In case you missed out on the December episodes of the Voice of FinTech podcast, here is the monthly summary! You can listen to all the episodes on the Episodes pages of this website or when you subscribe to your favorite podcast apps under Subscribe.

Asia Pacific Series with Chia Jeng Yang 谢征阳: Building blocks of Embedded Finance in the Philippines with John Januszczak, President & CEO of UBX

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Series, we spoke to John Januszczak, President & CEO of UBX, a FinTech venture studio created by the Unionbank of the Philippines. UBX was initiated to positively impact financial inclusion and business growth through technology. Founded in 2018 by Union Bank of the Philippines, UBX operates in Singapore and the Philippines; recognized as the Fastest Growing Fintech Company in South East Asia 2020 by UK-based Global Brands Magazine and Best Digital Community Impact Initiative in South East Asia 2020 by Capital Finance International (CFI.co). Originally from Canada, his degree in Astrophysics and experience in telecom, commercial software, banking and insurance industries provides a unique and well-rounded perspective on digital platforms. Prior to UBX, John served as the Chief Operating Officer of Manulife Philippines.

We talked about:

UBX’s partnership with the Cardano Foundation
The opportunity for building the underlying financial pipes for the Embedded Finance economy
The opportunity for Venture Building in the Philippines
Understanding the Crypto opportunity in the Philippines
Building FinTech in the Philippines

Find the right FinTech for you with Yuval Tal, Managing Partner of Team8

Yuval Tal, Managing Partner of Team8 Fintech shared his tips on how to pick and do due diligence on a FinTech when you are considering joining one, especially if it means a major career change for you!

Inspiring advice that you can’t miss out:

How Tal became a godfather of Israeli Fintech
Team8 investment philosophy
Deal sourcing approach
How Team8 works with start-ups
How to choose the right FinTech for you when you are considering a career change, e.g. from a corporate
Hottest trends in FinTech that fascinate Yuval
Learn more about Team8 and how Yuval can be reached

Voice of FinTech Africa Series with Patrick Awori: Growing mobile payments across Africa with MFS Africa's Head of Growth, Daniel Maison

According to recent reports, the number of registered mobile money accounts globally in 2020 stood at 1.2 billion, powered by over 300 live mobile money services, processing $767 billion in global transaction value. The sector has registered an increase of 12% from the previous year, especially due to increased demand during the COVID 19 pandemic. It is a fact that over 55% (more than half) of mobile money services globally are based in Africa, which also registered the highest growth in new users added in 2020, at 43% of all new accounts created. This points to the expanding and trailblazing nature of Africa’s digital payments market.

In this episode, we analyze this explosive growth narrative through the story of Africa’s largest digital payments gateway, MFS Africa. They have been at the forefront of this, connecting over 320 million mobile wallets in over 30 African countries. Daniel Maison, the organization’s Head of Growth, discusses their strategy to maintain their edge in a quickly evolving market, specifically how they meet their customers’ unique payment needs right from an early stage. He also gives his take on why smart money is in Africa and highlights some of the pain points that remain to be solved. Finally, we conclude our discussion with some debate about the role that FinTech can play in driving sustainable social and economic growth, especially as the world grapples with the threats of climate change and widening economic disparities.

In parting, he poses a theoretical question, “What if every drop in the ocean saw itself as special and separate from every other drop?” and challenges us to do the best we can, with what we have, for the greater good.

FinTech and Corporate Finance with Miller Thomson's Partner Myron Mallia-Dare

Myron Mallia-Dare, a Partner - M&A, Venture Capital, Technology and Corporate Finance at Miller Thomson LLP, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech, about FinTech M&A, doing deals in North America, Canadian RegTech and cybersecurity.

Here is what they discussed in more detail:

Myron's back story: Technology, Finance and M&A
Miller Thomson's approach on advising FinTechs, what they focus on, if M&A or business transactions, or if they also advise only scale-ups or established companies
FinTech M&A specifics, as well as lessons learned
Funding alternatives for FinTechs nowadays
Future of FinTech M&A - FinTechs buying Fintechs, consolidation and incumbents acquiring innovative companies
Key differences identified between Canada and the US in Corporate Finance and VC investing
Current hottest Reg Techs on the Canadian scene
Legal framework catching up with the latest cybersecurity issues
Favorite Business Book or Documentary: Good to Great by Jim Collins (updated)
How to get in touch

Final FinTech 2021 success stories chat! A critical view by the hosts of Voice of FinTech, David Yakobovitch and Rudolf Falat - recording of our latest LIVE show on FISHBOWL

David Yakobovitch, our New York-based host, teamed up with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, to discuss worldwide FinTech stories of late 2021 and look at them through a critical lens! Topics included Nubank's IPO, N26's retreat from the US, Peloton's stock price drop due to a death of a fictional character on a TV show, Monzo's and Starling Bank's successes and challenges, Europe catching up with the US in VC funding, NFTs for Christmas and do we finally know who Satoshi Nakamoto is? This is the recording of their live show on Fishbowl.

Banking sustainably with Reto Ringger, CEO of Globalance Bank

Reto Ringger, the Founder & CEO of Globalance Bank, entrepreneur, financial leader, and innovator, had a chat with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech, about his passion for sustainability in financial markets.

Here are the details on what they have talked about:

First, Reto gave a brief introduction of himself and his professional background
Reasons behind creating Globalance bank and what problems it is trying to address
The uniqueness of Globalance vs. other banks despite everyone claiming sustainability as their priority
Key products that Globalance offers
Key themes in sustainability that Globalance focuses and believes in: climate change, new mobility or AgTech
Target clients of Globalance
How Globalance is funded and regulated
How Globalance makes money
Financial services transformation, identifying where they lag vs. other industries.
Journey of Globalance on product development, geographic reach, funding, and hiring.
How interested parties can contact Reto and Globalance Bank

Africa Series with Adejoke Adekunle: Building a digital bank in Africa with Odun Eweniyi, COO of PiggyVest

In this episode of the Africa Series, Joke Adekunle spoke to Odun Eweniyi, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Piggyvest - an online saving and investment platform founded in 2016 to help Nigerians achieve their financial goals. Today, the startup has over 3 million customers and has recently acquired companies like Abeg - popularly known as the Cashapp for Africa.

Joke and Odun discussed modern finance in West Africa and building a FinTech startup on the continent.

Here is what Joke asked Odun:

Tell us a bit more about PiggyVest story
You and your team launched PiggyVest at a time when digital banking wasn't well recognized or trusted. What were the learning curves you had to navigate at the time?
There's a lot of funding available today - especially for FinTech companies - how do you see that changing things in the African market?
What - in your opinion- are the most challenging parts of building a fintech company in Africa?
What lessons have you learned lately about building a fintech business in Nigeria?
As an investor in several African companies, I'd like you to share your perspective on the idea that "every tech company today is or can be a fintech company" - do you agree?
Still on the topic - PiggyVest acquired Abeg in 2020 - the startup popularly known as the Cashapp for Africa - what key factors led to that decision, and what are the opportunities for both companies with the acquisition?
As an investor in several African companies, I'd like you to share your perspective on the idea that "every tech company today is or can be a fintech company" - do you agree?
There's an emerging trend in the African fintech landscape of startups focused on the informal trade market; what are your thoughts on savings and investments for the informal market?
Given your experience, what trends do you see emerging in the African tech market that the world should pay attention to?
PiggyVest has some interesting projects in the pipeline, I believe. So what should our expectations be over the next few months?

Chasing unicorns in rural France & redefining amateur sports business with Dom Einhorn

Dom Einhorn, founder, and CEO of UNIQORN, the world's largest rural incubator-accelerator and CXSports, a platform that helps amateur sports teams monetize their content, shared his insights with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast.

Among the many exciting subjects Dom shared the following:

Dom's entrepreneurial journey from e-commerce to digital marketing (in the US and France) to helping others build businesses and helping amateur sports to improve their economics
How he was able to make these businesses a big success
Valuable advice to founders in France on fundraising, what to watch out for, and focusing on
Uniqorn, a start-up ecosystem in Sarlat, rural France, near Bordeaux
The key themes emerging from this year's edition on Startup Supercup, tech founders and investors matchmaking event
Dom's passion for sports business, especially given the underappreciated, amateur team sports like rugby in France
Explained how CXSports evening is the best playing field for amateur sports teams
How the platform makes money
Best way to reach and find out about Dom's entrepreneurial activities

Thank you for your support in 2021! If you have suggestions for topics or guests on the show or have ideas about how to make this podcast better for you, please e-mail us at info@voiceoffintech.com. Alternatively, you can also leave a voicemail here.

Keep safe!

Sincerely,

Rudolf Falat