Chief Digital Heroes SettleMint

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, Matthew speaks with Nvalaye Kourouma, Group Chief Digital Officer at Ecobank, about how technology is a tool for digital transformation, but it’s not just copy and paste across different markets in different countries. They also discuss the importance of scaling up and how Ecobank is shaping the ecosystem of banking.

Then, Nvalaye reflects on what it means to be a successful CDO – a capacity to learn, creativity, and flexibility – and offers advice for those seeking a similar role.

Topics discussed:
Why digital transformation is not copy and paste from one country to another.
The three pillars of being a CDO: the digital platform, data analytics, and innovation.
How Ecobank is shaping the ecosystem of banking in Africa by partnering with other banking entities.
How keeping things as simple as possible for the customer will ultimately bring them the most value.
How the ability of the user to apply technology to their problem is more important than the technology itself.
The three key skills of being a successful CDO: capacity to learn, creativity, and flexibility.

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, Matthew speaks with Jørgen Ouaknine, Group Head of Innovation and Digital Assets at Euroclear. They discuss how a role in innovation has expanded in Jørgen’s time at Euroclear and how it’s shaped their purpose of safety, efficiency, and sustainable economic growth. They also discuss how going digital has allowed FMIs like Euroclear to continue to exist, but that there are still inefficiencies to be solved. 

Topics discussed:

- How financial market infrastructures connect issuers and investors and serve their communities thanks to digitization.
- Why the current market would benefit from moving from a sequential value chain to a circular one.
- How Euroclear balances moving forward with matching the pace of change of the market--all with the help of client feedback.
- The importance of focusing on your priorities without getting caught up in the technologies that are currently en vogue.
- Avoiding ”reinventing the wheel” and developing what you have rather than constantly starting from scratch.
- How having a strategic vision is key to being a successful leader in innovation.

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, Matthew speaks with Witit Synsatayakul, Deputy Director, Digital Currency Policy and Development at Bank of Thailand. They discuss why digital transformation needs to start with people and processes before systems and tools, and why it should be led by mid-level managers. They also talk about the skills needed for digital transformation success, how tokenization is opening up growth opportunities, and how AI will shape the future.
 
Topics discussed:
Why digital transformation needs to start with the people and processes first, before systems and tools.
How tokenization creates growth and opportunity, especially through atomic settlements and reduced risk.
Why business know-how, technical competency, and project management skills are the key to digital leadership success.
The challenges to being a digital leader, including the dynamic nature of the role and resource constraints.
Why digital transformation should be led by mid-level senior managers instead of leaders at the top.
How AI will shape the financial sector in the future by being "close to daily life." 

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, Matthew speaks with Sattar Kazimov, CDO at Unibank. They discuss the digital evolution of Unibank into being named one of the best banks in Azerbaijan, including how they built customer products and backend digital and IT teams. They also talk about the importance of creating products that fit your customers’ needs, why CDOs need to test and adapt to changing times, and how AI will improve operational efficiency and customer service.
 
Topics discussed:
How Sattar created and evolved digital initiatives at Unibank, including rolling out mobile banking and building digital teams.
The importance of knowing your customers and building products that serve them first.
How Unibank has embarked on its digital transformation, including branching out into partnerships to create a neobank that gained one million customers in 24 months.
Why the future will only focus on banking and customer experiences, not banks and products.
How banks can use AI for optimizing processes, improving customer interactions, and enhancing operational efficiency.
The challenges to digital transformation, including testing and adapting to a constantly changing world.
Advice to other CDOs to remember to put people first and tech second. 

Welcome to a special edition of Chief Digital Heroes, where our host Matthew Van Niekerk answers the top questions our listeners have asked us. In today's episode, Matthew addresses "Why do so many Blockchain Transformation projects fail?"
When embarking upon a Blockchain Transformation, companies often hit a Blockchain Complexity Chasm. On one side is their blockchain aspiration, on the other side is potential gain, but there's no bridge to cross it — and common approaches like training internally or buying vertical solutions can often widen that chasm. The solution is a different approach that includes using a Blockchain Transformation Platform to help cross that chasm.
Would you like to have Matthew answer one of your questions in a future episode? Email Maria.Lopez@SettleMint.com with your question and a short summary of why you are looking for an answer! 

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, previously recorded as a webinar, Matthew speaks with Dirk Hermans, Innovation Manager, Blockchain Lead at KBC Bank & Verzekering. They discuss the drivers behind launching a new Bolero crowdfunding platform and how it sets the stage for tokenization growth in the future. They also talk about the ongoing initiatives of digital transformation, how digital leaders should evaluate new technologies, what problems KBC's Kate Coin solves, and the process for bringing innovation to the market.
 
Topics discussed:
 
The drivers behind launching a new Bolero crowdfunding platform, including new regulations, tokenization growth, and real-time payments.
The role of an innovation manager that includes watching trends, understanding the long-term impacts of technology, and business development.
How blockchain is like the internet in its inception, evolution, and impact, and how it’s different.
Advice for digital leaders adopting new technologies, including finding the unknown unknowns.
Today's trends to watch in addition to blockchain, including AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and personalization and identity.
Why digital transformation is like a treadmill, and how KBC has evolved from launching its mobile app 10 years ago.
KBC's process for bringing innovation to the market, including how individuals can pitch ideas.
The problems that KCB's Kate Coin solves around payments and liquidity.