Latest opinions that Ian Stone has shared on Finextra

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Ian Stone

CEO

Vuealta

Member since

29 Apr 2014

Location

London

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Ian's opinions

Financial services businesses are not prepared for tech disruption

Now, more than a decade on from the events of 2008, the finance industry is far from settled. It’s chaos at the speed of the digital era. In fact, the next five years are set to be just as dynamic as the previous ten – filled with challenges and disruption but equally, presenting opportunities for those that navigate the period well. The sector is...

28 January 2019 /ai Fintech

Custom fit: getting the most out of your tech

The rate of innovation taking place today is enough to make any business feel permanently caught in a hamster wheel; trying to keep up with the latest trends to stay relevant. From small businesses to large enterprises, introducing anything new into a company can be a painful process. But if done right, it’s highly rewarding. The problem is, the h...

20 September 2018 Fintech

The connected future of fintech

Between 2010 and 2015, the financial services industry changed drastically. In just those five years, four of today’s most successful fintech companies were launched; namely Stripe, Revolut, Starling Bank and Monzo. These launches all had one thing in common; putting the customer at the centre of the operation, untied to legacy or history. Fast fo...

03 September 2018 /startups Fintech

Zero-based budgeting - a great idea, one step at a time

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a cost management approach adopted by many businesses, especially in the consumer goods sector. It allows companies to reduce unnecessary costs, increase profits, and maximise shareholder value. It’s no secret that ZBB is often associated with acquisitions or firms positioning themselves for a sale. As a result, it’s o...

02 August 2016 /regulation

How the CFO and finance can succeed on the frontline to complete a successful merger

2015 marked a new record for the number of mergers and acquisitions reported. According to Dealogic more than 38,000 were launched during the year. However, many of these, in reality, did not succeed. Certain large transnational mergers were undermined by the activism of the Obama Administration. Pfizer, which was due to merge with Allergan for $1...

04 July 2016 /regulation

Getting over the cloud hurdle in banking

Across industries, conversations around the use of cloud are commonplace. The benefits around lower costs, access from anywhere on any device and ease of implementation aren’t new. And yet, from talking with banking leaders, we know that there are still significant challenges when it comes to consuming and implementing public cloud services within...

15 June 2016 /retail

Tomorrow's world: looking to 2016

The IT industry is at its best when it is unpredictable. The most innovative technologies are often the most unexpected and seem to come from the most inauspicious of beginnings. As the ever changing line up of so-called market disruptors continues to trample the status quo, we see time and time again that business can change extremely quickly and...

21 December 2015

Why the Customer is King in Strategic Planning

Companies are faced with a future that would appear to be both unknowable and uncontrollable. Some appear to have slipped into the false comfort that it is best not to make too many firm choices, and instead let strategy emerge as events unfold to make the future clearer. Back in the 1970’s, Henry Mintzberg —still lecturing, writing and tweeting a...

26 November 2015

Keeping the Tax Man Onside

As Margaret Mitchell exclaimed in the classic novel, Gone with the Wind: “Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them.” And while I hope that most businesses would be sympathetic to the first and more understanding of the last, when it comes to taxes I’m certain they would be in agreement. We know that taxes are...

04 November 2015

Struggling to keep up with your workforce? You’re not alone!

In recent years, the financial services sector has seen significant change. A wave of mergers and acquisitions as well as new regulations and reporting structures have changed UK and European institutions, adding an unprecedented level of scrutiny and increasing compliance pressures more than ever before. Financial organisations must ensure they h...

16 September 2015

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