I interviewed over 80 WealthTech experts and here is what I’ve learned…
In 2019, my colleague Dani who worked in marketing at Bambu said. “Let’s do a podcast”, and from that, we did it. Honestly, it was as random as that. Dani makes sh-t happen. She had never produced or hosted a podcast before but that didn’t stop her. A few weeks later we recorded our first show with Paolo Sironi, one of the legends of WealthTech. And now we’re coming close to 80 episodes.
Dani left Bambu at episode 56 but we have carried on with Mizu and Azman from the Bambu Marketing team making it happen. It’s called WealthTech Unwrapped. It is really good. Well, that’s what I think. But don’t take my word for it. Here are some of the gems of WealthTech knowledge from some of the greats.
Paolo Sironi – It’s all connected.
Paolo is the most well-informed FinTech guy there is. He talked about how ecosystems are all interconnected. You must take reference across the whole financial technology spectrum and learn, both from right and wrong, how wealth technology fits in. It cannot be standalone.
Tricia Rothschild – Money is emotional
Money is emotional. Tricia ran MorningStar. One of the OG wealth and data firms. She has seen that data is critical. But Tricia made the point that wealth is more than data. Money is emotional. How people relate to their wealth can’t just be transactional. You must ensure you listen to the client and how they feel about their wealth.
Henri Arslanian – Only real people are left in crypto
The only people left in crypto are the ones who actually care. Henri is clear that the crypto industry has many rough edges. But there are use cases that over time it will prove worthwhile. Whether you believe in crypto or not, Henri makes a clear point. If even 1% of this technology is useful we can’t ignore it.
April Rudin – The story is as important as the technology
April is the storyteller of wealth. From April I learned that while wealth is logically just numbers, it’s much more than that. The story of wealth and technology and how it is told is critical. Don’t overlook the benefits of your technology and how you convey that.
Rich Turrin – Chinese tech is different
Chinese WealthTech is based on the super app. Rich has spent many years in China and he has seen firsthand how a single app like TenCent or Alipay can dominate across all verticals. Wealth is just one part of the app. Will this happen elsewhere?
Walter de Oude – Your ideas aren’t big enough
Always assume your ideas aren’t big enough. Walter built an Insurtech firm called Singlife. He grew it and then went out and bought Zurich Life and Aviva. Walter taught me that big ideas only happen if you make them so big you can’t ignore them.
John Crittenden – Think critically
The OG wealth guy. John has a strong view and is always pushing hard to look critically at WealthTech offerings. From John, I learned that we must not take for granted that a product makes sense for the customer. We must examine what we have built, how it works and what is the outcome. Is it actually beneficial for the customer and the ecosystem?
Jame Di Basio – The history of money
The history of money and capitalism can be traced back to Burma. Jame is simply the most fascinating historian of money I have ever listened to. If you want to know how money and wealth really work and where they came from, Jame is the guy to listen to.
Ned Lowe – Build uncomfortably simple technology
The best wealth technology is uncomfortably simple when it is launched. Ned can talk about WealthTech in a way that makes it achievable. He says it is impossible to build something complex to start with. It has to be uncomfortably simple. When building, strip out features and launch the simplest thing you can. You have to be brave to do this but it is the right way.
Seeds of Infinity – The future is weird
This was a blast. We imagined wealth and technology thousands of years into the future and made a radio play about a guy called Brian and his journey through life, wealth, space, purpose, and the Vinternet. If you want a glance at the future, this is it. Or maybe it isn’t? But it was fun.
There you have it. Some of the combined knowledge we’ve learned.
Hope this list helps.
Best,
Ned Phillips
Founder & CEO