The Fintech Magazine Issue #35

People are starting to see transparency not as a downside but as a smart move in finance and tech. At Nationwide Building Society, Otto Benz talks openly about the challenges of vendor management and how choosing the wrong option between building or buying can mess up projects.

Over at ING Bank, Daniele Tonella misses the days of the full-stack engineer as the focus shifts more towards operations, which some techies find tough to accept.

At the Temenos Community Forum in Spain, Barb Morgan, the Chief Product and Technology Officer, used feedback from customers around the world to create a new, challenging strategy for the company—showing that honest feedback can spark new ideas.

These open chats reflect a trend in the industry: being transparent builds respect and opens the door for good discussions. For instance, Benz’s honest talk about vendor issues sets clear expectations and encourages everyone to work on solutions instead of ignoring problems. Tonella’s recognition of how engineers’ roles are changing reinforces the need to update skills to fit new operational needs, even if it means letting go of old ideas. And Temenos’s ability to act on direct customer feedback—acknowledging where they need to improve—shows how being open can drive positive change.

Ben Barbanel from OakNorth gives a more personal example of transparency.

As someone who has turned his life around both personally and in business, he’s not afraid to speak his mind, even if it means keeping tight-lipped about OakNorth’s upcoming IPO plans. When the IPO happens, whether in London or somewhere else, OakNorth will become one of the few profitable Euro-corns, which appeals to investors in London but might confuse those in the US, where fast growth often gets more attention than steady earnings.

In a time that rewards bold moves, Barbanel’s straightforward style and OakNorth’s focus on profitability highlight the real benefits of being open.

Read the magazine right here!