Finscale in English

This 200th episode is not just a simple celebration. It also symbolises a retrospective, a look back at the significant trends, fruitful collaborations, and, above all, the skills and qualities of all the outstanding entrepreneurs I've had the chance to interact with. I will talk about how I got started, the soft skills I rediscovered, the trends I followed, and the entrepreneurial lessons I learned.  Expect a journey through time, a deep dive into what "Finscale" has discovered, shared, and celebrated. I'm excited to share this synthesis with you. Thank you for joining me on this adventure, and I wish you an excellent listening experience for this special episode of "Finscale".  And as I say every week, I'm counting on you to rate this episode on podcast platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcast. It's also a way for me to get feedback.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

This is an excerpt of the episode published on Sunday. After extensive searching within Sequoia, I finally connected with George, who generously shared his insights about many many subjects.  He joins me for an in-depth discussion on Sequoia's growth in the European tech sector. We dive into a range of topics, starting with the structure of Sequoia and exploring the reasons behind its decision to expand into Europe.  The conversation then shifts to current and future trends in Fintech, highlighting their focus in this area. Particularly noteworthy are our discussions about two significant deals: Trade Republic and Pennylane. These examples provide a glimpse into Sequoia's investment strategies and successes in Europe. We also touch on the mafia phenomenon in Europe and the emergence of the companies originating from European scale-up mafias. Finally, we cover the Sequoia Scouting Program, with a special focus on the Arc Programme. This initiative supports pre-seed and seed-stage founders who are in the early stages of developing their ideas, products, and companies. Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

Starting out in the financial sector brings many surprises, and often, the greatest comes during audits and regulatory visits. The challenge of squaring away the central client file, a seemingly routine task, can throw even the most established financial institutions into disarray. This vital KYC remediation process, filled with complexities and operational challenges, is often overlooked. Institutions grapple with inconsistencies in customer data across different systems and not to mention the looming concern of inadvertently facilitating financial crimes. Data privacy, security challenges, and the risks of not conducting proper KYC remediation - both legal and reputational - are pressing matters. Krik provides valuable insights into navigating these intricacies, emphasising the importance of understanding and adapting to an ever-evolving regulatory landscape to maintain compliance. He also shares advice on how organisations can sustain customer relationships during the KYC process and offers strategies to mitigate any negative impact. Delving deeper into Fourthline's offering, we explore how they assist clients from onboarding to maintaining long-term customer relationships, showcasing solutions they provide, with Qonto as a case in point. The conversation also touches on the need for country-specific adaptations for optimal performance and the innovative approach of advanced signatures provided by this European firm based in the Netherlands.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

This is an excerpt from the episode published on Sunday. Starting out in the financial sector brings many surprises, and often, the greatest comes during audits and regulatory visits. The challenge of squaring away the central client file, a seemingly routine task, can throw even the most established financial institutions into disarray. This vital KYC remediation process, filled with complexities and operational challenges, is often overlooked. Institutions grapple with inconsistencies in customer data across different systems and not to mention the looming concern of inadvertently facilitating financial crimes. Data privacy, security challenges, and the risks of not conducting proper KYC remediation - both legal and reputational - are pressing matters. Krik provides valuable insights into navigating these intricacies, emphasising the importance of understanding and adapting to an ever-evolving regulatory landscape to maintain compliance. He also shares advice on how organisations can sustain customer relationships during the KYC process and offers strategies to mitigate any negative impact. Delving deeper into Fourthline's offering, we explore how they assist clients from onboarding to maintaining long-term customer relationships, showcasing solutions they provide, with Qonto as a case in point. The conversation also touches on the need for country-specific adaptations for optimal performance and the innovative approach of advanced signatures provided by this European firm based in the Netherlands.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

Back to payments and Forex this week. Patrick delves deep into the intricate fabric of Convera, a dominant player in the payment industry. We kick off our conversation with a retrospective, as Patrick provides a comprehensive overview of WU Business Solutions' 2021 activities. He shares the motivations and strategic intricacies behind Goldfinch Partners and BauPost Group's acquisition of WUBS. Shifting focus to the core of Convera, Patrick paints a vivid picture of the company’s current positioning: its expansive geographical presence, the pillars of its value proposition, and the diverse suite of solutions it offers. The discussion becomes more insightful when we explore Convera’s significant global footprint, which spans 200 countries, operates in 22, and deals with 140+ currencies. Patrick touches on the company’s strategies that have driven this global success and the tailored services catering to a broad spectrum of clientele, from SMEs to NGOs. Naturally, we couldn't discuss Convera's growth and development without exploring the transformation projects of this major player, particularly from a technological perspective, including its AWS Cloud migration. This leads us into a discussion about regulatory strategy and the factors that prompted the American company to establish its European headquarters in Luxembourg. Additionally, we delved into their risk management approach, especially concerning hedging foreign exchange (FX) risks.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

This is an excerpt from the episode published on Sunday. Back to payments and Forex this week. Patrick delves deep into the intricate fabric of Convera, a dominant player in the payment industry. We kick off our conversation with a retrospective, as Patrick provides a comprehensive overview of WU Business Solutions' 2021 activities. He shares the motivations and strategic intricacies behind Goldfinch Partners and BauPost Group's acquisition of WUBS. Shifting focus to the core of Convera, Patrick paints a vivid picture of the company’s current positioning: its expansive geographical presence, the pillars of its value proposition, and the diverse suite of solutions it offers. The discussion becomes more insightful when we explore Convera’s significant global footprint, which spans 200 countries, operates in 22, and deals with 140+ currencies. Patrick touches on the company’s strategies that have driven this global success and the tailored services catering to a broad spectrum of clientele, from SMEs to NGOs. Naturally, we couldn't discuss Convera's growth and development without exploring the transformation projects of this major player, particularly from a technological perspective, including its AWS Cloud migration. This leads us into a discussion about regulatory strategy and the factors that prompted the American company to establish its European headquarters in Luxembourg. Additionally, we delved into their risk management approach, especially concerning hedging foreign exchange (FX) risks.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

Ophelia Snyder, CEO of 21Shares, discusses the Global Crypto Classification Standard and its potential to bridge the gap between traditional finance and crypto-assets. She also shares insights on the birth and growth of 21Shares, their sustainability initiatives, and their vision for tackling upcoming environmental challenges.

Excerpt from the episode published on Sunday. During an insightful discussion, Ophelia explores the nuances of the rapidly growing crypto space, shedding light on the critical role her company, 21Shares, plays in its development. Our discussion also covers the Global Crypto Classification Standard (GCCS). She shares valuable insights on why the GCCS was formed, emphasising its potential to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the intricate realm of crypto-assets. We also delve into the challenges it took to get this off the ground. Ophelia shares many engaging stories about the birth and growth of 21Shares – its inception, key milestones, value proposition, and geographic expansion. During the episode, we speak about the company's diverse product offerings and the vital role its partners play, including market makers and custodians. Sustainability is a fundamental value of 21Shares, and we find out it was brought to the forefront due to their pledge to offset carbon emissions, particularly from on-chain crypto transactions. Our conversation ends with a discussion on 21Shares' green initiatives, their strategy for choosing such projects, and their vision for tackling upcoming environmental challenges.Produced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

A fantastic episode with one of the founders of Truelayer, the solution that drives almost 40% of the YoY growth in open banking payments in the UK. I loved this interview with Francesco as he shared insights about their experiences and achievements in the open banking sector over the past seven years, including their diverse range of solutions such as signup+, payments, payouts, and VRP, as well as their wide-ranging client base. This includes tech giants in the iGaming, e-commerce, and cryptocurrency sectors, such as Coinbase, as well as more traditional merchants like the UK retailer Topps Tiles. We explored their competitive positioning and their recent announcement regarding the launch of their Payments platform programme. We also delved into the potential avenues for growth, both in terms of geographical expansion and the diversification of their product offerings. It's a market that continues to expand exponentiallyProduced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.

This is an excerpt from the episode published on Sunday. A fantastic episode with one of the founders of Truelayer, the solution that drives almost 40% of the YoY growth in open banking payments in the UK. I loved this interview with Francesco as he shared insights about their experiences and achievements in the open banking sector over the past seven years, including their diverse range of solutions such as signup+, payments, payouts, and VRP, as well as their wide-ranging client base. This includes tech giants in the iGaming, e-commerce, and cryptocurrency sectors, such as Coinbase, as well as more traditional merchants like the UK retailer Topps Tiles. We explored their competitive positioning and their recent announcement regarding the launch of their Payments platform programme. We also delved into the potential avenues for growth, both in terms of geographical expansion and the diversification of their product offerings. It's a market that continues to expand exponentiallyProduced by Gokyo Sàrl-S, distributed by Audiomeans©. Visit the Privacy Policy of Finscale and Audiomeans for more information.