
That’s what 11:FS bank building guru Jason hears when he tells people that he’s just spent the last two years building a new digital bank, and they’re right!

The Pulse team spends their time trawling through the world of banks and fintech apps, sorting the good from the bad so you don’t have to.

In this blog post Simon Taylor explores the concept of a Central Bank Digital Currency and why you would want a DLT (or “Blockchain”) like architecture for such a system.

If you missed Part 1 of this 2 part piece then you can catch it here and catch up with the rest of the class: BaaP (Banking as a Platform) Part 1 – Why haven’t we seen a banking platform play?

The landscape for fintech and banking is evolving more rapidly than ever, and in case you weren’t aware, there’s a war going on for your customers. With challengers attacking from left, right, and centre, it’s never been more important to stay on top of the latest and greatest UX innovation. Pssst – click here to go straight to the goods and request a demo of 11:FS Pulse.

The opportunity to change the way we deliver financial services is changing as new channels, products and partnerships are being explored. Banking as a Platform (BaaP) is one of the alternatives.By me, David M. Brear, CEO and Co Founder at 11:FS and Pascal Bouvier, Venture Partner at Santander InnoVentures

While 2015 was just awesome on nearly all fronts, I think the close of the year has left us with a cliff hanger that George RR Martin would be rather proud of. For the curious among you, the question remains what’s next? What will 2016 bring? Across the actors and audiences, we feel there are the 9 questions we need to answer to be able to gauge who the winners and losers in 2016 banking will be. To get to the bottom of these questions, we have given our opinion, have asked a panel for their inputs and have asked a few expert friends of Think Different Group also for theirs.

“Hey Siri – Are you the bank of the future?”… “No comment, David” – Sometimes when someone says no comment that means no but when the thing saying it is a computer assistant then “no comment” means someone has taken the time to think about it and decide upon a snarky comment rather than nothing at all! For years AI has been a good idea without real world application or the processing power, connectivity or interface intelligence to maximize the opportunity. In the last 6 months, and ever increasingly, those restrictions are being removed unlocking huge potential.

We asked some of the 11:Mamas what they think we do. Here's how that went.

As consumers order the new Apple Watch, could this eventually be the missing piece of banking’s ‘branch of the future’? With secure digital payments, facilitated through the iPhone and Apple Watch, is this the potential game changer everyone has been waiting for? This article was first published on the Financial Brand in April 2015.

Legacy banking organizations are filled with career bankers who are set in their ways and naturally resist change. These managers can stifle the creativity and innovative spirit of others, impacting the ability for the organization to make needed transitions and remain competitive. What type of banker are you? Banks have been talking about a legacy holding them back for decades, but usually this discussion revolves around IT, core banking systems, distribution channels and traditional operation processes. This article was first published on the Financial Brand in July 2015.

Advice is regulated and personalised. Guidance is broader and safer - but that line is starting to blur.

Host Laura Watkins - Director of Media and Marketing at 11:FS - is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.

Host Benjamin Ensor - Director of Research and Strategy at 11:FS - is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.
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What does customer loyalty really mean in financial services - and has it ever been real? In this episode of Fintech Insider Insights, Kate Moody is joined by Rosie Lee, Jas Shah, and Alex Johnson to unpack the shifting nature of loyalty in a world where switching is easier than ever.

Host Benjamin Ensor - Director of Research and Strategy at 11:FS - is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.

In this episode of Fintech Insider Insights, in partnership with Pleo, host Benjamin Ensor is joined by Jeppe Rindom (Co-Founder & CEO at Pleo) and Tulsi Narayan (EVP, Commercial and New Payment Flows, Europe at Mastercard) to explore the next phase of embedded finance — as it evolves from a handy feature into critical infrastructure.

Host Laura Watkins - Director of Media and Marketing at 11:FS - is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.

Benjamin Ensor is joined by Rory O’Neill, Sahar Attaripour, and Sam Boboev to explore the rise of agentic payments - a fundamental shift from executing transactions to delegating intent.

Host Ross Gallagher - Head of Consulting at 11:FS - is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.

About this episode: Host Laura Watkins - Director of Media and Marketing at 11:FS is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week. This week's guests: David Sullivan -

Our expert host Ross Gallagher, and co-host Jamie Campbell, Co-CEO of 11:FS Holdings, present Fintech Insider News live from Village Underground in London, joined by some fantastic guests to discuss some of the interesting fintech and financial services stories of the week.

Recorded live from J.P. Morgan’s e-commerce and fintech forum, 11:FS CEO David M. Brear is joined by an all-star panel to tackle a deceptively simple question: can you still launch a startup in 2026?

Host Benjamin Ensor - Director of Research and Strategy at 11:FS is joined by some great guests to discuss the biggest stories from the world of financial services over the past week.

For years, banking has been framed as a battlefield: incumbents defending their turf while fintech challengers attack with better tech and customer experience. But in 2026, that picture may have changed.

Host Laura Watkins (Director of Media and Marketing at 11:FS) is joined by a brilliant panel to unpack these topics before diving into some of the biggest fintech stories of the week.

Fintech Marketing Podcast Season 2: Coming soon

After Dark - Open Finance: fact or fantasy?

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...

