Fintech Daydreaming

Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu
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Between digital native customers demanding instant gratification and the ever increasing amount of regulation, financial institutions are between a rock and a hard place. The era of the fintech started after the 2008 financial crisis, challenging the status quo. More than a decade later banks haven’t gone anywhere, yet fintech is more relevant than ever. What happened with all the fintech hopes and dreams? In this podcast Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu pick one topic in every episode and try to look at it through the lens of fintech disruption - or lack thereof. This is Fintech Daydreaming.

  1. 10 AVR.

    Buy Now, Panic Later, The Embedded B2B Edition | Nordic Fintech Highlights March 2026

    In this episode of Fintech Daydreaming, Ville, Pål, and Janne are back with another round of Nordic Fintech Highlights—recorded somewhere between back-to-back meetings, holiday travel plans, and at least one log cabin in the Finnish wilderness (buffering included). From there, we dive into what actually happened in Nordic fintech last month: Modest funding rounds, ongoing consolidation, and the quiet realization that scale still wins. And a quick detour into Revolut casually printing profits and eyeing the Nordics like it’s their next hobby. Then we get into the real meat: Ville brings a story that sounds boring… until it isn’t: .- DNB launching Buy Now Pay Later for businesses (yes, really) .- 30-second onboarding, AI-powered credit decisions, and the ability to delay payments without paying interest. .- Or, as Pål puts it: “a new and exciting way to bankrupt companies” Which leads to a surprisingly deep debate: .- Is BNPL actually useful for SMEs or just consumer debt in a suit? .- Are we solving cash flow problems or just moving them 90 days forward? .- And how this looks suspiciously like trade finance without the blockchain and the hype Janne then doubles down on SME finance with: .- The rise of accounting platforms turning into neobanks .- Embedded finance quietly eating the value chain .- And the slightly uncomfortable truth that traditional banks are still barely showing up Meanwhile, somewhere in the background: .- French IBANs are powering Finnish businesses .- Local quirks are quietly breaking global fintech expansion strategies .- And Revolut might still have to learn that Finland is… not Sweden Finally, Pål brings it home with: .- Wolt entering the employee benefits game .- Taking on Epassi with zero merchant fees (at least for now) .- And proving, once again, that every fintech eventually becomes a payments company and every payments company eventually wants to be everything else If you enjoy fintech analysis with a side of sarcasm, mild existential dread about business models, and the occasional log cabin Wi-Fi issue this one’s for you. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl, Ville Sointu & Janne Salminen Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    45 min

  2. 27 MARS

    One Does Not Simply... Buy from Fintechs with Markus Niemi-Nikkola, Chief Procurement Officer, Savings Bank

    In this episode, Pål and Ville sit down with Markus Niemi-Nikkola, Chief Procurement Officer at Savings Bank and quickly realise that procurement might be one of the most misunderstood (and critical) functions in banking. What starts as a conversation about sourcing and vendor management turns into a deeper look at how banks actually get things done behind the scenes: from navigating legacy systems and regulatory expectations to balancing cost, control, and innovation without breaking everything in the process. Markus shares: .- Why procurement in banking is far more strategic than most people think .- How vendor ecosystems shape what banks can (and can’t) build .- The real-world tension between innovation ambitions and procurement realities .- Why “just buy the best solution” is rarely that simple .- Why AI bots are not going to handle all sides of procurement anytime soon (if ever) in banking. Naturally, Pål and Ville do their part by poking at the usual pressure points of speed vs control, build vs buy, and whether procurement is enabling innovation or politely slowing it down for everyone’s safety. Somewhere along the way, it becomes clear that while fintech loves to talk about disruption, someone still has to sign the contracts, manage the risks, and make sure the whole thing doesn’t collapse under its own enthusiasm. As it turns out, procurement isn’t boring; it’s a fascinating topic hiding in plain sight. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    51 min

  3. 13 MARS

    AI Everywhere, AML Under the Microscope & Banking That Delivers (Literally) | Nordic Fintech Highlights February 2026

    Another month, another set of headlines quietly orbiting the same big question: Where does AI actually change the game and where does it just sit on top of old problems? In this Nordic Fintech Highlights episode, Ville, Pål and Janne connect three very different stories through a familiar thread: automation is moving fast, but reality is still catching up. On the agenda: Janne: Lunar x Wolt.Banking perks meet delivery platforms as Lunar partners with Wolt across the Nordics. Beneath the lifestyle angle sits a bigger question: when financial services blend into daily apps, who owns the customer relationship and what happens when AI starts orchestrating those ecosystems behind the scenes Pål: Swedbank AML probe.Sweden’s FSA takes a closer look at Swedbank’s AML compliance, reminding everyone that while AI promises smarter monitoring and better detection, financial crime still evolves faster than most dashboards. Regulation remains stubbornly human, even as the tooling gets smarter. Ville: Basware’s AI agents.Enterprise finance steps into the age of autonomous assistance, as Basware introduces AI agents into procurement and financial workflows. The discussion turns to what happens when machines stop just analysing data and start taking action and whether back-office functions are quietly becoming the most AI-disrupted part of finance. Along the way, we touch on AI as infrastructure rather than headline feature, the tension between automation and accountability, and the growing sense that fintech’s next battleground may be operational intelligence rather than customer-facing flash. Smart systems, messy reality: business as usual in fintech. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl, Ville Sointu & Janne Salminen Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    44 min

  4. 27 FÉVR.

    APIs, Grit and the Finnish Founder Mindset with Joonas Tomperi from Enable Banking

    In this episode, Pål and Ville sit down with Joonas Tomperi, CEO and co-founder of Enable Banking — and quickly realise this is less about APIs and more about mindset. Yes, we talk open banking. Yes, PSD2 makes an appearance. But the real story is what it takes to build a fintech in a heavily regulated industry when half the market says “you’re too late” and the other half says “nothing works yet.” Joonas shares: .- Why starting a fintech at 35 (not 22) was a strength, not a weakness .- What it’s like launching into PSD2 when the APIs technically exist… but not really .- How to turn regulatory slowness and pandemic chaos into competitive advantage .- Why Enable Banking chose product over consulting — even when cash flow would have been easier the other way .- The uncomfortable truth about fundraising: it’s basically advanced dating, but with more spreadsheets We also get into founder psychology — risk vs opportunity, when to bring in stronger operators, and why the best CEOs are willing to replace themselves if it’s right for the company. And in true Nordic fashion, we ask the big question: Why doesn’t Finland have five fintech Nokias yet? Along the way, there’s flu, pirate eye patches, 90s bank servers covered in dust, and a gentle reminder that connecting to “thousands of APIs” is slightly harder than plugging in a phone charger abroad. If you care about open banking, founder grit, or building something meaningful in a market that moves slower than your pitch deck suggests — this one’s for you. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    1 h

  5. 13 FÉVR.

    Klarna Moves Money, Lunar Loads the War Chest, Loomis Rewires the POS | Nordic Fintech Highlights January 2026

    January may have looked quiet on the surface, but the Nordic fintech engine was very much running. In this Nordic Fintech Highlights episode, Ville, Pål and Janne unpack what actually mattered beneath the seasonal slowdown — where peer-to-peer payments, SME banking, and the future of merchant acquiring all collide in very Nordic ways. On the agenda: .- Klarna goes P2P. From BNPL to bank to sending money between friends, Klarna steps into an already crowded wallet space — starting closed-loop, with bigger ambitions ahead. We dig into ecosystems, cross-border logic, and why P2P always ends up being about much more than just P2P. .- Lunar raises €46m and doubles down on SMEs. Fresh capital, sharper focus on business banking, and Moonrise as a platform play. Underserved SMEs return to the spotlight — this time backed by a proper war chest. .- Loomis Pay and Android POS. Cash heritage meets programmable terminals as Loomis pushes deeper into digital acquiring. We explore why open POS platforms matter, how new payment rails complicate acquiring, and why instant payments still give merchants plenty of operational headaches. Naturally, the conversation takes a few familiar side roads: embedded finance, platform economics, gig workers, AI agents as future bank customers — and a shared realization that merchant acquiring has become one of the most quietly complicated parts of fintech. A calm start to the year, a surprisingly busy news cycle, and just enough skepticism to keep everyone honest. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl, Ville Sointu & Janne Salminen Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    43 min

  6. 30 JANV.

    Stablecoins, CBDCs, and Finland’s 1990s Warning Shot with Aleksi Grym

    We’re back in central-bank territory with Aleksi Grym from the Bank of Finland, and once again manage to turn a perfectly sensible conversation into a deep dive on money, payments, and why nothing in this space is ever as straightforward as it sounds. Starting with what central banks actually do (spoiler: more than just printing money), we move into crypto, stablecoins, and why most of their real-world impact still happens inside the crypto ecosystem (or is it.a casino?) itself. Aleksi calmly explains why hype is cheap, plumbing is hard, and payments tend to break in very predictable ways. Naturally, we end up talking about the digital euro — not as a shiny new payment rail, but as a long-term infrastructure project. Less “instant innovation,” more “who controls the rails, and should Europe care?” Along the way, Finland’s 1990s Avant card makes a comeback, proving that many of today’s “new” problems have already been tried once — just with worse UX. We also touch on: .- Why merchant acceptance matters more than speed .- Why prefunding sounds logical until users meet it .- And why most people won’t care about payment sovereignty… until they suddenly have to In short: the kind of episode where you learn something useful and still laugh a little at how we keep learning the same lessons over and over again. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    53 min

  7. 16 JANV.

    Welcome 2026 with Nordic Fintech Highlights | Nordic Fintech Highlights December 2025

    New year, new season, same format. Ville, Janne, and Pål are back with Nordic Fintech Highlights, opening the season by unpacking three stories that quietly say a lot about where Nordic and European fintech are heading. Ville starts with the ECB hiring up for the digital euro project, bringing in market infrastructure specialists to work on rulebooks, rollout planning, and the role of intermediaries. The takeaway: less theory, more plumbing — and another sign that the digital euro continues to move forward in the background - but at what cost? Janne follows with NOBA Bank Group’s acquisition of DBT Capital, strengthening its position in digital SME lending. The discussion focuses on scale, technology, and why acquiring a ready-made lending platform can be a faster and more predictable path than building everything in-house. Pål rounds things off with Enfuce’s expansion into Belgium and Luxembourg together with Monizze, which sparks a broader discussion about employee benefit cards, open-loop versus closed-loop systems, and why this model feels very familiar in a Nordic context. Parallels are quickly drawn to ePassi and other closed-loop benefit platforms, raising questions about distribution, user experience, and whether closed ecosystems still have an edge when regulation and interoperability keep pushing everything toward open networks. As always, the conversation is grounded in practical experience, dry (or is it just bad?) Nordic humour, and a shared sense that fintech progress is usually more evolutionary than revolutionary. A calm, thoughtful start to the season — and your regular reminder that the same payment ideas tend to come back, just with slightly different logos. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl, Ville Sointu & Janne Salminen Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    46 min

  8. 19/12/2025

    Live from Nordic Banking Forum 2025

    A Full House of Bank CEOs (and One Central Banker) We took Fintech Daydreaming on the road to the Nordic Banking Forum in Helsinki, and somehow ended up interviewing more CEOs in one day than we usually see in a year. In this special episode, Pål, Ville — and Janne, once we caught him mid–event sprint — sat down with: .-Prag Sharma (Citi) on agentic AI, future-of-finance vibes, and why 80–90% of bank data suddenly matters. .-Janne Salminen (Helsinki Fintech Farm) pops in for a quick Nordic Fintech Highlights segment and shares the annual event-planner panic cycle with us. .- Sampsa Laine (Alisa Bank) on SME banking, partner ecosystems, and why mortgages are still a “not yet.” .-Riikka Laine-Tolonen (S-Bank) on running a bank inside a retail empire, loyalty economics, and scaling to 3.4M customers. .-Jarkko Mäensivu (Saldo Bank) on embedded finance, European expansion, and building a lean, credit-focused bank. .-Aleksi Grym (Bank of Finland) on fraud in instant payments, CBDCs, and why Finland quietly invented half this stuff in the ’90s (and already shut it all down long time ago). Been there. Got the t-shirt. Wrote an excellent paper about it. With Citi, Alisa, S-Bank, Saldo Bank, and the actual central bank represented — plus Janne’s news segment — this turned into perhaps the most executive-heavy episode we’ve ever recorded. We celebrated: Zero vendor interference Zero stablecoin panels A rare concentration of bank CEOs voluntarily talking to us And the survival of an entire live recording day with minimal technical disasters (backdrop changes don’t count) And yes, we ended with a fintech dad joke. Naturally. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

    1 h 4 min
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À propos

Between digital native customers demanding instant gratification and the ever increasing amount of regulation, financial institutions are between a rock and a hard place. The era of the fintech started after the 2008 financial crisis, challenging the status quo. More than a decade later banks haven’t gone anywhere, yet fintech is more relevant than ever. What happened with all the fintech hopes and dreams? In this podcast Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu pick one topic in every episode and try to look at it through the lens of fintech disruption - or lack thereof. This is Fintech Daydreaming.

Informations

  • Création
    Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu
  • Années d’activité
    2020 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    134
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu
  • Site web de l’émission
    Fintech Daydreaming

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