Disruptive voices

Disruptive voices

Welcome to Disruptive Voices, the new podcast series from The Banker, which explores the experiences, successes and frustrations of women working across the global fintech sector. 

Fintech has infiltrated all of our lives, whether we realise it or not. Whether it's mobile and QR code payments, using banking apps, ordering and paying for a taxi and your takeaway via your smartphone, or services like P2P payments or crypto. Our finances have never been so digital. 

Each month, Kimberley Long, Asia editor at The Banker, speaks with women in the industry to understand the reality of working within fintech today. 

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Sibos bonus episode: Making modern banking

In this special episode recorded at Sibos in Toronto, the women from across the fintech space talk about their experiences as founders, developing the regtech space, and making career changes. 

Chapter 1 

Christina Chang, chief operating officer, Minka 

Chapter 2 

Alex Ford, president, North America, Encompass Corporation 

Chapter 3 

Stella Lim, chief operating officer, Partior 

Chapter 4 

Katalin Kauzli, business development director and co-founder, PartnerHUB

From start-ups to unicorns – making your own way

The driving force of the fintech sector is start-ups. Yet, according to 2020 figures from Deloitte, just 7% globally are fronted by women. In this episode, the women who have taken the step to set up their own companies talk about why they decided to strike out alone, the availability of skilled workers, and the issues they have faced as a woman trying to build a fintech from the ground up. 

Chapter 1 

Muma Sinkala, CEO, Krypia

Chapter 2 

Nina Mohanty, founder and CEO, Bloom Money

Chapter 3 

Ari Horie, founder and CEO, Women’s Startup Lab

Chapter 4 

Ife Durosinmi-Etti, founder and CEO, Herconomy

Chapter 5 

Edwina Johnson, head of global, Alloy 

ADB bonus episode: Supporting women’s finance in Asia

In this special episode recorded at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting in Incheon, South Korea, the women working at promoting financial inclusion across Asia, providing support to women-led SMEs, and those working at groundbreaking fintechs give their insights. 

  • Chapter 1: Lisette Cipriano, senior technology specialist, finance sector group, sustainable development and climate change department, ADB 
  • Chapter 2: Wendy Teleki, head of Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WE-FI) Secretariat, World Bank
  • Chapter 3: Rowie Zamora, chief strategy officer, GCash 

Financial inclusion - a force for change

Financial exclusion is an issue that disproportionately affects women, and more so in the developing markets. However, for many, fintech is providing a solution, as it removes barriers to access. In this episode, women working across the field explain the issues they are tackling that fall outside of mainstream banking to help more people into banking networks. 

Chapter 1

Bonu Hafizova, Blockchain product manager, Alif Bank  

Chapter 2

Pia Roman Tayag, director of the Office at the United Nations supporting Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Chapter 3

Sara Dhewanto, founder and managing director, Duithapay 

Chapter 4

Tale Alimi, co-founder and CEO, Owoafara 

Chapter 5

Vivi Friedgut, founder and CEO, Blackbullion 

Cryptocurrencies - equaliser or divider

Cryptocurrencies are the most exciting or the most divisive development in fintech in recent years, depending on your perspective. In this episode, women who have been at the forefront of crypto development explain how they ended up working in this nascent space, what the culture of working within crypto is like, and what their goals are for expanding the sector. 

Chapter 1 

Nelly Chatue-Diop, founder and CEO, Ejara 

Chapter 2 

Caitlin Long, founder and CEO, Custodia Bank 

Chapter 3 

Tai Panich, CEO and CIO, SCB 10X  

Chapter 4 

Teana Baker-Taylor, vice president of policy and regulatory strategy in the EU/UK, Circle, and board member, Crypto UK

Chapter 5

Rachel Lin, co-founder and CEO, SynFutures 

Sibos bonus episode: The women of Innotribe

In this bonus episode recorded at Sibos, we talk to the women of Innotribe, the fintech innovation space at the annual transaction banking conference. We learn from founders, CEOs and innovators about how they experience working within this most innovative of financial sectors. 

Chapter 1 

Rebecca Hackworth, head of communications, Quant

Chapter 2 

Marijke Koninckx, chief product officer, Bankifi 

Chapter 3 

Bianca Lopes, founder, Idea Fund 

Chapter 4 

Ulyana Shtybel, CEO, Quoroom

Financial tech and the diversity gap

In this first episode, we will discuss women in the fintech space. In which areas of fintech are women best represented? Are they getting the support they need? Where can they turn to find their tribe? Do we need to do more to call out the imbalance still in place, and what can we do to narrow the gap?

Chapter 1

Louise Brett, vice chairman and UK & Europe fintech and financial services innovation lead partner, Deloitte UK

Chapter 2

Michelle Tran, founder, NYC Fintech Women and head of enterprise sales, Vestwell

Chapter 3

Susanne Chishti, CEO, Fintech Circle

Chapter 4

Christine Kiefer, co-founder, Ride capital, venture partner, Angel Invest, and founder, Fintech Ladies

Chapter 5

Chaitra Chandrasekhar, partner, Oliver Wyman

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