The Irish Tech News Podcast

Everyone has likely been breached and will continue to be breached at some point. Unfortunately, current practices for protecting against identity theft and fraud are equivalent to "dark ages medicine" and do not effectively guide individuals on protective actions. When customers don’t take action, is it because they are not motivated, or is it because the process is simply too complex? In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! We chat with Jim Van Dyke, Senior Principal of Innovation for TransUnion on identity safety and how financial institutions can become better guardians for their customers by leveraging data in a smart and thoughtful way. 

In the past decade, we have seen significant progress in data democratization and the rise of consumer-centric financial services — thanks to disruption brought on by increased mobility. As we continue the journey, who will lead the next revolution? Who will be the key players and where will financial advice come from? In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! Theo chat with Efi Pylarinou on the future of money and finance. While many companies are focusing on low-hanging fruit improvements, there is still plenty of room for innovation in the infrastructure of financial services that can bring significant business value. Where will we go as a society, against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions and regulatory uncertainties? The future belongs to the crazy — who dare to try. 

The 2024 National Ploughing Championships starts today, and from its humble beginnings in 1931, it has expanded and grown year on year. The first National Ploughing Championships used a small field of 26 acres, and today’s National Ploughing Championships uses over 700 acres of land. The National Championships is now no longer just for ploughing or machinery enthusiasts, the modern event now features something for just about every member of the community. These include a Tented Trade Village, a Food Fair, Craft Village, Livestock, Forestry, Education, Lifestyle, Motor Show, Financial Services, Bio Energy and Agri Service. Along with this, there are many entertainment and special events taking place and lots of exhibitors too. One of the exhibitors is Engineers Ireland, and I recently spoke to Engineers Ireland Director General, Damien Owens about their stand and what we can expect to see. Damien spoke about his background, some of the tech Engineers Ireland will be showcasing, AI, and more. More about Engineers Ireland: Engineers Ireland is the voice of the engineering profession in Ireland. Their 25,000+ members make up a community of creative professionals delivering sustainable solutions for society. They have been representing the engineering profession since 1835, making Engineers Ireland one of the oldest and largest professional bodies in Ireland. Their members come from every discipline of engineering, and range from students to fellows of the profession. 

Traditional views on financial milestones and pathways to financial security are changing, and we need different solutions to address our changing needs at various stages of life. In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! Theo chat with April Clobes, President/CEO of MSU Federal Credit Union, on the impact of technology in the credit union industry. There is an immense interest in deploying AI to create personalized solutions for members and drive efficiencies for credit unions; how we can best leverage the technology in a responsible and fair manner is an on-going exercise. Financial services industry is at an interesting and exciting crossroad. Much work to be done, there is. 

John Mulhall, is a cloud engineer and a regular contributor to Irish Tech News. Tomorrow his first novel, From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows. I caught up with John to talk about his debut novel. John talks about his background, his debut novel, how his military and tech background helped him write his novel and more More about John Mulhall: John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a Journalist, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.  His professional journey began in the Irish Defence Forces, honing his skills in security before transitioning to financial operations and management for over 12 years. 

Fall is kicking off with a big BANG, with a series of fintech conferences for us to connect with founders and funders. It is also the recruiting season for our friends at the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator and the Center for Accelerating Financial Equity (CAFE). In this new episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! Theo, Barb, and Stephanie reunite to reminisce about the past, present, and future of our industry. Looking back, we have seen plenty of innovative ideas. But what do the activities amount to? Are we working on and measuring what matters? Looking ahead, what is the new battleground in the age of AI and data? Is it still fintech versus banks? Or will it be incumbent platforms versus tech players, aka Magnificent Seven? Perhaps it’s time for some honest conversations and a bit of soul searching. 

Tech is now being used daily by businesses, as it is an important tool in their arsenal. However SME’s are overlooked and under serviced when it comes to tech. But thankfully Cozmotec is one company helping, by focusing exclusively on SME’s that are trying to grow, improve their operations or efficiencies, or just need help increasing profits. Ronan recently spoke to City Gupta the founder and CEO of Cozmotec. Cuty talks about her background, what Cozmotec does, how to make tech less scary and more. More about Cozmotec: Cozmotec is a tech company focusing on robotic process automation and artificial intelligence. Cozmotec is all about making advanced technology and automation affordable and easy to use for every business. Their goal is to help businesses of all sizes benefit from these tools without straining their budgets, making sure that all businesses can succeed in today’s tech-driven world.

Are you curious about the future of decentralized finance? Here’s a little secret: The future is already here, but the change is not equally distributed. In our back-to-back episode featuring women in web3, we chat with Rita Martins, author of the brand new book titled “Web3 in Financial Services”, on the past, present, and future of blockchain technology, how the ecosystem can adapt to regulatory changes, and how traditional finance and DeFi can play nice together. While the progress may feel slow, change is definitely coming. Check out Rita’s new book here: https://a.co/d/93ClFuP  ** Our last conversation with Cleve Mesidor, The path to a more financially inclusive future, can be found here. https://shows.acast.com/one-vision/episodes/the-path-to-a-more-financially-inclusive-future  **

Earlier this year I attended the National Enterprise Awards in the Mansion House. This was the 24th year of the Local Enterprise Office initiative, which was won last year by Advanced Cosmetics. The Finalists competed for a prize fund of €50,000 and along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner there are categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a One-to-Watch Award, and a Sustainability Award. There is also an Outstanding Achievement award for a business that started with their Local Enterprise Office and has gone on to achieve international growth with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland.  I caught up with Matt Conlon the Co-Founder and CEO of one of the winners Cytidel. Matt talks about his background, what Cytidel does, AI, winning at the Local Enterprise Awards and more. More about Cytidel: Innovation Award winners, Cytidel, is a vulnerability intelligence platform that enables organisations to adopt an intelligence led approach to risk prioritisation that’s up to 95% more efficient than traditional methods. With a focus on actionable vulnerability intelligence, Cytidel is already trusted by leading global financial service providers to save analysts 10+ hours a week.

With five generations of customers using the banking system, whose needs are we truly serving and how can we best fill the gaps? In our first episode back from a short summer break, we welcome Cleve Mesidor, Executive Director of the Blockchain Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit leading an industry-wide crypto education campaign. Credit unions and community banks play a critical role in serving the diverse demographics of our society. How best can we support these institutions in a decentralized finance future? What policy changes do we need to support the workforce of the future, and ensure small business owners can thrive? And what is the story behind Butterscotch Media? Tune in to find out more!