I recently heard someone suggest that ‘insurance is just like gambling.’ Bit of a stretch, but I could see their point. Both are fundamentally risk-based, and it raised an interesting question - do you ever really ‘win’ in insurance?
Tucked away in a small corner of the WeWork offices in Aldgate Tower, I sat down with Ross Gallagher. Financial inclusion is the touchstone on financial products for Ross. Regular host of the Fintech Insider podcast with a history in financial services consulting and research. Ross is known around the office as a tupperware fiend and always up for a laugh but as with many people who work for 11:FS he has a real passion for finance and financial inclusion in particular.
A couple of weeks ago I went into an overpriced London salad shop for lunch. Before I could part with my hard-earned money for some wilted spinach and avocado, the connection on the iPad I was ordering on went down.
This is the second article in a three-part series on how fintech for good (FFG) is helping people and the planet. The first touched on consumer behaviour. If you missed it, check it out here.
This December 2020 cover of The New Yorker has been praised for perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of the time. Of the completely bizarre year we didn’t see coming. The illustrator draws on the mundane everyday to create an image that resonates so well with the magazine’s varied readers.
As the saying goes, “success breeds success”. And one of the things that’s interesting in our industry is the alumni of fintechs going on to do great things. It’s no coincidence - there’s a bit of a pattern emerging: The founders of some of the most successful startups of today cut their teeth at the biggest fintechs of yesterday.
It’s happening. After months of ‘will they, won’t they’, Monzo is heading Stateside.
In a recent report EY point out that the big advantage the UK has in “Fintech” is it’s progressive policy from Government and Regulators. This post examines the latest policy the regulatory sandbox; to understand how it might work, what companies entering it need to know, and how other jurisdictions could repeat the trick. Can it help financial services be a bit more awesome?
Four years ago, policymakers in the UK and EU took the first steps to enshrine open banking into law, but now we’re at a turning point for digital adoption and the old ways of working aren’t working anymore.
At this point we can all agree that the financial market as a whole has gone through a period of lows. Paired with increased inflation (even in developed countries), and the US confirming a recession, things seem to have really taken a turn for the worse - the so-called bear market.
They say time is money, right? Well, what about time to money – how long it takes for money to be available for you to use.
This week on Fintech Insider News David, Jason and Simon were joined by Innovate Finance’s Sophie Winwood and making his Fintech Insider debut, Banking Editior at The Economist, Patrick Lane, to tackle the latest news from the last week. Listen to the episode in full here or play and read below
As part of the editorial process for Fintech Insider we review a lot of stories and see how media outlets report on challenger banks. Some recent pieces had the distinct feel of unhappy incumbent bankers lobbying hard to change the narrative.
You may have heard of Marcus, it’s been kind of a big deal. But why and how? We recently sat down with Boe Hartman, CTO at Marcus by Goldman Sachs, to get the inside story.
Everyone’s got a bike these days, right? How many bikes would you admit to owning? Is your ‘multi-bike’ strategy paying off? Now ask yourself the same questions about your use of cloud.

Benjamin Ensor is joined by some great guests, from 11:FS, Molo Finance, Pexa UK, to discuss the possibilities of mortgages services embedded at the point of need.

EL. EF. GEE. Today we bring you: a deep dive into the world of data and AI, and our second case study! On this show, we're taking a closer look at the the history of Dune, and their new LLM announcement, and how AI and blockchain intersect and can help shape the future of the crypto space. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

Skipton launches deposit-free mortgage aimed at renters, Apple attracts $1 billion in deposits in a week, and WhatsApp allows Singapore businesses to pay within app – Kate Moody and Ross Gallagher are joined by some great guests, from Thunes and Redpoint Ventures, to talk about the most interesting stories in financial services over the last 7 days.

David M. Brear is joined by some great guests, from Visa, Spendesk, and Revolut, to talk about the UX revolution in European fintech.

JP Morgan snaps up First Republic Bank, Revolut launches in Brazil, and ChatGPT investment fund "smashes" competition – Kate Moody and Benjamin Ensor are joined by a great guest from Reuters to talk about the most interesting stories in financial services over the last 7 days.

Benjamin Ensor is joined by some great guests, from Atom Bank, Coastal Community Bank, and Vexi to talk about the value of trust to financial services.

EL. EF. GEE. Today we bring you: US Congress to introduce new draft bill for stablecoins, Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade is complete, starting new era of staking withdrawals, and EU Parliament approves crypto licensing, funds transfer rules. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

Kate Moody joined by some great guests to talk about the most interesting stories in financial services over the last 7 days, including: Super.com’s $85M raise for a super app for savings; Could First Republic be the next SVB as the US scrambles to save it; and Klarna roll out a suite of AI-enabled personalisation tools for shoppers and merchants.

Our expert host, David Barton-Grimley, is joined by a fantastic guest from Airwallex to continue exploring the connected nature of travel and financial services in APAC.

Apple launches savings account, JROC lays out Open Banking roadmap, and Game of Thrones stars challenge big banks over fossil fuel links – Ross Gallagher and Benjamin Ensor are joined by some great guests, from Yonder and Open Finance Association, to talk about the most interesting stories in financial services over the last 7 days.

We. Are. Here. Today we bring you: a deep-dive into Nigeria's crypto scene, the challenges it faces from regulators, and why crypto is "heaven-sent" for Africa's economy. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!

Love Island's Sharon Gaffka teams up with FCA in clampdown on influencers, Visa partners PayPal for interoperable P2P payments, and Verto picks up a quarter of Silicon Valley Bank customers in Africa – Ross Gallagher and Benjamin Ensor are joined by some great guests, from Verto and CCG Catalyst, to talk about the most interesting stories in financial services over the last 7 days.

Ross Gallagher is joined by some great guests, from the Aspen Institute, GoCardless, and Lowell, to discuss how innovations can improve the reputation of the industry of debt.

David M. Brear is joined by some great guests, from Visa, YouTrip, and Revolut, to focus the connected nature of travel and financial services in APAC.

EL. EF. GEE. Today we bring you: First zkEVM goes live on Ethereum, a recap on USDC/SVB, and Coinbase’s SEC Wells notice. All this and much more on today's Blockchain Insider!
Ever wanted to know what’s going on behind the scenes every time we make a payment?
Regulation is essential. It stops banks from going bust or behaving badly.
The invention of the computer revolutionised banking in the 1950s.
Lending has been around for thousands of years and is one of the cornerstones of banking.
They're down, but they're not certainly not out.
Mastercard and Visa are the two biggest credit card networks in the world.
We kick off our Decoding: Banks series with a look at the banking landscape today and how we got here.

David M. Brear, our 11:FS CEO, takes us through legacy technology within banks - but of course, with a really cool Lightboard.

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...

