Apr 30 2022
Management

30 Financial Services IT Influencers to Follow in 2022

These are the leaders whose every tweet, podcast or blog post gets the industry’s notice.

Few industries have been more affected by digital transformation in recent years than financial services. Traditional banks now compete not only with each other but also with digital-native fintech upstarts. The global health crisis forced institutions to confront customers’ growing demands for digital services, even while being called upon to help the country navigate a sudden financial crisis in 2020.

Today, technology is critical to delivering modern customer experiences, as banks, credit unions and other institutions strive to do more with artificial intelligence, data analytics and other emerging technologies.

To help keep track of these new solutions and trends, BizTech has assembled a list of 30 top influencers in the financial services industry — individuals and organizations you can follow to stay informed, inspired and prepared to bring your financial organization to the next level.

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Accion
Accion

Accion is a global nonprofit organization seeking to build a financially inclusive world with access to economic opportunity and financial tools for all. Its vision is to give people the financial tools they need to improve their lives.

Alex Konrad
Alex Konrad

Alex Konrad is a senior editor at Forbes covering venture capital and technology. He edits the annual Midas List, Cloud 100 and 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital.

Alexandre Lazarow
Alexandre Lazarow

Alex Lazarow is a venture capitalist with Cathay Innovation, a global fund that invests across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He teaches entrepreneurship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and is a senior contributor for fintech for Forbes magazine.

American Banker
American Banker

American Banker’s technology coverage runs the gamut from mobile payments to data privacy and partnerships between banks and financial technology companies (aka fintechs). Dating back to 1836, the news source has pivoted to the future with its extensive online coverage of digital banking and even a podcast for its audience of industry executives.

Bank Automation News
Bank Automation News

Founded as Bank Innovation in 2009, Bank Automation News is a veteran explorer of financial services technology. With a belief that automation is a critical piece of the future of financial services innovation, Bank Automation News delivers insights and information that guide industry professionals to better results.

BankThink
BankThink

BankThink is American Banker’s destination for commentary and informed opinion on critical topics in financial services.

Bradley Leimer
Bradley Leimer

Bradley Leimer is the co-founder of Unconventional Ventures, a startup seed funding and consulting firm. He is also co-author of the book Beyond Good and co-host of the podcast One Vision, which interviews startup founders, investors, industry players, thought leaders and policymakers in the innovation ecosystem. Leimer is a public speaker, adviser and consultant on financial technology, project management, public relations and financial inclusion.

Brett King
Brett King

A speaker and bestselling author, Brett King is the host of the highly ranked podcast Breaking Banks. A self-proclaimed futurist, King founded neobank Moven and serves as its executive chairman. His reach has stretched to the public sector as an adviser to the Obama administration on the future of banking.

Cathie Wood
Cathie Wood

Cathie Wood is founder, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, a “thematic” investment company focused solely on disruptive innovation. With over 40 years of experience identifying and investing in innovation, Wood provides her 1.5 million followers with regular updates on market trends and analysis.

Chris Gledhill
Chris Gledhill

If it’s related to fintech, Chris Gledhill is talking about it. Whether it’s a keynote address, a blog post or a tweet, Gledhill is constantly sharing the latest about how artificial intelligence, Big Data and emerging tech affect banking.

Chris Skinner
Chris Skinner

Chris Skinner, creator of The Finanser website, is a public speaker and the author of several bestselling books on digital banking and transformation. He’s also a global ambassador for Innovate Finance, a not-for-profit membership association representing the U.K.’s fintech community.

Efi Pylarinou
Efi Pylarinou

Pylarinou, an independent blockchain and fintech adviser, is among the top voices in the field as she helps organizations navigate their digital transformation journeys. She is an international speaker who brings extensive Wall Street experience to the fintech conversation.

Fintech Insider
Fintech Insider

Fintech Insider, a podcast by 11:FS, is your one-stop shop for all things fintech. The podcast brings in-depth interviews with the best and brightest of financial services to a global audience.

The Fintech Times
The Fintech Times

The Fintech Times describes itself as the world’s first and only newspaper dedicated to fintech. The publication combines firsthand insight, opinion and expertise with observational journalism to keep readers in the know amid rapid change in the industry. Tech coverage includes the latest in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

Helen Yu
Helen Yu

Helen Yu is a Fortune 500 adviser and the award-winning author of Ascend Your Start-Up. In 2019, Yu was named one of IBM’s Top 10 Global Thought Leaders in Digital Transformation.

Jim Marous
Jim Marous

As a public speaker, publisher and one of the minds behind The Financial Brand, Jim Marous is at the forefront of tech in finance and an industry thought leader in fintech, banking and digital transformation. He is also the host of the Banking Transformed podcast.

Jo Ann Barefoot
Jo Ann Barefoot

Jo Ann Barefoot is CEO of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, which strives to transform financial regulation from manual, analog design a digitally native approach.

Mary Ann Azevedo
Mary Ann Azevedo

Mary Ann Azevedo is a senior reporter at TechCrunch and co-host of the podcast Equity, which endeavors to unpack the numbers and nuance behind the world of business, technology and venture capital.

Mike Quindazzi
Mike Quindazzi

Mike Quindazzi is the managing director and U.S. digital alliances leader for PwC. As a public speaker, he covers the global megatrends that are shaping future paths for business and society.

Penny Crosman
Penny Crosman

The executive editor for technology at American Banker, Penny Crosman has become one of the industry’s most influential thought leaders.

Penny Lee
Penny Lee

Penny Lee is CEO of the Financial Technology Association, which champions the transformative role of financial technology for American consumers, businesses and the economy.

Ron Shevlin
Ron Shevlin

Ron Shevlin is chief research officer for the financial services consultancy Cornerstone Advisors and the author of Smarter Bank, which looks at how legacy institutions can “grow and thrive in the new world of banking.”

Ronald van Loon
Ronald van Loon

Ronald van Loon is the CEO of Intelligent World, an on-demand and live video content portal where executives and technology experts can come together to share insights and educate target audiences about the latest technology trends, developments and processes shaping a digital-first business world.

Sally Eaves
Sally Eaves

A CTO and fintech professor, Sally Eaves lets her diverse experience influence her holistic approach to financial services. Eaves is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and an award-winning international speaker and author.

Scarlett Sieber
Scarlett Sieber

International speaker Scarlett Sieber, a former CIO, brings a wealth of experience to the fintech conversation. She’s the senior editor at Money20/20, the industry’s leading payments and financial services innovation event.

Shamir Karkal
Shamir Karkal

Shamir Karkal is the co-founder and CEO of Sila, a fintech software platform that provides payment infrastructure as a service. An industry veteran, Karkal also co-founded Simple, touted as the first American neobank, in 2009.

Steve McLaughlin
Steve McLaughlin

Steve McLaughlin left his job as a senior investment banker in Goldman Sachs’ Financial Technology Group to launch FT Partners, where he is CEO and managing partner. The firm bills itself as the only investment bank focused on the financial technology sector.

Syed Bukhari
Syed Bukhari

Syed Bukhari is a digital transformation leader, product manager and technology executive at the chief experience officer level who specializes in effective storytelling, design-led transformation and culture change.

The Paypers
The Paypers

The Paypers is the leading independent source of news and analysis for professionals in the global payments, fintech and commerce community.

Theodora Lau
Theodora Lau

Theodora (Theo) Lau is a public speaker, writer, adviser and the founder of Unconventional Ventures, which focuses on developing an ecosystem of financial institutions, corporations, startups, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and accelerators to better address the unmet needs of consumers, with a focus on women and minority founders.

To discover BizTech’s Financial Services IT influencers and blogs from 2020, check out our list here.

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