Podcast

🚨 Breaking news: what happens when two (crowdfunders) become one 🚨 The UK’s two largest crowdfunding platforms, Seedrs and Crowdcube, have announced their intention to merge. While it’s still subject to competition authority approval, this marks a significant shift in the crowdfunding landscape. But does crowdfunding have a future? Is it just a glorified form of marketing? Or is it a new asset class and the key to financial inclusion for the masses to get involved in early-stage investing?

Imagine you’re a grocer in Tanzania. The sun sets, and you’re forced to close shop because you—like the majority of those in your country—have no electricity. Then a mobile money loan gives you access to a solar battery, which allows you to charge your phone while keeping the lights on in the evening. You pay for the power you need on a daily basis. You expand your hours. Earn more money. Your child returns to school.

Picking apart the week on the Fintech Insider News show alongside hosts Simon Taylor and Ross Gallagher are Carrie Osman, CEO and founder of Cruxy, Ali Paterson, Editor of Fintech Finance, Amelie Arras, Marketing Director of Adastra Marketing, and Veronique Constans, Programme Manager at 11:FS. Listen here for the episode in full, stream it below or read on for extra insights.

“Digital is a small team sport” is a phrase we often use at 11:FS: you’ll hear us say it in keynotes, in pitches and on the podcast. But what do we really mean?

Following hot on the heels of International Women’s Day yesterday, we have some fantastic insights from some leading women in UK fintech. I spoke to Rachel Kent – Head of Global Financial Institutions Sector, Hogan Lovells; Wendy Jephson – Co-founder & Chief Behavioural Specialist, Nasdaq Sybenetix; Sophie Bialaszewski – Head of Innovation, Lloyds Banking Group, Adizah Tejani, Marketing Director at Token, Inc; and Min Teo – VP of Operations, Yoyo Wallet. Listen to the interviews in full on Fintech Insider here or stream them below.

In this Q&A with Jimmy Williams, CEO and co-founder of Urban Jungle we discuss using technology to enhance transparency in home and contents insurance.

I joined the 11:FS media team back in June 2017 - a mere 96 podcast episodes into Fintech Insider’s 500 episode journey. It’s been incredible working on this show and being a part of its growth over the last three and a half years. From its humble beginnings, FI has evolved into something we could never have predicted, and I’m SO proud of it. We’ve grown our audience both internationally and at home thanks to our community of loyal listeners (you know who you are 🙏).

This week we had great news from both sides of the Atlantic, lots of team ups and partnerships plus some of the sillier crypto stories we’ve seen Taking on all of this on the Fintech Insider News show along side host Simon Taylor were Megan Caywood, Chief Platform Officer at Starling; Edward Berks – Director of Banking, Fintech & Ecosystem at Xero, and our very own Ross Gallagher, Principal Consultant in our 11:FS Research Team. Listen here for the episode in full, stream it below or read on for additional insights.

For Fintech Insider’s news show Simon and Jason are joined by 11:FS NED Chris Skinner, Tanya Andreasyan, Editor at Banking Technology; Kristian Luoma – Head of OP Lab, in town from Helsinki for one night only and Cliff Evans, Head of Digital Banking at Capgemini, to take on the week’s top stories. This week they look at the monumental shifts in both global stock exchanges and crypto markets; the US take on Open Banking, and exciting developments in the SME space both here and abroad. Listen in full here, stream below or read on for highlights!

About two months ago I wrote a job ad for a “Programme Delivery Lead” to come and join us at 11:FS to create a digital financial services product and take it to market. But things didn’t quite go as expected.

Note – I use female loosely here to include all those who identify with feminine traits, partially, wholly or barely. The idea is not to be gender normative or exclusionary, so please excuse AND educate me if that is happening here. 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.

Derek Corcoran, CEO (Chief Experience Officer, not Chief Executive) at Avoka, paid a flying visit to 11:FS, straight off the plane from Colorado, for a Fintech Insider interview with Simon Taylor. Listen to the interview in full here, stream it below or read on for the highlights.

We’re halfway through our list of the best and most popular blog posts of 2019, which begs the question: what will take the number one spot?

Want to know more about insurtech, insurance and the changes within this ripe-for-disruption industry? We have the show for you.