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The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #14 - Summer Edition
Finance is undergoing a radical transformation that's redefining how we think about money, technology, and trust. The latest edition of Finance X Magazine pulls back the curtain on these changes, revealing a landscape where artificial intelligence has moved from experimental to essential.
The numbers tell a compelling story: 85% of Belgian financial institutions now maintain dedicated AI units—a staggering jump from just 37% last year. This isn't superficial adoption; it's a fundamental strategic pivot affecting everything from talent development to organizational structure. Graph LLMs are emerging as particularly powerful tools, connecting complex data points to detect fraud patterns and personalize customer experiences with unprecedented precision.
Beyond AI, we explore how geography and regulation are reshaping global fintech. Europe has become a magnetic destination for Asian fintech expansion thanks to its passporting system—one license unlocks an entire continent. Meanwhile, in Turkey, a startup called Midas achieved the seemingly impossible: doubling the country's investor base in just three years by slashing trade fees from $25 to $1.50 and eliminating minimum balances. Their story demonstrates how technological innovation can create "financial armor" against economic instability.
For established players, adaptation is essential but complex. AXA Partners shows how embedding insurance directly into partner journeys creates seamless customer experiences. Yet Solaris serves as a cautionary tale of growth outpacing operational controls, resulting in regulatory fines and reputational damage. The striking parallel drawn between legacy banks and Yellowstone's John Dutton perfectly captures their challenge: leveraging valuable existing assets while avoiding obsolescence.
As technology accelerates and regulations tighten—from NIS2 cybersecurity requirements to comprehensive crypto frameworks—financial institutions face a profound question: How do we balance innovation with stability, and ultimately, how do we maintain trust at the center of everything we do? Join us as we navigate these crucial questions reshaping the future of finance.
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Koen Vanderhoydonk
koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com
#FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech
Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're tackling something pretty hefty. It's the latest edition of Finance X Magazine.
Speaker 2:That's right, and this one's special.
Speaker 1:It really is. This is what the 14th edition Traditionally their summer Deep Dive.
Speaker 2:Exactly and the size of it this year.
Speaker 1:I know it's their largest edition ever. Yeah 100 pages. Can you believe that?
Speaker 2:100 pages, yeah, packed with insights that.
Speaker 1:A hundred pages, yeah, packed with insights. It's quite something. And what's interesting is, this time no single overarching theme, not like usual.
Speaker 2:Which makes it a bit of a treasure hunt. You know Lots of diverse topics all in one place.
Speaker 1:Totally, it's a real mix. Oh, and quick heads up for you listening to the next edition. Yeah, that's coming out in August, after the summer months.
Speaker 2:That one will have a theme.
Speaker 1:Right Could be all about prop tech and lending innovation, so something to look forward to.
Speaker 2:Definitely.
Speaker 1:But for today, our mission is basically to guide you through this well, this massive volume. We'll pull out the most vital bits, the surprising facts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, give you the highlights so you get the big picture without having to wade through all 100 pages yourself.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. You walk away feeling you know ahead of the curve.
Speaker 2:Well, it's true, the amount of stuff in here really shows how fast things are moving in finance and, like you said, no single theme. But we'll definitely find some connections, some key takeaways that sort of define where things are right now.
Speaker 1:Sounds like a plan.
Speaker 2:Think of it as your quick way to grasp all the innovation, the challenges. See how it all kind of weaves together.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's dive in. One thing you just can't miss flipping through this edition is AI. It's everywhere.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It pops up constantly.
Speaker 1:So let's start with that AI barometer 2025. It focused on the Belgian financial sector. What were the standout findings there? Especially how companies are changing, like their staff and structure.
Speaker 2:Right the barometer based on, I think, 13 big Belgian financial players. It shows AI isn't you know some future thing anymore. It's core strategy now. A key thing was the upscaling. About 70% of them are doing formal AI training for staff now 70% Wow yeah. But the really big shift dedicated AI units Get this. 85% of them have a dedicated AI unit now. Last year it was only 37% 85%.
Speaker 1:That's a massive jump.
Speaker 2:It's huge and it shows they're not just like playing around with chatbots. They're embedding generative AI deep into their main business processes. It's changing the whole game.
Speaker 1:That really signals a major strategic pivot, doesn't it? Yeah, but investing in AI isn't always smooth sailing. There's that article AI investments demand tolerance for high volatility.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's a crucial counterpoint.
Speaker 1:It talks about the risks. Oh yeah, Maybe using the NVIDIA example they mentioned. It was pretty vivid.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, nvidia is the perfect example of this volatility. The NVIDIA example they mentioned it was pretty vivid. Oh yeah, nvidia is the perfect example of this volatility. Despite all the US trade issues, their Q1 2025 results were well staggering Revenue up 69 percent, profit up 25 percent.
Speaker 1:Incredible numbers.
Speaker 2:The market loved it, but just a few months before, everyone was worried about DeepSeek in China potentially hitting demand for NVIDIA's chips.
Speaker 1:I remember that.
Speaker 2:That fear seems to have faded now, but it just shows how quickly things can swing in tech stocks. You really, really need a diversified portfolio. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Speaker 1:Good advice.
Speaker 2:And beyond stocks. The article talks about AI agents, these sort of AI systems that can plan and act on their own. They could really shake up business models. Ai agents okay, and specifically for banking and insurance. It business models. Ai agents OK, and specifically for banking and insurance. It highlights graph LLMs as the next frontier.
Speaker 1:Graph LLMs. How are they different?
Speaker 2:Well, think of your standard AI understanding text Graph LLMs. Use a graph structure like a web to connect data points, your transactions, maybe social interactions, history all linked.
Speaker 1:Ah, ok, seeing the connections.
Speaker 2:Exactly, which makes them incredibly powerful for spotting complex fraud patterns that other systems might miss and for really personalizing customer experiences. Makes sense they even mentioned HDFC Bank's chatbot, Eva. It's handled like 5 million customer queries 5 million.
Speaker 1:Well, that's serious efficiency right there.
Speaker 2:It really is. Shows the real world impact.
Speaker 1:Okay, so AI is global, but how it's being used varies. Let's shift continents. The magazine talks about scaling fintech from Asia to Europe. Why is Europe suddenly so appealing for Asian fintechs?
Speaker 2:Europe's definitely become a hotspot. You know global fintech investment actually dipped in 2024. Right, but Europe saw an increase, which suggests it's seen as stable, attractive. A big part of that is the regulatory side. How so Well. It's unified mostly, but still encourages innovation. The key is the passporting system.
Speaker 1:Ah, the single license.
Speaker 2:Exactly Get a license in one EU country and that's your passport to operate across the whole block Way easier than dealing with 27 different sets of rules.
Speaker 1:That must save a lot of headaches.
Speaker 2:Huge difference and Europe's diversity is actually a plus. You've got the Nordics great for testing things out because everyone's online. Central and Eastern Europe are growing super fast. Southern Europe is catching up Big potential market there.
Speaker 1:So lots of different entry points, depending on your strategy Precisely. Speaking of different markets, that story, the curious case of the engineers who taught Turkey to invest that was fascinating. The barriers Turkish investors faced.
Speaker 2:Wow, it really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Totally.
Speaker 1:Tell us about Midas. How did they manage to well democratize investing there?
Speaker 2:It's an amazing story. Midas Started by two engineers, less than half a million dollars in funding and in three years they got 2 million Turks investing, Doubled the country's investor numbers.
Speaker 1:Doubled them how.
Speaker 2:They tackled what the article calls the kingdom of barriers. Think about it $25 just to make one US stock trade $25 per trade. Yep, and you needed a $25,000 minimum balance plus a five-day onboarding process. Just ridiculous hurdles.
Speaker 1:So what did Midas do?
Speaker 2:This is the brilliant part they built their own infrastructure Self-clearing, self-custody, self-execution, everything.
Speaker 1:Hold on A startup built all that itself. Yeah, with limited cash.
Speaker 2:Exactly Revolutionary and because they own the tech stack, they could slash fees from $25 down to $1.50.
Speaker 1:Huge difference.
Speaker 2:No minimum balance, Onboarding down to under 10 minutes and get this in 2023 alone, they saved Turkish investors $70 million in commissions $70 million. That's incredible. It basically became, as they put it, essential financial armor against Turkey's high inflation, just making access fair and easy.
Speaker 1:A powerful lesson. It makes you think about other markets too, like the piece on Nepal's fintech future.
Speaker 2:Right, and that highlights a different but maybe equally important approach. Nepal's focusing more on like grounded innovation, inclusive growth.
Speaker 1:What does that mean in practice?
Speaker 2:It means building the foundations first. Things like getting a universal digital ID system sorted, making sure payment systems can talk to each other, a secure way to exchange data, building trust in the digital economy from the ground up.
Speaker 1:So less disruption, more foundational building.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it shows. Technology alone isn't enough. You need that trust layer.
Speaker 1:Very insightful contrast there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's switch back to the established players. How are they adapting? Axa Partners had a feature redefining insurance with embedded solutions and AI automation. What's their model?
Speaker 2:AXA Partners uses a B2B2C model, so they partner with big companies, banks, fintechs, right and they embed insurance directly into those partners' customer journeys online.
Speaker 1:So offering insurance right when you need it, basically offering insurance right when you need it.
Speaker 2:Basically, precisely. It's not just about selling a policy later, it's making it relevant right there, right then, improves the customer experience and it's a revenue stream for the partner.
Speaker 1:Makes sense and AI plays a role.
Speaker 2:Big time. They use AI for risk assessment. Speeding up claims processing makes everything much smoother and more efficient. It's about seamless integration.
Speaker 1:Embedding seems like a smart strategy, but success isn't guaranteed, is it? The article Building a Sustainable Boss Brand used Solaris as a cautionary tale in Banking as a Service. What went wrong there?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Solaris is a really important case study. They were a boss pioneer, looked very promising, but they grew too fast and their operations, their internal controls just couldn't keep up. Boffin, the German regulator hit them with fines.
Speaker 1:Fines for what?
Speaker 2:First half a million euros for exceeding exposure limits repeatedly, then a massive 6.5 million finer record, I think for filing suspicious transaction reports late, systematically late.
Speaker 1:Ouch. That led to some serious internal issues.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It showed their risk management just wasn't scaling with their growth. Big lessons you need compliance by design from day one.
Speaker 1:Guilt in from the start.
Speaker 2:Right and really strict partner governance, because your boss platform is only as strong as the clients using it. And fundamentally prioritizing operational maturity over speed.
Speaker 1:Slowing down to get it right.
Speaker 2:Exactly, building the tech is one thing. Building a trusted, sustainable boss brand needs serious operational discipline.
Speaker 1:Expensive lessons indeed. Okay, Broadening out the regulation. Topic NIS2, the Cybersecurity Directive. The article Many Companies Not Ready for Tough Demands of NIS2, had a surprising bit about Belgium.
Speaker 2:Ah yes, the solar panel twist Right, what was that? Again? Essential services. But in Belgium the interpretation means even companies that just generate their own power, maybe with solar panels on the roof. They're now classed as essential companies.
Speaker 1:Seriously even smaller ones.
Speaker 2:Potentially, yeah, it dramatically increases the number of businesses that have to comply with these quite tough cybersecurity rules.
Speaker 1:What are the implications then?
Speaker 2:Significant costs potentially doubling IT security budgets for some and strict deadlines declarations due by April 2026. Plus massive fines for noncompliance up to 10 million or 2% of global turnover.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's a wake-up call.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and the magazine also touches on the markets in crypto assets regulation.
Speaker 1:Right, the big EU crypto framework.
Speaker 2:Seen as a real turning point, bringing structure and, hopefully, stability to the crypto space.
Speaker 1:And there was also the EU Accessibility Act.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that comes into full effect June 28th 2025,. Making sure financial services are accessible for people with disabilities Really important for inclusion.
Speaker 1:So the regulatory net is definitely tightening and widening across the board. Ok, shifting gears slightly. Where does all this innovation actually happen? The magazine mentioned industry events Money 2020.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Money 2020 Europe. It's become more than just a conference, hasn't it?
Speaker 1:How so.
Speaker 2:They call it a deal platform, media platform and policy accelerator. This year had over 10,000 people from 100 countries 10,000,.
Speaker 1:That's huge.
Speaker 2:It shows the density. You know Real deals get done there. It's where the global finance world connects, and they also mentioned the Digital Finance Summit in Brussels.
Speaker 1:Europe's premier fintech event. They called it.
Speaker 2:Right Its 10th edition is coming up, focusing on AI, blockchain, embedded finance. These events are crucial for networking, learning, finding partners.
Speaker 1:And sometimes real breakthroughs are showcased there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like Stabion, the digital currency venture.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Stabion is a great example of tangible tech coming out of these spaces. They've got this Euro, emt and e-money token.
Speaker 1:EMT.
Speaker 2:E-money token. It's built on DLT distributed ledger technology like blockchain and, crucially, it's MICA compliant.
Speaker 1:Okay, so regulation ready.
Speaker 2:Yes, and they showcased it at places like GTEX Africa and Paris Blockchain Week. The tech is impressive. They tested it on the EU's blockchain infrastructure. Ebsi hit 530,000 transactions per second. It's incredibly fast scalable very scalable and they already have a client pipeline, they say, representing over two billion dollars in monthly transaction volume.
Speaker 1:Two billion a month.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So being mica compliant, having powerful tech, it positions them really well for payments exchanges, cross-border trade, especially as non-compliant stable coins get phased out under mica.
Speaker 1:Shows how compliance and tech can create a real advantage. Okay, one last piece I wanted to touch on. Used a kind of unusual analogy, rethinking relevance in banking. Use the show Yellowstone.
Speaker 2:Ha, yes, the Yellowstone analogy. It's actually quite clever.
Speaker 1:What's the connection?
Speaker 2:It compares legacy banks to John Dutton, you know, fighting to keep his massive, valuable ranch safe from developers and change.
Speaker 1:OK, I see where this is going.
Speaker 2:The point is banks have huge assets, trust, customer data, history, but sometimes their own size and legacy processes stop them from adapting like Dutton clinging to the past.
Speaker 1:So they need to change how they think.
Speaker 2:Exactly the message isn't just resist change. It's about using those core assets. Exactly the message isn't just resist change. It's about using those core assets the trust, the relationships to innovate from within. Don't just try to copy fintechs. Redefine your ranch for today with grit, empathy and vision Otherwise, otherwise you risk getting swept away. The real battle, the article argues, is for trust, not just market share.
Speaker 1:A really interesting perspective. Well, we've certainly covered a lot of ground in this deep dive.
Speaker 2:We really have.
Speaker 1:From AI's impact everywhere, those amazing global fintech stories like Midas, the big regulatory shifts like NIS2 and MICA, digital currencies and even how banks need to think differently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hopefully we've distilled the key bits from that huge Finance X edition.
Speaker 1:That was the goal giving you those vital insights and surprising facts without the 100-page reading assignment.
Speaker 2:So a final thought maybe for you to chew on In this world where tech is moving so fast but regulations are also getting really complex, how do we find that balance? Balance between Between pushing innovation forward and making sure everything's stable and resilient? Yeah, and maybe the biggest question what happens to trust in all of this? How do we build and maintain it?
Speaker 1:That's a great question, finding that balance between innovation and resilience, with trust at the center definitely something to think about and remember looking ahead. That next Finance X edition in August is all about prop tech and lending innovation Should be another fascinating one.
Speaker 2:Looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's all from us for this deep dive. Thanks so much for joining us, thanks everyone. We'll catch you on the next one.