Ep. 263 – News: Dodd Frank, Trump, Elections, Unicorns – what didn’t happen this week?

In this episode

Simon and Aden are joined by regulars Ghela and Sarah for the news.

This week we discuss all things politics on both sides of the pond, especially THAT Dodd Frank legislation repeal proposed by Trump, that seems to have flown slightly under the radar while we were all looking the other way, watching Comey’s testimony- and what this would mean for banks and their customers if it happens. Also on the table is the UK election result and the potential “Brexit dilemma”: other European fintech hubs could take the talent and budget away from London – will London fight back?

They also tackle whether it’s possible for incumbents to ever truly become fintech firms, or will innovation always get bogged down in middle management? On the flipside is Coinbase, who has just achieved unicorn status with their latest valuation – is it a game-changer to have a cryptocurrency firm inducted into unicornland?

The team also debate whether it’s a big deal that Apple have announced a peer-to-peer payment service, to compete with Venmo; and with Atom postponing the launch of their current accounts, are they struggling to be truly digital? Additionally they all agree that Ant Financial is a beast but it is not yet a bank, can it successfully make the switch?

Finally, how do we feel about Australia’s attempt to rename its currency the Dollarydoo – and can the change of a currency’s name affect it’s worth?

Guests

• Ghela Boskovich
• Sarah Kocianski, Senior Research Analyst Fintech at Business Insider UK

News this week

1. 1. Politics! Trump and Comey, Dodd Frank legislation repeals, and the UK election result.
   2. Recode –  Apple just announced its own Venmo competitor built into iMessage – Link
   3. Atom postpones current account launch – Link
   4. The Telegraph – Aviva eyeing AI and big data in bid to become fintech firm – Link
   5.  Coin Telegraph – Coinbase Valued at $1 Bln, Could Target More Aggressive Global Expansion – Link
   6. Nikkei Asian Review – Ant Financial seen becoming world’s top consumer bank – Link
   7. Polish fintech companies face Brexit dilemma – Link
   8. Marketwatch – A petition to call Australia’s currency ‘the Dollarydoo’ has 50,000 signatures – Link

The post Ep. 263 – News: Dodd Frank, Trump, Elections, Unicorns – what didn’t happen this week? appeared first on 11:FS.

Special Guests: Ghela Boskovich and Sarah Kocianski.