Neal Cross | Digital’s cultural change | VOX Ep. 94

Neal Cross is a fintech entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. He spends his time between Australia, Indonesia, and Japan. He served as DBS’s chief innovation officer as the fintech wave hit East Asia. Today he is behind a wealthtech, PictureWealth; a Philippines-focused micro fintech, Peppermint Innovation; and advises StarHub, the Singapore-based telecoms company.

Neal spoke with DigFin‘s Jame DiBiasio about how the concept of cultural change amid digital upheaval has changed. Since his time at DBS, Ai in particular has become used ubiquitously. Today, generative AI is leading even more profound changes: in finance, in fintech, and in most aspects of society.

Neal discusses how change-management has evolved, notably among banks; the ideas behind his various fintech endeavors; and big questions posed by AI. He concludes with a deeper, more philosophical concern about genAI’s impact and how CEOs might reframe these issues.

• Timecodes:
• 0:00 – Neal Cross
• 1:58 – How has the culture of digital transformation itself changed?
• 5:48 – Approaching change at DBS, and whether these early experiences are still relevant in financial services
• 11:05 – How important is, or could be, open banking?
• 14:13 – Micro fintech in the Philippines with Peppermint Innovation, and the competitive landscape for businesses aimed at financial inclusion
• 19:49 – PictureWealth and what Neal means by “democratizing access” to wealth services
• 23:44 – Does generative AI represent a step change, or is it just another iteration of artificial intelligence?
• 29:19 – How startups are using AI today, and deeper implications of widespread AI use and white-collar job disruption
• 33:50 – Neal’s philosophical alarm bells about AI and how he thinks CEOs should reframe these questions