IBS Intelligence Podcasts

Simon Ellis, Head of Operations EMEA, AirwallexGlobal business payments platform Airwallex reported triple digit growth in its UK division, driven by an uplift in the volume and value of deals. Revenue in H1 2025 grew by 109% versus the same period last year. Against that background, Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Simon Ellis of Airwallex about the prospects for the business, managing regulatory compliance across 60 licences and registrations worldwide, and the challenges of expanding his team with the right talent.

Lionel Grosclaude, CEO, FimeFime provides consulting services and testing services in the areas of payments, smart mobility, and digital identity. According to Fime CEO Lionel Grosclaude, digital identity will help in creating the economic resilience that is needed for the future. He tells Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence how digital identity should sit at the heart of payment evolution, offering a faster and more secure way of verifying customers. 

Ed Barrow, Chief Executive Officer, Cloud CapitalThe cost of being on the cloud is rising. It has been suggested that cloud costs are already, on average, the second-largest line item after headcount for FinTechs. Add in the bump up in costs caused by AI adoption and it's easy to see that while CTOs may be happy with their ‘new toys', CFOs could be looking worried. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses the cloud and financial accountability with Ed Barrow, CEO of Cloud Capital. 

Dan Holt, CEO, BillGODespite innovation in real-time rails, US small businesses are still stuck waiting days, or weeks for payments to clear. That delay is more than an inconvenience. It's a cash flow threat that puts jobs and businesses at risk. BillGO CEO Dan Holt explains why simplifying receivables is the next frontier in US B2B payments, how better identity and data infrastructure can accelerate digital adoption, and what banks and FinTechs can do to serve small businesses. 

Simon Jelley, VP&GM Data Protection, ArcteraBanking and financial services are prime targets for cyberattacks – it is going to happen! So, the question you have to answer is what are you going to do to mitigate the risks and ensure a speedy recovery? How should financial organisations best manage data to close any compliance gaps? Simon Jelley of data guardian Arctera discusses the issues with Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence.

Nicky Senyard, CEO, Fintel Connect Gen Z trusts creators and niche financial influencers (finfluencers) more than brand ads. Today financial advice is just as likely to come from TikTok or Instagram as it is from a bank. That's not necessarily a bad thing – banks and FinTechs may use affiliate partnerships to reach the Gen Z audience efficiently and compliantly with full-funnel visibility and real trackable performance. Nicky Senyard of partnership solutions provider Fintel Connect speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence. 

Melissa Watras, Director of Product, Trillium SurveyorTrillium Surveyor, a provider of trade surveillance software, signed a deal in May with Blue Ocean Technologies to provide 24/5 trade surveillance to cover overnight trading sessions. Melissa Watras of Trillium Surveyor speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence about the tech and regulatory challenges as financial markets move toward 24/7. What are the implications for back-office operations, compliance teams and more. 

Ziad Mabsout, Co-Founder & CEO, VennreWealthTech has evolved from offering simple portfolio dashboards to full-service, AI-powered advisory platforms that are democratising private market access as a mainstream investment category. This increasing inclusivity is benefitting the world's HENRYs (high income not rich yet).  A mass_affluent audience is being offered solutions that give personalised investment recommendations and onboarding through data-driven platforms. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to digital wealth management platform Vennre's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ziad Mabsout. 

Rainer Vorwerk, Business Development Manager DACH & Head of Profinit Germany; Philipp Söchtig, Head of Corporate Development & Operations, Deputy Head of IT, Berenberg; Marcel Pochert, Head of Digital Transformation, BerenbergBerenberg is one of Europe's oldest privately owned banks. The bank chose Profinit to automate contract reviews, reduce costs and support the register of information in line with DORA – the Digital Operational Resilience Act. AI-driven Compliance as a Service (CaaS) has boosted processing speed, reduced manual effort and increased accuracy. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Marcel Pochert and Philipp Söchtig of Berenberg, but we hear first from Rainer Vorwerk of tech supplier Profinit. 

Nitin Pulyani, Head of Products, Cashfree PaymentsCross-border payments have long been plagued by high fees, unpredictable exchange rates, and slow settlement times. But with FinTech innovation, real-time rails, and compliance-led product design, the landscape is changing rapidly. In this episode, Vriti Gothi sits down with Nitin Pulyani, Head of Products at Cashfree Payments, to discuss how Indian FinTechs are reimagining global money movement. They explore India's opportunity to lead in cross-border innovation, why compliance can be a catalyst rather than a constraint, and what it takes to design truly borderless financial infrastructure from India for the world. 

Rivi Varghese, CEO, Clari5 – a Perfios CompanyThe menace of fraud in the financial ecosystem is no longer a static problem that can be tackled with static solutions. Periodic updates are artifacts of the past. What is needed now is a living defence that is capable of evolving as fast, if not faster, than the cyberthreat it faces. Rivi Varghese, CEO of Clari5 explains the company's Living Anti-Fraud Operating System to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence. 

Andrew Dalton, VP Sales Europe, Cleareye.aiBanks' trade operations are evolving and are under greater pressure than ever before. Documentation is more complex and regulatory scrutiny more intense. Andrew Dalton, VP Sales Europe for Cleareye.ai joins Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence to discuss the role being played by AI and automation in helping financial institutions not only to cope with these pressures but actually to improve the speed and efficiency of their trade ops. 

Varun Dudeja, Head of Business Development APAC, PismoIndia's credit ecosystem is undergoing a digital-first transformation, with issuers navigating modernisation, compliance, and scalability as embedded finance and platforms like Pismo redefine the future of credit. Puja Sharma speaks with Varun Dudeja, Head of Business Development APAC, Pismo, on how India's credit card market is evolving and what the future holds in the digital-first economy.

Will Ashford-Brown, Director Strategic Insights, Heligan GroupIt has been suggested that more than a third of businesses globally are affected every year by insider threats – it is the cybersecurity issue that not enough companies are focusing on! Organisations are implementing increasingly sophisticated defences against external cyberattacks but that just makes the dangers of malicious and even unintentional insider threats more acute. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Will Ashford-Brown, Director Strategic Insights at Heligan Group.

Scott Barronton, Chief Information Security Officer, Diebold NixdorfAI in financial_services is beginning to move from promise to practical implementation. But, as Scott Barronton, CISO of Diebold Nixdorf, warns, organisations should roll out internal AI solutions before leveraging the technology in their products. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Scott Barronton about what you need to build to ensure safe and responsible adoption of AI.

Manish Shara, Co-founder & CEO, ZetFrom being “credit invisible” to becoming financially empowered, millions of Indians are on a journey to build their credit story. But how do technology, AI, and trust come together to bridge this massive gap? In this episode, Vriti Gothi sits down with Manish Shara, Co-Founder & CEO of ZET, to explore how FinTech is unlocking credit access for the 400 million underserved Indians with little or no credit history. They discuss the challenges borrowers face, the role of technology in making credit more transparent, and what it takes to create a credit-ready India. 

Preetha Pulusani, Chief Executive Officer, Deep TargetFinancial institutions could be sitting on a proverbial gold mine of data – yet most banks and credit unions fail to leverage these assets effectively. That failure leaves a strategic resource that offers tremendous growth potential underutilised! Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Preetha Pulusani, CEO of Deep Target, about the strategies that can help unlock the value of your data. 

Carl Slabicki, Executive Platform Owner, Treasury Services, BNYWhat does the cybersecurity landscape look like now? What should banks around the world be doing to tackle fraud? Everyone agrees the key could be data sharing but how can we make this happen? Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses the role of AI as an accelerator and a tool for good with Carl Slabicki of BNY.

Phil Cotter, CEO, SmartSearchRegulated entities in the financial sphere face increasing complex compliance requirements. This year alone, new regulations such as DORA, AMLA and ECCTA reflect the fact that fincrime is at the forefront of business challenges. However, combine pressure from malign actors with increased regulation and it is easy to see why three quarters of financial services businesses feel overburdened. Indeed 81% of UK financial sector firms worry about their ability to comply with current regulations. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence talks to Phil Cotter, CEO of UK-based provider of digital compliance and AML solutions, SmartSearch. 

Andrew Jurgielan, Chief Revenue Officer ONE.ioUnder the spotlight, the challenges and opportunities of cross-border banking, regulatory strategy and payment innovation. One.io is a full-suite financial services solution, providing access to business accounts, global payments, spot FX, crypto trading and payment processing for a global customer base. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to the firm's Chief Revenue Officer, Andrew Jurgielan. 

Richard Harmon, VP & Global Head of Financial Services, Red HatRed Hat operates as an independent subsidiary of IBM. It is an open hybrid cloud technology provider and is the world's leading provider of open-source solutions. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Richard Harmon, VP & Global Head of Financial Services at Red Hat. In a wide-ranging conversation about artificial intelligence, topics covered include the need for common infrastructure, the use of synthetic data, agentic AI and the risks involved in the adoption and use of AI.

Mouloukou Sanoh, Co-Founder & CEO, MANSAMANSA is building on-chain infrastructure to make real-time cross border payments a reality in the belief that seamless money movement shouldn't be limited by legacy systems and outdated infrastructure. In many emerging markets, mobile first apps have already displaced traditional banks with stablecoins likely to be the next disruptor of how value moves around the world. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Mouloukou Sanoh of MANSA. 

Arpan Bansal, VP-Marketing (Government & GSI Initiatives) Newgen SoftwareAI and automation are transforming how records are classified and managed. With growing concerns around issues pertaining to trust and compliance, innovation needs to be balanced alongside accountability. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Arpan Bansal, VP-Marketing (Government & GSI Initiatives) for Newgen Software, getting his perspective on what a modern records management system should be and what information governance is required.

Tom Bentley, Chief Revenue Officer, 10x Banking10x Banking, the cloud-native core banking platform, has announced the appointment of Tom Bentley to its Executive Board as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Tom will lead the company's global commercial and growth strategy expansion across key markets including Europe, APAC, the Middle East and Africa. Bentley brings over 15 years of global experience in core banking and FinTech, having held senior roles at Temenos, Thought Machine, and Vodeno (recently acquired by UniCredit Group). Most recently he was part of the founding team at NatWest Boxed, the embedded finance venture from NatWest Group. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Tom Bentley about his new challenge.

Sameet Gupte, Co-founder & CEO, EvoluteIQFrom tedious tasks to complex workflows, automation has come a long way, but what happens when AI, ML, and low-code/no-code converge? Intelligent Automation is reshaping how organizations operate, innovate, and scale across sectors like healthcare, finance, and tech. Vriti Gothi sits down with Sameet Gupte, Co-founder and CEO of EvoluteIQ, to discuss digital transformation, the oppourtunites and challenges, and what it takes to build resilience and agility in a rapidly changing world.

Amalesh Mishra, Chief Growth Officer, QualityKioskDigital quality is no longer just about bug-free apps; it's about building resilience, speed, and reliability at scale. From AI-driven risk prediction to Digital Testing as a Service (DTaaS), tech leaders are rethinking software quality in a cloud-native, always-on world. In regulated sectors such as BFSI and telecom, the challenge is striking a balance between compliance and customer experience. Puja Sharma speaks with Amalesh Mishra, Chief Growth Officer at QualityKiosk, on reshaping digital assurance, tackling complexity, and staying ahead of disruption.

Michael Breen, CCO, audax Financial Technologyaudax Financial Technology is a comprehensive digital banking solutions provider empowering banks and financial institutions to scale and modernise at speed. audax has enabled new business models and revenue streams for Standard Chartered under the SC nexus proposition. The result, Standard Chartered became the first global bank to provide Banking-as-a-Service in Asia. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Michael Breen, CCO of audax.

Edwin Chan, Regional Managing Director Europe, CartaThe private markets have lagged on infrastructure but that gap in capabilities is now closing with the development of ERP solutions for the management of private capital. The alternative investment ecosystem is tentatively beginning to embrace AI, offering the prospects of clarity automation and real-time data to a world still running on spreadsheets! Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Edwin Chan, Regional Managing Director Europe for investment platform Carta. 

Michael Marcotte, Founder, Chairman & CEO, artius.IDBanks currently store customers' biometric data on centralised systems, making it highly vulnerable and attractive to hackers. A successful breach of this data could result in group litigation from customers large enough to destabilise both the bank itself and the surrounding financial ecosystem. In 2016, Michael Marcotte co-founded the US National Cybersecurity Center, which works with companies and governments to improve national security and computer security. Now he is Founder, Chairman and CEO of artius.ID, which offers secure, self-managed individual identity solutions for S&P 500 majors.

Adam Gable, Senior Product Director, TemenosAgentic AI helps to simplify complex processes by performing automated tasks without human intervention. Temenos unveiled its FCM AI Agent at the Temenos Community Forum (TCF 2025) in Madrid. It is an AI-enhanced compliance engine, enabling a significant reduction in false positives when screening against global and domestic watchlists in real time. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks at TCF 2025 to Adam Gable, Senior Product Director at Temenos about the evolution of the perennial problem of fincrime and the efforts to counter it.

Thomas Cuvelier, Partner, RTP GlobalVenture capital firm RTP Global says it invests in ‘ambitious founders reshaping the world through technology'. The focus in FinTech funding now is very firmly on AI and likely to remain there for some time. The impact of developments in artificial intelligence are only just beginning to be felt. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Thomas Cuvelier, Partner at RTP Global.

Mick Fennell, Business Line Director, Payments, Temenos Payments by volume have soared, both in domestic markets and cross-border markets but, at the same time, banks margins have come under increasing pressure. Banks simply aren't making the money out of the payments business that they used to make out of it. How do we create a system of payments that is fair, equitable, secure, and that makes sense for banks as well as their customers? Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence caught up with Mick Fennell, Business Line Director, Payments at Temenos, at the company's Temenos Community Forum in Madrid. 

Thomas Longhurst, Head of Strategic Partnerships, YouLendEmbedded finance is boosting business growth for SMEs as industry dynamics are being changed by the power of partnerships. Thomas Longhurst, Head of Strategic Partnerships at global embedded financing platform YouLend speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence, beginning with his thoughts on the recent Money 20/20 conference in Amsterdam. 

Mattie Yeta, Chief Sustainability Officer, CGIBanks are under increasing pressure to understand how nature-related risks like biodiversity loss, flood risk and soil degradation may impact asset values and long-term resilience. However, many lenders lack the tools and context to interpret this data. Mattie Yeta, Chief Sustainability Officer for CGI in the UK and Australia speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence about how financial institutions are moving to incorporate nature data in credit and investment decisions.

Mia Drennan, Founder & CEO, GLASMia Drennan pioneered independent loan administration and trustee services – an area traditionally dominated by banks. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Mia Drennan, Founder and CEO of GLAS, about how she disrupted financial services and thrived in the male dominated financial services – building a global finance business that turns over around £100 million ($137 million) a year. What lessons can the current crop of female entrepreneurs take to heart? 

Ram Ramdas, Founder & Chief Evangelist, Wonderlend HubsWonderLend Hubs offers scalable, customisable solutions that adapt to the dynamic needs of modern lenders. It is a no-code, micro-modular solution delivered as a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) model. Modular architecture or microservices allows the company to offer ‘Micro plans', i.e. API bundles which are fully business user-configurable. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Ram Ramdas, Founder and Chief Evangelist at Wonderlend Hubs. 

Ruchi Tripathi, Vice President - Product Management for AMLOCK, AzentioFinancial crime compliance is evolving—and even minor lapses like missed STRs can spark major regulatory fallout. Legacy tech adds to the challenge, creating blind spots in AML frameworks. Ruchi Tripathi, VP – Product Management at Azentio's AMLOCK, speaks with Puja Sharma on applying the ‘Broken Window Theory', tackling tech debt, and adapting compliance to regional needs.

Steve Brodie, Chief Revenue Officer, GoldilockPhysical network isolation is becoming essential in today's cybersecurity threat landscape. Software-only solutions are no longer enough. The case for hardware-based protection has been thrown into sharp relief in recent months with high profile cases of cyber attacks that have revealed victim organisations to be, in the words of Steve Brodie of Goldilock, ‘over-connected and under-protected'. Goldilock already numbers leading banks among customers in both Europe and Asia for its award-winning network connection controllers. 

Elliott Limb, CEO, CubedOver the past decade, we have seen many FinTechs rise and fall – entering the market to great fanfare only to exit extremely quietly. Why do so many FinTechs fail and what needs to happen in order to reduce the chronic failure rates among FinTech startups. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Cubed CEO Elliott Limb who says a mindset change is needed. 

Michele Tucci, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, CredolabCredolab is a data analytics platform based on smartphone and web behavioural metadata available to any company with a mobile app and a website. The use of this alternative data acts to bolster risk assessment and credit decisioning in a privacy-safe, predictive way that improves outcomes based on traditional scoring models alone. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses the issues with Michele Tucci, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Credolab. 

Louise Stewart, CEO, ProjectPayPayments are a crucial issue in construction where some 98% of firms in the industry are SMEs. The UK construction sector is struggling with outdated financial models and banking structures but to address these challenges needs more than just the introduction of digital payments. A recent report by platform ProjectPay highlights the sector's cashflow issues. Louise Stewart, CEO of ProjectPay speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence. 

Ritesh Varma, VP Business Solutions Consulting, Newgen Software Investigating the opportunities and challenges involved in the implementation of artificial intelligence in the insurance sector – from ensuring fairness and compliance in underwriting via data-driven decision-making to the role AI plays in combatting fraud. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses risk assessment and claims management with Ritesh Varma, VP Business Solutions Consulting of Newgen Software.

Chandini Jain, Founder & CEO, Auquan Auquan offers AI agents for institutional finance and provides a glimpse into the future of  work in investment banking. Agentic AI is already rewriting the role of humans in financial research and analysis – no long, for example,  will junior investment bankers face ‘death by powerpoint'. AI is reshaping workflows, organisations and careers. However, the changes don't mean humans are being left out of the loop. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses the issues with Chandini Jain, Founder and CEO of Auquan. 

Liat Shetret, Vice President, Global Policy & Regulation, EllipticDebanking is not a new issue but despite efforts by jurisdictions like the USA and Australia introducing legislation to remove barriers for crypto firms, debanking remains a significant obstacle globally. The bottom line? Banks are hesitant to engage with crypto due to perceived risk – but could they be mistaken? Liat Shetret, Vice President, Global Policy & Regulation at blockchain data and intelligence platform Elliptic talks through the issues with Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence. 

Jorge Lluch, Co-Founder & COO, AbacumAbacum is a financial planning and analysis platform which recently raised $60 million in a Series B funding round. Businesses are under increasing pressure to forecast accurately, and AI-driven planning tools are themselves seen as a critical component to assist CFOs in forecasting revenue, planning headcount and building in the ability to cope with unforeseen macroeconomic headwinds. Jorge Lluch, Co-Founder and COO of Abacum speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence. 

Rachel Levi, Head of AI, SwiftThe financial services sector has been using the predictive capabilities of traditional AI for years in use cases such as liquidity management and cash forecasting. However, the introduction of generative AI has created a vast range of opportunities for firms to improve customer support, drive smarter decision-making, and speed up content creation. Rachel Levi, Head of AI at Swift takes Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence through the impact of AI in financial services. 

Daniel Sanchez Grant, SVP International Corp Sales & UK Country Director, AlphaSense There is a global AI talent gap. Rising demand for skilled staff in the area of artificial intelligence has seen AI expertise become the most in-demand skill set in technology with firms struggling to fill roles. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence discusses the problem together with the uses of data-driven decisions with Daniel Sanchez Grant, SVP International Corp Sales & UK Country Director of AlphaSense. 

Shalini Sankarshana, MD, PlanviewIndia's banking sector is sprinting through a marathon of digital disruption—and the smartest players are using regulation not as a roadblock, but as guardrails for innovation. In this episode, Shalini Sankarshana, Managing Director at Planview®—an expert in Strategic Portfolio Management and Digital Product Development—tells Gloria Methri of IBS Intelligence why banks like Axis and SBI are racing ahead, how speed and security must go hand in hand, and why the future belongs to those who collaborate, not compete. 

Russell Andrews, Head of Wealth & Asset Management Vertical EMEA, FIS The focus on AI implementation in asset management has so far been largely on improving efficiency in routine, low value tasks. Building data lakes and warehouses is the foundational work necessary to enable AI-driven decision-making at scale. True value will emerge when AI is fully integrated into portfolio management and risk analysis. Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence speaks to Russell Andrews, Head of Wealth & Asset Management Vertical EMEA at FIS.

Aidana Zhakupbekova, Chief Financial Officer, RydooTopics in the spotlight include the workplace and compliance benefits of AI, and the integration of AI in existing financial systems. You'll also hear comment on the role of smart audit AI in combatting expense fraud. Aidana Zhakupbekova, Chief Financial Officer of expense management platform Rydoo, speaks to Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence.

Sarika Agarwal, Chief Business Officer,  FindiIndia's FinTech journey is at an inflection point—where building digital rails is no longer enough. True financial inclusion demands solutions rooted in a local context, blending the physical with the digital to meet users where they are. Sarika Agarwal, Chief Business Officer at FindiPay, speaks with Puja Sharma on embracing cash as a bridge, not a barrier, to align with public infrastructure while plugging access gaps. The focus must shift from scale alone to trust, usability, and sustainable execution.