Hey, fintech fam! 💜

This week, I overheard one of our Academy of Fintech members say, “The great thing about Fintech Is Femme is that I can give—and somehow get even more back in return.”

It made my entire week.

That’s the momentum we’ve built: a community where business flows both ways, and generosity is operationalized.

At Fintech Is Femme, we don’t spend time debating what we are or aren’t. We just do the work—sharing opportunities, passing the mic, and putting deals in each other’s hands. It’s powerful to watch. It’s even better to build.

And speaking of momentum—this week I’m bringing you insights from the ground at FIS Emerald, where leaders from across banking, payments, and tech converged in Orlando to talk strategy, showcase innovation, and shape the future.

The message was clear: momentum is a strategy.

Let’s go over how to actually leverage it. Let’s get into it.

#TRENDING

What’s Up In Fintech

Every Thursday, I bring you the latest fintech news and trends, delivering the key insights that matter most to the industry—and you.

#1 FIS CEO Stephanie Ferris Says the Future of Finance Isn’t Just Digital—It’s Intelligent

At this year’s FIS Emerald conference in Orlando, President & CEO Stephanie Ferris didn’t just acknowledge the pace of change in fintech—she challenged the industry to move faster.

Her keynote cut through the usual corporate optimism with a sober yet forward-looking message: economic uncertainty is here, AI is rewriting the rules, and financial services need to evolve now—or risk irrelevance.

“If the digital era was about storing and speeding up data,” Ferris said, “the intelligent era is about making data think.”

That shift—from digital to intelligent—isn’t just semantic. It marks a new phase in fintech’s evolution, one defined by proactive, adaptive technology that goes beyond automation to deliver foresight, personalization, and real-time decision-making at scale.

A Forecast for the Industry

Ferris opened with an unconventional framing device: a weather report for the financial services landscape. Her take?

• Sunny: Banking stability, capital markets activity, and core financial fundamentals.
  

• Cloudy: Tech sector volatility, tariff threats, global supply chain disruptions, and declining consumer sentiment.
  

• Fog: Uncertainty around investments, spending patterns, and potential regulatory shifts.

It was a state of the union and a warning: macroeconomic change's speed and complexity won’t slow down. Fintech leaders need to prepare for instability while still pushing ahead.

From Hype to ROI: The Age of Intelligence

Ferris didn’t dwell on hypotheticals. She made it clear that AI’s use in financial services is no longer emerging—it’s maturing. Fraud detection, underwriting, and customer service are already being transformed, with intelligent agents outperforming traditional methods in both efficiency and satisfaction.

“One survey found that six in 10 companies using AI are seeing ROI that exceeds expectations,” Ferris noted.

Her argument? The intelligent era isn’t just the next phase of digital—it’s a fundamentally different operating model. One where real-time data fuels continuous learning, where personalization becomes a competitive advantage, and where the cost of inaction could eclipse the risk of bold innovation.

Trust, Security, and the “Harmony Gap”

Ferris was also candid about the risks. As AI scales, cybersecurity becomes not just a concern, but the foundation of trust. FIS calls this challenge the “harmony gap,” referencing the systemic disconnects across global financial infrastructure that hackers increasingly exploit.

The numbers are sobering:

• $85M+ in annual average cybercrime costs per company

• $6.5 trillion in projected GDP losses by 2032 due to fragmented global financial systems

FIS is positioning itself as a platform that can close that gap—by securing the entire money lifecycle, modernizing infrastructure, and acting as a bridge between legacy systems and next-gen tools.

Why It Matters

Ferris’ keynote for FIS partners also shows us a broader signal to the industry. In the coming wave of AI adoption, differentiation won’t just be about technology. It will be about integration, security, trust, and shared ecosystem value.

In Ferris’ words:

“You don’t need to rip and replace to innovate. This isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about building on it.”

That’s a powerful framework for an industry often torn between legacy constraints and startup velocity. The institutions that thrive in the intelligent era won’t be those with the flashiest tech—but those who can align strategy, infrastructure, and people fast enough to meet the moment.

What Comes Next

If the digital era was about competition, Ferris sees the intelligent era as defined by collaboration. With new roles like Chief Client Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, FIS is signaling a customer-centric shift—one that may set a standard for how large incumbents stay relevant in an increasingly agile ecosystem.

Ferris closed with a nod to her daughter’s graduation—a moment of personal reflection that doubled as a metaphor. This next generation isn’t waiting. And neither is the future of fintech.

The question isn’t whether the intelligent era is coming.

It’s whether we’re ready to lead it.

#2 Bear Grylls to Fintech Leaders — “Resilience Is the Ultimate ROI”

At a fintech conference, you don’t expect a war story from the British Special Forces. You don’t expect tales of broken backs, failed parachute jumps, and dragging yourself across mountains while sleep-deprived and soaked to the bone.

But that’s exactly what Bear Grylls delivered during his keynote at the FIS Emerald event in Orlando—and the room was locked in.

Why bring a survivalist and global adventurer to a financial innovation conference? Because the skills Bear honed in the wild—grit, failure tolerance, and high-stakes decision-making—are the same ones financial institutions now need to lead through volatility.

“The failures made me,” Grylls told the audience. “There is no shortcut to success that avoids them.”

In an age of economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, and technological disruption, Grylls’ message was clear: fintech leaders can’t afford to fear failure. They need to embrace it as fuel and design cultures that do the same.

Four Pillars of Resilience

Grylls structured his talk around four core principles, all starting with the letter “F,” that defined his life—and could easily define a modern, adaptive organization.

1. Failure: The First Step, Not the End

Grylls failed the first time he applied to the SAS. “I wasn’t strong enough, fast enough, or smart enough,” he said. But that failure didn’t stop him—it sharpened him.

In fintech, the equivalent might be a product launch that flops or a funding round that doesn’t land. What matters is how teams respond. Do they recalibrate and come back stronger?

“Failures are doorways,” he said. “They’re stepping stones to reaching our dreams.”

Normalize failure. Use it as a diagnostic tool, not a death sentence.

2. Fear: Face It, Don’t Flee It

Fear is a constant, Grylls said—especially in moments of real risk. But the secret isn’t removing fear. It’s retraining teams to work through it.

“Life rewards the dogged, not the brilliant,” he said. “You don’t need to be fearless—you need to be willing.”

Fintech leaders must prepare their people for ambiguity, new technology rollouts, and macroeconomic shocks—not by eliminating stress, but by fostering confidence in their ability to respond.

Build mental toughness into team culture. Confidence is trained.

3. Fire: The Inner Drive to Keep Going

Grylls told a story of pushing through exhaustion on Mount Everest, each step an act of willpower.

“Nobody’s brave all the time,” he admitted. “But you’ve got to give that little bit extra when it really matters.”

In high-growth fintech companies, burnout is a risk. But what keeps teams going is belief in the mission, clarity of purpose, and the support to rest and recover when needed.

Instill purpose. Recognize the grind. Celebrate the grit.

4. Faith: In Yourself, Your Team, and the Bigger Picture

His final lesson: have faith—in your resilience, your people, and the values that got you here. It’s what helps leaders keep perspective through volatility.

“Everest is a mindset,” he said. “The summit isn’t the whole story. The journey matters.”

In fintech, faith might look like investing in a moonshot product or backing a new team when the metrics haven’t caught up yet. Or it might look like backing off growth goals to refocus on long-term value.

Trust the process. Create space for belief and values to shape the culture.

Why This Matters

In an industry obsessed with forecasts, the Grylls keynote reminded leaders that the best preparation for uncertainty isn’t a spreadsheet—it’s mindset.

Innovation isn’t just about tech stacks and AI models. It’s about creating a work culture that can sustain high stakes, pivot fast, and hold the line when momentum falters.

Here’s the real ROI: Fintech companies that build internal resilience—through failure-tolerant systems, brave leadership, and mission-driven teams—aren’t just more likely to survive tough cycles. They’re more likely to own them.

Grylls closed with a line that could double as a leadership mantra:

“You are more incredible, more capable than you will ever believe of yourself. Know it. Own it. But above all—never give up.”

#3 From AI to Adaptability—How FIS Is Building the Infrastructure of the Future

If the last story was about internal resilience, let’s move on to external transformation.

On stage and during interviews at FIS Emerald, CTO Firdaus Bhathena and SVP of Global Wealth Sherry Baker told me how they’ve mapped out what adaptability looks like at enterprise scale.

Their message? It’s not about who has the flashiest AI demo. It’s about who’s building infrastructure that bends—not breaks—under pressure. And who’s using that foundation to meet clients where they are, from Gen Z TikTok users to multi-generational wealth managers.

“Being a futurist isn’t about predicting what’s next,” Bhathena said. “It’s about preparing for anything.”

That’s what the FIS leadership emphasized again and again: the companies that win aren’t necessarily the biggest or fastest. They’re the ones most adaptable to change.

Infrastructure > Hype: What Real Innovation Looks Like

Bhathena, a former startup founder turned enterprise CTO, spoke candidly about his journey from building “cool tech for its own sake” to building tech with impact. Now, at FIS, he leads efforts to create intuitive, client-centered platforms that power over $16 trillion in assets and process 60 billion transactions annually.

But his focus isn’t on scale for scale’s sake. It’s on purposeful scale.

“The technology you should care about? You shouldn’t even see it,” he said. “It should just work—intuitively, invisibly, powerfully.”

That’s the philosophy behind Revenue Connect, one of the solutions FIS unveiled. It’s not glamorous, Bhathena admitted—but it’s smart. It automates manual billing processes, reduces friction, and ultimately drives measurable revenue growth for banks.

“This is momentum you can measure,” he said.

Adaptability as Strategy

Bhathena was clear-eyed about the hype cycles that dominate fintech. One moment, it’s blockchain. The next, it’s generative AI.

“AI came in and stole blockchain’s thunder,” he joked. “But it’s real. It’s happening faster than anything we’ve seen before.”

The trick, he said, isn’t chasing every trend. It’s building systems that can integrate and pivot when the future changes course—which it will. As he put it, “Anyone with a crystal ball is faking it.”

So what’s the actual roadmap?

• Invest in platforms that are modular and adaptable

• Design workflows that can evolve with client needs

• Collaborate deeply with clients, not just sell to them

• Stay agile, even when operating at global scale

And most of all: Listen.

“Our clients know their businesses better than we do,” Bhathena said. “It’s our job to partner with them—because that’s where the future is built.”

The Next Frontier: Financial Wellness Powered by AI

That spirit of partnership came through in Sherry Baker’s interview with me, too. As head of FIS’s global wealth business, she’s laser-focused on one thing: personalized, predictive financial guidance.

“AI is finally helping us bring it all together,” she said. “Banking, retirement, wealth—it should all talk to each other.”

For Baker, the goal is to give clients a 360-degree view of their financial lives and offer guidance based on real-time life events.

Getting married? Expect AI to recognize the spend patterns. Expect it to recommend the right level of retirement contribution and flag smarter ways to manage debt.

“That’s what clients want now,” she said. “Not more dashboards. More decisions made easier.”

And younger clients—those navigating TikTok for financial advice—expect nothing less. They want tools that are mobile-first, socially integrated, and intuitive. And they’re not waiting around for traditional advisors to catch up.

“We’re seeing generational wealth transfer in real time,” Baker said. “The winners will be those who speak Gen Z’s language—on their platforms, with their priorities.”

Why This Matters

The FIS team laid out a blueprint for how fintech companies—legacy and startup alike—can prepare for what’s next without knowing exactly what it is.

Here’s the mindset shift:

• Don’t chase the tech trend. Build the infrastructure that absorbs it.

• Don’t sell to your clients. Build with them.

• Don’t make people adapt to your platform. Design platforms that adapt to people.

As Bhathena put it:

“The only certainty about the future? It won’t look like today. But if you’ve built for adaptability—you’re already ahead.”

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Join us every Thursday to keep up with fintech events!

_{THURSDAY, JUNE 5}

[NY TECH WEEK] Climate Fintech Happy Hour

​A Low-Key Night for High-Impact Thinkers

Join me and my co-host, Bhuva Shakti, for an intimate evening with climate fintech founders, investors, and execs. Expect bold conversation, real connection—and maybe a power ballad or two. 🍸🎤

This fall, we’re launching the Emerald Climate Fintech Summit—a global convening of the sharpest minds in climate tech and fintech, designed to elevate climate-aligned finance, spark transformative partnerships, and accelerate the tools our planet urgently needs.

This gathering is your first offstage glimpse into the movement—and a rare chance to connect directly with the visionaries shaping the future of climate, capital, and collaboration.

Great drinks. Great energy. Even greater ideas.

Request your seat at the table here. Only 7 spots available. Serious interest only.

_FINTUNES

🎶 Miley Cyrus - Flowers

This week, we’re throwing it back in honor of Queen Miley’s new album dropping tomorrow. (And yes, I might have snagged tickets to her NYC show next week 👀)

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That wraps up today’s edition—thanks for reading! Until next week, keep innovating and challenging the status quo. See you Tuesday!

Love,

Nicole 💜