How AI-Powered FinTech is Solving the £4B UK Energy Debt Crisis | Fliss Berridge & James Sharpe

In today's episode, we explore how innovative fintech partnerships are tackling the UK's massive £4 billion energy debt crisis through compassionate collections and flexible payment solutions.

I speak with Fliss Berridge, UK Managing Director and Co-Founder at Ordo, and James Sharpe, Sales Director, Digital Native Business at Eviden. We talk about their groundbreaking partnership creating an intelligent recommendation and notification engine that helps consumers manage utility payments in a way that matches their actual income patterns, not arbitrary monthly billing cycles.

Their solution combines open banking, AI, and a deep understanding of customer behavior to transform how utilities collect payments while making financial management more accessible and humane for consumers struggling with the cost of living crisis.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• The UK energy debt crisis £4 billion challenge
• The concept of "compassionate collections with kindness" that benefits both consumers and utilities
• Using AI and open banking to create payment schedules that match actual income patterns
• The importance of designing financial services around people's lives, not forcing people to adapt
• How partnerships between large corporations and agile fintechs can drive purpose-driven innovation

We discuss how traditional payment methods like direct debits are failing vulnerable customers, particularly those with irregular income streams or in the gig economy. The solution recognizes income patterns and suggests appropriate payment amounts at the right times, providing relief for consumers while improving collection rates for utilities.

This collaboration demonstrates how fintech innovations can address significant social challenges while creating commercial value, proving that compassion and profitability can coexist in financial services.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Connect with Fliss and James: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fliss-berridge-07a05b84/

Website: https://ordopay.com/

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrnsharpe/

Website: https://eviden.com/

👉 Follow Monica: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares

We cover: 

[00:00:00] Introduction to the UK's £4 billion energy debt crisis

[00:03:00] Breaking down large bills into manageable chunks

[00:07:00] Compassionate collections: How kindness can coexist with effective payment solutions

[00:11:00] Preventing late payments through early intervention and intelligent recommendations

[00:15:00] Designing financial services around people's lives, not the other way around

[00:19:00] Partnership for purpose: How Eviden and Ordo collaborate effectively

[00:25:00] How startups and large corporations can work together effectively

[00:32:00] The six-week proof of concept: How rigor and discipline drive innovation

[00:37:00] Understanding diverse customer attitudes toward money and bill payment

[00:42:00] The trust problem with direct debits and how open banking solves it

[00:47:00] How AI creates personalized, ethical payment recommendations

[00:51:00] The future: Variable recurring payments and expanding to other sectors

#CompassionateCollections #OpenBanking #FinTechPartnerships #EnergyDebtCrisis #FlexiblePayments

Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.