Dave and Dharm DeMystify Dave and Dharm DeMystify

Arcady is a veteran, serial fintech entrepreneur!

Over twenty-four years ago, he was part of the founding and management of a challenger digital bank that grew to over $37bn in assets. The same group then launched the 1st generation of BaaS solutions, and with that, they grew to over $60bn in assets under custody.

Now, he is the founder and CEO of Agora, a third-generation banking platform at the intersection of BaaS and embedded Fintech. Agora has built its own modern composable cloud-core banking solution and is working with sponsor bank(s) for the compliance and bank charter aspects.

Arcady demystifies the differences between the US and European Banking Markets and some of the challenges of addressing the US market, which is spread across over 9000 banks. He also provides some great insights on bank partnerships with FinTechs.

Inevitably, we also discuss the challenges of legacy technology, not only for banks but also for incumbent core banking providers.

Riaz Syed is an experienced professional who has worked in the banking technology industry for over 30 years. He has witnessed the market evolve and change during this time, and his incredible experience has led him to establish Infinant. By sitting on top of existing cores, Infinant's powerful Banking Technology + platform Interlace empowers banks to embrace the digital revolution in a way that was previously not possible. Infinant's platform, Interlace, opens the door to new digital opportunities such as BaaS and embedded banking to community, regional, and super-regional banks in the US market. All without the downsides of having to replace an existing core.

Nelson Wootton, Founder and CEO, and Matthew Breadon, CCO of SaaScada, join us to discuss how frustrations with broken promises and the speed and agility of the Core Banking providers were the driving forces behind setting up a company with a new product that offered a modern alternative. The product is cloud-based, plug-and-play, multi-tenanted, and named after Pirates!

In this latest episode of the Demystify Podcast, Sam Everington, CEO of Engine by Starling and Carlton Hopper, UK Managing Director of GFT, discuss their partnership.

Sam outlines their strategy to scale by having partnerships like GFT implement their platform so that his team at Engine can focus on being the best banking platform company. He highlights that this not only accelerates their geographic reach but also allows them to address different markets.

Carlton explains that the partnership works on trust and a shared vision and that GFT's extensive experience in Financial Services means that they were adding value to implementations from day one.

Please note that there were a few problems with the sound quality of the recording, most of which our excellent production team have ironed out, but please excuse the odd glitch or two.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Backgrounds
02:50 Understanding the GFT and Starling Bank Partnership
09:29 The Importance of Trust and Shared Vision in Partnerships
19:17 The Role of Competition and Consumer Demand in Replatforming
23:50 The Global Market Opportunity for Digital Banking
27:53 The Genesis of Starling Bank's Engine

Charlie Platt is the Managing Director of Banking at SAP Fioneer. He talks about the history of the business and the advantages of it becoming a standalone business separate from SAP. He explains how the decision was made and the significant investment the company received. Charlie also discusses the continued strong partnership between SAP and Fioneer, with Fioneer utilising SAP's infrastructure and technology.

He highlights the importance of developing a strong company culture and the challenges that come with it. Charlie helps demystify the strategy for bringing new products to market and focusing on modernisation rather than core replacement.

Takeaways
Fioneer is a standalone business separate from SAP, focusing on core banking and insurance solutions.
The decision to separate was driven by the need for speed and agility in the rapidly changing financial services industry.
Fioneer retains a strong relationship with SAP and utilises its infrastructure and technology.

Chapters
00:42 Introducing Charlie Platt from Fioneer
02:02 Understanding Fioneer and its connection with SAP
04:09 The birth of SAP Fioneer and its unique business model
07:13 The challenges and triumphs of separating from SAP
11:37 The power of SAP's comprehensive technology stack
15:05 The importance of customer-centric product development
18:15 Exploring the future of banking innovation
21:13 The role of Fioneer in the modernization of banking
31:01 Conclusion: The journey towards a modern banking experience

In this enlightening episode, we talk with Lukky Ahmed, the visionary co-founder and CEO of Climate X, a trailblazing firm at the vanguard of highlighting climate risk through technological innovation.

With a rich background in international banking and expertise in risk management, regulatory change, and consultancy, Lukky shares how his experiences perfectly positioned him to address the critical data gaps in climate risk analysis.

Lukky demystifies Climate X's pioneering solution: a digital "twin" of Earth designed to map the probability and severity of extreme weather events decades in advance.