The financial system was built for a world with office hours. Today, markets run around the clock, assets are being tokenised, regulations are tightening, and institutions of every size are being asked to change everything at once.

In this episode of Fintech Files from BCG Platinion, Valerie Bannert-Thurner — Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Nasdaq Financial Technology — takes us inside the transformation of one of the world’s most recognised names in markets. She shares what she's learned over the last fifteen years, unpacks the three converging waves we’re experiencing today, and why trust matters more than ever.

Discussion Highlights:

• Fifteen Years of Waves: How Nasdaq’s technology business evolved from a niche unit into a global fintech platform, and how the pace of change now feels categorically different.
• The Foundation of Trust: Why integrity is a prerequisite, not a differentiator, and what Valerie has learned about the limits of technology as a substitute for human trust.
• Always-On Markets and the Collateral Challenge: How the shift to 24/5 trading is forcing a rethink in collateral management, and why tokenisation is the missing piece.
• Modernising the Exchange: What it looks like to help a regulated exchange transform across operating models, asset classes, and cloud-native infrastructure.
• Agentic AI in Financial Services: The automation opportunity nobody wants to miss, and what it takes to get there responsibly.
• Choosing the Right Partner: How client conversations have shifted from transactional to strategic, and the qualities that define the most valuable relationships.

About Fintech Files:

Join us on Fintech Files from BCG Platinion as we explore the cutting-edge trends disrupting Fintech today.

From NeoBanks to cryptocurrency, we delve into the dynamic landscape of financial technology through insightful conversations with global disruptors. We’ll uncover the most groundbreaking trends shaping the future of Fintech and examine their impact on the financial world. We focus on real-world examples, making financial technology relatable and accessible to both Fintech enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Hosted by Annika Melchert, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in the Middle East, and Nora Hocke, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in Sydney, our hosts bring expertise in tech transformations, platform architecture, and digital innovation. Annika and Nora work with Fintechs and incumbent banks, and together they offer unique insights into the evolving financial landscape, drawing on their wealth of experience with leading organizations. Bianca Lopes is an entrepreneur and economist from Brazil with a background in digital identity and biometrics. Having supported over 40 financial institutions and eight governments, Bianca’s work reshapes technology, reimagines identity, and drives innovation.

In just a few years, artificial intelligence has gone from novelty to necessity. Boardrooms are racing to adopt it. Teams are learning to work alongside it. And across financial services, the rules are being rewritten.

In this episode of Fintech Files from BCG Platinion, Kirsten Rulf, Partner and Associate Director at BCG and former Senior Digital Policy Advisor involved in shaping the European AI Act, and Dr. Akram Awad, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, take us inside that shift. From the moment AI hit the mainstream to the reality of deploying it at scale, they explore how expectations are evolving and where the gaps still remain.

Discussion Highlights:

1. AI’s Inflection Point: How the launch of generative AI triggered a rapid shift in priorities across the industry.
2. What the Data Says: BCG’s AI Radar Report highlights the gap between ambition and value.
3. Shifting Team Dynamics: How AI is changing decision-making, collaboration, and leadership.
4. World, Identity, and Meaning: Why the impact of AI goes beyond productivity.
5. What Comes Next: From democratized financial advice to AI-native institutions, what the next phase could mean for the future of fintech.

About Fintech Files:

Join us on Fintech Files from BCG Platinion as we explore the cutting-edge trends disrupting Fintech today.

From NeoBanks to cryptocurrency, we delve into the dynamic landscape of financial technology through insightful conversations with global disruptors. We’ll uncover the most groundbreaking trends shaping the future of Fintech and examine their impact on the financial world. We focus on real-world examples, making financial technology relatable and accessible to both Fintech enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Hosted by Annika Melchert, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in the Middle East, and Nora Hocke, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in Sydney, our hosts bring expertise in tech transformations, platform architecture, and digital innovation. Annika and Nora work with Fintechs and incumbent banks, and together they offer unique insights into the evolving financial landscape, drawing on their wealth of experience with leading organizations. Bianca Lopes is an entrepreneur and economist from Brazil with a background in digital identity and biometrics. Having supported over 40 financial institutions and eight governments, Bianca’s work reshapes technology, reimagines identity, and drives innovation.

How does a bank that has been around for over two centuries build with the speed of a startup?

In this episode of Fintech Files from BCG Platinion, we’re joined by Annerie Vreugdenhil, Chief Commercial Officer for Personal and Business Banking at ABN AMRO, to explore how one of the Netherlands’ largest incumbents is rethinking what a bank can be – and who it’s for. From acquiring a neobroker to launching a neobank built from the perspective of Gen Z in just twelve months, Annerie shares the strategy, the trade-offs, and the lessons other banks can take from it.

Discussion Highlights:

1. The Multi-Brand Bet: How ABN AMRO is running challenger brands like BUX and BUUT alongside the main bank.
2. Designing for the Next Generation: Building financial products for customers who grew up on TikTok and Instagram, and how BUUT is tackling financial literacy for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
3. Innovating from Within: What it really takes to launch a new product inside a large institution.
4. Build, Buy or Partner: How ABN AMRO decides what to build itself and what to source externally.
5. The Agentic Future: Why Annerie believes the next frontier for AI in banking is agent-to-agent banking, and what financial institutions need to put in place now to be ready.

About Fintech Files:

Join us on Fintech Files from BCG Platinion as we explore the cutting-edge trends disrupting Fintech today.

From NeoBanks to cryptocurrency, we delve into the dynamic landscape of financial technology through insightful conversations with global disruptors. We’ll uncover the most groundbreaking trends shaping the future of Fintech and examine their impact on the financial world. We focus on real-world examples, making financial technology relatable and accessible to both Fintech enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Hosted by Annika Melchert, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in the Middle East, and Nora Hocke, a Principal currently based at BCG Platinion in Sydney, our hosts bring expertise in tech transformations, platform architecture, and digital innovation. Annika and Nora work with Fintechs and incumbent banks, and together they offer unique insights into the evolving financial landscape, drawing on their wealth of experience with leading organizations. Bianca Lopes is an entrepreneur and economist from Brazil with a background in digital identity and biometrics. Having supported over 40 financial institutions and eight governments, Bianca’s work reshapes technology, reimagines identity, and drives innovation.