The Connector.

Hosted by Koen Vanderhoydonk (The Connector)

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Episodes

140

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the connector podcast, an ongoing conversation connecting FinTechs, banks and regulators worldwide. Join CEO and founder Koen Vanderhoydonk as you learn more about the latest available trends and solutions in the markets.

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60 recent

September 10, 2026Episode 10717 min

The EU AI Act Turns AI Governance Into A Business Priority

Together with DXC , we break down what the EU AI Act means for banks and financial services teams, from the risk-based categories to the practical reality of enforcement across countries. We also explain why the phased deadlines still require action now and how strong AI governance can become a competitive advantage rather than merely a cost. The purpose of the EU AI Act and its focus on safe, transparent, ethical AI the four risk levels and what counts as unacceptable risk versus high risk high-risk banking use cases like credit scoring, lending decisions, insurance underwriting and pricing the fraud and anti-money laundering exception and why intent matters what has already entered into force and what moves to December 2027 why customer-facing AI must disclose it is AI how one EU rulebook still leads to national enforcement complexity how to handle EU, UK and US differences by building to the toughest standard why compliance can boost trust, resilience and reduce fines and reputational damage Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

September 3, 2026Episode 1724 min

FinanceX #25 - Back to School Edition - Fintech Reality Check

The scariest threat to a cutting edge AI fintech startup might not be a rogue model or a sudden regulatory turn. It might be the landlord holding your cash deposit. That is the kind of reality check we unpack as we take a front to back tour through Finance X Magazine issue 25, pulling one continuous thread: the gap between fast moving financial technology and the human systems that are supposed to manage risk, talent, and accountability. We start with the shrinking half life of expertise and why “learn it once” professional development collapses under generative AI, real time payments, and tokenized assets. From there we dig into what the EU AI Act really demands: role relevant AI literacy, not box ticking training. Then we tackle the hiring crisis that is not a crisis at all, where legacy HR proxies and applicant tracking systems filter out the exact specialists fintech firms claim they cannot find. Next we get practical about AI economics and operations. LLMs are not magically cheap; token based pricing and overloaded context windows can balloon costs and increase hallucinations. We break down how precision retrieval changes outcomes in insurance underwriting, then move into financial crime compliance where the goal is not “more alerts” but better context, faster decisions, and fewer frozen legitimate customers. After that, open banking and PSD2 bring us back to the hard work of unstable APIs, messy data, and why open finance and FIDA need better consent and delivery design. Finally, we look ahead to agentic payments and “know your agent” controls, before landing on the most physical risk of all: lease deposits as unsecured credit exposure. If you like deep, concrete conversations about fintech, AI regulation, open banking, compliance, and real world startup risk, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review. What part of your stack or strategy feels most out of sync with reality right now? Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

June 30, 2026Episode 1622 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #24 - Summer Edition - Fintech’s Trust Reset

Fintech is swimming in capital, yet the deal count collapses and the message is blunt: the market still funds big ideas, but it no longer rewards sloppy execution. We call this moment the “summer compression” a quiet reset where operational discipline, transparency, and provable trust replace the old era of growth-at-any-cost storytelling. If you build in payments, banking, compliance, or financial technology strategy, this is the shift that will decide who survives the next cycle. We dig into why Europe is forcing maturity with real deadlines: the EU AI Act makes explainability a live requirement for credit, risk, and fraud models, and instant payments push verification of payee as a baseline safety check. From there, we use Romania’s fintech ecosystem to show how consolidation really looks on the ground: revenue concentration, a profitability gap, and a new hybrid consensus where banks bring scale and trust while fintechs provide the infrastructure plumbing. Then we zoom out to the modern growth playbook: a profitable neobank expands across markets by staying lean with an AI assistant embedded in operations and by focusing hard on one segment digital nomads and cross-border professionals. That focus ties directly to the next infrastructure upgrade, EPC’s OCTINST and ISO 20022, which aim to make cross-border instant payments feel as seamless as domestic transfers. But speed creates a “speed trap” for fraud teams, so we explore agentic AI, “human plus agent” oversight, and what audit-ready governance must look like when money moves in seconds. If this helped you see where fintech is headed, subscribe, share the episode with a builder or investor, and leave a review. What part of the trust reset feels most urgent to you right now? Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

May 31, 2026Episode 1549 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #23 - Beyond Banking & Sustainability - The Invisible Bank

Banking used to be easy to picture: a branch, a vault, a core system, and clear boundaries. That mental model is gone. We walk through why modern finance looks more like a nervous system, where the real advantage comes from orchestrating trust, data, and customer experience across platforms that are not banks at all. We break down the core banking modernisation trap that keeps leaders stuck between two bad options: billion-dollar rip and replace programs or slow decay on legacy mainframes built for overnight batch processing. Then we offer a third path: architectural arbitrage. By keeping the legacy ledger for integrity and adding an API-driven orchestration layer like a financial services operating system, teams can ship real-time products faster and avoid the disaster of “code translation” that turns COBOL spaghetti into newer spaghetti. From there, we move into embedded finance 2.0 and the battle for the moment of demand. The platform owns the context, the bank provides the balance sheet, underwriting, compliance, and regulated infrastructure. That only works if data interoperability works, so we dig into open banking APIs at massive scale, what PSD3 and FIDA change about data portability, and why treating open finance as mere compliance risks becoming the dumb pipe. We also connect the dots to sustainable finance and ESG regulation: messy scope 3 emissions data, the ESG data gap, and why lineage tracking is the difference between a defensible model and a dangerous claim. We close with RegTech, greenwashing liability, and the hard question executives cannot avoid: if banking becomes invisible, how do you keep loyalty and trust? Subscribe, share, and leave a review, then tell us what part of this new banking stack you are rebuilding first. Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

May 4, 2026Episode 1418 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #22 - RegTech - Compliance At Scale

Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

April 1, 2026Episode 1345 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #21 - Infrastructures - The Hidden Plumbing Of Finance

Your banking app looks smooth for the same reason a city looks calm from street level: the messy machinery is buried. We peel back that surface and map the financial market infrastructure that actually moves value, from payment rails and clearing houses to the cloud vendors and software dependencies that can take the whole system down with one bad update. The through-line is engineering trust in a world that is faster, more interconnected, and increasingly automated. We dig into how the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) changes the game by forcing operational transparency, not just compliance. That leads to integrated governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platforms that link ICT assets to controls, vendors, and business impact so institutions can trace cascading failure before it hits. Then we jump to the identity layer: the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) as a global public good born out of the 2008 information blackout, its mapping services that translate legacy codes, and the verifiable LEI (vLEI) that uses cryptography to prove a real person is authorized to act for a real firm. We also connect ISO 20022 payment messaging to fewer false positives in sanctions screening and faster straight-through processing. From there, we tackle tokenization, wholesale CBDC, and atomic settlement: smart-contract delivery versus payment that compresses T+2 into near real time, cuts counterparty risk, and frees collateral. Finally, we look at agentic commerce where AI agents read contracts and negotiate on our behalf, the hallucination problem and fixes like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and the looming “know your agent” challenge as bots start acting as financial counterparts. We close on the data avalanche: narrative data, disinformation, and why trusted data oracles may be as important as the money rails themselves. If this made you rethink how finance actually works, subscribe, share, and leave a review. What part of the new trust stack feels most fragile to you? Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

March 24, 2026Episode 10611 min

The Connector Podcast - DFS Digital Finance Summit - How GraydonCreditsafe Powers Faster KYC, KYB, And Cross‑Border Decisions

We sit down with Hind from GraydonCreditsafe to unpack how global data, clear indicators, and ethical AI help banks and SMEs make faster, safer decisions. From cross‑border risk and KYC/KYB orchestration to partnerships that fight fraud, we map the path to trusted growth. • Graydon Creditsafe merger unlocking local depth and international reach • Balancing KYC, KYB and AML with operational speed • Standardising cross‑border company data and formats • Turning complex reports into clear, intuitive indicators • Empowering SMEs with credit health, governance and resilience signals • Responsible AI principles and training with quality data • Partnerships with Harmony for orchestration and Data Village for fraud prevention • How to connect for collaboration and next steps To connect and keep up to date with all the latest, head over to www.jointheconnector.com or hit subscribe via your podcast streaming platform Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

March 1, 2026Episode 1237 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #20 - InsureTech

Deals worth millions still start with a handshake, even as AI prices risk in milliseconds. We dive into Finance X’s milestone 20th edition to map how insurance is shifting from shiny apps to deep architecture—modern MGAs that wrap legacy balance sheets with real-time data, AI underwriting engines, and API-driven distribution. We explore why authenticity is the scarce signal in a world of perfect pitches, how events flip mindsets from inbox defense to open discovery, and why only a small slice of conversations become sales yet compound into 12–18 month wins. From there, we trace the product and capital overhauls defining 2026. Cyber coverage now operates like an active security service, preventing claims before they exist. Embedded insurance matures beyond checkout buttons into full lifecycle servicing that handles midterm changes, complex claims, and audits without ejecting users into legacy workflows. As data volumes surge, open insurance and the EU’s FIDA framework push hard questions about governance, access, and monetization—balancing privacy with the data liquidity AI needs to perform. On the balance sheet, risk migrates into global capital markets via insurance-linked securities. Parametric triggers and smart contracts deliver instant, objective payouts and uncorrelated yield, while sovereign ILS turns pre-funding resilience into a macroeconomic stabilizer. Regional spotlights ground the theory: Belgium’s SME consolidation accelerates with M&A insurance replacing escrow; Romania’s Web3 oracles reveal the clash between “code is law” and civil law; and Ireland sets the bar with a simple standard—tested, evidenced, defensible. We close with the core dilemma: when frictionless systems fail, does accountability rest with the algorithm or the human who shook on the deal? If this lens helps you navigate AI underwriting, MGAs, embedded servicing, ILS, and the coming wave of financial market infrastructure change, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question—we’ll feature the best ones next time. Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

February 1, 2026Episode 1118 min

The Connector Podcast - FinanceX #19 - WealthTech

Your money choices no longer start inside a banking app—they start with a question to an AI. We unpack how that single shift rewires the entire financial stack: banks scramble to reclaim the decision moment with governed insights, advisors fight the “swivel chair” of disconnected tools, and investors treat digital businesses like rental properties while silver surges on AI and solar demand. We walk through the new playbook for banks: stop being a toll booth and become a trusted guide. That means using verified data, personal risk profiles, and legal accountability to outclass generic models and earn the moment of conviction. On the human side, we dig into portfolio intelligence that quietly reduces drag, flags the one action that matters, and gives advisors time to deliver the real value—timely calls, calm in volatility, and clear communication. The asset map has expanded. Online businesses now trade through matching engines that bundle diligence and legal workflows, creating liquidity for the missing middle. At the same time, silver’s rally is a tech story, not a doomsday hedge: inelastic supply collides with soaring demand from chips and solar. Infrastructure tells its own story too—Latvia’s embrace of MIFID compliance turned regulation into a trust signal, while tokenization shed its hype and became plumbing for faster settlement and fractional access. All of this meets a generational tide: $83.5 trillion shifting to younger investors who want education over sales. We highlight platforms that teach through micro-lessons and safe sandboxes, and small-business tools that bring back relationship banking with data-driven empathy. The throughline is simple: technology wins when it makes finance feel human and accountable. If algorithms move faster than oversight, governance and trust become the hard currency. Stream the conversation, then tell us: who earns your first question—and why? Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help others find the show. Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech

January 5, 2026Episode 10514 min

The Connector Podcast - Scaling Reports With CxReports Without The Headaches

Tired of brittle report pipelines that buckle under volume and stall behind IT tickets? We sit down with Marko, CEO of CxReports , to unpack how modern teams automate client statements, invoices, and performance reports at massive scale without sacrificing security or brand consistency. From the first spark of buyer frustration to a confident, phased migration, we trace the path that moves organizations off legacy tools and into a streamlined, API-driven workflow. Marko explains why automation and integrations matter more than ever, especially for finance and healthcare, where compliance is nonnegotiable. You’ll hear how CxReports functions as a pass-through engine, pulling data to generate documents and discarding it immediately, to satisfy strict data protection requirements. We also discuss real operational wins: a pension fund consolidates five fractured tools into one flow, generating 40,000 multi-page statements in an hour, automatically emailing digital recipients, and exporting a single print-ready PDF for postal delivery. The payoff is faster cycles, clear audit trails, and documents that finally look as good as they read. We dig into the hidden costs of outsourced IT, where simple updates can take weeks and drain budgets. Reclaiming ownership inside business teams shortens feedback loops and keeps reporting responsive to market and regulatory changes. Finally, we look ahead to AI-first reporting, where natural-language prompts design templates, map data, and propose visualisations bringing true self-service to high-stakes communication. If your organisation sends thousands of PDFs a month and needs reliable, compliant delivery, this conversation will help you see what a modern reporting stack can do. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague who fights reporting fires every month, and leave a quick review with your biggest reporting challenge. We might feature it next time. Thank you for tuning into our podcast about global trends in the FinTech industry. Check out our podcast channel . Learn more about The Connector. Follow us on LinkedIn . Cheers Koen Vanderhoydonk koen.vanderhoydonk@jointheconnector.com #FinTech #RegTech #Scaleup #WealthTech