Finovate

Growing up in Manila, I saw firsthand how messy financial data really is. It was never about clean spreadsheets or APIs. It was about stacks of paper, blurry photos, and the constant friction of trying to prove who you are and what you earn. Last week I was at Finovate Spring in San Diego, and I couldn’t help but notice the massive gap between the "future of finance" shown on stage and the reality of the lenders I talk to every day. On stage, everything is seamless. But in the real world, whether you are in the US or the Philippines, lending is fundamentally fragmented. Lenders are stuck dealing with mobile banking screenshots, payslips in a hundred different formats, and financial statements scanned at a 45 degree angle while they were half folded. The inconsistency between these documents is a nightmare. It forces credit teams to act like data entry clerks, spending hours retyping numbers from blurry images into spreadsheets just to reach a starting point. That manual slog is what actually stops credit from reaching the people who need it. It makes lending too expensive and too slow to scale. At Kita (YC W26), we are trying to bridge that gap. We are not waiting for a world where everyone has perfect data. We are building the infrastructure to take that document mess and turn it into verified income and a decision ready file without the manual retyping – and this is just step one. If you are a lender struggling with this process, I would love to understand where the biggest gaps are for you. Drop me a message, genuinely curious to hear how your team is navigating the mess.

I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at Finovate Spring last week in San Diego. Mayerlin Garcia, Huyen Tran and Simmi Sen shared compelling insights about Women in Fintech and how we can keep moving the needle. It was a wonderful event and an inspiring discussion!

Last week at Finovate San Diego, I moderated a panel on 'The great payments shake up' on how stablecoins are disrupting payments, alongside the brilliant professionals Kyle Rosen from Thunes, Scott Meadows, CFA from Coinbase and Niharika Naidu from First Citizens Bank. The conversation really got lively when I asked the question ➡️ **'How do you as business leaders decide which opportunities to pursue?'** Here, the conversation branched into two schools of thought: 1️⃣ "We solve for our clients' existing needs as they arise"; and 2️⃣ "We solve for what we think our clients need but don't know it yet (a la Steve Jobs)." The latter approach is visionary and disruptive 🌟It's also risky. Leaders' biggest pitfall is being too early to market, before demand is material. Timing is everything. The former approach is pragmatic and strategic ⚒️ The inherent risk is lack of differentiation. Aligning the brand with the real client opportunities and a powerful, aspirational narrative is the key. Both approached can be successful, with the right market data 🔢 thought approach 💭 and guiding light 💡 PCMI supports leaders in both these camps with scenario forecasting, brand-product-market matching, and brand narrative storytelling. I love panels like these because it uncovers the real challenges business leaders face in payments: risk, uncertainty and the desire to add value. It was a pleasure to participate 🙏

Olivia Leslie is no stranger to Finovate. Over the last few years, she has watched the conversation around stablecoins grow in prominence. At last week's FinovateSpring, it was on full display as deployments continue apace. Read her insights here: https://lnkd.in/gdQUC9VZ

Day 1 at Finovate Spring is a wrap! Some quick photos here to capture the moments before the official book signing pictures are released. Always treasure our on stage and off stage conversations around AI and humans. And thank you to everyone who stopped by for the book signing of Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence. And yes, we ran out of books again! I am sensing a trend! Special shoutout to Veronica DaCosta MBA for all of your help. And Katie Gwyn-Williams and Tula Weis for making the magic happen. #AI #fintech #financialservices #finovate Jim Perry | Katie Quilligan | Benjamin Maxim | Jane Barratt | Ami Iceman Haueter | Paul Davis | Sherry(Xiang) Wu | Huyen Tran | Greg Palmer | Jody (Jaideep) Bhagat | Jennifer White | Tiffani Montez | Julie Muhn | Steven Ramirez | Suraya Randawa | Simmi Sen | Krishna Aswani | Angi Milano | Artem Boboshko |

We just wrapped up three days at Finovate Spring 2026 in San Diego, and we have a lot to share. Banking is at an inflection point. AI, stablecoins, embedded lending, the battle for deposits, and the future of bank partnerships dominated every conversation across 600 senior leaders gathered at the Sheraton San Diego. We walked away with a clear conviction: the future of banking belongs to institutions willing to be honest about where they are, purposeful about where they are going, and genuinely obsessed with their customers along the way. We broke down the biggest themes from the conference in our latest blog. From the $46 billion embedded lending opportunity to why delight can be a deposit strategy, it is all in there. Read the full recap at the link below. https://lnkd.in/guEKtZQg #BankTreasury #FinovateSpring2026 #Fintech