In recent years we have seen a surge of activity in the financial technology sector, globally and across Canada.
Fintech business models are more compelling than ever, especially in areas such as cryptocurrency, decentralized finance, investing, insurance, lending, and payments.
As Canada’s financial technology publication of record, Fintech.ca provides real-time reporting and analysis of emerging financial technology news across Canada.
To seek a deeper understanding of topics and issues, we lean on local experts for insight and wisdom.
Throughout 2022, the journalists and editors powering Canada’s fintech publication of record sat down with entrepreneurs, technical experts, and more from across the country to gain a complete scope of the space.
Below we highlight some of our favourite conversations.
Dynamic Times
As we live in an increasingly digitally-integrated world, our user data is more valuable than ever to businesses, informing their business decisions and helping them to better understand their customers.
ShyftLabs builds customized solutions to help companies collect and act on insights based on first-party data, providing real-time answers to questions such as pricing or product promotions.
Fintech.ca sat down with ShyftLabs’ CEO Shobhit Khandelwal to learn more about concepts such as dynamic pricing, which is where businesses set flexible prices for products based on current market demands.
“We’re living at a time that truly exemplifies the need for dynamic pricing,” he suggests. “With consumer demand shifts, soaring inflation, and persistent supply chain troubles, maintaining margins has become a daunting task.”
Dynamic pricing that is driven by cost, logistical, and inventory data—as well as historical price elasticity—”can help retailers keep track of their OKRs and stay one step ahead in a competitive market.”
Non-Fungible Whats?
Julian Klymochko is founder and CEO of Accelerate Financial Technologies, an alternative investment solution provider. The Calgary-based firm announced an NFT Fund for investors earlier this year and recently purchased several new “blue chip” NFTs.
Calgary-based crypto custodian Tetra Trust and global technology provider Ledger work with Accelerate to ensure its digital assets are held in a safe and secure way. Rahil Jamal of Tetra recently discussed the future of non-fungible tokens with Klymochko.
“Web3 is the next iteration of the global internet, owned by its users via non-fungible tokens,” Klymochko told Jamal. “I foresee a significant amount of new digital asset segments utilizing NFT technology in the future.”
Assets that are prime to capitalize on blockchain technology to increase their marketability and liquidity include music royalties and other media assets, “which are segments of the market that most investors do not currently have access to and are cumbersome to invest in,” he points out.
Power to the People
No one misses the old days of walking into a stodgy Big Bank in order to jump through paperwork hoop after paperwork hoop—all for dismal rates and high fees.
Today, fintech competition is saturated and many startups are actively treating banking customers like real humans again, which has even spurred the Big Banks to innovate their offerings.
One such fintech is Hardbacon. The Montreal-born startup wants to be the go-to tool that everyone turns to for any financial decision, whether budgeting, planning, investment tracking or comparing financial products.
Fintech.ca spoke with chief executive officer Julien Brault on how the personal finance industry has evolved and what open banking might mean in Canada.
Going Hybrid
Real estate is one of the biggest targets for fintech innovation—no surprise here given the size of the market. There are myriad startups breaking down the many barriers of traditional real estate buying, selling, and investing.
One such startup is Key.
It takes 35 years for the typical home buyer to save for the recommended down payment in Vancouver. Founded in Toronto in 2021, Key’s first-of-its-kind model provides the opportunity to co-own a home to live in and build equity from day one.
Fintech.ca sat down with co-founder and president Daniel Dubois to learn more about the platform and where they are headed next.
“We’ve created a third, hybrid option for Canadians beyond homeownership or renting,” stated Dubois, “through a tech-enabled co-ownership model that makes homeownership and equity building accessible for everyone years sooner and empowers property owners to offer a better way into homeownership for consumers.”
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