Open Banking Expo Unplugged

Hosted by Open Banking Expo

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Episodes

125

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

Open Banking Expo Unplugged is a series of easy listening podcasts brought to you by the team behind Open Banking Expo Magazine. Digital knows no boundaries, with each episode winging its way to you on all things Open Banking, Open Finance and broader digital transformation within financial services from across the globe.Unplugged will bring you one-on-one interviews and carefully curated industry panels with thought leaders and digital disruptors working hard to bring about change in the digital financial services market.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 8, 202630 min

How is Open Banking playing out in the US and Canada?

Steve Boms, executive director of FDATA, joins Ellie Duncan to bring us up to speed on the state of play in the US, where Open Banking tools have been widely adopted yet, at the same time, regulatory uncertainty continues. He reveals the implications of the lack of a regulatory framework for consumers and small businesses, and how FDATA continues to advocate for Americans to own their financial data. Steve also discusses the shift in tone in Canada, where the transition to Open Banking is firmly underway, and his expectations for next steps. With Open Banking Expo an official partner of FDATA’s 2026 Global Open Finance Summit which takes place on September 17 in Toronto, Steve discusses what’s on the agenda. Finally, we hear what he is looking for from this year’s Open Banking Expo Awards entries and what he enjoys about judging.

May 28, 202616 min

Being recognised for advancing Open Banking in Canada

In this episode, hear from the winner of the inaugural Andrew Moor Award, Neela Maharaj, director, Open Banking and APIs at RBC. The Award was created to honour the former president and chief executive officer of EQ Bank, who passed away suddenly last year and who was widely regarded as one of the strongest advocates for Open Banking in Canada. Neela reveals what it means to be recognised, and why it prompted her to take stock of all that she has achieved. She considers how winning the Award will influence her work in the future and how she is feeling about the momentum behind Consumer-Driven Banking in Canada.

May 18, 202625 min

Turning Canada’s Open Banking mandate into momentum

In this episode, Saba Shariff, senior vice president, chief strategy, product and innovation officer at Symcor, elaborates on some of the key points she made during her Opening Keynote at Open Banking Expo Canada on March 5, 2026. She explains what momentum looks like in practice and the Consumer-Driven Banking experiences that will change consumer behaviours positively. She also discusses the need to build trust into the system from the start, and points to some of the lessons learned from the UK, Brazil and Australia. Saba also considers the impact on Canada’s small businesses as Open Banking use cases are rolled out.

April 20, 202643 min

Working together to accelerate Smart Data in the UK

Following the recent publication in the UK of the Smart Data Strategy 2035 and the Open Finance Roadmap, Charlotte Crosswell, executive chair of Raidiam, and Colin Payne, head of innovation at the Financial Conduct Authority, join the podcast to discuss Smart Data Sprints and global learnings. They tell host Ellie Duncan how Raidiam and the FCA have been working together on the Smart Data Accelerator and reveal the key outcomes from the regulator’s Sprints. They also reveal the lessons the FCA is taking from other markets and how this is shaping its approach to Open Finance, and explain what’s next for Smart Data in the UK.

March 24, 202623 min

How to build your personal brand and stand out

In this Women in Open Banking edition, head of content Ellie Duncan is joined by Mariela McComb, senior manager, wire payments product at Scotiabank, to dive into a topic that’s essential for career growth: How to build your personal brand at work, get noticed, and stand out in a performance-driven culture by leveraging internal and external connections. Whether you’re early in your career or a seasoned professional, your personal brand is your reputation - so, how do you shape it intentionally? Mariela shares some practical tips.

January 20, 202626 min

PayPoint OpenPay and CoP: Solutions solving real-life problems

Hear as Jo Toolan, managing director, payments and banking, and Chris Gardner, client sector lead, payments and banking at PayPoint discuss its OpenPay solution, which is changing the way organisations handle payouts and refunds. They also explain the role of Confirmation of Payee (CoP) in fraud prevention, and the biggest barriers organisations face in migrating to these solutions. Jo talks about PayPoint’s participation in Open Banking Expo UK & Europe 2025 as an event partner and what winning Best Sector Initiative at the Open Banking Expo Awards means to the team.

October 20, 202535 min

The Super-Score: How Open Banking is redefining financial identity

In this episode, Garri Galanter, chief executive officer of Salt Edge, Alina Beleuta, chief growth officer at Salt Edge, and Caroline Cope, head of business development, banking and finance at CRIF explore how Open Banking data and AI are reshaping traditional credit scoring. Through a real case study between Salt Edge and CRIF, they highlight how credit assessment is moving toward real-time adaptive models, a “super-score” that learns and evolves beyond historical, credit-only views. They shed light on how financial identity is being redefined for both lenders and consumers.

October 14, 202529 min

How to monetise Open Banking and Open Finance

In this episode, head of content Ellie Duncan is joined by Huw Davies, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Ozone API to discuss the ongoing industry conversation around the monetisation of Open Banking and Open Finance. He explains what balance he thinks needs to be struck and the kinds of conversations Ozone API is having with clients and partners on this subject. What does this mean for consumers, and for the long-term viability of Open Banking and Open Finance, globally?

September 2, 202531 min

The power of community to inspire change

For this Women in Open Banking edition of the Open Banking Expo Unplugged podcast, Ellie Duncan is joined by Yaspa’s chief marketing officer Kate Marsden, head of compliance and deputy MLRO Sarah Ahle, and Renuka Rawlins, head of policy and public affairs. They discuss their involvement as a partner of the initiative and what the power of community means to them as an organisation and individuals. They also reveal how Yaspa came to achieve a 50/50 gender split in its senior leadership team and why DEI initiatives are more vital than ever.

August 5, 202537 min

The AI imperative: What FIs must know about AI and Open Banking

Ellie Duncan, head of content at Open Banking Expo, welcomes onto the podcast Nadia de Villa, senior vice president, business development and innovation solutions at GFT Canada, and Alastair Angus, chief information officer at Prospect 33. Nadia and Alastair discuss the latest GFT Banking Disruption Index and what it revealed about how financial institutions (FIs) are using AI to improve fraud detection. They also explain how adoption of AI by banks and FIs is changing customer expectations at the point of interaction. Finally, they talk about the intersection between Open Banking and AI, and the implications for data quality.