Chief Digital Heroes in Banking

SIX Digital Exchange's Alexandre Kech on Building the Future of Digital Assets and Their Infrastructure

In this special episode of Chief Digital Heroes, recorded at Sibos, Matthew speaks with Alexandre Kech, Head Digital Securities | Executive Board Member at SIX Digital Exchange. They discuss what SDX does in terms of "future-proofing the infrastructure" of digital securities, as well as a typical day that involves identifying use cases and preparing customers for the future. They also talk about where the industry is in terms of embracing digital transformation, the need for infrastructure interoperability, and how to get started with digital assets as a newcomer.
 
Topics discussed:
 
A typical day at a digital securities exchange that includes identifying use cases and educating customers.
Where the financial industry is in terms of accepting and embracing digital transformation.
Why building on different infrastructures will hold tokenization back and the need for interoperability instead.
A look at public and private blockchains, and why we'll likely see a hybrid model in the future.
How AI will impact banking, and how its biggest use case will be improving the user experience.
Misconceptions around digital securities and those working in exchanges, and what to believe instead.
How to get into digital assets if you're a newcomer, and ways in which you can "play around" with Ethereum, and other coins and assets. 
 

TSB Bank's Sailesh Panchal on How to Become a More Effective and Informed CTO

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, recorded at Sibos, Matthew speaks with Sailesh Panchal, CTO at TSB Bank. They discuss a day-in-the-life of a CTO, how a CTO can help their team more effectively deliver by establishing guardrails and policies, and how far TSB Bank has gone on their digital transformation journey overall. They also talk about how new technology like blockchain and AI are impacting banking and what skills to develop if you're an aspiring CTO.
 
Topics discussed:
 
A typical day-in-the-life of a CTO, which includes everything from scrum meeting to refining architecture to understanding business problems.
How a CTO can emplower their team to do their best work by establishing guardrails and policy-as-code.
Where TSB Bank currently stands with their digital transformation, and how over 80% of customers are transacting on mobile.
What new technologies are impacting banking, and how blockchain, cloud, and AI will bring more value to customers faster.
Top skills for aspiring CTOs that include understanding your business domain, curiosity, and practical skills.
How TSB is working to improve the developer experience by understanding and implementing technology that can help solve problems. 

ANZ's Hari Janakiraman on Putting Customer Needs at the Center of Digital Transformation

In this episode of Chief Digital Heroes, recorded at Sibos, Matthew speaks with Hari Janakiraman, Head of Industry and Innovation, Transaction Banking at ANZ. They discuss how ANZ is forwarding its digital transformation through asset tokenization and smart contracts, and why digital transformation should always start with the customer needs. They also talk about how public blockchains can provide global solutions, the evolution of digital bills of lading, and why you should solve customer needs with current tools before you start innovating.
 
Topics discussed:
 
A typical day at ANZ that involves spending time with customers and helping individuals innovate across the organization.
The evolution of digital bills of lading and how they will make trade more efficient.
Where ANZ is today on its digital transformation journey, and why digital transformation must always begin with customers' needs and solving problems.
Why financial institutions should look at how to solve customer problems with current tools first before creating new ones.
The digital initiatives that ANZ is focusing on, including tokenizing assets, creating a stablecoin, and implementing smart contracts.
The benefits of using a public blockchain, and the necessity for regulations and boundaries around it. 

Deutsche Bank's Sabih Behzad on How to Prepare for the Digital and Tokenized Future of Banking

In the first episode of Chief Digital Heroes, recorded at Sibos, Matthew speaks with Sabih Behzad, Head of Digital Assets & Currencies Transformation, MD at Deutsche Bank. They discuss why Deutsche Bank is betting on a tokenized economy in the future and how they're taking action today with digitizing assets. They also talk about why digital transformation is a journey, how AI will bring value to processes and customers, and why technology is a differentiating factor in the industry.
 
Topics discussed:
 
What new projects Deutsche Bank has launched around digitizing assets, bringing financial assets on chain, and tokenization.
The difference between digital assets and currency, and why Deutsche Bank is looking to a tokenized economy in the future.
The pros and cons of both public and private blockchains and how banks can go about considering both.
Advice for those early in their career, including why you should specialize and the value of working on your people skills.
Why digital transformation is a journey of continuous improvement, and where Deutsche Bank is on that journey.
How AI will bring value to banks not only by improving manual processes but by being the foundation of new business models.
Why technology — and a workforce with technical skills — will be the differentiator that sets great banks apart.