Open Banking and Embedded Finance: Are we There Yet? With special guest Nicola Breyer

Open Banking and Embedded Finance: Are we There Yet? With special guest Nicola Breyer

"Are we there yet?". When it comes to Open Banking and Embedded Finance, are we still debating if we should, instead of implementing what we can? How do we (the Benelux Banks) stack up against the rest of the world and what can we learn from them? Is regulation a help or a hindrance? We have so many questions and we are sure you do too, which is why we invited Nicola Breyer, an internationally recognised expert on open data and embedded finance, who frequently speaks and publishes on the topic, to help us set the scene before we begin our Q3 research. In this session, we unpacked what went right and wrong after PSD2, why PSD3 / PSR and FIDA (Financial Data Access Regulation) may already be outdated, and how the rapid rise of AI assistants, agentic AI, and data platforms like Plaid is reshaping the future of financial services. You’ll hear candid views on: * Why consumer adoption of open banking is still low * How poor UX, lack of data standards, and no remuneration for banks held back innovation * Whether we really need FIDA to make open finance work * The race between European regulation and US tech / AI platforms * What “financial home” and “My CFO for SMEs” use cases could look like * How banks risk losing the customer relationship to AI platforms—and what they can do about it If you prefer to read rather than listen, you can find a summary of the session on our website here [https://thebankingscene.com/opinions/open-banking-and-embedded-finance-who-defines-the-strategic-agenda/].

The Conversation Money 20/20 Needed: Understanding the Geopolitical Impact of Stablecoins

Stablecoins are often discussed through the lens of crypto, payments innovation and customer experience. But at Money20/20, one conversation stood out: the geopolitical impact of stablecoins and what their rapid growth could mean for Europe’s financial sovereignty. In this episode, Andrew and Rik reflect on the last 2 weeks and discuss Money20/20, the rise of US-denominated stablecoins, the implications for European banks, payment rails, regulation, CBDCs and the future of payments. They also discuss why stablecoins may need to move higher up the strategic agenda for banks, policymakers and regulators. Topics covered include stablecoins, European financial sovereignty, US dollar dominance, CBDCs, payment infrastructure, Qivalis, banking innovation, regulation versus innovation, and the future of payments in Europe. You can find the summary article on our website here [https://thebankingscene.com/opinions/the-conversation-money-20-20-needed-understanding-the-geopolitical-impact-of-stablecoins/].

Agentic AI in Banking: Why Control Reversibility and Decision Design Matter

What does agentic AI actually mean for banks, and where can it deliver real value today? In this episode of The Banking Scene Director’s Cut, Andrew Vorster speaks with Rachael Hadaway, Vice President of Product Management at FICO, about the practical reality of agentic AI in banking. Their conversation explores where AI agents can genuinely improve workflows, why human oversight remains essential in high-stakes decisions, and how banks should think about governance, reversibility, unified decisioning and fraud prevention. Rachael shares a clear view on which banking processes are most likely to become more autonomous over the next 12 to 36 months, and which areas are still being oversold. She also explains why reversibility matters in AI-driven decisions, how banks can avoid turning human reviewers into rubber stampers, and what it will take to build trust in agentic systems over time. The discussion also looks at the rise of the agentic customer and what happens when digital agents start acting on behalf of consumers across banking journeys. For banks in the Benelux region and beyond, this is a practical conversation about how to prepare for agentic AI without getting distracted by the hype. You can find a summary article based on this interview on our website here [https://thebankingscene.com/opinions/agentic-ai-in-banking-why-control-reversibility-and-decision-design-matter/].

Agentic AI in Banking: Where the Real Opportunities and Constraints Are

What does agentic AI really mean for banks, and where does the reality differ from the hype? In this episode of The Banking Scene Director’s Cut, Andrew Vorster speaks with Wesley Wuyts, Senior Customer Advisor at SAS, about how banks are approaching agentic AI, where the biggest opportunities lie, and what it will actually take to move from promising demos to reliable production use in a regulated environment. The conversation explores how agentic AI could help banks close the gap between insight and action, especially in operationally intensive areas such as KYC, fraud management, complaints handling and document-heavy workflows. Wesley also shares a practical view on the limits of current technology, why fully autonomous end-to-end banking processes are still a step too far for most institutions, and why governance, auditability, data access and human oversight remain essential. If you work in banking, fintech, financial services, risk, compliance, operations, AI, data or technology, this discussion offers a grounded perspective on one of the sector’s most talked-about topics. In this interview, we cover: What banks actually mean when they talk about agentic AI The difference between agentic AI, generative AI, copilots and traditional automation Why some agentic AI use cases in banking are being oversold The challenges of moving from AI pilot to production Why data access, integration and auditability are often the biggest hurdles What meaningful human oversight should look like in banking How banks should think about accountability when AI completes part of a workflow The realities of multi-agent systems in a regulated environment How to approach build versus buy in the agentic AI stack How to measure the performance and quality of AI agents in financial services This episode is part of The Banking Scene’s wider research into AI and the Agentic Future of Banking, exploring how agentic AI is likely to reshape banking in the Benelux region over the next 12 to 36 months. Subscribe for more interviews, analysis and insight on the trends shaping banking and financial services. You can find a summary recap of the interview on our website here [https://thebankingscene.com/opinions/agentic-ai-in-banking-where-the-real-opportunities-and-constraints-are/].

From Experiments to Enterprise Value with Agentic AI

Rik and Andrew discuss the key takeaways from a round table Think Tank session held under the Chatham House Rule with senior financial services professionals on the topic of Agentic AI in banking. You can find a summary of the discussions on our website here [https://thebankingscene.com/opinions/] if you prefer to skim-read the highlights.