The Fintech Times

Welcome to Edition 58 of The Fintech Times! 📰 Challenger banks have come a long way since their early days of disrupting the financial sector. From tackling new regulatory requirements to expanding their service offerings, we delve into the strategies helping challenger banks succeed. We also explore the rise of open finance, which, while promising, has seen slower adoption than expected. Aimed at fostering a more connected financial ecosystem by sharing a broader scope of financial data, open finance faces significant hurdles, such as privacy concerns and the need for robust regulatory frameworks. In this issue: ✅ Ahmed Wadi, CEO of Money Fellows discusses charting a course for international expansion and innovation ✅ Mounir Nakhla, founder and CEO of MNT-Halan, explains its quest to empower the unbanked across the Middle East ✅ Charles O'Neil, co-founder of Sunshine + Kittens, reveals all about the latest kids’ finance app with a different take on financial education ✅AcuityTec discusses bolstering payment security with adaptive fraud defence and perpetual KYC ✅Event technology specialist Cvent offers insight and advice for making your events more accessible and inclusive for all ✅We delve into how myTU is using fintech to address the banking needs of migrants with Raman Korneu, CFA, co-founder and CEO of the neobank ✅ Sarah Koch, director of marketing and communications at Aevi, explores the hidden roadblock to EV adoption ✅ Loredana Matei (Matthews) Matei, founder at Jensen Matthews PR, delves into the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority [VARA]’s recent release of its 2024 Marketing Guidelines for Digital Assets ✅With open finance struggling to gain traction, experts discuss the biggest challenges holding it back, from data privacy concerns to regulatory gaps ✅ Nina Salèh, commercial strategy and planning at climate engagement fintech ecolytiq, on tracking the Middle East Banks’ climate commitments and progress ✅Elena Churilova, CEO and co-founder of Cino outlines its approach to group payments and aiming to simplify expense sharing for Gen Z ✅We review the new book '10 Tips to Help Compliance Officers SOAR!' by Simone Martin, FICA, TEP, FCG Happy reading! https://lnkd.in/e8Fb928V

WealthTech and Wealth Management in 2025: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Finance Industry experts share their insights on the trends, challenges as well as technologies shaping the future of wealthtech, Read More: https://lnkd.in/eBAn_M62

Open Banking in Saudi Arabia: the Vision, Progress, and Path to Global Leadership Saudi Arabia became an early mover in open banking in November 2022, when the Saudi Central Bank – SAMA released the country's open banking framework encompassing legislation, technical standards and regulatory guidelines, drawing inspiration from successful implementations abroad. Recognising the transformative potential of the technology in the Kingdom, we delve into the progress, plans and future of open banking in helping the country diversify its economy, promote financial inclusion, and attract foreign direct investment in our latest white paper. Featuring insight from: 🎤Richard Newman, corporate affairs director at Open Banking 🎤Stephen Wright, head of corporate and regulatory APIs at NatWest 🎤Hiba Chamas, business development director at RTGS.global 🎤Nauman Hassan, regional director, MENA at Paymentology 🎤Brett King, bestselling author, futurist & founder of Moven 🎤Bas Kooijman MSTA, CEO of DHF Capital Read More👉 https://lnkd.in/eErGYJmd #SaudiArabia #OpenBanking #KSA

Crypto, DeFi, and Blockchain in 2025: Experts Share Key Trends and Challenges Experts predict that in 2025, blockchain, crypto, and DeFi will grow through institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and tokenisation. Read More: https://lnkd.in/e4c5bPnb

This Week in Fintech: TFT Bi-Weekly News Roundup 19/12 The Fintech Times Bi-Weekly News Roundup on Thursday 19 December brings you the latest industry news updates from around the globe. Read More: https://lnkd.in/d9GRZQKY

Taking Flight With Hands In: Is the Sky the Limit for Split Payments? We sit down with Samuel Flynn, CEO of split payments platform Hands In to find out about the company's products, developments and future plans. Read More: https://lnkd.in/dt4dnYhb

Chats with our MEA report headline sponsor. To get a better understanding of Visa’s vision in MEA and what it expects, we sat down with Hasan Kazmi, head of digital partnerships and ventures at Visa. The conversation explored topics including: fintech subsectors, payments, fintech ecosystems and more. To get insights into various aspects of the Middle East and Africa, its economic development and the growth in importance of fintech in the region, read our 2024 Middle East and Africa Report. Get access to our fourth annual report into the fintech landscape in the MEA region https://lnkd.in/dwSbBEXH. Get in touch to be involved in next year's report, email us at standout@thefintechtimes.com. #fintech #MEA #innovation #growth #economicdevelopment

Monzo, Bunq and Caixabank: Creating a Domino Effect to Foster Greater Inclusivity in Fintech As Monzo Bank, CaixaBank and bunq enhance the #inclusivity and #accessibility of their #banking services, we explore whether enough is being done elsewhere in the banking industry. Featuring insight from: 🎤Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum 🎤Josep Parareda, director of social action at CaixaBank 🎤Jas Shah, fintech product consultant 🎤Raman Korneu, CFA, CEO and co-founder of myTU 🎤David O'Hearns, founder and MD at Dawn 🎤Joanne Dewar, founder of Project Nemo 🎤Andrea Maria Cosentino, MSc, IMC, founder and managing partner at Impact Fundry Read More👉 https://lnkd.in/eg52FXrh

🎙️On this week’s episode of News & Views, sponsored by Vanta, the trust management and compliance platform, The Fintech Times podcast team discuss Pay by Bank's adoption and what more organisations can do to be more inclusive https://lnkd.in/euPtC3-c. Topics discussed include: ✅Payment options and diversity in the financial sector. ✅TrueLayer’s latest partnership with Ryanair to introduce a new payment option at checkout. ✅LGBT Great’s latest findings on inclusion in the workplace.   Listen to the final episode of 2024 here: https://lnkd.in/euPtC3-c. Listen to News & Views Podcast on your favourite platform: 🎧Listen on Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/ezXPmUyP.  🎧Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eAtH4WUu.  #thefintechtimes #podcast #news&views #fintech #payments

Chats with our MEA report headline sponsor. We sat down with Hasan Kazmi, head of digital partnerships and ventures at Visa, to discuss Visa's fintech strategy for CEMEA and the transformative impact of their fintech programs in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Hasan Kazmi provided insights into how the Visa Accelerator Program is fueling growth in Africa's fintech sector, offering personalised mentoring, coaching, and strategic benefits, including access to their extensive partner ecosystem. We also discussed Visa's regional strategy and how they are expanding their impact and reach across multiple countries. The Middle East and Africa region is a tapestry of diversity, encompassing a rich array of landscapes, cultures, and economics. Read our Middle and Africa report here: https://lnkd.in/dwSbBEXH. Get in touch to be involved in next year's report, email us at standout@thefintechtimes.com. #fintech #MEA #innovation #growth #economicdevelopment