September 2019

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Marty Cagan How do today's most successful tech companies--Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla--design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently than the vast majority of tech companies. In INSPIRED, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides readers with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization, and how to discover and deliver...

Robo-Advisors: Investing Through Machines

By Facundo Abraham, Sergio L. Schmukler, José Tessada Investing through online automated platforms, known as robo-advisors, is increasingly popular. Robo-advisors expand access to wealth management services by making it easier and less costly to open investments accounts and receive financial advice, as well as plan and automate investment decisions. However, the rise of robo-advisors requires consumers to understand the limitations of these services and to get proper financial education. Policy makers need to grapple with the impact of robo-advisors...

August 2019

The Disruptive Impact of FinTech on Retirement Systems

By Julie Agnew, Olivia S. Mitchell Many people need help planning for retirement, saving, investing, and decumulating their assets, yet financial advice is often complex, potentially conflicted, and expensive. The advent of computerized financial advice offers huge promise to make accessible a more coherent approach to financial management, one that takes into account not only clients' financial assets but also human capital, home values, and retirement pensions. Robo-advisors, or automated on-line services that use computer algorithms to provide...

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives--from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture--can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends--interacting,...

Bank 4.0: Banking Everywhere, Never at a Bank

Bank 4.0 explores the radical transformation already taking place in banking, and follows it to its logical conclusion. What will banking look like in 30 years? 50 years? The world's best banks have been forced to adapt to changing consumer behaviors; regulators are rethinking friction, licensing and regulation; Fintech start-ups and tech giants are redefining how banking fits in the daily life of consumers. To survive, banks are having to develop new capabilities, new jobs and new skills. The...

Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps

In 25 concise steps, you will learn the basics of blockchain technology. No mathematical formulas, program code, or computer science jargon are used. No previous knowledge in computer science, mathematics, programming, or cryptography is required. Terminology is explained through pictures, analogies, and metaphors. This book bridges the gap that exists between purely technical books about the blockchain and purely business-focused books. It does so by explaining both the technical concepts that make up the blockchain and their role in...

FinTech Revolution: Universal Inclusion in the New Financial Ecosystem

This book is a practical guide to the evolving landscape of finance, highlighting how it’s changing our relationship with money and how financial technology, together with macroeconomic and societal change, is rewriting the story of how business is done in developing economies. Financial services companies are trying to become more customer focused, but struggling to help huge customer segments, particularly in developing economies. Alternative financial models and tools are emerging, which are being embraced by consumers and incumbents....

July 2019

The Future of Finance is Now: The Most Important Trends in Finance for the Coming Decade Have Already Started

By Jason Schenker The Future of Finance is Already HereIndustries are being disrupted by new and emerging technologies. The coming decade will bring an acceleration of technological innovation, adoption, and disruption. But finance has long been an industry at the forefront of technology adoption, which is why some of the most critical technological innovations and solutions for finance have already emerged. The Future of Finance is Now explores the most important innovations in finance technology (FinTech) as...

September 2017

Fintech has transformed payments but not savings, says BlackRock’s chief executive

The financial technology boom has transformed the way over a billion people engage with financial services, particularly when it comes to making payments, but Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager, said that no company has yet managed to use technology successfully to get people investing for the long term. “I believe that if we give more people more confidence about savings, about how to save – like Warren Buffett – then that would transform many...