About a year ago, we posted “The 6 Best TED Talks about Financial Services.” The subject matter experts covered multiple topics from digital transformation, blockchain, microfinance, and cryptocurrency — all within financial services. The short-form, storytelling format continues to be influential in helping audiences globally absorb industry content.

This year we look to narrow the focus down to FinTech and banking, featuring speakers (from the last 5 years) discussing insights on digital banking and its future, FinTech’s impact for improving the world around us, and the intersection with artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. It’s great to review talks from 2014 - 2016 and how the maturing FinTech ecosystem we know today was still seeking acceptance. So switch your binge watching from Netflix to TED talks — just for today — and gain some perspective of how far FinTech has come in the last 15 years.

If there’s a talk or speaker we should add to the list, please post below in the comments!

Henri Arslanian  - How fintech is shaping the future of banking

Henri Arslanian is a well-known speaker in FinTech, originally a financial markets lawyer in Canada and Hong Kong. He transitioned to banking with UBS, and is known for his online courses at Hong Kong University.  In Dec. 2016 at TEDxWanChai, He asked everyone “who enjoys their banking experience?” — which got laughs from the audience.

Henri goes on about the FinTech revolution in banking with startups offering products from the realm of traditional banks — robo-advising, peer-to-peer lending, AI-powered customer support centers, and deposit accounts. FinTechs are happy to control the front-end and leave the back-end for banks as utility providers. Most importantly, he covers financial inclusion being addressed by fintech companies to help the unbanked.

Chris Skinner - Kids creating the future bank

Chris Skinner is a well-known influencer in banking and technology in the UK — known for his blog (theFinanser.com) and books (such as Digital Bank and Digital Human).

At TEDxAthens in Jan. 2019, Chris talks about the growth and investment in FinTech to modernize financial services. Young founders are building new platforms to change the financial system, being able to code and launch apps. Banks such as JPMorgan Chase are starting to invest in technology to automate banking functions, reduce workforce, and enhance their overall value. ‘Technology companies that are doing banking’ is the new mantra for large banks looking to respond to fintech disruption.

Amine Harifi - Fintech in the heart of the digital revolution

Amine Harifi worked as a private banker and trader, and then transitioned as an entrepreneur. His TEDxMarrakesh talk in Jan. 2018 discussed today’s digital world changing the relationship we have with money.

As a trader monitoring market trends and patterns during the Financial Crisis in 2008, he noticed how a group of traders benefited during this time based on their use of technology. Blockchain emerged soon after and created a decentralized financial ecosystem that can replace current monetary policy in government for future generations.

Daniel Drummer - Banking from your pocket: using fintech instead of standing in line 

Daniel Drummer is a specialist in Big Data and advanced analytics at McKinsey & Company and leads the ‘Future of FinTech’ team on the World Economic Forum. 

In August 2016 (TEDxBasel), Daniel talked about a global financial revolution that will replace visits to the bank with a phone in your pocket. In the world of FinTech, he gave an example of near-instant peer-to-peer transfers and account opening. He goes on to discuss other examples of how banking is being reshaped with technology to improve the “industry of money” in faster and more convenient ways — drawing parallels to the auto industry and video rental companies.

Tom Blomfield - A revolution in banking is coming

Tom Blomfield (CEO of UK challenger bank, Monzo) spoke about the evolution of banking from branch, telephone, internet, up to mobile banking.

In May 2017, his TEDxLSE discusses being on the brink of a huge retail banking revolution — shifting from paper-based requirements and transaction posting in today’s bank towards a future of API-based banking apps with top functionality based on custom data insights that help customers get ahead financially.

carey kolaja - A Vision for Truly Secure and Seamless Transactions

Carey Kolaja, previously VP of Global Consumer Products at PayPal, discusses the new era of money becoming invisible at her TED talk in Germany (back in Dec. 2014).

She talks about the current relationship with payments and how innovation is driving change in the industry through systems of trust. Painpoints in payments are being removed to make it easier to transfer, lend, and make purchases. Solving the challenge of identity is a step in the direction towards “trust innovation” beyond passwords and private keys — leveraging biometrics, algorithms, and machine intelligence.

Ruzbeh Bacha - The future with fintech, crypto and AI

Ruzbeh Bacha (CEO and Founder of CityFalcon) has a background in finance and strategy from KPMG, Nokia, and Microsoft. 

At TEDxAveiro in Sept. 2018, he covered the future of financial services through fintech, which goes beyond online banking and impacts the way customers think. Making a difference and solving problems is the central component of fintechs — user experience and satisfaction, automation, and specialization are key focus areas. The pace of innovation is increasing even more with artificial intelligence, big data, and cryptocurrency.

Emilie Allaert - Fintech: paving the way to a new era

Emilie Allaert (Head of Operations at The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) covered how FinTech started and evolved into an impactful movement, not just a new technology.

At TEDxUniversityofLuxembourg in Dec. 2018, she spoke about how a “regulatory tsunami” is a barrier for banks and financial institutions to improve their manual back-office processes. Solutions using AI are able to solve and automate many of these tasks.

Spiros Margaris - How fintech can positively impact the world

VC and advisor Spiros Margaris is a top fintech expert and influencer that actively speaks on the benefits of tech in society. In Nov. 2017 at TEDxAcademy, he discussed how startups are dreamers and fintech founders specifically are realizing their dreams in improving banking.

These companies are customer-centric and simple due to a lack of reputation and funding, which makes the user experience its biggest priority in innovation. FinTech is being used by more than just millennials, especially as emerging companies mature and stabilize their offerings, and reach the underbanked around the world.

Bryan zhang - The X and Y of Online Alternative Finance

Bryan Zhang (Exec. Dir. at Cambridge Centre of Alternative Finance) has written influential reports on alternative finance. In his TEDxCambridgeUniversity talk (May 2018), he discussed the topic in depth, and how it relates to new offerings and platforms.

Digital transformation is creating new platforms for the future generations of digital natives — smartphone users that are always online. In finance, technology has also caused that same shift following the 2008 Financial Crisis. Investors looked for new opportunities that differed from the old models of finance, which weren’t working. Borrowers searched for non-bank options for SME lending and venture capital. Equity-based crowdfunding enabled access to all potential investors, regardless of net worth. Peer-to-peer marketplaces connect borrowers and investors in minutes. Both of these types of platforms are maturing and spreading all over the world today.

Shivani Siroya - A smart new business loan for people with no credit

Shivani Siroya (founder and CEO of Tala) discussed the global issue of lack of credit score and profiles when traditional financial data doesn’t exist — affecting about 2.5B individuals worldwide.

Fintech companies have created credit scores based on insights from alternative data — when these scores are accepted at banks, underbanked borrowers are able to obtain credit. Historical anlaysis has shown 98% reliability in repayment when lending to consumers rated with alternative credit scores. ,

Kai Ren - Fintech and Beyond: More than a Technology shift​

Kai Ren is CEO of AFA Finance, and previously VP at Goldman Sachs. In this TEDxTianShanPark talk in Jan. 2018, he covered how future generations are being molded by technology when it comes to money — no need to carry cash, purchases can be made from home and delivered, and mobile phones are indispensable.

FinTech and artificial intelligence continues changing behavior similarly for business, including measuring market impact of potential economic events. A mindset change of accepting fintech is necessary to capture all the new opportunities this innovation .

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