
At some point for every product, you’ll have gone through an initial period of exciting discovery. This is taken from our Unfiltered newsletter. Subscribe now for a no BS, uncensored analysis of fintech news and hot topics delivered to your inbox each fortnight.

By Michael Douglas, Vice President, Strategy, Galileo

TL;DR None of the challenger banks use blockchain, the guy who’s leading the most popular smart contract platform (Ethereum) say’s it’s a bad idea. So, I mean read on…but. No, don’t use a blockchain or smart contracts for the love of god.

I’d like to start this by stating that Africa is not a monolith and for the purpose of this post, I’ll be zeroing in on the East and West African markets. This is taken from our Unfiltered newsletter. Subscribe now for a no BS, uncensored analysis of fintech news and hot topics delivered to your inbox each fortnight.

It’s been an incredible year for fintech, but one thing’s for sure. 2019 is going to be an even wilder ride.

So about 350 days ago I made some predictions about how 2019 would shape up. Here I’ll break down how accurate, or not, I was. TL:DR - pretty damn accurate.

Niall Cameron joined David Brear on Fintech Insider to discuss HSBC, innovation and partnering with fintechs. We found out his views of how incumbents can best work alongside and partner with fintechs in the changing digital space:

As a uni student, it drove Ollie Purdue crazy that his bank couldn’t provide him with basic info to help manage his financial life. How much money was he likely to have at the end of the month? Could he cut back on work and have more fun – or did he need to increase his hours to pay the bills? At age 20, he founded Loot to create a better banking experience that used data in a smarter way. In episode 232 of FinTech Insider, Ollie, CEO of Loot, shares the story behind his company, including how he got bank execs to talk to him when he was still in school.

The 11:FS research team is in the midst of building out an internal platform that has some elements of gamification (and because we see a lot of products coming through our benchmarking tool 11:FS Pulse which make use of it), I’ve been spending a bit of time considering the topic.

Every Thursday, Leda Glyptis, 11:FS Chief of Staff creates #LedaWrites. This week she turns her attention to careers, indecision and the Venn diagram of doom.

I was recently asked whether digital transformations meant partnerships will become obsolete. In fact, I think quite the opposite - banks who don’t use partnerships will become obsolete.

If you’ve been listening to the news at all in the last few months, you’ve likely run across the term Open Banking – a lot. The internet is awash with articles, thought pieces, blogs, books and podcasts on Open Banking. It’s a full-time job keeping up with the latest trends and following the right people. That’s why at 11: FS we’ve put together the authoritative resource on Open Banking. Whether you’re new to Open Banking or a bonafide guru, we’ve cut through the noise to bring you the go-to guide.

Every Thursday, Leda Glyptis, 11:FS Chief of Staff creates #LedaWrites. This week she turns her attention to Wonder Woman, technology without heart and why love is key to innovation.

If you’re a banker, particularly a retail banker, last year was like the longest pre-fight build up we’ve ever seen. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that this year four new challenger banks will finally come to the UK market in the form of Monzo, Atom, Starling, and Tandem. They were the constant drum beat in the background while you were making your roadmaps and planning your transformations; the constant understanding that winter was coming.

Much has been written about how Open Banking has announced itself with more of a whimper than a bang, since going live at the beginning of 2018.

Sam Maule is hosting in New York and this week he's joined by Jack Kramer and Nick Martell from Robinhood Snacks!

We. Are. Here. Today we bring you: JP Morgan to finance blockchain-based inventory system, the UK confirms the legal status of cryptoassets, and 25,000 Chinese blockchain firms are accused of issuing their own tokens. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

On this week's episode, Sarah Kocianski is joined by some great guests to talk all things AI and automation! What are the benefits of automation? Can you truly automate an entire claims process? All this and much much more on today's Insurtech Insider!

Sam Maule and Will White host this week's news show from NYC and are joined by some great guests to talk about some of the most interesting stories of the last 7 days, including: Chime rings in the new year in style, Silicon Valley’s reality check with California’s new consumer privacy laws, and Barclays harnesses puppy power to ease students’ money stress.

Sam Maule and Will White host this week's news show from NYC and are joined by some great guests to talk about some of the most interesting stories of the last 7 days, including: Chime rings in the new year in style, Silicon Valley’s reality check with California’s new consumer privacy laws, and Barclays harnesses puppy power to ease students’ money stress.

We. Are. Here. Today we bring you: Andreessen Horowitz leads $25M funding round, the argument for why the UK should have its own cryptocurrency, and Brave browser introduces crypto-coin rewards for your fave websites. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

Sarah Kocianski and Simon Taylor are joined by some great guests to talk about the most interesting fintech stories of the last 7 days. This week our stories include: Google's offering of checking accounts, Facebook launches Facebook pay, and HSBC and RBS' new digital banking platforms! All this and much more on today's Fintech Insider News!

This week we bring you an episode of the podcast recorded live at Xerocon London 2019! David Brear is joined by a fantastic panel of guests to discuss and debate the importance of cash flow for SMEs in this combined news and insights show!

We. Are. Here. Today we bring you: Bakkt's biggest trading day to date, North Korean crypto money laundering, and Ray Dalio's take on broken financial systems. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

Leda Glyptis and Adam Davis are joined by some great guests to talk about some of the most interesting stories of the last 7 days, including: Robinhood traders find “infinite leverage” glitch, Digital banks grow as fintech funding slows and Westpac announces banking-as-a-service platform! All this and much more on today's Fintech Insider News!

Sam Maule is in San Diego, and is joined by Lee Wetherington, Director of Strategic Insight at Jack Henry and Associates and Ben Metz, Senior Managing Director at Jack Henry & Associates!

We. Are. Here. In New York actually! Today we bring you: China announces new regulatory authority for blockchain and digital payments, Harbor adds SEC license to help security token issuers pay out dividends and association of German banks call for a digital Euro. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider.

Jason Bates is at SIBOS 2019 at the Excel in London where he is joined by Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive at Standard Chartered!

On this weeks episode, Sarah Kocianski is joined by some awesome guests to talk all things how to attract and retain talent in the insurance industry! Where is the talent going? Who has the hang of company culture? All this and much much more on today's Insurtech Insider!

David Brear and Sarah Kocianski are joined by some great guests to talk about some of the most interesting stories of the last 7 days, including: Revolut teams up with Mastercard to help them launch in the US - weeks after their Visa deal was announced, Santander takes on Goldman in the US deposits market, and EY’s alternative workplace training for women! All this and much more on today's Fintech Insider News!

Banks are facing a lot of challenges compared to their fintech rivals.

11:FS CEO David M. Brear takes to the lightboard to give us the full run-down, with examples of companies that are leading the way.

What does the future hold for lending? Live from Lendit USA 2022.
Will banks exist in 100 years?

In this episode of 11:FS Explores, Adam Davis picks apart Open Finance, and what we have to look forward to if this technology became a reality.
It's not just a buzzword.
On this episode of Spotlight, 11:FS Crypto Global Strategy Director, Mauricio Magaldi is joined by Ramp Network Co-Founder and CEO, Szymon Sypniewicz. In today's chat, the pair discuss Szymon's career, the current regulatory landscape in crypto, and what the future might hold when it comes to widespread crypto adoption.

The UK banking battlefield has never been more competitive. Customers expectfinancial apps that are personalised, seamless, and that genuinely make a differenc...


The UK banking battlefield has never been more competitive. Customers expectfinancial apps that are personalised, seamless, and that genuinely make a differenc...

