Best Brendan le Grange Podcasts (2024)

1
How to try a new podcast aka the hAIghtened senses feed take-over 43:37

4M ago43:37

43:37

I've been busy with the kids' end-of-year activities, with a bit of camping, with a bit of drinking in Belfast, with a bit of planning for a trip to Paris for the Olympics, with a bit of everything except podcast editing 😉 So, to fill the gap until next week, here's a taste of my other show: hAIghtened senses. From drones scanning the forests of Sw…

1
Innovation for interesting markets 33:58

4M ago33:58

33:58

Adrian Pllay has an unusually deep understanding of some of the world's more interesting markets. We've heard a lot about the US and the UK on this show but today, Adrian takes us off the beaten path: having been based at times in Africa and at times in the Middle East, he now oversees both of those regions as well as a little in-between! We talk a…

1
Lenders leaping forward, with Paul Weiss (Simbuka) 21:18

4M ago21:18

21:18

"If my mom asks me what I do, I say I work for a company that helps financial institutions worldwide to make lending simple". Paul Weiss is talking about Simbuka in this quote, a young and passionate software development company, focusing on financial institutions that operate in developing and emerging markets. And since the name Simbuka originate…

1
A global study of credit self-monitoring, with Charlie Wise (TransUnion) 35:27

4M ago35:27

35:27

In the last five years, one hundred million Americans have started to monitor their credit reports with TransUnion for the first time. One hundred million. And the same thing is happening all around the world. But just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean they're doing it for the same reason: some consumers are in a bind and looking for a way…

1
A modern, digital loan for India with Kabeer Chaudhary (ClickMyLoan) 18:15

5M ago18:15

18:15

"So as I as I always say, Brendan, India is now the coolest party in town and if you are late, you might not get in!" The story of Indian fintech is one of almost unimaginable speed and scale, and watching it from the front lines was Kabeer Chaudhary. So I sat down with him to talk about digitising loans and learning from banks and fintechs to deli…

1
Building a green credit score, with Daniel Mclean (4most) 23:35

5M ago23:35

23:35

As an industry, we've been using scorecards as objective and comparable measures of credit risk for generations. We've used this experience to get more and more accurate in those models, but there are other uses, too, like maybe an objective and comparable measure of environmental risk... I'm sitting down with Daniel Mclean, Client Partner at 4most…

1
Closing the SME funding gap, recorded live at Money20/20 with Rob Straathof (Liberis) 24:05

5M ago24:05

24:05

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting back-to-back live recordings of this podcast in the MoneyPot studio, a glass-walled thing of beauty on the Money20/20 show floor. The second of those was a data-backed dive into the world of frictionless and fair embedded business finance with Rob Straathod, CEO of Liberis - what I think could be one of the b…

1
Real-time data for collections, recorded live at Money20/20 with James Hill (Flexys) 30:22

5M ago30:22

30:22

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting back-to-back live recordings of this podcast in the MoneyPot studio, a glass-walled thing of beauty on the Money20/20 show floor. The first of those was an inspiring discussion about real-time data in collections with James Hill, CEO of Flexys Debt Management & Collections Software - what I think could be one…

1
Lessons from the Chinese model, with Richard Turrin (Author & Consultant) 38:19

5M ago38:19

38:19

Five years ago, cash was involved in every fourth POS transaction in China. Today, it is involved in 1 in 14, and in two years, it is expected to be involved in just 1 in 33. The size and speed of that evaporation are undeniably impressive, but the most important lessons will be found by studying neither the size nor the speed at which those cash t…

1
Funding growth in modern economies, with Ritwik Ghosh (Seedflex) 28:37

6M ago28:37

28:37

Grab is by far the largest ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia, the largest food delivery platform, one of the largest digital payment methods, and now, thanks in part to the work of my guest, Ritwik Ghosh, the largest embedded FinTech lending business. That's an impressive set of achievements, but Ritwick and his co-founder, Sauvik Datta, stil…

1
Fighting illegal money lending, with Catherine Wohlers (Stop Loan Sharks) 20:26

6M ago20:26

20:26

Last time the research was done in England, 1.1 million people were borrowing from illegal lenders... and that was two years ago, before the cost of living crisis which has surely pushed that number higher, so we're looking at somewhere between 1 in 30 and 1 in 40 adults. Those borrowers are facing a combination of threats and extortionate rates, a…

1
Funding families, with John Aronica (Gaia) 24:21

6M ago24:21

24:21

"Roughly 15% of hopeful parents worldwide would be eligible for IVF - from a medical eligibility perspective - but today, only about 2% are able to access that care." It's all well and good financing cars or boats or sneakers, but sometimes we get a chance to finance something a little more important, like a house or, in this case, a family to fill…

1
Cross-border lending in the EU, with Kaido Saar (MiFundo) 21:28

6M ago21:28

21:28

I was going to use a quote from Drachen here, because I remembered being quite proud of how I described Tallinn in there, but it turns out I remembered... generously So let's just say that Estonia is a fantastic place to visit this summer. But don't stop there, explore the other Baltic States while you're at it, maybe make a road trip of it and che…

1
Understanding customers. Getting them into houses. with Chris Schutrups (The Mortgage Hut) 32:19

7M ago32:19

32:19

"It started by just going out and networking, listening to people, asking them what worked, what didn't work, you know, ringing up estate agents saying, look, I'd love to do your mortgages and walking up and down the high street with my briefcase." As much as I love featuring VC-funded, AI-powered, alternative data-consuming startups on this show, …

1
Zero interest Zero fees Zero new credit, with Alex Forsyth-Thompson (Float) 28:37

7M ago28:37

28:37

“Buy now and pay in up to 24 monthly instalments using your existing credit card. Zero interest. Zero fees. Zero new credit.” With copy that good, you might not actually need to listen to this week’s episode 😉 But please do, it’s a really good one as we hear first hand from one of South Africa’s most exciting new fintech founders. Float is all abo…

1
Lending: it's a risky business, with Carolyn Rohm 34:28

7M ago34:28

34:28

Always curious, always outspoken, Carolyn Rohm has a deep passion for helping analysts and analytical teams to engage with the wider business and stakeholders to deliver solutions that provide real value and bottom-line benefits. In today’s episode, we talk about her career in credit risk, about the different nuances of credit risk analytics in hig…

1
Automating complex data-driven decisions, with Martin Chudoba (Taran) 24:25

7M ago24:25

24:25

The global covid pandemic shut down a lot of things, but new vehicle supply chains were among the hardest hit. A knock-on effect of that was that Taran, an advanced analytics and AI consultancy saw their hot lead for a new contract evaporate. But sometimes setbacks are really opportunities in disguise, and as Taran's leadership team adjusted to put…

1
Mobile-first lending in Tanzania, with Nassor Abubakar (NMB Bank) 22:08

8M ago22:08

22:08

Caleb Maru called M-Pesa the "company that changed Kenya forever", and the crazy thing is, its impact was even bigger than that - because the dominoes that M-Pesafirst tipped over in Kenya, seventeen years ago, are still having an impact all over East Africa. In today's episode, I'm speaking to Nassor Abubakar, an M-Pesa veteran and digital lending…

1
Unleashing CreditPy, with Ayhan Diş 23:46

8M ago23:46

23:46

In the world of data science, there are people like me, who have signed up for an online Python course but just not got around to starting it yet, and then there are people like Ayhan Diᶊ, who, given a spare month, create a Python package to succeed the highly successful CreditR by simplifying tasks such as variable analysis, model development, and…

1
Have you talked to your kids about data science? With Daniele Forni (HSBC) 25:59

8M ago25:59

25:59

"Data is a bit like the blood of an organisation. It goes everywhere. However, because it goes everywhere, you cannot just silo it somewhere. Of course, you need to have some standards around data, but every part of the of a business has to be responsible for the data". Daniele Forni cuts through systems and technologies to solve the complex data i…

1
Streamlining Australian home loans, with Vincent Turner (Uno Home Loans) 41:37

8M ago41:37

41:37

Designers speak about 'the job to be done' - you don’t need a taxi or an Uber or tuk-tuk, you need to get home to bed; you don’t need a mortgage, you need to finance your house purchase; you don’t need to spend every second weekend researching market rates, you just need to be on the best deal you qualify for. In this episode, I speak to Vincent Tu…

1
Rwanda on the rise, with Sam Tayengwa (TransUnion) 38:08

8M ago38:08

38:08

Rwanda is rising as a regional financial centre, catching the East African fintech wave to drive economic and social transformation and to broaden financial inclusion. In today's episode, I'm speaking to TransUnion's CEO for Rwanda and Head of Africa Growth Regions, Sam Tayengwa to hear about the energy and progress that's bubbling to the surface t…

1
A massively more inclusive credit score, with Charles Wandia (gnuGrid CRB) 24:06

9M ago24:06

24:06

The story of East African fintech is built around the mobile phone. Not the smartphone, mind you, but the humble feature phone. In markets where all but the most significant of locations lacked an established infrastructure of landlines and local bank branches, these phones leapfrogged both: powered by pre-paid sim cards that often served as a seco…

1
A canary in the credit mine, with James Fell (Credit Canary) 26:21

9M ago26:21

26:21

"At its core, Credit Canary is a data platform that consolidates and reconciles multiple different data sources in a standardised way to produce a really rich set of flags and real contextual insights. And the essence of that is flexibility within lending. With the data that we have, there is a great opportunity not just to help make better decisio…

1
The only mortgage you'll ever need, with Arjan Verbeek (Perenna Bank) 26:35

9M ago26:35

26:35

"It's important that in every interest rate environment, in every market environment, an average family can afford an average home" - Arjan Verbeek, co-founder at Perenna Bank. The UK mortgage market has long been underpinned by the belief that, as long as the music kept playing, you would be able to refinance from one lender's short-term teaser ra…

1
Turbocharged AI analytics, with Carey Anderson (1datapipe) 29:26

9M ago29:26

29:26

Big data analytics used to require multiple sources of data, fed into your systems via a complex array of pipes of varying structural integrity: leaks, hassles, and something to be left to only the most advanced of data organisations. In today's episode, we find out how all that has changed: "As the name suggests, we are one big data pipe with a lo…

1
Tokyo: Asia's next FinTech hub, with Morris Iwai 28:26

9M ago28:26

28:26

Japan is an uncommon blend of known and unknown: I drive a Nissan, you might drive a Toyota, my TV is a Sony, and since my time in Hong Kong, my go-to beer on hot days is an ice-cold pint of Asahi... but I know little about their FinTech scene. So, to set that right, I sat down with Morris Iwai, a seasoned business executive with 20+ years of exper…

1
Agile decision systems for modern lending needs, with Dmitriy Wolkenstein (Timvero) 28:24

11M ago28:24

28:24

You can't afford rigid systems in a world that moves fast, but also, for a long time at least, you couldn't afford agile systems in a more dollars and cents sort of way. But these days you can. Timvero's solutions are all laid out at https://timvero.com/ or head towards a demo by jumping straight to https://timvero.com/request-a-demo/ You're welcom…

1
Aiming when you can't see the target, with Clare McCaffery (DirectID) and Jacobus Eksteen (Matogen AI) 23:39

11M ago23:39

23:39

When you want a model, you typically start with a target variable in mind. But sometimes that's not possible. Perhaps you're entering a new market or expanding into a new niche, you could start lending on a small scale and wait to see what happens. We used to call that a deep risk test, often somewhat euphemistically when a cohort was accidentally …

1
Optimising credit limit increases for profit, with Cristian Bravo (Western University) 25:46

11M ago25:46

25:46

"Causality is the new explainability." We all know credit limit increases are one of the most, if not the most, important levers in the card profit model. And we all know the reality of managing credit limits is far more complicated than the theory - every action has a reaction and all of that. So we focus on pulling back and releasing the spring o…

1
Multi-currency and cross-border lending, with Jorge Juttner (Ritmo) and Maggie Gemmill (Currencycloud) 27:49

12M ago27:49

27:49

I've got a drawer in my bedside table that is filled with an assortment of foreign notes and coins: euros and dollars and Rands that I need relatively often but that I'll nevertheless forget to take when I travel next; some Indian rupees that have long since been decommissioned; some Hong Kong dollars because how can it have taken me four years to …

1
Who defaults on Covid loans, with Maurizio Fiaschetti (University College London) 20:49

12M ago20:49

20:49

No good deed goes unpunished and no well-intentioned government loan program goes undefaulted upon, even more so when that government program was designed and implemented in the chaotic early days of the COVID lockdowns. We've all seen the headlines, but what do the numbers say, what sort of businesses have been defaulting on COVID loans in the UK?…

1
AI-powered lending for Colombian businesses, with Viviana Siless (Quipu Bank) 21:41

12M ago21:41

21:41

Nearly two out of every three Colombian jobs are in the informal economy! That's a huge number that needs to come down, and no doubt it will, but until then, someone really needs to bring the benefits of formal financing to the small business owners in the informal sector. Enter Quipu with whose AI-powered loan decisions "growing is easier, fairer …

1
The right content in the right hands at the right time, with Nicky Senyard (Fintel Connect) 30:39

1y ago30:39

30:39

We all love how easy it is to change bank accounts these days... until it is our customers (and their planned-on deposits) who are moving. After all, we just sent them a pamphlet that very clearly invited them to apply for a loan at an APR of between 5% and 25% variable on term and risk and changes in the base rate, and subject to final credit chec…

1
Lithuanian fintech is compact and agile, with Jekaterina Rojaka (Creditinfo) 23:44

1y ago23:44

23:44

It's only thirty years since Lithuania's broke free from the Soviet Union, but already it's home a buzzing fintech scene: "Leapfrogging was probably the largest idea behind the Lithuanian success". Join me and Jekaterina Rojaka, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Creditinfo Lietuva, as we explore the roots of that success. Creditinfo Lithuania can b…

1
KYC Better, with Sasha Marley (Bonafidee) 31:56

1y ago31:56

31:56

"Trust matters more than ever, but in today's anonymous landscape, it is becoming rarer by the day. (At Bondafidee) we want to change that." I recently sat down with Sasha Marley for one of the most personal interviews I've done here, because fraud isn't just a numbers thing, it has very real human impacts. Bonafidee is at home online home at https…

1
Building the scaffolding for a Nigerian credit boom, with Adedeji Olowe (Lendsqr) 27:00

1y ago27:00

27:00

Nigeria is Africa's biggest economy. Or maybe not quite, economic variables can be hard to measure and somewhat fickle, but whatever way you slice this cake, it is in the top three with Egypt and South Africa. Fintech has played a growing role in that economy, but until now, almost none of the 'fin' that the 'tech' has been modernising was lending-…

1
Loans to build communities, with Moishe Gubin (Optimum Bank) 30:12

1y ago30:12

30:12

Moishe Gubin is a workhorse, a mule. And now it's paying off: for him, for the banks he leads, and for the communities they serve. In today's episode we chat about work ethic and an old-fashioned path from the bottom to the top, we chat about what communities are, and we talk about bankers becoming a footnote in someone else's success story. Optimu…

1
Lending against distressed properties not to distressed borrowers, with Todd Pigott (ZINC) 26:37

1y ago26:37

26:37

"Distressed property can always be repaired, not so distressed people. And so we focus on distressed properties. And that platform has worked very, very well for us: I've done a billion dollars of this, and I will tell you, I have never ever lent on a property that I was not able to fix." The modern mortgage model is designed to work at scale, so w…

1
Enhancing decision accuracy, with Maik Taro Wehmeyer (Taktile) 28:15

1y ago28:15

28:15

"If you help a bank to create lending IP, there's always a question around 'who now understands how it works' and 'who owns it'. And the lending IP, that is something that, as a fintech, as a bank, you should own yourself. And that is why (instead of consulting) we decided to build software that helps internal risk teams and internal credit teams t…

1
In the end, it's all about the people, with Robbie Blake (Northreach) 24:13

1y ago24:13

24:13

We've spoken about lending systems, we've spoken about lending models, and we've spoken about the nuance of diverse markets and even more diverse market niches, but in the end, there's one thing that ties every successful lending business together: people. In this episode, I welcome Northreach's Robbie Blake about how fintechs can attract and grow …

1
Bridges to Credit: Alternative Data and Inclusive Finance, with Santiago Espinoza (LexisNexis Risk Solutions) 30:51

1y ago30:51

30:51

One of the most exciting things about working in emerging markets is the opportunity to leap frog old systems - a tool that once had a cutting edge is now an anchor, and to be free of it a means to be nimble. Now, I’m not suggesting traditional data has reached the point of being an anchor, but markets rich with it have created fully developed ecos…

1
Cross-border BNPL in Brazil, with Vinícius Vieira (BEXS) 22:37

1y ago22:37

22:37

The Fifa World Cup is the biggest prize in football. So, about ten years ago now, the world's best men's team headed to Brazil with glory on their minds, but it wouldn't be easy: home to loud and loyal fans of the sport's most storied national team, winning in Brazil would take a monumental effort. In fact, many thought it would be impossible. Glob…

1
Advanced analytical models, with Dr Joseph Breeden (Deep Future Analytics) 31:03

1y ago31:03

31:03

Dr Joseph Breeden is an entrepreneur and a researcher. or perhaps I should describe him as an entrepreneur and a discoverer, so keen is his curiosity. And, with 30 years spent at the sharp point of credit analytics innovation, he is also a fantastic speaker on some of the most important topics of the day: machine learning, AI, and managing economic…

1
Resilience and speed, with Svitlanka Sergiichuk (NeoFin) 33:05

1y ago33:05

33:05

Today is Ukraine’s National Day, so there's no better time than to support the people in their endeavours to survive and resist the Russian invasion: donate to World Kitchen at https://donate.wck.org/give/499865/#!/donation/checkout or to Save Life in UA at https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate-en/#donate-army-card-monthly “Launch any lending business i…

1
A look at revenue-based finance, with Pratik Sawal 24:36

1y ago24:36

24:36

It’s hard enough for consumers who earn precipitable salaries to manage unpredictable expenses, so imagine the situation for fast-growing e-commerce businesses that have unpredictable incomes and unpredictable expenses. To compensate for the perceived risk, big banks tend to take a very conservative view of repeatable earnings, hampering these busi…

1
A path to profitable lending, with Maik Taro Wehmeyer (Taktile) 21:36

1+ y ago21:36

21:36

"Profitability is paramount for the global lending industry in 2023. But for lenders to increase profitability under the new status quo, much of the industry must undergo change. To stay ahead of the game, lenders need to fully enable every level of their business to react quickly to market changes and proactively steer their risk selection." Takti…

1
Know good | catch bad, with Sjoerd Slot 29:38

1+ y ago29:38

29:38

Criminals keep changing the game. Which is annoying, don't they know our models depend on them re-enacting the past behaviours over and over and over again? Sygno have flipped the script by modelling the good behaviour of your customers... because they're not trying to outmanoeuvre you. Also, there are a lot more of them. Sygno's automated machine …

1
Scaling your impact, with Adriaan Schiphorst (Lendahand) 28:26

1+ y ago28:26

28:26

This week sees a Dutch double-header on HTLMTS, with two episodes I recorded in Rotterdam while attending Money20/20. First up, a bonus episode that explores how Lendahand gathers capital from socially conscious European investors to empower loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. 250+ investors are backing d.light, for example, who, with a…

1
Financing everyday essentials for everyone, with Mayur Patel (M-Kopa) 25:20

1+ y ago25:20

25:20

We Finance Progress... when you visit www.m-kopa.com you're met with this brief but powerful message that, I think, captures the dual business and social impacts of their connected financing platform. In today's episode, I speak to Mayur Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at M-KOPA, about financing life-changing assets collateralized by the service th…

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Brendan Le Grange Podcasts

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