Fintech Explained: How Technology Is Reshaping Financial Services

Introduction

This live and interactive session provides a structured introduction to the fintech ecosystem, explaining how technology-driven business models are reshaping traditional financial services and why this matters for professionals working in regulated environments.

Financial services professionals are increasingly required to understand fintech not only as a market trend, but as a source of operational, regulatory and governance implications. New technologies, embedded finance models, AI-enabled services and data-driven decision-making affect how products are distributed, how risks arise and how regulatory obligations are applied in practice.

The session places fintech developments in their commercial and regulatory context, helping you understand where disruption is occurring, which technologies are driving it and how regulatory frameworks are evolving in response. Attention is given to payments, embedded finance, digital assets, data, AI and the growing importance of governance and accountability.

After attending this session, you will be better equipped to engage confidently with fintech-related discussions within your organisations, identify key legal, compliance and risk considerations and understand the consequences of misinterpreting business models or regulatory scope.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive session will cover the following:

• What is meant by “fintech” and how the sector has evolved
• Key growth drivers, market dynamics, and the rise of embedded finance
• Which parts of financial services are being disrupted, including:
• Banking (deposits, lending, digital-first and platform-enabled banking models)
• Payments and instalment products (including BNPL and embedded payment models)
• Digital assets (stablecoins, tokenisation and digital currency initiatives)
• Wealth and asset management (micro-investing, automated saving and robo-support tools)
• Personal finance management (PFM) tools and data-driven budgeting
• Insurtech (usage-based insurance, climate-risk pricing and embedded cover)
• How embedded finance, open banking and emerging open finance models are changing the distribution of financial products
• Why data has become a strategic asset and how real-time data is reshaping customer experience, fraud monitoring and decision-making
• Key enabling technologies, including generative AI, blockchain developments, biometrics and advanced analytics
• An overview of the regulatory landscape relevant to fintech, including:
• PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation
• MiCA for crypto-assets
• The EU AI Act
• UK BNPL regulation developments
• AML, customer protection and Strong Customer Authentication requirements
• Governance and accountability challenges arising from AI-enabled financial services
• A practical case study illustrating current fintech adoption:
• Klarna's AI Assistant and the governance implications of AI-driven customer service

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.