Amsterdam Talks Tech: The Fintech Edition

Amsterdam Talks Tech: The Fintech Edition

Fintech and flexspace make the perfect match at Spaces Amsterdam Herengracht

The fintech community in the Netherlands got 2020 off to a headstart in January, with the first Amsterdam Talks Tech event of the year hosted by Spaces Herengracht. A gathering of bankers, developers and entrepreneurs convened on the stylishly designed coworking location to discuss the future of the industry – and why the Dutch capital works as a centre of industry and investment. On the panel were Conny Dorrestijn, founder of BankiFi; Joran Iedema, founder of Dyme; Richard Straver, founder of Online Payment Platform; Guido Vermeent, CEO of Payconiq; and Bernadette Wijnings, founder of Blanco Fintech. Here are the key takeaways from the session:

21st-century timings

Banking and other financial services are increasingly being accessed via smartphones, and delegates recognised the need for fintech brands to show a sophisticated mobile presence. At the same time, they acknowledged that a constantly evolving landscape placed pressure on developers to create products at speed – and advocated the need for flexibility and patience in an environment that is still finding its feet as a customer-facing platform.

Sustainability as standard

A good product is not the end point but a base from which to grow. Fintech is an industry in which the sales pitch is all-important for long-term growth, so don’t be shy to seek outside advice and map out how your business will survive the test of time. “You can’t survive on buzzwords like valuations and unicorns,” said BankiFi’s Dorrestijn – so get used to a process of continually testing and improving your product if you want to make something that lasts.

Big banks vs small startups

Whereas famous financial institutions feel like they’re part of the “too big to fail” establishment (and come with the means to acquire those newcomers who might pose a threat), the nimbler fintech company’s size can be a benefit when it comes to customers. Rather than feeling like a faceless corporation, a smaller startup can promote a friendly face with a human touch that will resonate more than big ad campaign ever could.

Plan to scale

Is your product something that can work all around the world? Germany and Japan, for example, are two countries that rely heavily on cash payments – so a transaction-based app is unlikely to have much cultural leverage unless it’s adapted to suit. So it pays to develop a product that works, wherever you are, if you plan to scale in the future. Don’t rush into anything, until what you’ve got offers a watertight proposition.

Read on for more on the fintech boom and flexible working


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