Fintech Daydreaming
looking at Fintech & Banking Technology
Between digital native customers demanding instant gratification and the ever increasing amount of regulation, financial institutions are between a rock and a hard place. The era of the fintech started after the 2008 financial crisis, challenging the status quo. More than a decade later banks haven’t gone anywhere, yet fintech is more relevant than ever. What happened with all the fintech hopes and dreams? In this podcast Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu pick one topic in every episode and try to look at it through the lens of fintech disruption – or lack thereof. This is Fintech Daydreaming.
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We are Fintech Daydreaming
Pål Krogdahl
Ville Sointu
New Episode Every Fortnight
Between digital native customers demanding instant gratification and the ever increasing amount of regulation, financial institutions are between a rock and a hard place.
The era of the fintech started after the 2008 financial crisis, challenging the status quo. More than a decade later banks haven’t gone anywhere, yet fintech is more relevant than ever.
What happened with all the fintech hopes and dreams?
In this podcast Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu pick one topic in every episode and try to look at it through the lens of fintech disruption – or lack thereof.
This is Fintech Daydreaming.
In this episode of Fintech Daydreaming, Ville, Pål, and Janne are back with another round of Nordic Fintech Highlights—recorded somewhere between back-to-back meetings, holiday travel plans, and at least one log cabin in the Finnish wilderness (buffering included).
From there, we dive into what actually happened in Nordic fintech last month:
Modest funding rounds, ongoing consolidation, and the quiet realization that scale still wins.
And a quick detour into Revolut casually printing profits and eyeing the Nordics like it’s their next hobby.
Then we get into the real meat:
Ville brings a story that sounds boring… until it isn’t:
.- DNB launching Buy Now Pay Later for businesses (yes, really)
.- 30-second onboarding, AI-powered credit decisions, and the ability to delay payments without paying interest.
.- Or, as Pål puts it: “a new and exciting way to bankrupt companies”
Which leads to a surprisingly deep debate:
.- Is BNPL actually useful for SMEs or just consumer debt in a suit?
.- Are we solving cash flow problems or just moving them 90 days forward?
.- And how this looks suspiciously like trade finance without the blockchain and the hype
Janne then doubles down on SME finance with:
.- The rise of accounting platforms turning into neobanks
.- Embedded finance quietly eating the value chain
.- And the slightly uncomfortable truth that traditional banks are still barely showing up
Meanwhile, somewhere in the background:
.- French IBANs are powering Finnish businesses
.- Local quirks are quietly breaking global fintech expansion strategies
.- And Revolut might still have to learn that Finland is… not Sweden
Finally, Pål brings it home with:
.- Wolt entering the employee benefits game
.- Taking on Epassi with zero merchant fees (at least for now)
.- And proving, once again, that every fintech eventually becomes a payments company and every payments company eventually wants to be everything else
If you enjoy fintech analysis with a side of sarcasm, mild existential dread about business models, and the occasional log cabin Wi-Fi issue this one’s for you.
Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl, Ville Sointu & Janne Salminen
Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming
– Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com
– Fintech Daydreaming home page – https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com
– Fintech Daydreaming on Twitter – https://twitter.com/FintechDaydream
– Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming
– Pål Krogdahl – https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/
– Ville Sointu – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/
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Fintech Daydreaming, and Fintech Farm Helsinki, the Nordic fintech hub, have joined forces. Through this alliance, Fintech Daydreaming is the official podcast partner of Fintech Farm. Both organisations will collaboratively produce a monthly podcast episode focused on Nordic Fintech Highlights, Fintech Farm’s updated monthly industry review.
Partner with Fintech Daydreaming
Fintech Daydreaming is a podcast and a platform for honest, conversations about where banking and fintech are heading, We already work closely with leading hubs and media to shine a light on the people, stories, and ideas that matter in this ecosystem.
We are always open to new partnerships with fintech hubs, communities, accelerators, magazines and event organisers who want a trusted podcast partner. Whether you are building a local fintech community or expanding a global programme, we can help you reach a wider audience in a way that feels authentic, curious and informed.
Companies can also book Fintech Daydreaming for corporate events. That might be a live podcast recording at your conference, a special episode built around your strategic themes, a fireside chat with your leadership, or Pål and Ville moderating a panel for your clients or partners.
If you would like to explore a partnership or bring Fintech Daydreaming into your next event, get in touch and let us figure out something that fits your audience and your ambitions.
You can reach us via LinkedIn or Studio@FintechDaydreaming.com