Trust in banks in some markets in the Asia Pacific is at an all time low – so you’d think that would give fintechs and neobanks a red hot chance at stealing main bank customers – think again! In this episode we explore the nuance of trust in digital banking, the relationship between good tech…

India is putting the legal building blocks in place that will create real domestic carbon markets, and it is opening the door for fintechs to begin playing a significant role in fixing the country’s environmental problems. But while the PayUs of India — the country’s largest payments provider — are getting on board by offering…

The Australian government is in the middle of a review of AI use, fielding submissions in response to a paper it put out in June on government mechanisms to ensure AI is developed and used safely and responsibly.    While many of Australia’s Asian neighbours have taken a light touch approach to regulating AI, all…

There’s no doubt Gen Zs will change fintech as we know it, but the ones likely to have the most influence? Kids today in Asia.  Fintech ideas born in Asia are starting to influence trends around the world. That means the almost 1 billion children and young adults who count as Gen Z, and who were…

There’s a whole movie coming out about the YOLO investing that really messed up some hedge funds and short sellers in 2021. Could we one day expect a movie (we’d even be ok with a made-for-streaming series) about the same kind of you-only-live-once, grassroots take down of… banking?  Dr Usman Chohan says that attitude is…

When does a fintech become what they set out to disrupt? Is it when they start offering bank-like products? Get a banking licence? Is it when they go all-in and buy an actual bank? In this episode we ask whether this is good, bad, or something else for competition. The Asian Banker founder Emmanuel Daniel…

In 2021 Myanmar went through a series of shocks, beginning with a coup d’état in February when the military overthrew the government and ending with a bank run. Brad Jones, the founding CEO of smartphone-based fintech Wave Money, was in the thick of it, working through the Internet ban and supporting staff as well as…

Once again it looks like the digital asset house is burning down, but in Asia the smoke is clearing — or so believes the Singapore-based digital asset team at Standard Chartered. We talk to the bank’s global head of digital assets Rene Michau and the brand new head of digital assets and governance Danielle Szetho about…

China continues to forge ahead with its central bank digital currency, notching up millions of transactions through giveaways and lottos. But beyond the consumer headlines lies a long-term strategy that could disrupt both banks and international trade.  We speak with two experts, ‘Cashless’ author Richard Turrin and Singapore Management University professor and China economic law scholar…

Description: The promise of conversational AI has so far been a disappointing series of chatbots helping banks reduce cost but doing little to inspire customers or improve the service experience. Can ChatGPT help the sector do better? We ask Sandra Ernst, the COO of a Singapore-based insurtech firm already using big data and AI to help…

What looked to be an emerging wave of challenger banks has in Australia fizzled, leaving few real challengers to the big 4. And after what was a much needed fintech correction in US and UK markets, only the best are left standing. In this special episode, and the first ever podcast interview with an APRA…

If 2022 felt like the year of the ‘perfect storm’ for cyber incidents, then it’s likely the weather will not improve in 2023 as banks along with many other enterprises continue to build, harden and invest in their cyber security capabilities, using new technologies and new approaches. We ask Rene Morel from Deloitte and Nick…