’t have anyone to support them so I would like to focus on building a network to offer that bridge to investment in the UK.”

        Why do you think the evolution of collaboration between traditional institutions and FinTechs is set to continue? What are you excited about?

        “I spent five years working at the intersection of FinTech and WealthTech – where wealth management meets technology. During that time, I witnessed firsthand how the financial services landscape is evolving. Large incumbent banks bring undeniable strengths: scale, regulatory rigour, and long-standing client trust. However, they often struggle with agility. Their legacy infrastructures, many of which still aren’t cloud-based, make digital transformation slow and complex. On the other hand, FinTechs are born digital. They’re nimble, innovative, and quick to adapt to changing customer needs. But without the reputation and stability that traditional institutions have built over decades, they can face challenges in gaining consumer trust or navigating regulatory environments alone. What became clear to me is that banks and FinTechs cannot operate in silos.

        “Collaboration is not just beneficial, it’s essential. When they work together, they combine the best of both worlds: the reliability and compliance of traditional finance with the innovation and customer-centric design of new technology. With my own practice, we apply this mindset. We actively look for ways to streamline administrative processes using digital tools – reducing costs, improving efficiency, and freeing up more time to focus on what matters most: building strong, human relationships with our clients. The goal is to use technology not to replace that human connection, but to enhance it. By doing so, we can deliver modern, efficient, and deeply personalised financial services that clients trust.”

        Why Financial Transformation Summit? What is it about this particular event that makes it the perfect place to embrace innovation? What’s the response been like for Eastern Horizon?

        “I’ve attended several events this year, and this has truly been one of the most enjoyable and well-organised in the UK. What stood out was the impressive mix of voices – from established financial institutions to bold, forward-thinking startups. Engaging with such a diverse group of speakers has been both insightful and thought-provoking. I’ve come away with fresh perspectives, challenged some of my own assumptions, and found new ideas to explore as we continue building meaningful partnerships for Eastern Horizon Wealth Management.”

        Find out more at easternhorizonwealth.co.uk

        About Christine Le and Eastern Horizon Wealth Management

        As an Appointed Representative of St. James’s Place, Practice Lead, and business owner, Christine leverages over 15 years of experience in financial services and wealth tech to serve our clients, acquired through extensive work in multinational financial services firms in the UK. This rich background has equipped Christine with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively oversee the business, ensuring that every facet is managed with the highest level of professionalism.

        Christine founded and built this Practice to help clients prosper, build financial security, and attain peace of mind while overcoming financial obstacles. 

        Her primary focus is on nurturing enduring relationships with her clients, offering them trusted guidance as their financial requirements evolve over time. Throughout her advisory process, clarity remains paramount. By closely collaborating with her clients, Christine strives to identify the most efficient and tax-effective strategies to help them achieve their objectives. Specialising in tailored solutions, Christine is dedicated to understanding her clients’ financial goals and crafting strategies that align with their vision for the future.

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Events
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        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        11 August 2025

        Estimated Read time

        8Mins

        Read in brochure format

        FinTech Strategy meets with Citigroup’s Head of ESG Credit Management, Mauricio Masondo, to discover the future for ESG and sustainable finance

        Financial Transformation Summit 2025 EXCLUSIVE

        At Financial Transformation Summit, Mauricio Masondo, Head of ESG Credit Management at Citigroup, featured on a sustainability panel – ‘The Future of ESG and Sustainable Finance: Balancing Profit and Purpose’. Alongside peers fromGenerali AM, Gallagher Re and Arma Karma, Masondo considered: What key metrics should FIs use to track ESG progress, and how can they ensure authenticity in their sustainability efforts? Developing a holistic ESG strategy amid evolving regulations – key challenges and solutions. How can FIs leverage technology to meet sustainability goals and drive long-term profitability? How can FIs move beyond offering ESG products to embedding sustainability into their core business models?

        Following the panel, we spoke with Mauricio to find out more…

        Hi Mauricio, tell us about your role at Citigroup?

        “In my 32 years with Citi my career has primarily focused on wholesale credit, and in recent years I built out our portfolio management function. For the past year specifically, I’ve been leading the integration of ESG and climate considerations into our credit processes. As Head of ESG Credit Management, my role is to embed ESG requirements into our credit processes in a way that’s consistently and efficiently applied through technology, policies, training, and governance frameworks. Our strategic approach was not to create an ESG silo that replicates existing processes, but rather to integrate ESG considerations seamlessly into our current workflows. This means any credit analyst can now underwrite ESG credits, sustainable loans, or green loans, rather than requiring dedicated specialists. We’ve equipped our entire team with the knowledge and tools they need to handle these transactions effectively.”

        You were part of a panel at this Summit focused on the future for ESG and sustainable finance. Can you give us an overview of your thoughts?

        “Data standardisation is absolutely critical, especially as we advance into the AI era. I often reference Moody’s as an excellent example of strategic foresight. Moody’s operates two key businesses – credit ratings and data analytics – and early in their AI journey, they made the strategic decision to structure and normalise all their credit research data. This proved to be transformational because it enabled them to deploy AI solutions much more rapidly with clean, structured datasets. We’re working to apply this same principle at Citi. We’re developing processes to structure climate-related data in a way that will be usable across multiple applications. For example, we’re working on integrating emissions data and climate risk assessments into our credit risk rating models. We’re also exploring how this structured approach could support underwriting processes and securitisations, where comprehensive data packages could facilitate risk transfer transactions with institutional investors. The goal is to build normalised, structured data as the foundation for various applications, from portfolio management to AI-driven solutions. While we’re still in the early stages of many of these initiatives, the potential is significant.”

        Why is this an exciting time for the business?

        “We’re witnessing the convergence of several transformative trends. However, one of our biggest challenges is policy divergence across jurisdictions. Countries are taking vastly different approaches to ESG requirements, and for a global bank like Citi, this creates significant complexity in standardising processes across multiple regulatory environments. While challenging, this divergence also creates opportunities to develop scalable, cost-effective solutions that can adapt to various regulatory frameworks. Second, AI is revolutionising how we approach ESG challenges. It’s helping us structure data more effectively, enhance reporting capabilities, contextualise information, and identify trends that would have been impossible to detect manually.

        “Previously, comprehensive ESG analysis required significant time, resources, and personnel. AI has made these processes more accessible and cost-effective. Most importantly, there’s been a fundamental shift in how the industry, and governments, view ESG. It’s evolved beyond compliance and emissions reporting to become a significant business opportunity. We need to capitalise on this transition – moving from reactive reporting to proactive opportunity capture. The capital is there, and if traditional banks don’t seize these opportunities, asset managers, private credit firms, and private equity will. We’re partnering strategically with reinsurance companies and asset managers to develop innovative solutions that unlock transition capital and help companies fund decarbonisation projects.”

        “Trade flows are experiencing significant disruption due to current tariff policies. This creates both challenges and opportunities for our clients. Companies are reassessing their supply chain vulnerabilities and seeking greater resilience in their operations. I anticipate we’ll see a regionalisation of trade flows rather than a complete deglobalisation. European companies will likely increase intra-regional trade while reducing intercontinental transactions. We’re seeing similar patterns emerging in Asia and the Middle East. This shift requires banks to be more agile in how we structure trade finance and working capital solutions to meet these evolving needs.”

        What pain points are you experiencing that you need to address?  How are you meeting the challenge?

        “Working capital finance requires increasingly creative solutions that leverage advanced technology. Banks are recognising that FinTechs often have greater agility in developing and implementing these technologies. There’s significant efficiency in having one FinTech serve multiple banks rather than each institution developing independent solutions. This collaborative approach allows us to move faster while reducing development costs and time-to-market.”

        Tell us about a recent success story…

        “I designed and led the implementation of an early warning monitoring system for Citi’s credit portfolio. The project began with a fundamental concept: create a data lake, develop meaningful metrics, and engage data scientists to interpret the insights. We collaborated with trade officers and partnered with external specialists to enhance our capabilities.Initially, there was scepticism about the system’s value, particularly because we built it as an independent function within our portfolio management organisation, separate from traditional banking and risk management structures. However, this positioning allowed us to collect unique client data and develop insights that weren’t available elsewhere in the organisation. A critical component of our success was establishing a dedicated credit expert team that oversees the entire process.

        “This team leads the engagement and communication of alerts, ensuring that insights are properly interpreted and actionable recommendations reach the right stakeholders. The evolution was remarkable. We progressed from generating a few alerts daily to dozens per day, and eventually to hundreds of alerts weekly. More importantly, we developed sophisticated processes for interpreting and acting on these alerts, with our expert team serving as the bridge between data insights and business action. Bankers and risk managers began to recognise the value, and today, three years later, the system is integral to how we conduct annual reviews and client presentations. It’s incredibly rewarding to provide our bankers with comprehensive data and insights that strengthen their client relationships.”

        What’s next for Citigroup when it comes to ESG? What future launches and initiatives are you particularly excited about?

        “While it may sound clichéd, AI truly is transformative for our industry. The breadth of use cases and the rapid pace of learning make it essential to our strategic direction. We’ve established a strategic partnership with Google and are investing significantly in AI use case development and implementation across our operations. From an operational perspective, AI will undoubtedly increase our efficiency as an industry. More importantly, it’s enabling us to evolve our business models and create client solutions that weren’t previously feasible. This opens entirely new avenues for innovative product development. Additionally, since CEO Jane Fraser joined, we’ve embarked on a comprehensive transformation program that’s delivering strong results in terms of financial performance and returns. We’ve restructured and simplified our operations, which positions us more competitively as we refresh our leadership teams and attract new talent. The trajectory is very promising.”

        Why do you think the evolution of collaboration between banks and FinTechs is set to continue? What are you excited about?

        “The current tariff environment is creating opportunities for FinTechs that facilitate connections between banks, investors, and corporations. It’s also presenting consolidation opportunities for private equity firms within the rapidly expanding FinTech ecosystem.”

        Why Financial Transformation Summit? What is it about this particular event that makes it the perfect place to embrace innovation? What’s the response been like for Citigroup?

        “The panel brought together diverse perspectives from FinTech, asset management, insurance, and banking – all addressing common challenges that span our sectors. This cross-industry dialogue creates tremendous opportunities for collaboration and mutual understanding. The key now is translating these conversations into action. We need to maintain these connections, expand the dialogue, and avoid making decisions in isolation. FinTechs possess the agility to implement changes in their operating models far more quickly than large incumbents like us. However, our procurement systems and processes aren’t always conducive to collaborating with smaller, innovative companies. Events like this highlight the need to streamline how institutions like Citi can collaborate with and learn from FinTechs. We must accelerate our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing world.”

        Learn more at citigroup.com/global/our-impact

        About Citgroup

        A human bank…

        We’re helping build more sustainable, economically vibrant communities around the world.

        At Citi, helping our clients navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunities of our rapidly changing world is fundamental to our mission of enabling growth and economic progress.

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Events
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        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        5 August 2025

        Estimated Read time

        6Mins

        Read in brochure format

        FinTech Strategy meets Vikki Allgood, Director of Technology Strategy at Fidelity, to discuss the fundamental importance of culture in driving a successful business transformation

        Financial Transformation Summit 2025 EXCLUSIVE

        At Financial Transformation Summit, Vikki Allgood, Director of Technology Strategy at Fidelity International, gave a keynote speech entitled ‘Psychological Safety – The Hidden Key to Transforming Your Business’. Following her appearance, we spoke to Vikki to learn more…

        Hi Vikki, tell us about your role at Fidelity?

        “I am Director of Technology Strategy for Fidelity. We’re looking at how we can ensure we can adapt our response to our business’ needs through our technology to meet whatever demand is coming over the horizons tomorrow. And in the years to come.”

        You spoke at this Summit about psychological safety driving business transformation. Tell us more…

        “At Fidelity, our strategy for our technology has culture as our foundational pillar. Talking with our leaders over the last 18 months, we looked to understand how we can create a brilliant culture, recognising that psychological safety is a fundamental element in that.

        “Transformations often stumble because the business plan forgets its most volatile, and most valuable component, the people asked to deliver it. Without psychological safety, even well‑funded and organised programmes stall. Teams focus more on protecting themselves instead of challenging ideas. That’s when the risks remain hidden until it’s costly, and the collective new ideas to solve the biggest challenges are never formed. That’s why we ask leaders to invest time and energy in building a culture where it’s safe to question, experiment, challenge the status quo and admit what’s not working. In that environment the behaviours every transformation depends on (curiosity, creativity, problem‑solving, healthy challenge) all naturally emerge.

        Psychological safety isn’t some new trendy HR slogan, it’s a timeless basic human need wired into our biology through millennia of evolution. When people sense social threat, the amygdala floods the body with cortisol and the prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain we rely on for reasoning, innovation, etc.) literally dims. Remove the threat, and the brain’s chemistry flips, dopamine and oxytocin rise, and teams move from cautious compliance to bold collaboration. Leaders must ask themselves if their teams can lean in and challenge effectively or if they are staying quiet to protect themselves. The hidden key is simple, but non‑negotiable, leaders must consciously, relentlessly and courageously build psychological safety through everything they do and say. If they do that, then your technology and transformation plans will have the human engine they need to succeed.”

        Why is this an exciting time for Fidelity?

        “I think that within the industry, all the opportunities that are coming along, and our ability to adapt to our customers’ needs, is what makes it exciting. We are all on an exponential curve of change. Technical possibilities, customer expectations, regulatory demand, industry landscapes, are all going to keep moving, with new challenges and opportunities presenting themselves. We are ensuring that we can meet those needs of our customers both today and tomorrow. Finding new ways to do that is pretty exciting.”

        “So, from a technology perspective, I would say that we are making sure that all our foundational elements are there so that we can respond and adapt. One of Fidelity’s differentiators is that we have historic long running relationships with our customers. We are reintegrating our data strategy to allow us to better leverage this, in addition to market data, allowing us to provide personalised solutions to our customers.

        “AI is absolutely generating a buzz for us right now as well, and not just Generative AI. We’re seeing a push towards Agentic AI and how we can look to provide faster, quicker, more cost-effective services for our business partners who can then provide better outcomes for our customers. This in combination with our long-standing history gives us a unique opportunity.”

        What pain points are your customers experiencing that you need to address? What are they asking you for help with? How are you meeting the challenge?

        “We need to understand the new generations entering the wealth space and what their expectations are and how they engage with us. We’re looking to ensure we can keep pace with their demands. For example, we’ve just launched Pay by Bank allowing our customers to pay money into their accounts in a faster more secure way. This feature leverages the Open Banking Technology that is now available to financial institutions.”

        Tell us about a recent success story for Fidelity…

        “Across the technology landscape, we have been amplifying our existing cloud strategy by removing complexity in our hybrid setup, reducing the number of dependencies back to on-premises. This is a well-known challenge for financial institutions who have regulatory reasons to have highly confidential systems in house. This will allow us to respond at pace to what customers need. Looking a couple of years down the line nobody can be sure what the next big opportunities are going to be, so ensuring we’re building that foundation to respond to what comes over the horizon is fundamental.”

        What’s next for Fidelity? What future launches and initiatives are you particularly excited about?

        “Security is incredibly important to us. With that in mind, we are exploring Quantum to understand both the opportunities and risks that it could present in the future and how we can stay at the forefront of it. Ensuring a secure and reliable service for our customers is an absolute non-negotiable part of our strategy.”

        Why do you think the evolution of collaboration between banks and FinTechs is set to continue? What are you excited about?

        “I think the reality is that we need the collective mindsets to come together to create the best outcomes. We’re never going to have all the answers all by ourselves. So, starting to engage and work with people and collaborate means that we get to have a better, wider perspective. Coming to events like this, we get to learn, understand what other industries are doing, what other areas are looking at, and it helps to widen our perspectives and have more opportunities to find those out of the box ideas that are going to then help our customers.”

        Why Financial Transformation Summit? What is it about this particular event that makes it the perfect place to embrace innovation? What’s the response been like for Fidelity?

        “I was particularly keen to attend this conference because I think transformation and how we can do this successfully is so important at the moment. The reality is, sadly, and I covered this in my talk, a staggeringly large number of transformations miss the mark or fall short. And so, learning and embracing how you can ensure that you go after it and you get the value that you’re aiming for, that is for me what’s important. As I said, getting that learning, talking to each other, understanding what’s worked, what hasn’t worked and sharing tips and techniques is actually incredibly powerful and something you can then take back and use at your organisation.”

        Learn more at fidelity.co.uk

        About Fidelity

        It has been more than 50 years since we were founded. We’ve seen many market cycles – bull and bear, boom and bust. We have stayed the course through different investment environments regardless of market performance.

        The needs of our customers have always steered our decisions, which is why we’ve stuck to our core activity of investing. We believe this is what allows us to excel – and, even more importantly, to repay the trust placed in us by our customers.

        Whether you’re investing for the first time, or have a wealth of experience, it’s essential to be informed and to be comfortable with your decisions. Through Trustpilot, you can read up-to-the-minute, real-world reviews and see for yourself how Fidelity aims to put the customer first and make investing a bit easier.

        Our do-it-yourself online services give you 24/7 access to our investment guidance, handy tools, and range of accounts from your computer, tablet or phone. Transfer your existing investments to us, or open a new account online and begin investing in just a few steps.

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Events
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        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        31 July 2025

        Estimated Read time

        7Mins

        Read in brochure format

        FinTech Strategy speaks with Matt Bazley, Account Executive at Hyland, to explore how the content intelligence and process automation specialists are helping to drive operational efficiencies for their financial services clients

        Financial Transformation Summit 2025 EXCLUSIVE

        Hyland empowers organisations with unified content, process and applications intelligence solutions, unlocking the profound insights that fuel innovation. The Hyland team was at Financial Transformation Summit to reveal the ways organisations can transform their processes with the Hyland Content Innovation Cloud™. By combining AI-powered automation with built-in integrations to productivity tools and business applications, Hyland streamlines workflows across multiple channels, accelerating response times, boosting productivity and improving customer satisfaction.

        At the event, Neil Rayment, Sales Solution Engineer, demonstrated the intuitive end-user experience and showed how easy it is to configure, tailor and deploy solutions that can empower key stakeholders across any business. We spoke to Hyland’s Matt Bazley, Account Executive for Financial Services, to find out more…

        Hi Matt, tell us about your role at Hyland?

        “I’m the Account Executive responsible for banking across the UK and Ireland. I’ve been with the company for just over 18 months. Across my career, I’ve been helping financial services institutions for over 15 years with digital transformations and various programmes.”

        What are the key digital transformation solutions Hyland offers Financial Services organisations? How are they making a difference? What are some of the use cases you’re exploring?

        “Hyland is at the cutting edge of the content space. We have what we call our Content Innovation Cloud, which is delivering content intelligence, process intelligence and application intelligence. What that means in reality is that we’re helping organisations get access to their content that they don’t currently have access to because it’s spread over many siloed systems and sat in an unstructured format. So, with our content and intelligence, we’re able to get access to that unstructured data, which is around about 80% of an organisation’s data in the financial services sector. And we’re able to then provide knowledge and insight on that content, which helps organisations to make better strategic decisions. Allied to that, with this process intelligence, we’re able to help automate processes across the business. Whether it be orchestrating use cases and workflows or integrating with other systems to deliver application intelligence, we’re able to manage that whole end-to-end life cycle of information across an organisation.”

        Why is this an exciting time for the business?

        “We’re excited because our strategy is really leading the way. We’re leveraging large language models (LLMs) and AI to be able to deliver these real-life use cases that solve actual challenges. A lot of the time AI projects fail because businesses are trying to implement AI that isn’t actually a solution solving a problem. Whereas the AI we’re using is to actually solve a real-life challenge that businesses face because they want to be hyper-personalised for customers and more customer-centric. And you can’t really do that if you’re only leveraging 20% of the data you hold about your customers. And that’s why getting access and insight around this unstructured data is really vital for financial services organisations right now. We are able to help them leverage that unstructured data and meet them where their data is at. So, it’s not a case of having to migrate all of that data into different platforms or into our platform. We confederate across your information wherever it’s held as a financial services organisation; and that’s really a game-changing position for us and for the industry.”

        “AI is the big one. Although it is a bit of a buzzword that everyone’s mentioning nowadays, we’re actually delivering AI solutions to solve problems that businesses face. And that’s one of the real trends in the industries. Most AI projects fail, and companies want AI projects that succeed and deliver real value. The other thing we’re seeing is the rise of hyper-personalisation as part of being really customer-focused and customer-centric. Again, by helping businesses leverage that 80% of information around their customers that they don’t currently have access to, and provide insights on that information, we’re helping those organisations to become really specific and personalised in their dealings with their customers.

        “The final piece is around data and governance. So, security around our data as customers, because we’re all consumers at heart and want to know that our information is secure. Using best-in-class processes around security and governance is what we’re really focused on. And that’s a real trend in the market as well. We’re making sure that while we’re leveraging that information about customers, we’re keeping it safe and only using it for what it’s intended for and making sure the processes and governance around that information are really robust.”

        What other pain points are clients in the FS space experiencing that you need to address? What are they asking you for help with? How are you meeting the challenge?

        “The one big one is the siloed information across multiple systems as part of digital transformation strategies. Over the years, I’ve seen many businesses implement point solutions. They might be best-in-class point solutions… But that means you end up with information and data and processes across 10, 15 or 20 systems. How do you then unify that data and leverage it to make the user journeys more effective? And also the customer journeys better, whatever channel those customers are using?

        “What we see is that while trying to be omnichannel for their customers, organisations end up with multiple solutions. One for their mobile app, a solution for their website, a solution for in-branch banking… So, you end up with omnichannel processes that are actually siloed processes. What we are trying to help businesses do is to unify those processes. We can break down those silos and make it a really seamless, integrated journey internally and externally for colleagues and customers.”

        Tell us about a recent success story …

        “A great example is our work with ABN AMRO – a bank that is one of our longstanding and valued customers. They were looking for a solution because of this very challenge. The bank had multiple siloed systems holding a lot of information and a very complex architecture. They went to market and Hyland was able to prove our solution was able to manage the sheer volume and complexity of the information and content that they had. And most importantly we were able to help them integrate with their line-of-business systems very easily to create that seamless internal/external journey for both users and customers.”

        What’s next for Hyland? What future launches and initiatives are you particularly excited about?

        “It’s all about continuing to grow for us. With the Content Innovation Cloud, the reception we’ve received from the market, from our customers, has been absolutely tremendous. Businesses are so excited to see the ability and capability of what we’re able to do. And what we’re able to deliver for them in terms of real value through the Content Innovation Cloud. We’ve got customers onboarded already. It’s now about expanding that list of customers who are going to see real value from leveraging the cloud, our AI solutions and driving efficiencies with our content process and application intelligence across their businesses.”

        Why do you think the evolution of collaboration between banks and FinTechs is set to continue? What are you excited about?

        “Across the market over the last 15-20 years the banks are starting to see FinTechs more as allies than competitors. And they’re leveraging these technologies rather than trying to challenge them. I think that’s going to continue because FinTechs are far more agile. And as customer expectations continue to evolve and become more demanding, banks need to evolve and deal with these demands more effectively and more fluidly. And that’s why leveraging FinTechs is going to be a key differentiator over the next 10 years. That trend is going to continue where banks and FinTechs work together and collaborate rather than challenge each other.”

        Why Financial Transformation Summit? What is it about this particular event that makes it the perfect place to embrace innovation? What’s the response been like for Hyland?

        “It’s my fourth year coming here with a couple of different companies and I always find this event really valuable. Not only to obviously promote our products and our brand… But to speak to key decision-makers and peers across financial services. We aim to learn from them about whether the challenges we perceive as a vendor are seen by them as a customer. We will continue to learn and evolve our business around key market challenges. Hyland can then focus our solutions around the real-world problems our peers are seeing across financial services. Coming to this event is a great way to meet as many people as possible. And just really enjoy having those meaningful conversations with leaders in the financial services sector.”

        Learn more at hyland.com

        About Hyland

        Hyland puts your content to work, making it smarter and more accessible in the moment of need.

        Hyland’s content, process and application intelligence solutions empower customers to deliver exceptional experiences to those they serve. The solutions capture, process and manage high volumes of diverse content, helping you improve, accelerate and automate operational decisions and workflows.

        3 Core enterprise content management solutions

        20+ Distinct product offerings

        1,000s of ways to transform the way you work

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Events
        • Together in Events

        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        5 June 2025

        Estimated Read time

        3Mins

        The final day at Money20/20 Europe 2025 was packed with more insights on the future of FinTech, from banks to borderless innovation.

        Money20/20 Conference Themes & Tracks

        Money20/20 Europe 2025 is structured around four thematic content tracks:

        • Digital DNA – Exploring core infrastructure, platform strategies, and foundational technologies.
        • Embedded Intelligence – AI, machine learning, data strategies, and real-time analytics.
        • Beyond Fintech – Partnerships between fintechs and other sectors like retail, health, and climate.
        • Governance 2.0 – Regulation, digital identity, privacy, and ESG compliance.

        Day three featured more impactful sessions across all four pillars, offering attendees more valuable insights and strategies for innovation.

        Highlights from Key Sessions at Money20/20 Europe:

        How to Create and Leverage FinBank Partnerships

        The discussion focused on the evolution and success of FinTech partnerships with banks. Key points included the shift from transactional partnerships to more collaborative, value-driven relationships, emphasizing joint KPIs and product creation. 

        Alex Johnson, Chief Payments Officer, Nium

        “You really have to differentiate. You really have to stand out for a bank to say, ‘Yeah, I like what you offer enough to go through, six months of onboarding.’ Dare I say, maybe more.”

        John Power, SVP, Head of JVs & AQaaS, Fiserv

        “The legacy system, it’s a fact of life. They’re there. They’re pervasive. They’re going to be here for a long time, and banks historically have made huge investments in those platforms and systems. So I think both the challenge for the for the bank and the opportunity for the FinTech is, how do you at the front end of those legacy systems develop new products that can scale and that you can bring cross border easily and readily.”

        Cecilia Tamez, Chief Strategy Officer, Dandelion Payments

         “It really is cutting the line to be able to deliver opportunity for customers and to be able to expand propositions for new customers.”

        “The economic development supply chains shifting to low to middle income countries are incredibly important right now, and cross border payment rails have not been good in low middle income countries.”

        Where Fintech goes Next: Tapping into Platforms and Verticals 

        The discussion centred on the democratisation of financial services through embedded finance. The panel emphasised the importance of data quality, personalisation, and strategic partnerships in delivering seamless financial experiences – ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and improving business efficiency.

        Hiba Chamas, Growth Strategy Consultant – Independent

        “Embedded finance is going to be defined by region and use cases.”

        Amy Loh, Chief Marketing Officer – Pipe

        “Small businesses don’t want to manage their business through a bunch of different tools that are stitched together. They’re looking to platforms to do everything for them and keep high end services.”

        Zack Powers, VP Commercial & Operations – Mangopay

        “Most platforms or merchants out there trying to diversify revenue, and they will get auxiliary revenue, or maybe get primary revenue through FinTech activity.”

        The Neobanks Strike Back

        ​​In a dynamic exploration of neobanking’s evolution, Ali Niknam revealed bunq’s remarkable journey from a tech-driven startup to a sustainably profitable digital bank. By leveraging AI across every aspect of their operations, bunq has transformed traditional banking, reducing support times to mere seconds and creating a hyper-personalised user experience. Niknam emphasised the power of user-centricity, showing how innovative features like simple stock trading and multi-language support can democratise financial services.

        The bank’s strategic approach – focusing on user needs rather than investor expectations – has enabled them to expand thoughtfully, with plans to enter the UK and US markets. By embracing technological change and maintaining a relentless commitment to solving real customer problems, bunq exemplifies the next generation of banking.

        Ali Niknam, Founder & CEO, bunq


        “Somewhere in the 70s, we let go of the gold standard, and now currencies are basically floating. The only reason why a dollar or a euro is worth what it’s worth is because of trust and perception. Philosophically, it’s very logical that we have found another abstraction layer by introducing stablecoin, which is not much else than a byte number that has a denomination currency as a backing asset that itself doesn’t have anything as a backing asset. A lot of people might ask, ‘Why would you need a stablecoin? We have euros. I go get a coffee, pay with Apple Pay or cash.’ But there are many countries on this planet where the local currency is not stable. If your country has an inflation rate of 30,000% like Zimbabwe, you would really love to use a different currency. The US dollar has been the currency of choice, but as a normal person, you cannot access the US dollar. A US dollar stablecoin that you can access by simply having a mobile phone – that’s going to be transformational for large groups of people.”

        Innovating When Regulation Can’t Keep Up: Lessons from NASA 

        Lisa Valencia covered an array of topics, from her 35 year career at NASA and Guinness World Record to the rise of private entities like SpaceX, which has launched 180 missions this year, and the increasing role of public-private partnerships in space exploration. The speaker also touched on international collaborations, particularly with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, and the potential for space tourism and colonization of the moon.

        Lisa Valencia, Programme Manager/Electrical Engineer – Pioneering Space, LC (ex NASA)

        “Back in the day, NASA got 4% of the national budget. Now it’s down to just 0.1%, so we’ve had to get creative with private partnerships. SpaceX is the perfect success story. They came to us in 2007 needing money after some rocket mishaps, and look at them now! From my balcony, I see their launches every other day. They’re planning 180 launches this year alone.Talk about a return on investment!” 

        “We’re planning to colonise the South Pole on the moon. The idea is to extract water and hydrogen from the regolith—both for living there and for fuel.”

        Scaling Internationally in 2025: Funding, Innovating, and Breaking into New Markets

        The conversation focused on the growth and strategy of fintech companies, particularly those with a strong presence in Europe and the US. The panel featured Ingo Uytdehaage, CEO and co-founder of Adyen, and Alexandre Prot, CEO of Qonto. Both leaders expressed a preference for organic growth over acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of scaling efficiently before pursuing an IPO.

        Ingo Uytdehaage, CEO and co-founder of Adyen

        “I think an important part of scaling a company is not just thinking about your product, but also considering the markets you want to address, and how you ensure you become local in each country.”

        “We realised over time that if we really want to bring the customers, we need to have the best licenses to operate. A banking license gives you a lot of flexibility.” 

        “Being independent from other companies, other financial institutions, that gives you flexibility to build what your customers really want.”

        “I think it’s very important, also in Europe, that we continue to be competitive. If you think about regulations and AI, we shouldn’t try to do things completely differently compared to the US.”

        Alexandre Prot, CEO of Qonto

        “We need to be very strict about tech integration and avoiding legacy which slows us down.”

        “We still need to scale a lot before we have a successful IPO. A few team members are working on it and getting the company ready for it. But, the most important thing is just scaling efficiently in the business, and maybe an IPO would be welcome in a couple of years.”

        Putting The F in Fintech

        The panel discussion focused on the role of women in FinTech based on personal experiences.

        Iana Dimitrova, CEO, OpenPayd

        “At times, being underestimated is helpful, because if you’re seen as the competition, driving an agenda is becoming more difficult. So what I found, actually, over a period, is that bringing your emotional intelligence, leaving the ego outside of the outside of the room, and just focusing on execution is is incredibly helpful.” 

        Megan Cooper, CEO & Founder, Caywood

        “The moment we start defining ourselves as like a female leader or a female entrepreneur, you almost kind of put yourself in a bit of a box. And so I think just seeing yourself on an equal playing field and then operating it on an equal playing field and interacting in that way is quite advantageous.”

        “We can’t just want diversity and hope it happens. We actually have to be intentional about creating it.”

        Valerie Kontor, Founder, Black in Fintech

        “Black women make up 1.6% over the FinTech workforce, but when we look at the financial reality of black women by the age of 60, only 53% of black women have enough money in their bank account to retire. We need to start marrying people in FinTech and the people that we need to serve.”

        Money20/20 Europe 2025 closed its doors but the next edition of the conference will return to Amsterdam from June 2–4, 2026, promising to continue the tradition of shaping the future of financial services…

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Blockchain & Crypto
        • Cybersecurity in FinTech
        • Digital Payments
        • Embedded Finance
        • Host Perspectives
        • InsurTech
        • Neobanking

        Author

        Dan Brightmore

        Published

        21 March 2025

        Estimated Read time

        5Mins

        InsurTech Insights Europe 2025: A Transformational Gathering for the Future of Insurance

        InsurTech Insights Europe 2025, held on March 19-20 at the InterContinental London – the O2, reaffirmed its status as the premier conference for insurance technology professionals across the continent. Drawing more than 6,000 attendees from over 80 countries, the event brought together C-level executives, startup founders, investors, and tech leaders. They explored the evolving future of insurance powered by innovation and digital transformation.

        Key Themes

        With seven stages and over 400 speakers, the conference agenda was packed with compelling keynotes, forward-looking panel discussions, fireside chats, and practical workshops.

        The overarching theme of the 2025 edition was crystal clear: artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept, it’s the driving force behind today’s insurance innovation. Topics like automation, generative AI, claims transformation, underwriting analytics, embedded insurance, cyber security, and ESG all reflected a dynamic industry poised for rapid acceleration.

        A Focus on Leadership & Diversity

        One of the standout sessions was the panel discussion titled “The ROI of Gender Diversity: Breaking the Glass Ceiling for Women in Leadership”, held on the Purple Stage. Featuring high-level voices from Solera, unlock VC, and AXA XL, the panel addressed the often-overlooked yet crucial importance of gender diversity in executive roles. The discussion didn’t stop at raising awareness; it presented measurable business outcomes tied to diverse leadership and called for action to foster inclusivity across all levels of the industry.

        Complementing this session was “The Women in Insurance Power Group Meet-up”, a networking event held at the Sky Bar on the 18th floor. Attendees not only connected over lunch but were also invited into an exclusive WhatsApp group, encouraging long-term collaboration and support among female leaders and allies in the space.

        The Innovators Hub and the ITI Marquee: Where the Future Was Born

        A major addition to this year’s conference was the debut of the ITI Marquee. A vibrant, purpose-built zone dedicated to showcasing bold ideas and startup brilliance. This space housed the Innovators Hub, which included its own dedicated Innovator’s Stage. Here, early-stage ventures and InsurTech pioneers pitched their solutions to panels of VCs, corporate innovation leads, and fellow founders.

        This setting offered more than exposure, It cultivated real-time connections between startups and investors, giving many smaller players their first shot at meaningful partnerships or funding opportunities. The diversity of ideas, from AI-powered claims processors to data-driven risk models for climate insurance, reflected the industry’s hunger for next-gen solutions.

        Keynote InsurTech Highlights

        One of the most talked-about moments of the event came from Daniel Schreiber, CEO and Co-Founder of Lemonade, whose opening keynote explored how AI can dramatically enhance customer experience in insurance. He challenged the audience to rethink not just how insurance is sold or serviced, but why it’s offered. And how technology can transform its social impact.

        Another crowd favourite was the session on “The Path to Embedded Insurance”, which unpacked how insurance products are increasingly being bundled into digital ecosystems like ecommerce platforms, mobility apps, and smart home technologies. This wasn’t just a hype piece. Real-world case studies from European neobanks and auto insurers illustrated how embedded models are already driving customer growth and retention.

        Among the compelling keynotes on the Main Stage, Sofia Kyriakopoulou, a Fintech Strategy AI Champion and Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer at SCOR, revealed how GenAI innovation at one of the world’s largest reinsurers is transcending the realm of proof of concepts to become fully productive.

        InsurTech Deep Dives: AI, Data & Digital Claims

        Sessions throughout the week made it clear that AI is at the forefront of virtually every area of insurance operations. Whether it was applied in predictive underwriting, fraud detection, or personalised customer engagement, companies are looking to AI not just for marginal gains but foundational transformation.

        A standout workshop on AI in Claims Automation included live demos from startups using computer vision and NLP to automate damage assessment. Meanwhile, a session on Data-Driven Underwriting shared how insurers are replacing traditional risk proxies with real-time data streams, from wearables to smart meters.

        Cybersecurity was another hot topic, with insurers discussing how to build resilient cyber products in the face of increasing digital threats and regulatory complexity.

        Global Meets Local: The Power of Diversity

        Although a European event at heart, the conference had a distinctly global flair. Speakers came from the U.S., Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, and the Middle East. They brought diverse perspectives on shared challenges such as climate change, digital regulation, and consumer trust.

        Simultaneously, European startups shone on stage. Companies from the UK, Nordics, DACH, and Benelux presented innovative, often niche solutions for localised market challenges—from parametric crop insurance to real-time mobility coverage.

        Trade Exhibition & Brand Visibility

        The exhibition floor was a hive of activity, featuring booths from established players like Munich Re, Swiss Re, Guidewire, Duck Creek, and Cognizant, alongside vibrant startup showcases. Product demos, swag giveaways, and live challenges kept engagement high and made it easy for brands to stand out.

        The conference proved to be a golden opportunity for brand elevation, allowing companies to position themselves as thought leaders or rising disruptors in front of an incredibly curated audience.

        InsurTech Insights Europe: The Verdict

        The closing remarks from Kristoffer Lundberg, CEO of InsurTech Insights, captured the spirit of the event:

        “It’s a privilege for us to gather together the sharpest minds in the industry to discuss the role of AI in insurance. The direction and impact of these technologies will shape the space for decades to come.”

        Indeed, InsurTech Insights Europe 2025 wasn’t just a conference, it was a strategic gathering. A melting pot of ideas and a launchpad for the next generation of insurance products and platforms. Attendees walked away not just with new business cards, but with fresh ideas, collaborative leads, and the motivation to drive innovation within their own organisations.

        As the insurance industry continues to evolve amid mounting global challenges and rapidly advancing tech, this event served as a timely and energising reminder… The future is not something to wait for—it’s something to build, together.

        • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
        • Host Perspectives
        • InsurTech