
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.

On this week's episode, Simon and Sarah sit down with Teana Baker-Taylor to talk about the latest news in blockchain. We also have a great conversation with Jeff Bandman.

On the latest episode of Insurtech Insider, Sarah sits down with Luca Schnettler and Ari Zadikov to discuss all things Health Insurance. Sarah also has a great interview with Yashish Dahiya at MoneyConf in June.

On this week's news show Ross, David, and Sarah are joined by a great pair of guests, Diana Paredes and Sian Lewin to talk about the latest and greatest fintech news stories this week.

Today's show takes a deep look on the long neglected issue of SMB banking. Sarah Kocianski guides us through the difficult world of SMB finances go discover who's improving life for SMBs.

On this weeks episode, Simon sits down with Noelle Acheson, Vinay Gupta, and Stephane Malrait to talk about the latest news in blockchain.

Today's show takes a look at a topic you've asked us to cover for a long time. We're taking on AI. Sarah Kocianski explores what AI can actually do for us, Machine Learning, rules based automation, Computer Vision, chatbots, and why AI experts don't want to work in financial services.

On this week's episode, Sarah sits down with Joon Ian Wong and Aaron Stanley to talk about the latest movements in the blockchain space. We also have a fantastic interview by Colin G Platt with Marieke Flament.

On the latest episode of Insurtech Insider, Sarah sits down with Jonathan Roomer and Oliver Ralph to discuss Life Insurance. Sarah also has a couple of great interviews with Adam Erlebacher and David Vanek.

On this week's news show, Ross and David are joined by a great pair of guests, Eric Fulwiler and Teana Baker-Taylor to talk about the latest and greatest fintech news stories this week.

Sam Maule interviews Angel investor Howard Lindzon on what it means to be a CEO, being in the right place at the right time, data, and the value of scarcity.

On this week’s episode, Sarah and Sara sit down to discuss some of the most intriguing stories in blockchain as investors get serious about crypto. We also bring you a panel on institutional crypto led by Simon at the Europa conference.

On this week's news show, Sarah and Simon are joined by a great lineup of guests including: Bryan Glick, Nina Mohanty, and James Safford to discuss the latest and greatest news in the fintech space.

Today's show charts out the banking journey from legacy to cloud. Simon Taylor explores how old programming languages have created a new kind of cowboy, untangling legacy systems, and how banks should approach the powers of AI - which isn't quite the magical word everyone hopes it is.

Simon and Sara are joined by Noelle Acheson and Joon Ian Wong from Coindesk to talk about the latest and greatest blockchain news. Including a brilliant tweet of the week.

On the latest episode of Insurtech Insider, Sarah and Nigel sit down with SMB insurtech experts to give you an enlightening discussion on how SMBs are starting to have access to tailor-made insurance policies and what insurance they need. Joining our hosts today are Alex Wheal, Commercial Client Manager at Hiscox and Ania Kubow, Co-founder of Nimbla.

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...

