
Welcome to RFI Global’s Banking Uncovered - the podcast that goes behind the industry PR, the media spin, the product awards and the investor reports to look at what’s really going on in the industry. Using customer data we focus on how are customers behaving, how behaviour is changing and how institutions are reacting to new customer needs.
At the same time as the rapid development and enhancement of data capability, the impact of generative AI and the emergence of stronger fintech propositions, traditional banks have invested heavily in their digital capabilities. As the industry stalwarts, challengers and fintechs continue to compete in this new digital and physical world, we bring together divergent opinions and viewpoints. Talking to CEOs, founders, global experts and leaders in banks, payments, fintechs and challengers spanning the globe, we ask the big questions facing the industry.
In depth interviews and panel discussions, combined with RFIs global customer data lake will ask:
· What are evolving needs of customers and what are the key trends?
· What are the next innovations that will meet these?
· Which players are responding to new and emerging customer needs and what propositions are working?
· Are new and upcoming regulations going to impact the market and how?
Episodes

Sep 18, 2024
Sep 18, 2024
27 min
RAA Insurance won three prestigious awards in the Australian Banking & Finance Awards 2024, Most Recommended General Insurer, Best Motor Insurer and Best Home Insurer. The Awards celebrate the financial service providers who have outperformed their peers, and often exceeded the expectations of their customers. Unlike other awards programmes, winners are determined by customers and are backed by data.
In this engaging episode of the Banking Uncovered Podcast, Chloe James, Banking Uncovered Co-host at RFI Global, speaks to Tara Page, Chief Executive at RAA Insurance about how they achieved customer excellence and how they are addressing many of the challenges the insurance industry is facing worldwide, including the impacts of climate change and cost of living crisis.
By keeping their members' needs at the forefront, RAA Insurance ensures its products offer value for money while addressing affordability and providing quality service.
Topics discussed include:
- The challenges facing the industry including climate change, the cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic
- The impact of economic stress on consumers and the protection gap
- How insurers around the world can learn from each other
- The importance of customer-centricity and designing products that meet consumers’ evolving needs and the importance of membership benefits
- How to offer value-for-money insurance products
- Best practice and innovation in the insurance sector
- Representing the voice of the consumer with government initiatives
- Introducing flexible motor insurance options
- Managing late payments with flexible payment plans
- Enhancing customer experience during claims
- Strategies for maintaining affordable insurance premiums

Aug 27, 2024
Aug 27, 2024
44 min
The banking sector has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade. Fourteen years ago, when our podcast hosts first met our guest, there were no fintechs or neo banks. Now, the world’s top 20 fintechs significantly outvalue the top 20 traditional banks. So, what does the future hold? How should traditional banks navigate this changing landscape?
In this engaging episode of the Banking Uncovered podcast, Charles Green, RFI Global’s Founder, and co-host Chloe James, speak to Brett King, founder of Moven and host of Breaking Banks, investor, author and futurist, about how AI and technology are shaping the future of banking. They explore changing customer behaviours, particularly among younger generations, who prefer digital solutions over physical branches. They discuss how banks in different regions, like the US, are adapting their branch strategies and integrating digital services to meet customer expectations, the next big transformations in the industry and much more.
Topics discussed include:
- The phenomenal global growth of fintechs and neobanks
- The evolution of digital banking and its impact on traditional institutions
- The role of AI and technology in enhancing banking services and customer experiences
- The future role of bank branches: Will they become a fashion accessory?
- The shift in customer preferences, particularly among younger generations
- The increasing importance of convenience and accessibility in financial services, driven by smartphones and AI capabilities
- Consumer appetite for super apps around the world and the potential for ‘super wallets’
Tune in to gain valuable insights into the digital revolution in banking and what lies ahead for financial institutions and fintechs.
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

Aug 13, 2024
Aug 13, 2024
40 min
Steve Weston, Head of Everyday Money Management at Barclays, discusses his career journey, including his role in founding neobank Volt and his return to Barclays UK. He shares valuable insights into the challenges and experiences of working in both a fintech startup and a traditional bank.
In this engaging episode of the Banking Uncovered podcast, Charles Green, RFI Global’s Founder, and co-host Chloe James, speak to Steve about the future of digital banking for neobanks and traditional banks. Innovative strategies for maintaining customer relationships beyond digital transformation, the concept of super apps, AI and cyber security and much more.
Topics discussed include:
- The future of neobanks and the increasing need for them to act more like traditional banks, especially regarding customer service and fraud reimbursement
- Barclays’ innovative approach to customer engagement including the creation of Barclays Local, the introduction of shared banking hubs and the development of electric vans
- The role of super apps and advanced payment solutions in the future of banking
- Barclays’ approach to acquiring and retaining young customers
- The importance of personalised services and digital tools
- Strategies to integrate payments and enhance digital services
- The value of Barclay’s Digital Eagle programme in educating customers and preventing fraud
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

Jul 23, 2024
Jul 23, 2024
44 min
Did you know that half of SMEs globally are increasingly turning to non-traditional financial providers? As their trust in these new financial solutions has grown, many are now obtaining a wider range of financial products directly from these fintech providers. Additionally, numerous SMEs are forming partnerships with these innovative companies to enhance their value propositions and refine their lending practices.
In this episode of the Banking Uncovered podcast, Charles Green, RFI Global’s Founder, speaks to Jane Prokop, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises at Mastercard, about investing 7 billion dollars over the last five years in cyber security, how SMEs can use generative AI to automate a lot of admin tasks, open banking and much more.
Topics discussed include:
- An increase in SMEs looking to switch their main banking and payments providers
- The increase in demand for digital services post-pandemic
- Why SMEs are turning more to non-traditional financial providers
- The introduction of joint platforms and automated lending processes using alternative data and scoring
- How SMEs are highly vulnerable to cyber attacks
- Gen AI's potential for automating tasks and providing actionable insights for SMEs
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

Jul 9, 2024
Jul 9, 2024
37 min
RFI Global data shows that 75% of consumers and 1 in 4 SMEs in the UK are looking to switch their main bank - a HUGE threat to the high street banks that hold most of these relationships.
In this episode of Banking Uncovered, Chloe James sits down with Dave Birch, International Keynote Speaker, Author, and all-round Payments Guru. They talk about SME switching trends, the challenges of scheduling payments, managing overdrafts, dealing with financial crime and much more.
Topics discussed include:
- The implications of big tech in digital payments
- How “Fraud is out of control!” - and SMEs are a target
- Payments and super apps
- Addressing SME dissatisfaction with innovation
- The AI take over… “Why isn’t a BOT doing this for me!?”
- Ludicrous liability – tough times for the big players
- The importance of protecting your digital identity
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

Jun 25, 2024
Jun 25, 2024
30 min
Bank switching rates for SMEs in the UK and other countries are high, and SMEs are expecting more innovative solutions.
In this episode of the Banking Uncovered podcast Charles Green, RFI Global’s Founder, speaks to Richard Davies, CEO of Allica Bank, about the trends in SME banking, the challenges and opportunities they represent, and much more.
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

Jun 11, 2024
Jun 11, 2024
28 min
Banking Uncovered co-host Chloe James, speaks to Surendra Chaplot, Global Head of Product, at standout fintech, Wise about the biggest opportunities for fintechs and traditional players when it comes to money transfer amongst consumers and SME’s, how to give customers exactly what they want (and need), the threat to traditional banks and much, much more.
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

May 28, 2024

May 21, 2024
May 21, 2024
36 min
Charles Green, RFI’s Founder, speaks to Olivier Crespin, four times bank founder, about the captivating world of digital banking and the opportunities generative AI and other technologies bring for banking.
Topics discussed include:
- The importance of building a bank as a platform
- Scalability and speed in decentralised finance
- Managing risk in digital and the importance of Chat
- Generative AI’s impact on cyber security, call centres and reducing compliance costs and time
- The untapped opportunities for digital banks with SMEs
- How banks and fintechs can both partner and differentiate
- And much more…
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.

May 7, 2024
May 7, 2024
32 min
Charles Green, RFI’s Founder, speaks to Mohamed Keraine, Global Head of Digital Banking at Standard Chartered about the future of digital banking: how to mitigate risks, maximise opportunities and prioritise investment.
Topics discussed include:
- The importance of customer-centricity in a digital era
- How digital empowers businesses to scale and innovate
- The importance of re-inventing products and processes
- Becoming a chat first organization to boost customer engagement
- How multi-channel experiences elevate satisfaction and engender loyalty
- Combating cyber security risk through education, analytics and biometrics
- Using AI and technology to enhance banking ethically and sustainably
- And much more…
Explore all our past podcast episodes here.
