Radha Suvarna, chief growth and product officer at Finastra joins Ellie Duncan to discuss the key findings from the Financial Services State of the Nation Survey 2023. He explains what the survey reveals about how AI is being deployed for greatest effect in financial services and banking, and why respondents are so excited about the pace of change across the industry. Radha also talks about Open Finance and its collaborative potential ..read more

Joe Garner, who led the independent Future of Payments Review published alongside the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November last year, tells Ellie Duncan about some of the key recommendations. The former chief executive officer of Nationwide also explains how the UK can remain at the forefront of Open Banking, why it needs to, and the threat from Brazil ..read more

Sara Costantini, managing director UK and Ireland at CRIF, tells Open Banking Expo’s Ellie Duncan about the findings from its latest ‘Banking on Banks’ report. She explains how Europeans feel about their finances compared to a year ago, and reveals which customer demographics are the most willing to share their financial data ..read more

Ezechi Britton, chief executive officer of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) joins Ellie Duncan, head of editorial and broadcast at Open Banking Expo, on the podcast. He explains why CFIT is the right organisation to drive forward Open Finance in the UK, and the initial outcomes from its Open Finance Coalition. Ezechi also reveals how the coalition structure works and why it is so important to recognise regional innovation and fintech representation ..read more

Small business accounting platform Xero recently partnered with Crezco to help UK small businesses manage cash flow. Crezco’s chief executive officer and founder Ralph Rogge, and partnerships director David Schilperoort, joined Leigh O’Neill, EGM, money at Xero on the podcast. They discussed how the partnership uses Open Banking to provide a better user experience for small businesses when paying bills and invoices. What will SMEs be prioritising in the economic environment in 2024 ..read more

Siamac Rezaiezadeh, vice president of product marketing and insights at GoCardless, joins Open Banking Expo’s Ellie Duncan to reveal the key themes and trends set to define Open Banking payments in 2024. He considers what is on the horizon for payments partnerships, fraud prevention, and variable recurring payments. Siamac also takes stock of the progress made in 2023, as Open Banking payments took off and GoCardless reached its own milestones ..read more

Bottomline’s Zhenya Winter, head of global marketing, financial messaging and Edward Ireland, joint head of commercial product management, financial messaging, join Open Banking Expo’s Ellie Duncan to discuss the findings of their latest survey. The latest edition of ‘The Future of Competitive Advantage in Banking and Payments’ addresses how financial institutions measure up in meeting customer expectations and in their digital payments modernisation strategy. What are banks’ priorities in the coming 12 months and do these align with corporate customer demands ..read more

Igor Pejic is the author of Big Tech in Finance: How to prevail in the age of Blockchain, digital currencies and Web3. He joins Ellie Duncan to discuss the speed and scale of Big Tech’s entry into finance, with payments as the gateway, and why this inspired his latest book. Igor addresses the need for regulators to create a level playing field for banks and Big Tech as they vie for market share. Finally, he offers his views on the CFPB’s recent proposed new oversight of Big Tech ..read more

Josh Graham, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Airtime Rewards, tells Ellie Duncan how he and co-founder Adam Ward came up with the idea for the UK-based loyalty scheme ..read more

Open Banking Expo’s Ellie Duncan caught up with two of our Women in Open Banking members who were matched in our mentoring scheme to find out what they initially sought from mentoring and what they’ve both gained from the scheme. Surbhi Sharma, senior manager at American Express, reveals how her own experiences of being mentored spurred her on to become a mentor. Meanwhile, Davinia Collins, senior legal counsel at Zepz, explains why the pair have adopted a more informal structure to their mentoring sessions. Davinia and Surbhi also offer some words of encouragement for those considering signin ..read more