Hi FINTECHTALKERS,
This year’s Money 20/20 was all about AI and generative AI. Last year, I wrote about the shift from "FINTECH" to "FINTEL"—a fusion of financial technology with AI—and, in just a year, we’re seeing that vision come to life. From startup funding trends to major incumbents rolling out AI-driven solutions, the transformation is well underway.
On the sidelines of the event, I had the opportunity to sit down with two AI leaders reshaping financial services: Shri Santhanam, EVP and GM at Experian, and Mike Conover, Founder and CEO of Brightwave. Take a listen as they share their vision and the innovations they are building.
Spotlight on Experian and Brightwave
Shri shared insights on Experian Assistant, a tool designed for enterprise data and AI teams. This assistant enables users to conduct data exploration, build and deploy models, monitor their performance, and accelerate the launch of new financial products. It’s a game-changer for organizations looking to enhance their data-driven offerings with speed and precision.
Mike discussed Brightwave’s AI platform, which equips financial professionals with accurate, insightful financial research. By synthesizing insights from thousands of pages of primary sources, Brightwave’s platform automates some of the most tedious aspects of the investment workflow, empowering finance professionals to make faster, better-informed decisions. Brightwave recently raised a $15 million Series A to drive this vision forward.
Epilogue: The Rise of Agentic Banking
The race to develop AI co-pilots and intelligent agents in financial services is in full swing. Fintech has traditionally focused on optimizing distribution—reducing friction, streamlining journeys, and leveraging digital platforms—the next wave, "FINTEL," will center on intelligent agents.
These agents will act as hyper-personalized “bankers” for consumers, small businesses, and corporations alike. Imagine a personal CFO that manages your finances according to specific goals or a robo-advisor that actively manages wealth. With innovations like BNPL and Visa Flex already blurring the lines between products like payments, credit, and deposits, AI agents will make financial services even more goal-oriented and seamless.
As embedded finance merges with Agentic AI, we’re likely to see increasingly autonomous, hyper-personalized, and needs-based solutions. The innovators who master this fusion will lead the next generation of FINTEL unicorns. For established financial institutions, the challenge will be to build competitive solutions to maintain customer relationships—otherwise, they risk being relegated to the role of "dumb pipes" or another model.
The future is here, and it’s one of embedded intelligence and agent-driven finance, offering a more responsive, context aware, and personalized financial experience for everyone.
Enjoy and always be in the know,
Paddy Ramanathan
Follow me X @PaddyRamanathan
Founder of iValley (www.ivalley.co) and
Host of the FINTECHTALK™ Show (on Substack, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify)
Thanks to chatgpt for suggestions.
(Violin piece in podcast, courtesy of my daughter Ilina)
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