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As William Mills prepares for FinovateSpring in San Diego this May, we’re excited to share several insightful video interviews from last year that showcase the cutting edge of fintech innovation. William, who is also serving as a judge for the Finovate Awards for the 8th consecutive year, brought his expert perspective to conversations with industry leaders transforming financial services through technology.
William spoke with Jon Lakefish, Founder of Lakefish Group, about how AI is reshaping the financial industry. Their conversation explored the rise of tools like ChatGPT Enterprise, the impact of emerging agentic platforms, and how institutions can balance automation with human connection. The interview also covered key issues like data privacy, security, and building trust, offering insights on how financial organizations can prepare for the next wave of AI innovation responsibly.
Mills also joined Pam Kaur, Head of Bank Technology at BankTech Ventures, to discuss innovation in community banking. Backed by more than 100 banks, BankTech Ventures has been accelerating digital transformation through strategic fintech investments. The conversation covered common transformation pitfalls, how to evaluate the right solutions, and the importance of empathy, inclusion, and financial wellness—offering actionable insights for banks and fintechs shaping the future.
William's conversation with Mirella Reznic, President and CEO of Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union, covered digital transformation, leadership, and the unique value of credit unions. The discussion explored the challenges and opportunities of transformation, the power of purpose-driven leadership, and the growing impact of AI tools like ChatGPT on productivity. It also highlighted how credit unions are partnering with fintechs to accelerate innovation while staying rooted in financial literacy, community connection, and member-focused values.
William sat down with Adlon Adams, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Casca, to discuss how AI is reshaping small business lending. Casca’s platform dramatically accelerates loan approvals, helping lenders operate more efficiently while giving small businesses faster access to capital. This interview dives into how ethical AI, technology-driven workflows and data insights are creating measurable impact in lending.
Mills also chatted with Christy Wong and Michael Larsen of covet.life, a platform bringing innovation to personal and estate asset management. Covet makes it simple to organize physical, financial and digital assets, giving users clarity and control. The conversation highlighted how technology and AI are making estate planning more transparent, accessible and engaging for both individuals and financial advisors.
William’s conversation with Adrian Nazari, CEO of Credit Sesame, dove into how Credit Sesame is leveraging AI to personalize credit guidance and support financial wellness for millions of consumers. Adrian explored innovations in credit monitoring, predictive tools and the evolving role of AI in ensuring fair and transparent financial services.
Finovate is a research and events firm focused on innovation in financial and banking technology. The team runs the Finovate and FinDEVr conference series and authors the associated blogs. Finovate is the only conference series focused exclusively on showcasing the best and most innovative new financial and banking technologies. Finovate conferences consistently attract large, high-impact audiences of senior financial and banking executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers, regulators, and entrepreneurs. Finovate's annual events include FinovateFall in New York, FinovateSpring in San Francisco, and FinovateEurope in London.