London Fintech Podcast

When you’re under pressure to grow, slowing down can feel like the wrong move. But rushing past the difficult questions can leave you fixing problems just as your business starts to scale.
Emma Hagan, UK CEO of ClearBank, joins the London Fintech Podcast to explain why investing time in the right people, processes and conversations early on can help you move faster later.
Having moved from leading risk and compliance to running the UK bank, Emma shares how ClearBank approaches growth, launches new services and decides which opportunities deserve its attention.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why missing expertise can hold up a launch, and how bringing the right people in early helps.

How building risk management into your plans can make it easier to scale.

What ClearBank learned from expanding into Europe and securing a second banking licence.

Why more funding won’t solve every growth problem, and when to say no to a good idea.

How to make conversations with regulators more productive.

If you’re building, launching or growing a financial business, this conversation will help you spot where extra preparation now could save you time later.

Blockchain may have its greatest impact on finance when customers stop seeing it.
In this episode of the London Fintech Podcast, Tony Clark speaks with Marc Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs, about the convergence of blockchain and traditional financial infrastructure — and why the future of digital finance may be less about replacing existing systems and more about making blockchain invisible beneath familiar financial products.
The conversation explores what stablecoins are already making possible, what the growing adoption of blockchain infrastructure actually tells us, and why faster settlement alone is not enough to transform financial services.
Marc also explains Polygon's Open Money Stack and the thinking behind bringing more of the payment journey together while keeping the underlying infrastructure open and interoperable. The discussion looks beyond payments and digital assets to ask why banks, wealth managers, insurers, fintechs and market infrastructure providers should be paying attention.
Tony and Marc also examine the limits of the current technology, including regulation, risk, integration, liquidity and customer protection — and where existing financial rails may still be the better answer.
Most importantly, the episode asks a practical question for financial-services leaders: what should you act on now, what should you watch, and what can safely wait?

📌 Topics covered
• Why blockchain could disappear into mainstream finance• What stablecoin adoption really tells us
• Why faster settlement isn't enough
• Polygon's Open Money Stack and open financial infrastructure
• The future of payments and digital assets
• Blockchain's implications for banking, wealth, insurance and fintech• Integration, interoperability and chain abstraction
• The role of regulation, risk and customer protection
• What remains unresolved or overhyped
• What financial-services leaders should act on now

🔗 Learn more:
Tony Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tclark100/
Marc Boiron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcboiron
NextWave Consulting: https://www.nxwave.com
Polygon: https://polygon.technology/

⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:05 Welcome to the show
1:55 Blockchain as an upgrade
3:52 What should customers notice?
5:31 Speed under the hood
6:54 What TradFi brings to the table
11:02 The Great Rewiring: real examples
15:40 $3T in stablecoin volume
17:28 Anatomy of a cross-border payment
20:50 Blockchain like AWS, not "crypto"
22:03 Gaps and the Open Money Stack
24:37 88% committed, 16% live
27:05 Is "open" really open?
30:11 How many chains are connected
31:54 Agentic use cases and fraud
35:04 Agentic commerce moving fast
38:01 Talent was the missing piece
40:22 Priorities for the next two years
45:12 Designing your future architecture
46:22 Where clients start: chains and wallets
48:57 What could go wrong
52:06 Closing thoughts

Where is the VC money going in the UK, and what does it take for a startup to become investment-ready in today’s funding market?
In this episode of the London Fintech Podcast, Tony Clark speaks with Thomas Easterby from HSBC Innovation Banking about the state of the UK innovation economy, the latest venture capital trends, the surge in AI investment, and what founders need to know when raising capital.
The conversation explores a rapidly changing funding landscape, where AI investment has reached record levels, but investors are becoming increasingly thoughtful and diligent about where they deploy capital.Thomas shares his perspective on the companies and sectors attracting funding, what counts as frontier AI, why fintech and healthcare remain important parts of the innovation economy, and how the relationship between traditional finance and decentralised finance is evolving.
They also discuss why London continues to lead the UK VC market, the emerging "hourglass" shape of startup funding, and the growing importance of regional innovation hubs outside the capital.
For founders, the conversation gets practical: what makes a company investment-ready? Thomas shares insights into what investors are looking for, the different types of VC and corporate venture capital, and why demonstrating how AI is genuinely changing your business can help a company stand out.
The discussion also looks at an often-overlooked part of scaling a business: choosing the right banking partner. As companies move from startup to growth stage, their banking needs evolve — making specialist support increasingly important.
Whether you're a founder preparing to raise, an investor tracking the UK innovation economy, or simply interested in where the next generation of high-growth companies is coming from, this episode offers a grounded look at the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Topics covered
• UK startup funding and the current VC landscape
• Record AI investment and the rise of frontier AI
• Which sectors are attracting investment
• FinTech, healthcare and the convergence of TradFi and DeFi
• Why London continues to lead UK venture capital
• The "hourglass" shape of today's funding market
• Who today's founders are and what investors want to see
• How founders can become investment-ready
• Different VC models and corporate venture capital
• Why the right banking partner matters as companies scale
• The outlook for the UK innovation economy
• Advice for founders and investors

Learn more:
Tony Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tclark100/
Thomas Easterby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-easterby-3189709b/NextWave Consulting: https://www.nxwave.com
HSBC Innovation Banking: https://www.hsbcinnovationbanking.com/

Crypto is no longer operating at the edges of finance. It’s becoming part of the core infrastructure powering global payments, treasury operations, and digital asset innovation.In this episode of the London Fintech Podcast, Tony Clark sits down with Ran Goldi, SVP Payments & Network at Fireblocks, to explore the rapid rise of stablecoins, institutional crypto adoption, and the technologies reshaping the future of financial services.Broadcast live from Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, the conversation examines how traditional financial institutions are increasingly embracing blockchain-based financial rails. Ran shares insights from Fireblocks’ unique vantage point, with the platform now supporting approximately $15 trillion in annual stablecoin transaction volume and serving thousands of organisations across banking, payments, fintech, and digital assets.The discussion explores the evolution of the crypto industry through three major waves: trading, payments, and tokenisation. Ran explains why stablecoins have become one of the fastest-growing areas of financial infrastructure, how regulatory clarity is accelerating adoption, and why the “hottest thing in DeFi is TradFi.”They also dive into the emerging role of tokenised deposits, the future of digital asset infrastructure, and how AI-powered agents could transform the way businesses and consumers interact with money.Whether you're a fintech founder, banker, payments executive, or digital asset investor, this episode offers practical insight into where financial infrastructure is heading next.📌 Topics covered• Fireblocks’ role in digital asset infrastructure• Institutional adoption of crypto and stablecoins• Why stablecoin transaction volumes are accelerating• The evolution from crypto trading to payments and tokenisation• Tokenised deposits vs stablecoins• The impact of regulation on institutional adoption• Blockchain infrastructure for banks and payment providers• AI, automation, and agent-based financial services• What the next decade of digital finance could look like• Advice for founders building in emerging technology markets🔗 Learn more:Tony Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tclark100/Ran Goldie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rangoldi/NextWave Consulting: https://www.nxwave.comFireblocks: https://www.fireblocks.com#Crypto #Stablecoins #Fireblocks #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #Tokenization #InstitutionalCrypto #Payments #Fintech #DeFi #TokenizedDeposits #AI #FutureOfFinance #Money2020 #LondonFintechPodcastcrypto, stablecoins, fireblocks, ran goldie, digital assets, institutional crypto, blockchain infrastructure, tokenization, tokenised assets, tokenized deposits, defi, traditional finance, tradfi, crypto payments, stablecoin payments, digital asset custody, fintech podcast, london fintech podcast, money2020, blockchain adoption, web3, crypto regulation, financial infrastructure, ai in finance, payments innovation, cross border payments, fireblocks network, digital asset platform, crypto rails, future of finance, fintech innovation, institutional adoption of crypto, stablecoin infrastructure, blockchain payments, tokenized finance, crypto banking, treasury management, digital finance, fintech leadership, financial services innovation

Embedded banking is moving from concept to reality. According to Andrew Ellis, CEO of NatWest Boxed, the future of financial services will be shaped by organisations that can seamlessly integrate banking products into the experiences customers already use every day.In this episode of the London Fintech Podcast, Tony Clark speaks with Andrew Ellis, CEO of NatWest Boxed, about the evolution of Banking-as-a-Service, embedded finance, and how major brands are creating new opportunities through financial products.Andrew shares the journey behind NatWest Boxed, from building a modern banking platform to powering partnerships with organisations including Sainsbury's, Saga, and the AA. The conversation explores how embedded banking is changing customer expectations, creating new revenue opportunities, and enabling brands to deepen customer relationships.They also discuss the realities of AI adoption in financial services, the importance of governance and trust, and why many firms are focusing on practical business outcomes rather than simply chasing the latest technology trends.At the heart of the conversation is a bigger question: what happens when banking becomes an invisible, integrated part of the customer experience?📌 Topics covered• The growth of embedded banking and Banking-as-a-Service• The story behind NatWest Boxed• Building partnerships with brands including Sainsbury's, Saga, and the AA• How customer expectations are changing in financial services• The role of trust, governance, and resilience in modern banking• Practical AI adoption in financial services• Why firms struggle to move from AI pilots to production• Trends shaping banking, fintech, and customer experience over the next 12–18 months🔗 Learn more:Tony Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tclark100/Andrew Ellis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-a-ellis/NatWest Boxed: https://www.nwboxed.com/NextWave Consulting: https://www.nxwave.com/#EmbeddedFinance #BankingAsAService #NatWestBoxed #Banking #FinancialServices #FinTech #AI #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #CustomerExperience #OpenBanking #LondonFintechPodcast