

Fintech Chatter: Insights From Fintech Leaders
Dexter Cousins | Fintech Headhunter and Founder
Fintech Chatter Podcast has been leading conversations with Fintech founders since 2019!Join the Fintech Chatter Podcast, where we dive into the world of fintech with industry leaders and innovators. Brought to you by Tier One People, Australia's leading executive search and recruitment firm for fintech ventures. Each episode features an exclusive interview with a Fintech leader, uncovering their secrets to success and the lessons learned along the way. Fintech Chatter has become the archive for anyone serious about launching and building a successful Fintech company.Whether you're a fintech founder, professional, investor, or enthusiast, gain valuable insights from expert interviews and discussions on raising capital, hiring, international expansion, innovation and technology.Tune in to stay ahead of the trends in the rapidly-evolving fintech landscape.Dexter also shares his expertise on careers, leadership and hiring all through a Fintech lens.Follow Dexter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dextercousins/Follow Tier One People: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tier-one-people
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 17, 2023 • 60min
Decoding Remote Work Productivity and Performance Management with Mark Lewis
In this episode of Fintech Chatter I'm joined by ex-Fintech founder now HR tech founder Mark Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder of Crewmojo.As we navigate the choppy waters of remote work and productivity, Mark offers valuable insights. We debate the challenge of managing remote workers, the shift from daily face-to-face interactions to asynchronous communication, and the importance of carving out a clear divide between work and home life. We also ponder the role of leadership in setting clear expectations and helping to grow their teams, the disconnect between high and low performers, and even the potential of a four-day work week.Mark and I explore the evolution of performance management within hybrid work models, and how to build a mutually beneficial relationship in your organisation. We dissect the power dynamics between employers and employees, and discuss how to get work done effectively as if there was no hierarchy. Looking at the design of a flexible work policy, we emphasise the importance of aligning individuals, teams, customers, and company, and how to negotiate in a way that benefits all parties. Join us on this insightful journey, where we rethink traditional work norms and discover new paths to productivity and satisfaction.About Mark LewisMark is a people focused entrepreneur with a passion and curiosity for discovering new approaches to traditional ways. He likes a good challenge and has a need to continually improve himself but he really gets his kicks when he sees the team around him truly succeeding.That's why Mark started Crewmojo, Performance development for the modern workforce. The Crewmojo platform helps leaders engage and motivate employees with a real-time continuous approach to employee performance.Previously a co-founder of IP Payments which rapidly became the go-to organisation for complex corporate payment solutions. In 2015 IP Payments was successfully acquired by Bambora Group, an entity of Nordic Capital.To find out more about Crewmojo go to: https://www.crewmojo.com/Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jul 13, 2023 • 46min
Fintech News with Simon Lee
Dexter Cousins is joined by Simon Lee of Patona, our newest member of the Fintech Chatter crew, to bring you our new monthly Fintech News show.This month Dexter and Simon discuss:- Parpera and Prospend on the Wise Platform- Revolut launching in NZ- The state of Aussie Fintech funding - Why so many Fintech CEO's are resigningPlus Dexter quizzes Simon on his command of the Aussie language!Join us every month as we discuss the latest news, insights, hiring, firing, capital raises, product launches and more.Brought to you in partnership with Patona - The #1 platform to hire, manage and pay teamsSend us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jul 12, 2023 • 43min
Let's chat... AI | Sam Zheng, Curious Thing
Looking to leverage AI in your business? Gain valuable insights from Sam Wong, CEO of Curious Thing, as he discusses the transformative power of AI in customer communication and beyond.In this episode of Let's Chat, Dexter chat's to Sam Zheng, CEO and Co-Founder of Curious Thing, an Aussie AI scale up. Sam was also co-founder of Hyper Ana one of Australia's most successful AI startups. With a background in statistics and actuarial work, Sam has extensive experience in the AI field. Sam and Dexter discuss the current state of AI and its impact on various industries. Sam emphasises the importance of focusing on solving real problems rather than just using AI for the sake of it. Sam also shares his journey as a founder and the challenges he faced transitioning from CTO to CEO. https://curiousthing.io/Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jul 11, 2023 • 18min
Wise Strengthens Local Platform Offering Supporting Aussie Fintech's
Dan McCarthy, APAC Regional Head for Wise joins Dexter Cousins to share news about the Wise Platform launch.Aussie Fintech startups Parpera and Prospend will be the first Australian fintechs to use Wise’s infrastructure, to create deposit accounts and digital debit cards via their own apps.If you'd like to find out more about the Wise Platform go to - https://platform.wise.com/Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jul 9, 2023 • 22min
Revolut Launches in New Zealand
Charlie Short, APAC Head of Growth for Revolut joins dexter to talk about their recent expansion into New Zealand.Charlie also gives an update on Revolut's Australian product roadmap.Their APAC growth plans including India.And their measured approach to growth in the region.Plus Dexter asks if Australia really is the test bay for fintech innovation.You can download the Revolut app - https://www.revolut.com/en-AU/And find out about careers - https://www.revolut.com/en-AU/careers/Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jun 29, 2023 • 40min
151: Katrina Donaghy | Civic Ledger
Katrina Donaghy, co-founder of Civic Ledger, joins Dexter Cousins for ep151 of Fintech Chatter. Katrina shares the journey of her company and the role of blockchain technology in solving efficiency problems in government. Katrina emphasises the importance of focusing on the "why" rather than the "what" of blockchain and highlights the potential of tokenisation as the killer app for this technology. Katrina also shares her insights on the challenges and opportunities in the fintech industry and the need for a contextual relationship between technology and society.OverviewIn this episode the conversation centers around the need for trust and governance in water distribution. Civic Ledger help citizens, industries and governments bring transparency, accountability and auditability to transactions and data in real time enabled by blockchain technology.The conversation also touches on the challenges and opportunities of bringing blockchain to the attention of the government, the importance of having a coordinated voice, and the need to focus on solutions rather than problems.Key Takeaways:Blockchain technology can improve transparency and accountability in government by providing a trustless method of transaction verification.Tokenization is the killer app for blockchain technology, as it allows for the digital representation of valuable assets.The adoption of blockchain technology requires a contextual relationship with governance and principles such as access, equity, and democracy.Australia can learn from countries like Vietnam, India, and China, which are embracing blockchain technology and investing in its development.Quotes:"We have to reinvent ourselves all the time, stay on our mission, but really keep on questioning what's our purpose." - Katrina Donaghy"We knew way back then that highly regulated asset classes would be really useful with this tokenisation technology." - Katrina Donaghy"We haven't asked for permission to do this. It's 15 years since Satoshi's White paper. And in 15 years, we've built this entire global economy." - Katrina DonaghyAbout KatrinaThrough Katrina's early years as a sociologist through to her interest in entrepreneurialism, she has extensive experience in public policy and early stage commercialisation. For more than 20 years, Katrina has worked in both public and not for profit sectors with a specific focus on business development, project delivery and revenue diversification with the view to building resilient and sustainable organisations. In Australia, she organises Women in Blockchain events and regularly speaks on the topic of why cities and governments should be exploring blockchain technologies. Katrina's interest in blockchain technologies is driven by her curiousity of its potential for governments to create and facilitate new citizen-at-the-centre markets, organisations and economies of the future.Connect with Katrina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-donaghy/https://www.civicledger.com/Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jun 29, 2023 • 37min
Anthony Jones, Visa
Visa's Anthony Jones Discusses Fintech Partnerships and Global Expansion Opportunities.Visa's Head of Digital Partnerships for Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, Anthony Jones, joins Dexter Cousins on Lets Chat... - a new series where we bring in the experts to discuss key founder challenges.They discuss Visa's role in the fintech ecosystem, the company's focus on digital partnerships, and their support for non-bank financial institutions and scale-up fintechs. They also cover global expansion of fintechs, the challenges they face, and the importance of market fit. Anthony shares insights on Visa's involvement in the crypto space and their interest in digital assets. He emphasizes the need for fintechs to have a strong product-market fit and to consider partnerships and outsourcing to navigate challenging market conditions.About Anthony JonesAs the Head of Digital Partnerships for Visa Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Anthony and his team focus on Visa’s new-to-market partnerships including neobanks and fintechs, as well as the client co-creation process. Anthony is responsible for leading Visa's strategy on collaborative product design to deliver market-leading payment experiences for clients. As part of this, he works with Visa’s global team to develop the next wave of digital and data-driven payment capabilities.About VisaVisa is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jun 25, 2023 • 49min
150: Dexter Cousins | Tier One People pt2
To celebrate episode 150 of Fintech Chatter we decided to do something a bit different. In this two part interview Simon Lee from Patona turns the tables and plays host while Dexter answers the questions.In part two:Dexter shares his recruitment tips and the exact process he follows to hire amazing talent.They also talk about the amazing opportunities we have with AI. Dexter also shares his insights on the current economic situation and the opportunities it is presenting to Fintech founders. Plus he shares his tips on the ideas and businesses that will get funded in a downturn. Check out part one:Dexter shares his background from being a failed graphic designer, working in the motorsport industry to recruitment and then launching Tier One People.Simon gets Dexter's views on the latest market developments. And they also discuss the impacts of remote working on careers and business. And Dexter shares his tips on how to build high performance teams.Special Thanks to Simon Lee at Patona for hosting this show.Patona is the #1 Platform to hire, manage and pay remote teams.Patona helps businesses get more done by fast tracking the recruitment, onboarding and contracting of trusted global teams through a single platform.Tier One People is proud to be Patona's first official recruitment partner.Find out more: https://www.patona.com.au/ Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jun 22, 2023 • 37min
149: Dexter Cousins | Tier One People pt1
To celebrate episode 150 of Fintech Chatter we decided to do something a bit different. In this two part interview Simon Lee from Patona turns the tables and plays host while Dexter answers the questions.In Part one:Dexter shares his background from being a failed graphic designer, working in the motorsport industry to recruitment and then launching Tier One People.Simon gets Dexter's views on the latest market developments. And they also discuss the impacts of remote working on careers and business. And Dexter shares his tips on how to build high performance teams.Make sure to check out part two where Dexter shares his tips on hiring, the current economic situation, what Fintech founders need to do to get through this period and the awesome potential of AI!Special Thanks to Simon Lee at Patona for hosting this show.Patona is the #1 Platform to hire, manage and pay remote teams.Patona helps businesses get more done by fast tracking the recruitment, onboarding and contracting of trusted global teams through a single platform.Tier One People is proud to be Patona's first official recruitment partner.Find out more: https://www.patona.com.au/ Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp

Jun 21, 2023 • 36min
Is it Game Over for Blockchain? Chloe White | Blockchain News
In the last ever Blockchain News, Dexter is joined by Chloe White to discuss the latest policy and regulation developments in Blockchain. Is this the end of Blockchain? Or is it the beginning of something far BIGGER? About ChloeChloe White is a blockchain and fintech expert who has been jet-setting around the globe. In this episode of Blockchain News, she joins Dexter Cousins to discuss her recent trip to Canberra where she discussed the future of emerging technologies and the digital economy with government and policy makers.Connect with Chloe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/policyeconomist/https://genesisblock.com.au/OverviewIn this episode the conversation centers around the need for a holistic approach to emerging technologies and the digital economy. Chloe and Dexter discuss the worrying decline of blockchain conversations and the need for a broader conversation that includes all emerging technologies. The conversation also touches on the challenges and opportunities of bringing blockchain to the attention of the government, the importance of having a coordinated voice, and the need to focus on solutions rather than problems.Send us a textSubscribe Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/fintech-leaders-7092732051488980992/Connect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBp