The fin/tech dreamers and doers

If you were to choose a profession that is different than what you are doing right now — what would that be?

Recently, I posed this question to a few friends of mine. It is so much fun to see how diverse the responses are; in quite a few cases, one can completely envision the alternative career choice!

Here is what everyone has to say.?

Anurag Mukherjee : “I’d be an event manager and organizer the craziest concerts. I love organizing and getting things done!”

Barb MacLean : “I’d be running a human milk bank and lactation services organization.”

Brett King : “I’d be an astronaut, because I never really grew up.”

Brian Lee : “I’d love to have a travel / food show where I get paid to travel and eat!”

Carol L. Grunberg : “I’d be a professional diver, discovering forgotten cities, like Jacques Cousteau.”

Dave Wallace : "I'd be a marine biologist."

Dharmesh Mistry : “I’d be a chef.”?

Elizabeth Osborne “I’d be a broadcast journalist. I acted in high school and a little in college and always wanted to be on TV but in a professional, factual manner. I ran my college newspaper for a short stint but became burnt out and changed my major, but I still reminisce on the what-if!”

Jas Shah : “I’d be a footballer, a professional gamer, or a mixologist.”

Jim Perry : “I’d be an orchestra conductor for movie or theater scores. Music has the power to evoke great emotion, and it would be magical to be the one to lead and unify a group of diverse musicians, to interpret and create the kind of music that inspires and amplifies the stories of great theater or movies.”

Julie Muhn : “I’d be a Park Ranger. I love being outside and it’s one of the few jobs that still offers a pension. It also allows for a simple life.”

Kate Drew : “I’d be a psychologist. I’d still be looking at how people behave and why but differently.”

Kathryn Vazquez Kmiotek : “I’d be a philanthropist; helping and motivating and cheering on others brings me joy.”

Michelle Beyo : ?“I’d be a travel writer, to take in a new place and try to get others excited about it.”

Pam Kaur : “I’d be a social worker. The INFJ advocate in me thrives when I can make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”

Richard Turrin : “I’d be a project manager in some form of engineering.”

Sanjib Kalita : “I’d be a veterinarian. I like how veterinarians make animals feel better. I think it's interesting that they need to figure out what's wrong non-verbally. I also think it's challenging to treat so many species vs. a doctor who treats one species.”

Sonya B. Dreizler : “I’d be a gardener and ceramic and textile artist.”

Stephanie F. : “I’d be editor-in-chief at Vogue, so I can go to the Fashion Week events ?all over the world, wear all the high-end designer clothes and get to decide what new trends are going to be!”

Stessa Cohen : “I’d be a writer —?for memoirs, mysteries, and history. I’ve always written, and outside of fintech, these are my favorite types of books to read.”

Tammy Bangs, CAMS? : “I’d own a bakery/bookshop.”

Tiffani Montez : "I'd run a non-profit that creates a safe place for LGBTQ youth because they deserve love and matter."

As for me, I’d love to be a food critic, so that I can visit different restaurants around the world, try out new cuisines and wine, and meet the chefs and winemakers behind the creations. Those of you who have shared meals with me will absolutely understand.

Now, one might wonder, what does this have to do with fintech or banking?

You see, in this great big world of financial services, I’d like to think of us as the Lego brick builders, with a variety of skills and personalities devoted to building solutions that can meet the needs and wants of a diverse population — helping them turn their dreams and aspirations into reality. ?Our industry is the magic potion that makes money movement happen — a bridge between ecosystems and cultures, and a connector between the present and the future. And that’s a unique and privileged position to be in.

As we kick off this holiday season and beyond, I hope we can continue to think about the dreams that we have and keep building together so that others can also have a chance to dream, and dream big.

The world needs more good humans. And I am thankful for you.

What I am reading ...

[1] I've often lamented about the diversity of cultures and the lack of support for low-resource languages. Imagine my delight when I came across the news that Orange is working with OpenAI and Meta to build custom AI models designed to better understand regional African languages. There is hope after all.

[2] Can AI scam the scammers? Cue Daisy, an AI chatbot with a grandma voice, trained on hours of recorded conversations with one of her creator’s real-life grandmas. And she is engineered to frustrate scammers. How's that for a plot twist?

[3] While we often say that small-medium businesses are the backbone of our economy, how well do we truly cater to their needs? According to a recent study by Arizent, "while 67% of small businesses look to their retail bank as their primary service provider, more than half supplement their primary bank with one or more fintech offerings. In some cases, small and medium businesses are forced to find a secondary provider because their primary bank doesn't offer the service they require."

This mismatch of expectations and needs reminds me of a recent "Banking for Small and Medium Enterprises" report shared by Paolo Sironi on SMBs.

In a week, I will be heading to Hong Kong to speak at the upcoming #BIPAsia 2024 on Responsible AI. I can't think of a better way to wrap up my year than being in one of my favorite cities and presenting on a topic that I am passionate about.

Join us here https://bipasia.hktdc.com/conference/bip/en/onlineregistration —?and DM for code.

In this week's One Vision — FinTech Prose!

"AI, Financial Inclusion, and Banking: A Pre-Holiday Special"

Join us for an inspiring pre-holiday episode exploring the intersection of technology, financial services, and social impact. This episode unpacks the evolving landscape of banking innovation and artificial intelligence, with a special focus on community-centered solutions.

Episode Highlights:

Canadian Banking Evolution: Dive into the current state of neobanks and funding in Canada, exploring how innovative solutions are meeting communities where they are.

AI in Financial Protection: Learn how Commonwealth Bank of Australia is leveraging machine learning technology to detect and prevent financial abuse in digital transactions, showcasing the practical applications of AI in safeguarding vulnerable customers.

Business Transformation through AI: Explore the increasing integration of artificial intelligence in business processes, with special attention to the unique requirements of financial services where accuracy and precision are paramount.

Inclusive Innovation: Discover why the future of AI must embrace all languages and cultures, and why there's no "easy button" for successful AI implementation – it requires dedicated effort and thoughtful execution.

This episode celebrates the hardworking individuals making a positive impact in banking, highlighting how technological innovation can serve the greater good when implemented with purpose and intention.

Tune in and let us know what you think.

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