Voices in digital finance, fintech, and digital assets, brought to you by DigFin, Asia&#39;s expert fintech media.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/5/1/8/2d583fc8-a535-46af-bc6a-daa8555cb643_skfinal.mp3

Wise’s SK Saraogi talks platforms versus remittances, new products, and new competition in Asia.

Expanding Wise in Asia | SK Saraogi | DigFin VOX Ep. 77

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/4/5/7/59c22338-41a5-48d6-86cc-3a5f126407cd_sebastien_final.mp3

Sebastien Gaudin of insurtech The CareVoice discusses how insurers are engaging digitally – and about his $10m funding raise.

Sebastien Gaudin is founder of The CareVoice, an insurtech that has evolved to design apps for insurance companies to build a relationship with their policyholders.

The business just completed a $10 million Series B fund raise, a notable achievement in an environment that has been difficult for insurtech startups to secure investment.

Gaudin speaks with DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio about why insurance companies are eager to develop “super-apps” combining insurance and related services, and how they are trying to go about it.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Sebastien Gaudin and TheCareVoice
2:40 – Insurers want direct engagement with customers
7:20 – How they do this within an app
13:31 – And without upsetting agents
16:37 – The competition
18:13 – What’s a “super-app” in the insurance context?
22:07 – The latest fund raise and use of proceeds
26:20 – How ordinary people discover insurance apps
28:12 – Retaining customers, or finding new ones?

Building insurance super-apps | Sebastien Gaudin, CareVoice

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/4/5/7/8f4a373e-42c0-4243-865e-d509e013d5d6_kalidasfinal.mp3

Kalidas Ghose of UNO Digital Bank discusses the latest fund-raise and challenges in the Philippines.

Kalidas Ghose is co-founder and chairman of UNO Digital Bank, one of six purely digital banks licensed to operate in the Philippines. UNO’s parent company just raised $32.1 million in additional venture-capital funding.

Ghose speaks with DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio about the opportunities for digital banking in the Philippines, the question of deposit size versus customer numbers, the challenges of non-performing loans, and expected innovations around digital identity and open banking.

He also compares the Philippines’ fintech environment to that of Vietnam, where for many years he ran one of Vietnam’s leading digital lenders.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Kalidas Ghose, UNO Digital Bank
1:40 – UNO’s competitive offering
4:58 – Tiny deposit size versus growing user numbers
8:50 – Onboarding the unbanked
10:00 – Incentives to attract customers
11:15 – The funding model
12:31 – The challenge of high non-performing loan ratios
16:03 – UNO’s strategy as a pure startup
19:00 – Partnering with GCash
22:01 – Kali’s experience in Vietnam
24:58 – Central bank initiatives and open banking
28:18 – New business services for small businesses

Philippines Digital Banking | Kalidas Ghose, UNO

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/3/15/3/254fbc54-db0b-4b6f-b80a-0f4ceb4544cb_laurent_pod.mp3

Laurent Ischi of Tradeweb describes how automation is expanding opportunities in trading Asia bonds.

Laurent Ischi is director at fixed-income technology vendor Tradeweb, and Singapore-based director of AiEx, Tradeweb’s toolkit for workflows to automate trading and execution.

He speaks with DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio about trends in automating Asia’s markets for bonds, swaps, and FX, and how the region’s asset managers are using technology to create new ways to trade and to measure dealer performance.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Laurence Ischi and introducing Tradeweb
2.35 – impetus for asset owners to go electronic in fixed income
4:20 – products seeing most adoption of automated execution
7:30 – who’s driving automation in Asia, the sell side or the buy side?
9:10 – where’s the biggest change taking place in Asia Pacific?
11:32 – the knock-on effects of automating a market
14:06 – what kind of people and skills do firms seek?
16:00 – advantages to being an early adopter of automation, particularly interest rate swaps
18:38 – global trends such as benchmarks and T+1
21:51 – data value-adds and measuring dealer performance
25:11 – taking advantage of market idiosyncrasies
26:48 – where to find liquidity in APAC fixed income

Automating Asian fixed income

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/2/15/9/ff313454-1116-42aa-b404-4e318e85d78f_regtech_final.mp3

Jacqueline Pang of Artius and Claus Christensen of Know Your Customer talk regtech developments for 2024.

Two co-founders of regtech companies discuss upcoming trends in regulatory technology for financial institutions – which on the one hand is an evergreen need, but on the other remains a challenge for fintechs trying to become established partners to banks, insurers and asset managers.

DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio is joined by Jacqueline Pang, co-founder of Singapore-based Artius Global, and by Claus Christensen, co-founder of Know Your Customer, based in Hong Kong and Dublin. Artius helps institutions automate disclosures and other reporting, while Know Your Customer helps with customer identity and onboarding.

Pang and Christensen provide an overview of how banks use their technology and their services, how to become a trusted player, what ares of finance face the greatest demand for regtech solutions, and their funding and long-term business goals.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Jacqueline Pang and Claus Christensen
2:00 – Introducing Artius Global and Know Your Customer, RegTech overview
5:20 – Changing needs versus evergreen demand among financial institutions
9:57 – How startups work with big institutions, breaking into the top tier
15:01 – Digitization, Covid’s impact, and tech agendas among financial institutions
17:30 – Fintech business models and finding growth
20:46 – The impact of generative AI
26:48 – RegTech developments in 2024
32:02 – Funding and exits

RegTech in 2024

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/2/1/11/3c38acab-9456-4fb1-b6a8-c8457fae41ae_timfinal.mp3

Octopus CEO Tim Ying talks about new pain points to solve, from cross-border payments to personal finance.

Tim Ying joined Octopus in mid-2023 as CEO, after building a career in banking, payments and technology. His tenure began as Octopus was celebrating its 25th anniversary – making it the “OG” of fintech in Hong Kong.

Octopus has a pioneering history, inventing the stored-value card that was embedded in the Hong Kong subway system, a model later copied by London’s Oyster and others.

But that’s old news. What’s Octopus doing now to transcend its primary role as contactless payments in transportation?

Ying talks about his outlook for the company, new customer problems to solve, and new services to move into, including cross-border payments, e-commerce, fintech, and – to the relief of interviewer Jame DiBiasio – the Hong Kong taxi fleets.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Tim Ying, Octopus
1:49 – A trip down memory lane: the Octopus origin story
6:01 – The Covid factor in merchant acquiring
7:48 – Contactless payments versus QR code-based systems
10:52 – The agenda today, “we’re not in the payments business”, e-commerce, personal wealth management
16:25 – Partnerships and open versus closed payment rails
19:33 – Solving Hong Kong’s taxi payments problem
23:43 – Opening the Octopus network, in Hong Kong and abroad
27:09 – Connecting to ASEAN’s domestic payment networks and moving users from cards and chips to mobile phones

The future of Octopus | Tim Ying, CEO | DigFin VOX Ep. 72

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/1/25/12/d5c84725-3837-4ee1-aefb-9621fd6be6f4_adrit_final.mp3

Raha Adrit of CoverGo discusses how insurers’ needs for digitalization are changing, along with the tech.

In Episode 71 of DigFin VOX, Adrit Raha of insurtech CoverGo explains the trends driving digitalization among insurance companies today.

Raha is managing director for Asia Pacific at CoverGo, an insurtech that launched in Hong Kong but now operates in three markets and is trying to expand to Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Raha talks about how insurers’ needs are changing, the uses of new technology, and the way that insurtechs are working with large incumbents. He also talks about CoverGo’s funding and outlook for 2024.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Adrit Raha, CoverGo
1:34 – His mission to help insurers go digital
3:30 – How are the tech needs of insurance companies changing
5:09 – Are insurers still lagging behind banks in transformation?
8:07 – How durable are the changes wrought by Covid?
9:43 – It’s still all about claims
11:17 – Tensions between fixing small problems versus holistic change
15:50 – Are insurers completing their transformation journeys?
17:42 – Insurtechs navigating through large incumbent enterprises
19:33 – Automation requirements, next-gen tech, and insurtech in the era of generative AI
24:11 – Embedded insurance
27:36 – Funding, scaling internationally, and goals for 2024

How are insurers digitizing? | Adrit Raha, CoverGo

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/1/22/2/6d1345a3-c9ab-4769-8cfb-91b0c571572f_julianfinal.mp3

Julian Anderson, co-founder of Divit, talks about combining merchant acquiring with real-time payments.

In this episode of DigFin VOX, startup founder Julian Anderson talks about how his fintech, Divit, is combining rewards systems and other services for merchants with real-time payments.

He tells DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio that Divit is now working with Citibank to help it grow its merchant acquiring network, and how the bank is helping Divit scale beyond its home market of Hong Kong.

Julian shares the story of his career and the origins of Divit, and what to expect in 2024.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Julian Anderson, Divit
0:43 – His work digitizing payments for insurance companies – trends in real-time payments
8:13 – Founding Divit
12:46 – Pivoting from consumer payments to merchants
13:58 – Helping merchants manage reward programs
17:03 – And helping merchants with chargebacks and other needs
20:00 – Working with Citi to provide real-time payments to merchants
22:28 – The growth of banks’ merchant acquiring business
23:56 – Linking rewards to merchant acquisition
26:25 – Scaling Divit beyond Hong Kong
29:24 – Funding and 2024 ambitions

Faster payments + rewards | Julian Anderson, Divit

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/1/22/2/39c6d7e7-687f-46c7-8e59-cf31fbf2f68e_florianfinal.mp3

Florian Spiegl of Evident Capital discusses why asset tokenization is on the rise.

Florian Spiegl, founder of Evident Capital, retraces the history of asset tokenization and the ideas behind it through the lens of his career.

Spiegl has been pursuing tokenization business models since 2016, first at Finfabrick and now Evident, a wealth platform seeking licenses to issue securities tokens.

He speaks with Jame DiBiasio about the value of transitioning many capital-markets activities to blockchain, choices between public and private networks, the role of banks and asset managers, and how to create an ecosystem – as well as Evident’s plans for fundraising.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Florian Spiegl, Evident Capital
2:17 – Digitizing banks before blockchain
5:10 – Innovation (or lack thereof) in asset management
8:08 – New winners and losers
9:50 – Is blockchain necessary?
11:38 – Lessons from previous startup Finfabrik
14:10 – The idea behind Evident and seeking licenses
15:44 – Public versus private ledgers
17:00 – Banks’ internal tokenization projects
19:27 – Best strategy for go-to-market: wide or niche?
22:09 – Crypto native versus DLT/TradFi
25:38 – Can banks adjust to this new world?
28:35 – Evident’s fundraising plans

Tokenization | Florian Spiegl, Evident

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2024/1/22/2/882cabf9-9d0b-43e1-9757-fd393e5ee8f6_plantofinal.mp3

The co-founders of Hong Kong personal-finance app Planto discuss how they’ve expanded to B2B.

Jessica Liu and Ankit Suri are co-founders of Planto, a Hong Kong-based fintech that began as a personal financial management app. It has since expanded to partner with banks around the region to help them with a variety of digital services.

Liu and Suri speak with Jame DiBiasio about how they have evolved the business, identifying customer needs, and trying to build an embedded kind of business in a market that does not have an open-banking culture.

They also discuss how they’ve been able to achieve profitability and what that means for their plans for the business. They also share some lessons for other fintech founders.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Ankit Suri and Jessica Liu, Planto
1:45 – How Planto got started
4:25 – Consumer pain points and account aggregation
5:33 – Does the app work?
8:15 – Embedded banking without bank open APIs
9:17 – Is there scope for advice?
11:26 – Pivoting to B2B
14:43 – What if open banking fails to take off in Hong Kong?
17:32 – New markets
18:26 – Funding, VCs, and profitability
22:23 – Planto’s future and founder exits
24:30 – Lessons for fintech founders
27:32 – Paths not taken

Open banking | Jessica Liu & Ankit Suri, Planto

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/10/3/8/925f193a-4660-4eb8-9aba-de7d3d804db2_herstonfinal.mp3

Herston Powers is co-founder and partner at 1982 Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm that focuses on fintech.Herston says now is a great time for seed investing into new fintech companies in Southeast Asia. He is backing the next wave of founders, many coming out of the region&#39;s giant e-commerce businesses.He discusses what sectors of fintech are attractive, the state of fund-raising in today&#39;s tough macro environment, and the future of IPO opportunities.Timecodes:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> - Herston Powers, 1982 Ventures<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=63s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">1:03</a> - Founding a VC company focused on fintech<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=315s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">5:15</a> - The growth thesis for Southeast Asian fintech startups<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=516s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">8:36</a> - Innovation versus regulatory arbitrage<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=639s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">10:39</a> - Managing the costs of financial compliance<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=705s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">11:45</a> - What differentiates today&#39;s fintech founders<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=886s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">14:46</a> - Which financial services verticals are promising<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1200s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">20:00</a> - Helping portfolio companies navigate surprises<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1333s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">22:13</a> - Fund raising from LPs<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1517s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">25:17</a> - Valuations<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1596s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">26:36</a> - Exit opportunities<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1691s&v=urNTckwKbxg" rel="nofollow">28:11</a> - IPO prospects in Asia and the US

Herston Powers is co-founder and partner at 1982 Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm that focuses on fintech.

Herston says now is a great time for seed investing into new fintech companies in Southeast Asia. He is backing the next wave of founders, many coming out of the region's giant e-commerce businesses.

He discusses what sectors of fintech are attractive, the state of fund-raising in today's tough macro environment, and the future of IPO opportunities.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Herston Powers, 1982 Ventures

1:03 - Founding a VC company focused on fintech

5:15 - The growth thesis for Southeast Asian fintech startups

8:36 - Innovation versus regulatory arbitrage

10:39 - Managing the costs of financial compliance

11:45 - What differentiates today's fintech founders

14:46 - Which financial services verticals are promising

20:00 - Helping portfolio companies navigate surprises

22:13 - Fund raising from LPs

25:17 - Valuations

26:36 - Exit opportunities

28:11 - IPO prospects in Asia and the US

Fintech VC | Herston Powers, 1982 Ventures | DigFin VOX Ep. 67

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/8/28/9/62328f99-8a94-42fd-b7cc-48f895eed79a_bharatfinal.mp3

Sell-side firms are coming to grips with fees and expenses by gaining visibility over their trading costs.

One of the biggest costs incurred by sell-side firms is for trading: brokerage, exchange and clearing fees and expenses.

Bharat Malesha is executive vice president at SmartStream Technologies responsible for helping banks understand and optimize these costs.

He speaks with Jame DiBiasio about the upward trend in costs, and the way that automation is giving COOs and CFOs more visibility and control.

Malesha also discusses the working culture of financial institutions around the world, in both developed and emerging markets, and how technology and digitalization is reshaping how they operate.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Bharat Malesha, SmartStream
1:04 – The rising cost of fees for brokerage, exchange and clearing
3:35 – How firms have changed their approach to managing costs
7:37 – Optimizing across asset class, marketplace, and volumes
10:11 – Unbundling research from execution
11:34 – The evolving use of technology to gain visibility over P&L
15:09 – Emerging markets versus developed
16:16 – How COOs and CFOs make use of information
17:09 – SmartStream’s challenges in working with complex clients
20:42 – Integrating cost optimization to respond to big trends such as Libor’s transformation or a market going to T+1 settlement
23:15 – What’s next for technology and digitalization

Fees | Bharat Malesha, SmartStream | DigFin VOX Ep. 66

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/8/22/4/00d536d3-d865-40ae-9662-e56384110ba6_samfinal.mp3

Sam Rhee, co-founder of Endowus, discusses fund raising, growth versus profits, and disrupting private banks.

Endowus is a Singapore-based wealthtech that has integrated public pension money into users’ financial strategy. It now has over $5 billion of assets under management, and recently closed a funding round of $35 million.

Co-founder and CEO Samuel Rhee speaks with Jame DiBiasio about the dynamics behind Endowus, including its connecting to public pension accounts as well as a separate drive to disrupt private banking.

Rhee discusses the company’s relationship with investors, future moves, and eventual exit strategy.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Sam Rhee, Endowus
2:10 – His experience in traditional asset management
5:32 – Fintech versus traditional asset and wealth managers, disrupting the status quo
9:45 – What it means to integrate government pension accounts into a wealth solution
14:31 – The unique, competitive drivers in the business
15:56 – Size of Endowus’s business
20:08 – Going for growth over profitability in today’s environment
22:24 – Relations with VCs and sticking to the business model
24:38 – Maintaining valuations in a challenging macro situation
26:51 – Working with family offices and developing product for the rich
30:33 – Disrupting private banking, opportunities and limits
24:38: Exit strategy

Wealthtech Endowus | Samuel Rhee | DigFin VOX Ep. 65

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/8/22/4/1bfdbe00-7493-4260-9e15-0f0f23d1641d_arielfinal.mp3

PropTech venture investor Ariel Shtarkman talks ESG, wealthtech and tokenization in Asia real estate.

Ariel Shtarkman is co-founder and managing partner of Undivided Ventures, a Hong Kong-based venture-capital business that invests in PropTech – technology businesses aimed at digitizing various aspects of real estate.

She speaks with Jame DiBiasio about how PropTech has evolved in Asia, what family offices and other investors are looking for, and what opportunities are drawing capital, both from Asian investors and from global ones.

Shtarkman discusses PropTech’s overlaps with fintech, notably in ESG and sustainable investing, WealthTech platforms to provide family offices with access to private funds, and prospects for tokenizing real estate.
Timecodes:
0:00 – Ariel Shtarkman, Undivided Ventures
1:08 – Intro to Undivided and investing in PropTech and ESG
2:19 – What is PropTech, and its connection to Fintech
4:22 – Trends for Asian family offices investing in real estate
7:11 – How global family offices view Asian real estate
8:53 – Macro and geopolitical considerations for investors
9:51 – ESG investment opportunities in real estate for VC funds
13:43 – Best ways for investors to gain Asia real-estate exposures
16:19 – Demand among family offices for WealthTech platforms
18:55 – Tokenizing real estate, prospects and impediments
23:36 – Ariel’s view on Hong Kong and Singapore property valuations

PropTech x Fintech | Ariel Shtarkman | DigFin VOX Ep. 64

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/7/3/9/d1c2021f-f2f8-4652-9c3f-8fb7f54e240e_georgek_final.mp3

Bancassurance is all about selling insurance products through banks. The banking channel has become extremely important to insurers throughout Asia. We are seeing the first steps toward digitizing bancassurance, which means end-to-end automation and personalization of the selling of insurance products to bank customers.George Kesselman, Singapore-based founder of Asia InsurTech Association, tells Jame DiBiasio why digitizing bancassurance is now on the table, and what that means for making products, targeting new business segments, and the balance of power between banks and insurance companies.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> – George Kesselman, Asia InsurTech Association</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=116s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">1:56</a> – The beginning of digitized bancassurance</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=207s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">3:27</a> – Simple versus complex products, offline to online</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=317s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">5:17</a> – Is digital insurance bought or sold?</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=478s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">7:58</a> – How banks acquire data and share it with insurers</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=708s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">11:48</a> – Banks are realizing the full business potential of insurance</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=868s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">14:28</a> – Widening the product suite to go digital</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=989s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">16:29</a> – Whose tech stack dominates the relationship</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1079s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">17:59</a> – Bundling insurance with lending products, targeting SMEs</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1217s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">20:17</a> – Data governance and responsibilities</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1283s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">21:23</a> – Balancing of power between banks and insurers</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1445s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">24:05</a> – Opportunities for second-tier and new insurers</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1539s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">25:39</a> – Is there a role for insurtechs in distribution?</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1612s&v=itd2mFI8AT8" rel="nofollow">26:52</a> – Which Asia-Pacific markets are fastest, or slowest, to digitize bancassurance</li></ul>

Bancassurance is all about selling insurance products through banks. The banking channel has become extremely important to insurers throughout Asia. We are seeing the first steps toward digitizing bancassurance, which means end-to-end automation and personalization of the selling of insurance products to bank customers.

George Kesselman, Singapore-based founder of Asia InsurTech Association, tells Jame DiBiasio why digitizing bancassurance is now on the table, and what that means for making products, targeting new business segments, and the balance of power between banks and insurance companies.

Timecodes:
0:00 – George Kesselman, Asia InsurTech Association
1:56 – The beginning of digitized bancassurance
3:27 – Simple versus complex products, offline to online
5:17 – Is digital insurance bought or sold?
7:58 – How banks acquire data and share it with insurers
11:48 – Banks are realizing the full business potential of insurance
14:28 – Widening the product suite to go digital
16:29 – Whose tech stack dominates the relationship
17:59 – Bundling insurance with lending products, targeting SMEs
20:17 – Data governance and responsibilities
21:23 – Balancing of power between banks and insurers
24:05 – Opportunities for second-tier and new insurers
25:39 – Is there a role for insurtechs in distribution?
26:52 – Which Asia-Pacific markets are fastest, or slowest, to digitize bancassurance

Digital bancassurance | George Kesselman | DigFin VOX Ep. 63

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/6/15/15/b8bbf05d-ae9b-40c0-b41b-ebdfe714eb50_huetfinal.mp3

DigFin teamed up with Guillaume Huet to explore how ChatGPT can help fintechs with business ideas.Guillaume Huet is an A.I. and data specialist and consultant.We asked ChatGPT to recommend the optimal business model if we were to launch a fintech startup today, with the goal of reaching $100 million in annual revenues within five years.Huet used his prompt process to get a deeper, more insightful response. Along the way we learned more about how language-learning models work, and discussed many of the ideas that it presented us.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> - Guillaume Huet and our project</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=129s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">2:09</a> - Using language-learning models and external data</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=216s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">3:36</a> - Guillaume&#39;s solution to apply GPT to our goal</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=394s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">6:34</a> - Creating personas within GPT to interrogate our model</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=560s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">9:20</a> - Promising if mixed results, and what to expect</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=708s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">11:48</a> - Some of the fintech themes that GPT raised</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=783s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">13:03</a> - What to make of answers that surprise</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=884s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">14:44</a> - GPT&#39;s ideas about revenue models, like automating investment banking</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1002s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">16:42</a> - GPT&#39;s suggestions for using emerging technologies, eg quantum computing</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1163s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">19:23</a> - Jame&#39;s persona within the GPT asks some bizarre questions</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1328s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">22:08</a> - GPT&#39;s thought process behind persistent themes, eg open banking</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1482s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">24:42</a> - Predictive failure analysis and other new ideas</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1677s&v=KR-6Mr7AoyM" rel="nofollow">27:57</a> - AR/VR in capital markets and other glimpses of the future</li></ul>

DigFin teamed up with Guillaume Huet to explore how ChatGPT can help fintechs with business ideas.

Guillaume Huet is an A.I. and data specialist and consultant.

We asked ChatGPT to recommend the optimal business model if we were to launch a fintech startup today, with the goal of reaching $100 million in annual revenues within five years.

Huet used his prompt process to get a deeper, more insightful response. Along the way we learned more about how language-learning models work, and discussed many of the ideas that it presented us.

Timecodes:
0:00 - Guillaume Huet and our project
2:09 - Using language-learning models and external data
3:36 - Guillaume's solution to apply GPT to our goal
6:34 - Creating personas within GPT to interrogate our model
9:20 - Promising if mixed results, and what to expect
11:48 - Some of the fintech themes that GPT raised
13:03 - What to make of answers that surprise
14:44 - GPT's ideas about revenue models, like automating investment banking
16:42 - GPT's suggestions for using emerging technologies, eg quantum computing
19:23 - Jame's persona within the GPT asks some bizarre questions
22:08 - GPT's thought process behind persistent themes, eg open banking
24:42 - Predictive failure analysis and other new ideas
27:57 - AR/VR in capital markets and other glimpses of the future


ChatGPT's fintech ideas | Guillaume Huet | DigFin VOX Ep. 62

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/6/12/11/eb247e64-38fb-4170-a46e-df65fc789063_ginifinal.mp3

Fintechs often need to change business strategy to survive. Co-founders Victor Lang and Ray Wyand discuss how they realized their earlier versions of their fintech, Gini, was not working – and how they eventually found a product that could scale.Wyand and Lang tell Jame DiBiasio the issues they have faced in both B2C and B2B markets, the challenges of going market by market, and what kind of revenues a VC-backed startup has to aim for.They also share how they have worked with their investors, the solution they have found, and new challenges around going global from a base in Hong Kong.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> – Victor Lang and Ray Wyand, gini</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=67s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">1:07</a> – From open banking in B2C to the “death zone”</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=195s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">3:15</a> – The hard path of B2B and trying to shorten sales cycles</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=314s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">5:14</a> – Can startups control their own destiny?</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=421s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">7:01</a> – Finding a path to revenues and scale</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=488s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">8:08</a> – Being ready to sell globally as a fintech</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=589s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">9:49</a> – Selling data insights to the VC industry</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=889s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">14:49</a> – When to ask investors for help, and what to ask for</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1103s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">18:23</a> – How to defend your idea against the competition</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1264s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">21:04</a> – Gini’s journey to eventual big-time revenues</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1410s&v=czr5UC5oK7I" rel="nofollow">23:30</a> – The challenges of going global</li></ul>

Fintechs often need to change business strategy to survive. Co-founders Victor Lang and Ray Wyand discuss how they realized their earlier versions of their fintech, Gini, was not working – and how they eventually found a product that could scale.

Wyand and Lang tell Jame DiBiasio the issues they have faced in both B2C and B2B markets, the challenges of going market by market, and what kind of revenues a VC-backed startup has to aim for.

They also share how they have worked with their investors, the solution they have found, and new challenges around going global from a base in Hong Kong.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Victor Lang and Ray Wyand, gini
1:07 – From open banking in B2C to the “death zone”
3:15 – The hard path of B2B and trying to shorten sales cycles
5:14 – Can startups control their own destiny?
7:01 – Finding a path to revenues and scale
8:08 – Being ready to sell globally as a fintech
9:49 – Selling data insights to the VC industry
14:49 – When to ask investors for help, and what to ask for
18:23 – How to defend your idea against the competition
21:04 – Gini’s journey to eventual big-time revenues
23:30 – The challenges of going global

Gini's pivot | Victor Lang & Ray Wyand | DigFin VOX Ep. 61

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/5/30/6/97e9aec7-2c68-4349-ab13-80a24221aeb0_maaikefinal.mp3

Maaike Steinebach is founder of Femtech Futures, a Hong Kong-based venture investment firm supporting startups in the tech space dedicated to women’s health and wellbeing.Steinebach tells Jame DiBiasio about her journey from fintech to femtech, and how they are similar. She discusses the opportunity set, including backing B2B and B2C startups, and where she sees the space headed.She puts femtech into the context of Web3, data sovereignty, and digital identity – particularly in the context of Asia’s many societies.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> – Maaike Steinebach, Femtech Futures</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=135s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">2:15</a> – From fintech to femtech: Maaike’s journey</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=236s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">3:56</a> – Democratization and equal access to healthcare</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=349s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">5:49</a> – Leading venture investment into femtech</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=554s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">9:14</a> – The corporate landscape: employers, big pharma</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=596s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">9:56</a> – B2B business models versus B2C in femtech</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=814s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">13:34</a> – Driving market awareness and creating B2B opportunities</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=942s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">15:42</a> – Femtech’s place within the fintech universe</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1062s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">17:42</a> – Data sharing and open finance</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1100s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">18:20</a> – Web3, data sovereignty and digital identity</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1334s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">22:14</a> – Gamification and Web3 experiences for women</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1392s&v=KvLuEa9MYzc" rel="nofollow">23:12</a> – Femtech in Asia and women’s health as software</li></ul>

Maaike Steinebach is founder of Femtech Futures, a Hong Kong-based venture investment firm supporting startups in the tech space dedicated to women’s health and wellbeing.

Steinebach tells Jame DiBiasio about her journey from fintech to femtech, and how they are similar. She discusses the opportunity set, including backing B2B and B2C startups, and where she sees the space headed.

She puts femtech into the context of Web3, data sovereignty, and digital identity – particularly in the context of Asia’s many societies.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Maaike Steinebach, Femtech Futures
2:15 – From fintech to femtech: Maaike’s journey
3:56 – Democratization and equal access to healthcare
5:49 – Leading venture investment into femtech
9:14 – The corporate landscape: employers, big pharma
9:56 – B2B business models versus B2C in femtech
13:34 – Driving market awareness and creating B2B opportunities
15:42 – Femtech’s place within the fintech universe
17:42 – Data sharing and open finance
18:20 – Web3, data sovereignty and digital identity
22:14 – Gamification and Web3 experiences for women
23:12 – Femtech in Asia and women’s health as software


Femtech | Maaike Steinebach | DigFin VOX Ep. 60

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/5/23/8/c0779c89-fb64-4331-87b0-e439aad782d3_paulfinal.mp3

Paul Harapin is APAC leader at payments fintech Stripe.He discusses two topics: how Stripe is leveraging artificial intelligence, and its roadmap in Asia Pacific.Harapin tells DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio that Stripe is incorporating ChatGPT and other language-learning models. This is partly to support clients such as ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, but also to help derive better outcomes in Stripe’s business.Following layoffs at the company in the wake of the tech crash, Harapin outlines Stripe’s priorities in Asia and where the company sees innovation from the region making its way to other parts of the world.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> – Paul Harapin, Stripe</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=76s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">1:16</a> – Stripe’s strategy for artificial intelligence</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=278s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">4:38</a> – What AI companies are doing in the payments space</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=371s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">6:11</a> – Managing risks of ChatGPT</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=453s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">7:33</a> – The impact AI may have on payments processing</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=579s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">9:39</a> – The risks as AI gets more powerful</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=680s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">11:20</a> – Stripe’s valuation rollercoaster, where it’s cutting, where it’s investing</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1023s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">17:03</a> – Cross-border expansion in Asia</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1064s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">17:44</a> – Asia’s importance to the Stripe business</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1158s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">19:18</a> – Asia’s different competitive landscape for Stripe</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1356s&v=xxJrNVGBt3Y" rel="nofollow">22:36</a> – Innovations from Asia that can go global</li></ul>

Paul Harapin is APAC leader at payments fintech Stripe.

He discusses two topics: how Stripe is leveraging artificial intelligence, and its roadmap in Asia Pacific.

Harapin tells DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio that Stripe is incorporating ChatGPT and other language-learning models. This is partly to support clients such as ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, but also to help derive better outcomes in Stripe’s business.

Following layoffs at the company in the wake of the tech crash, Harapin outlines Stripe’s priorities in Asia and where the company sees innovation from the region making its way to other parts of the world.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Paul Harapin, Stripe
1:16 – Stripe’s strategy for artificial intelligence
4:38 – What AI companies are doing in the payments space
6:11 – Managing risks of ChatGPT
7:33 – The impact AI may have on payments processing
9:39 – The risks as AI gets more powerful
11:20 – Stripe’s valuation rollercoaster, where it’s cutting, where it’s investing
17:03 – Cross-border expansion in Asia
17:44 – Asia’s importance to the Stripe business
19:18 – Asia’s different competitive landscape for Stripe
22:36 – Innovations from Asia that can go global


"StripeGPT" | Paul Harapin, Stripe | DigFin VOX Ep. 59

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/5/15/8/1320c10b-e915-4d1d-8993-11f962ececb7_gourabfinal.mp3

Gourab Mukherjee is co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based insurtech Aktivo Labs. Aktivo provides wellness apps to insurance companies and reinsurers that are meant to help change people’s behavior.As Mukherjee explains to Jame DiBiasio, about 30% of longevity is within people’s control. Smoking, substance abuse and poor diet, versus good diets, exercise, and getting a decent night’s sleep all impact our health. And digital technology is getting better at turning that into scores that insurers use to price policies.But are these apps really changing behavior? Are they personalized enough to be effective? As the reward the virtuous, are they making inequality worse, particularly in emerging markets? Mukherjee fields these and other questions about wellness and insurtech.<ul><li>Timecodes:</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=0s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">0:00</a> – Gourab Mukherjee, Aktivo</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=97s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">1:37</a> – Longevity and the challenges of “healthspans”</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=197s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">3:17</a> – Demographics of health and at-risk populations in emerging markets</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=319s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">5:19</a> – Impact of Covid-19 on the wellness industry</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=373s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">6:13</a> – Do health apps change user behavior – at scale?</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=589s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">9:49</a> – Personalization and creating scores for individuals</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=891s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">14:51</a> – How insurance companies and reinsurers use these apps</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1071s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">17:51</a> – The challenges of socio-economic inequality and insurance premiums</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1243s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">20:43</a> – Integrity of data and gaming the system</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1350s&v=R_vtBjyFmPY" rel="nofollow">22:30</a> – Aktivo’s funding, and moving from startup to sustainable business</li></ul>

Gourab Mukherjee is co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based insurtech Aktivo Labs. Aktivo provides wellness apps to insurance companies and reinsurers that are meant to help change people’s behavior.

As Mukherjee explains to Jame DiBiasio, about 30% of longevity is within people’s control. Smoking, substance abuse and poor diet, versus good diets, exercise, and getting a decent night’s sleep all impact our health. And digital technology is getting better at turning that into scores that insurers use to price policies.

But are these apps really changing behavior? Are they personalized enough to be effective? As the reward the virtuous, are they making inequality worse, particularly in emerging markets? Mukherjee fields these and other questions about wellness and insurtech.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Gourab Mukherjee, Aktivo
1:37 – Longevity and the challenges of “healthspans”
3:17 – Demographics of health and at-risk populations in emerging markets
5:19 – Impact of Covid-19 on the wellness industry
6:13 – Do health apps change user behavior – at scale?
9:49 – Personalization and creating scores for individuals
14:51 – How insurance companies and reinsurers use these apps
17:51 – The challenges of socio-economic inequality and insurance premiums
20:43 – Integrity of data and gaming the system
22:30 – Aktivo’s funding, and moving from startup to sustainable business

"Healthspans" | Gourab Mukherjee, Aktivo | DigFin VOX Ep. 58

Voices in digital finance

Leading voices in digital finance, fintech, and digital assets, brought to you by DigFinGroup, Asia's leading fintech media.