Tech Talks

Nancy Beaton, President of Uphold, shares her insights on the urgent need for traditional finance to adapt to the digital landscape. She emphasizes how Gen Z’s expectations for instant, borderless financial services are reshaping the industry. With over 300 tokens available, Uphold’s API enables swift transitions to on-chain solutions for banks and fintechs. Nancy also discusses Bitcoin as a superior savings technology and stresses the importance of legacy firms acting fast to avoid being left behind in the crypto revolution.

Megan Caywood Cooper, a fintech pioneer with experience at Starling Bank and Barclays and a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, discusses the exciting evolution of banking technology. She reveals how agentic AI is transforming the finance landscape by functioning as a 'CFO in your pocket.' The conversation dives into the cultural barriers legacy banks face, the varying levels of AI adoption across the US and Europe, and the future of personal AI financial agents. Megan also shares insights from recent industry events and light-hearted personal stories.

In this engaging discussion, Matt Renner, Chief Revenue Officer at Google Cloud, shares insights on the transformative role of AI in the cloud market, especially for financial services. He reveals why 90-95% of early generative AI projects failed due to unqualified teams and underestimating data engineering challenges. Renner highlights the shift in cloud partner criteria towards AI capabilities, emphasizing security and compliance concerns that banks face. Google Cloud's unique approach combines a first-party stack with openness, positioning it as a leading solutions provider.

David chats with three FinTech experts: Joseph Dormani, a partner focused on early-stage investments in legal tech and AI; Sonya Cléroux, who leads Interpolitan Money's North American expansion; and Richard Winston, who advises financial giants on tech strategies. They dive into AI governance and its importance in building trust for adoption. The discussion turns to the rise of tokenization and new payment methods while exploring the generational gap at fintech conferences and the need for fresh perspectives to drive innovation.

Richard Winston, Global Financial Services leader at Slalom, dives into the dynamic world of fintech and payments innovation. He explains why human validation is essential despite AI's capabilities, highlighting the challenges of AI hallucinations that could lead to payment failures. Richard discusses how Millennials and Gen Z are driving banks to enhance their digital experiences, emphasizing the demand for real-time access and convenience. The conversation also touches on the importance of compliance and the role of technology in reducing friction in payments.

Shahad Choudhury, founder of Open Bricks, shares his journey transforming from a blockchain property portal to a tenant lifecycle platform with over 225,000 users. He discusses the challenges blockchain faced, revealing how partnerships drove their rapid growth without traditional marketing. Shahad emphasizes focusing on product simplicity and serving customers, while contemplating the balance of luck and hard work in entrepreneurship. He also touches on the differences in PropTech energy between the UK and US, and the importance of keeping technology human-centered.

In this engaging discussion, Kimberley Waldron, founder of Started and a fintech PR expert, highlights the critical role of communication in fintech. She argues that poor messaging, rather than tech failures, poses the biggest barrier to adoption. Kimberley emphasizes the need for authentic, human-centered communication to build trust, especially in economic uncertainty. She shares insights on focusing on end-user benefits instead of industry jargon and the importance of humanizing fintech narratives to connect and resonate.

Co-founder of CyLon, Grace Cassy, reveals why Europe struggles to scale cyber talent and challenges the industry's focus on prevention. She discusses the human cost of complacency and what "bouncing back" looks like practically; from immutable backups to prioritizing critical systems. A vital conversation on moving from throwing up high walls to building true organizational resilience.We also discuss the new film Grace has contributed to Midnight in the War Room, you can watch the trailer here.Tech Talks is powered by Nash Squared, the leading global provider of technology and talent solutions. Find out more about our solutions at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.nashsquared.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The music on Tech Talks is created by London artist Lemzi:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lemzi.com⁠⁠

Willem Ave, Square's Global Head of Product, joins host David Savage to discuss Square's evolution from a card reader to an ecosystem of banking and software. Together they unpack the strategy behind bringing advanced AI tools (like virtual CFOs and CMOs) to small, independent businesses helping drive economic empowerment. Willem explains how Square balances rapid feature growth with the commitment to simple, design-led experiences that sellers can trust.Tech Talks is powered by Nash Squared, the leading global provider of technology and talent solutions. Find out more about our solutions at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.nashsquared.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The music on Tech Talks is created by London artist Lemzi:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lemzi.com⁠⁠

On today's podcast Georgie Steele (CTO and Co-founder of Maven) discusses turning complex climate policy into actionable business intelligence. She reveals how Maiven navigates resistence/indifference towards sustainability by focusing on commercial ROI and adapting to shifting local regulations. Georgie also shares insights on fostering an 'AI-first' culture, enabling non-technical teams with "vibe coding", and addresses the critical need for senior engineers to oversee emerging AI tools, which often act like "eager juniors".Tech Talks is powered by Nash Squared, the leading global provider of technology and talent solutions. Find out more about our solutions at⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.nashsquared.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The music on Tech Talks is created by London artist Lemzi:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lemzi.com⁠⁠