One Vision Podcast — Fintech, Banking, and AI with Theodora Lau

In a world where billionaires are planning space travel while millions are struggling with extreme poverty; in a society where it would take 268 years to close the Economic Participation and Opportunity Gap and women in 72 countries are not allowed to get a bank account, how can we improve the well-being of those who have been left behind? In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley spoke with...

Can an industry as old as banking adapt to a tsunami of disruption? From open banking to open finance, how do we ensure a better outcome for the end users we are supposed to serve? Whose data is it and how do we protect consumer rights while fostering innovation? In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley chat with Dr. Louise Beaumont on the regulatory environment, open data, and positive dis...

The twenty-first century is going to be the most disruptive, contentious period humanity has ever lived through. It will challenge our most sacred ideologies around politics, economics and social constructs. It will force humanity to adapt in ways we can't yet imagine. We are now living in a different world than a century ago, where algorithms and robots can take people’s jobs, where unemployment...

The financial services ecosystem has been inundated with a tremendous amount of external capital aimed at disrupting the way people and businesses bank. From the most basic to the most complex, financial relationships are held together by the tenets of savings, investments, monetary exchanges, protection, and use of the credit and debt. When any of these areas are neglected, these relationships ca...

Have you been thinking about the global supply chain a bit more lately? Perhaps back in the beginning of the pandemic, when you couldn’t find toilet paper, or maybe now when you are just starting your holiday shopping and realize you might already be a bit too late. But do we think enough about what we buy, why we buy, where we buy from, and whether we are buying too much? In this week’s episode o...

Financial institutions are sitting on top of a lot of data, and so much of that goes unused, whether it is because the data is sitting in disparate systems that do not play well together, or because of the lack of expertise or resources to truly benefit from the power of it.  In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley play host to three thought leaders from Curinos –– Sarah Welch, S...

Could you imagine life without music? Plato said that ‘music gives a soul to the universe’. And there does seem to be a soundtrack to each change of cadence in our lives, as ‘music is the wine that fills the cup of silence’ according to Robert Fripp. There is also a melody to the way money flows through our daily lives as well. So how well do we take care of the artists that conjure up this magic,...

We have seen a tectonic shift across industries and business models during the pandemic. How businesses adapted to the changes on the ground was a stress test in real time. As customer behavior changed, payments changed along with them, seeing a rapid rise in contactless at point of sale and new ways to pay for all types of services via mobile and online checkouts. In looking to demystify how...

How can the financial services ecosystem play a bigger role in creating a more equitable future? Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are economic first responders that help remove barriers to economic equity and help improve the lives of people in our most underserved communities. Tune in to this episode of One Vision as Theo and Bradley speak with Catherine Berman, CEO and Co-Fou...

Those who have the data hold the power. But who owns the data? And how could we better leverage the benefits of financial data and technology to ensure that financial services are delivered in a fair, ethical, compliant, and more evenly competitive landscape? It will require more of the financial ecosystem to embrace open banking standards and put the needs of consumers front and center. Tune in t...

Have we truly fulfilled the promise of fintech? How do you look beyond what is easy and serve communities who have long been ignored by traditional financial services, such as migrants? What is best for the greater good? How do we create change at scale? Perhaps the only way to unbake systemic racism within financial services is to change the ingredients and those that are preparing the meal, as w...

Can we make embedding finance into apps and customer journeys as simple as drag and drop? While no one would go to Ikea for the sole purpose of opening a bank account, they might need payment installment services during checkout. The new breed of technology platform players (BaaS) has made offering such services much more cost effective and less complex for big brands and retailers. Welcome to the...

The old adage says to make hay when the Sun shines, but what do you do when the skies are grey? With this ongoing pandemic and the spectre of uncertainty surrounding it, being a startup founder has never been more challenging. How can startups look at these moments of uncertainty as moments of opportunity? In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley chat with Arun Krishnakumar about his new bo...

When it comes to planning for your finances, who do you turn to? Friends? Family? Colleagues? Or the Internet? With global fintech investment reaching US$98 billion across 2,456 deals in the first half of 2021 alone, one would have thought that planning for longevity wouldn’t be such a shot in the dark. In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Bradley chat with Rhian Horgan, Founder and CEO of Silv...

While the promise of flying cars might not have materialized, plenty has transpired in the startup space, at least in fintech. From investing to payments and super apps, from Asia to Latam and Africa, startups have raised record-level of funds. While it might seem consumers have a myriad of choices (just take a look at your smartphone), do we truly have the right solutions to the day-to-day challe...

Entrepreneurship is a stressful journey - and often, a lonely one; and oftentimes it might seem nearly impossible to balance the demands of the business and your own well-being. As an industry, we put a lot of emphasis on grit and celebrate sky high valuations and hockey stick growth, without pausing to think about the toll on the entrepreneurs. While the financial impact of startups in worldwide...

When was the last time you actually spoke with a customer and asked how you could help them? No — we don't mean a survey or through a video chat, but actually meeting and talking to one of your customers. Even in the days of digital banking, there is always going to be a need for physical space and human interaction. We might still need a branch or two. Or even physical money. In this episode of O...

From payments and embedded finance to wealthtech and crypto, there is never a dull moment in the land of fintech. And there is no sign that the activity is waning. According to CB Insights, Q2 FinTech startups picked up $30.8B, growing 30% quarter-to-quarter. Year-to-date funding exceeded 2020’s total by 24%. Southeast Asia and Latin America, in particular, have seen great momentum in recent...

As the saying goes, “I have not failed 1,000 times, I have successfully found 1,000 ways that will not make a light bulb.” This — or some version of it — is often credited to Thomas Edison, on his quest to come up with an efficient incandescent lamp.  As we look back at past innovations, and marvel at the ingenuity and perseverance of scientists and entrepreneurs, what inspires you? And how d...

Let’s talk about debt. Not financial debt. Not technical debt. But human debt — “the equivalent to Technical Debt but for people”, according to Duena Blomstrom, author of the latest book, “People Before Tech: The Importance of Psychological Safety and Teamwork in the Digital Age”.  As the saying goes, people are your greatest asset. For any digital transformation projects to succeed, bey...

Apart from its dramatic coastline, hidden coves, turquoise waters, and beautiful beaches with pink sands, Bermuda is also a well-established offshore financial center, home to the second largest reinsurance market. The island nation has also created an infrastructure and ecosystem to foster innovation in blockchain technology, supported by a tiered regulatory approach that includes the Digital Ass...

While banking should be a borderless experience, in reality, it is far from it. Immigrant communities for example, face a list of challenges from language barriers to lack of credit history and high cost of remittance. In 2018 alone, US immigrants spent over US$1 trillion, with international students contributing $42 billion to that sum. The market is ripe for change. In this episode of #OneVision...

Years from now, when we look back at this pandemic, what data will have been the most critical? While we normally talk about data in the context of financial services, and the importance of data and technologies like artificial intelligence to assist our ability to deliver a more inclusive future, the data we will remember from this moment of time is health data related to Corona-19 and the lives...

According to a recent survey, nearly two-thirds of full-time employees indicated that their financial stress has increased since the start of the pandemic. To engage and retain productive employees, companies must help foster a culture of financial wellness and support to help their workforce better manage their finances and plan for the future. Providing access to financial wellness benefits can...

Whether it’s the Queen’s bank in the U.K., a neobank in Brazil, a challenger fintech in the U.S., or one of the mighty superapp platforms of Asia, there is nothing more central to that conversation than compliance, risk, and regulation. This is especially true as it relates to data, privacy, and the evolution of the financial services business model. Yet this trifecta of controls are often overloo...