Unleash Your Data

Throughout season 3 we've continued to chat through our well-trodden topics of data, intelligent automation and digital transformation but with a Black Swan lens. For our last episode of the season, we've pulled together some of our guests' thoughts on learnings so far, what we can expect in the near term and what the power of hindsight has really taught us. We're taking a short break over Easter, but we'll be back in May with a new regular bi-weekly format, so stay tuned. We always want to hear from our listeners and are constantly on the lookout for great new guests, so if you have any ideas, feel free to drop us a line at hello@xceptor.com. You can find all of our latest Eps and the blog write ups on xceptor.com. Please subscribe, follow, rate, review wherever you're listening. It’s really appreciated.

"The events of last year showed large organisations that those processes aren't fit for major unexpected events... but it did also show that change is possible"This week we were joined by Jibran Ahmed, Executive Director at Capco - where he leads the Research & Development team and Innovation Lab. Jibs has a passion for people, technology and change and today's discussion focusses on just that, with a wrapper of organisational change. We look at the effect a human-centric approach to change can have on digital transformation at some of the largest banks, how roles and skillsets must evolve in the next 5-10 years, why top-down approaches to change are still hampering transformation and why we have to put power into the hands of the business user. During the personal quickfire round we find out that Jibs' perfect time to work is midnight. Our first owl of the season!You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on xceptor.com. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

"The black swan event of the pandemic has actually been a lesson for us as an industry...the momentum around not having to have any physical documents per se, we just need to make sure we don't lose that opportunity"This week's guest is Sam Riley. Sam is a member of the executive board at Clearstream and Head of Investor Services and Financing. Listen as Sam outlines an industry vision for tax services, and the key role automation and digitisation play in creating a standard by which tax reclaims, relief at source and other tax items are processed. We look at how some of this has been accelerated due to the pandemic and the need to maintain momentum. During the personal quickfire round, we get to know Sam a little better and he tells us which 5 famous people he would invite to a dinner party. One not to miss for any rugby fans!You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

“The business users that will own and drive this should be able to learn it… that brings me to zero or low code" This week we're joined by Puma Energy's Tanay Tiwary. Tanay leads business process transformation at Puma Energy, and brings a wealth of experience from both the Banking and Energy sectors. During the episode, Tanay thoughtfully outlines the challenges still facing firms in the arena of digital transformation, the promise vs reality of RPA technologies and takes us through some of his more recent no-code automation projects. Listen to the final 5 minutes to hear Tanay's ambitious bucket list challenge.You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

"There's a lot of Financial Services DNA missing from a lot of the RPA tools".This week we're joined by Xceptor's very own Product Director, Trevor LaFleche. Trevor calls for more Automation Ambition, with plenty of scope left for improvement across the enterprise. We discuss the value of end-to-end automation and why task-based RPA tools can only get you so far. With true process efficiency being the ultimate aim, we explore the impact of no-code platforms and placing the power in the hands of the business user. Don't miss the chance to get to know Trevor in our personal quickfire round... Which 5 famous people does Trevor want at his dinner party?You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

"The pandemic has shone a light on how extremely manual the processes remain in the post trade ecosystem".This week we're joined by the DTCC's Val Wotton. Val oversees the strategic direction of the derivatives and trade reporting businesses. Val gives us the inside track on the realities within the post trade ecosystem, the impact of the pandemic and whether firms have finally reached an inflection point on Operations investment. Don't miss our quickfire round at the end of the Ep, where we ask what makes Val tick and what's on the bucket list for 2021?You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

"We are at a tipping point now"In our first episode we welcome back, friend of the podcast, PJ Di Giammarino, CEO & founder of JWG Group. PJ shares invaluable insight into the future of regulation, what key challenges remain, and which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. We explore the intersection of compliance and technology and how data remains a key driver and must be valued.You can find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.

Unleash Your Data, the podcast that puts data at the heart of the conversation, is back for Season 3.This season we'll be speaking to leaders from the likes of EY, the DTCC and JWG, covering regulation, intelligent automation and the power of hindsight, as we remain in a global pandemic. We'll get their thoughts on how Covid-19 has impacted industries already, expected and surprising outcomes, any hindsight learnings to be taken from previous black swans, what to expect in 2021 and get insights into what smart people and firms are doing to get ahead. And then there’s the personal round of quickfire questions…You can also find the latest Eps and the blog write ups on our website. We’ll be releasing episodes every Wednesday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.Happy listening.

The insurance industry is the biggest buyer of carpets - what does that mean for the environment? Jimmy Williams, CEO and co-founder of Urban Jungle, talks about this, how insurance companies have been using data in a negative way and how AI explainability will need to improve quickly in our latest episode.Jimmy's firm, and many others, are shaking up the insurance industry - what does this mean for 2020 and beyond? Listen and find out more.

"Without a good handle on their data, firms can not steer their programmes and have a clear understanding of the impact and associated transition risk".To get a view on what progress is and isn't being made, we were joined by Baringa partner and IBOR expert, Lucine Tatulian.2019 saw the mobilisation of many firms' IBOR transition programmes, but with the 2021 deadline looming, regulators have flagged that transition is not happening fast enough. To speed up progress, steer transition programmes and to ultimately be successful, firms must get a handle on their data.For further insight from Baringa on IBOR, listen to our chat with Lucine in Season 1 (episode 4):https://www.xceptor.com/podcasts/season-1

"We’re not in an age of fintech disruption, we’re in an age of fintech irritation” This week we'll be discussing the world of fintech with global expert and commentator, Liz Lumley.Aside from Brexit, Liz Lumley is predicting big things for the world of fintech in 2020. Liz is a podcast veteran, having regularly contributed on Brett King's Breaking Banks and 11.FS. Combined with Liz's 20 years industry experience - this one is not to be missed.Liz foresees a continued maturity of the fintech sector where disruption is no longer the order of the day. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, firms will look to irritate the bigger players by continuing to build on efficiency.

"Market infrastructures are being reborn through next generation technologies."Don't miss our transatlantic chat with Celent's capital markets lead, David Easthope. We tap into David's insight and find out what we can expect in 2020.David predicts the rebirth of market infrastructures, built on the foundation of next generation technologies such as AI and machine learning. But for this to become a reality, firms must get smarter about their data and recognise how far they still have to go.

“Are our regulations fit for purpose in the digital age?”In our first episode of season 2, we are joined by PJ Di Giammarino, CEO & founder of JWG Group. Also Chair of the global RegTech Council, PJ is the perfect person to unravel what happened in 2019 and what 2020 has in store. PJ discusses the intersection of compliance and technology and how regulators are becoming more open and inclusive.

Aite Group's David Bannister, joins us to discuss the payments world and how globalisation, new technologies and the value of data are culminating in what he describes as a 'revolution'.David's 40 years industry experience shines through as he shares his insights on the jurisdictional and regulatory challenges banks are yet to conquer, as well as the technology that firms are using to harness data, and transform customer experience.

"My first Sibos was in 1992 in Brussels and I've been to each one since then... It's changed a lot..."Well-respected journalist Heather McKenzie shares her thoughts on: data privacy; bank change programmes; AI augmentation, compliance and reskilling; and others.With Heather's unrivalled knowledge of Sibos and the players involved, this episode throws up some interesting insights worth listening to - whether you're headed to Sibos or not.

"Without data standardisation, the ability to maximise the potential of new technologies is hampered".Val Wotton, DTCC Managing Director, shared his insights on the increasing demands regulators are placing on firms, and how the utilisation of technologies like Blockchain and AI can only be achieved with a data-first approach.Val delves into the data challenges of complex regulation and why data standardisation keeps coming up...and not happening.

"Because the transition impacts all divisions of a bank with a broad number of products, collating all of this exposure data is a significant exercise."This week, we chat with Lucine Tatulian, Partner at Baringa, about how firms are preparing for the Libor transition, the data challenges they face and what to expect post transition.As a capital markets specialist, Lucine shares her insights from designing and delivering restructuring and transformation initiatives for global investment and universal banks.

"There is a lot of hype around blockchain which is natural with emerging and innovative technologies. I think one of the things that's most encouraging about that hype is what it has led to: incredible collaboration across different industries."Stefan Schrijnen, Director of Insurance at EY, talks to us about where and why blockchain is a good fit for the industry, the complexities that we need to overcome and what is on the horizon. Listen now to hear Stefan's insight into Insurwave, the world's first blockchain-enabled insurance platform in production.

“Establishing trusted data and decentralising the exercise out to business groups, is a key element that AI teams are not concentrating on today”. Xceptor CTO and founder, Dan Reid, drops by to discuss his experience working on AI initiatives within the industry, and why he thinks the traditional approach to projects is being reversed. Projects had been technology-led, rather than data-led, and this lack of focus on data quality was killing success. Dan shares insights on what challenges still need to be overcome and how they have helped shape Xceptor's AI approach when working with industry business teams and AI groups. Happy listening.

"Like it or not firms have to own data quality... the firms that win are the firms that take it seriously".Listen to the latest insights from a compelling new report that sheds light on why financial institutions continue to fail at building businesses based on quality data.Gert Raeves Research Director, Adox Research, drops by to share some of his hard won secrets into data quality and automation.Gert talks us through key insights ahead of this year's Sibos in London.

We hope you enjoy our new podcast, Unleash Your Data, the podcast that puts data at the heart of the conversation. Our first season takes its inspiration from this year’s Sibos themes of digitisation, data-driven relationships and the impact of new technologies.This season alone we’ll be talking Blockchain with EY, reporting with the DTCC and data quality with Adox Research. We’ll also be getting to know our guests on another level, as we get personal in the quickfire round. You can find our most recent episodes here. We’ll be releasing episodes every Friday, so please subscribe and review. It’s really appreciated.Happy listening.