Fintech Daydreaming

Between digital native customers demanding instant gratification and the ever increasing amount of regulation, financial institutions are between a rock and a hard place.The era of the fintech started after the 2008 financial crisis, challenging the status quo. More than a decade later banks haven’t gone anywhere, yet fintech is more relevant than ever.What happened with all the fintech hopes and dreams?In this podcast Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu pick one topic in every episode and try to look at it through the lens of fintech disruption - or lack thereof.This is Fintech Daydreaming.

Fintech Daydreaming is a news podcast hosted by Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu, with 141 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu hosts Fintech Daydreaming, a news show with 141 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #1

  Rip Out the Core, or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Build a Better Bank (Not Just a Better IT System)

  Aug 14, 202656 minS14

  We have somehow survived long enough to make it to Season 14, and to kick things off, Ville is putting his co-host Pål in the hot seat. Pål actually went and published a brand new book, Rip Out the Core, proving that at least one half of this podcast is capable of being productive. We start the episode with a vintage Pål joke about minting meme coins. We will not spoil the punchline here, but let's just say it is wrong on several levels. Then we dive into the hard-earned lessons from his three decades of scars in banking transformation. If you have ever wondered why so many banking projects fail to meet expectations, this episode is your survival guide. We unpack: .- How a disastrous kitchen flood inspired his unified theory of Platform Enabled Banking Transformation. .- The Goldfish Innovation Cycle where banks endlessly loop between chasing shiny new tech and retreating to painful core replacements. .- Why the traditional RFP procurement process has devolved into AI generated checkbox theatre. .- The Build Buy or Consume golden rule of banking architecture. .- The twelve month rule for execution before your strategy hits the point of diminishing returns. What is the ultimate piece of advice Pål has for any bank CxO listening? You will have to tune in to the end of the episode to find out, but we can confirm it involves a blank piece of paper and a healthy dose of caffeine. Pål also has a special offer for our listeners. Post a picture of yourself with his book on LinkedIn, tag him, and he will send you a personalized signed sticky label for your copy. And if you spot the specific Easter eggs mentioning our very own Ville in the book, reach out to him for a mystery gift (because of course Ville's culinary ego could not resist making an appearance in Pål's kitchen metaphor). Grab your copy at ripoutthecore.com and tune in to the episode on your favorite podcast platform! Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #13

  That's a wrap on Season 13 | Nordic Fintech Highlights Summer 2026

  Jul 2, 202647 minS13

  Your favorite fintech nerd hosts Pål Krogdahl and Ville Sointu are joined by Janne Salminen from Helsinki Fintech Farm to close out the season before heading off to their summer holidays. We skipped the standard news roundup this time to reflect on the season, make some bold predictions, and let Pål shamelessly plug his upcoming book. Here’s what the guys daydreamed about in our season finale: 🤖 The Robots Are Paying: "Professor" Ville breaks down Nordea’s massive milestone with Mastercard: executing the first real, live agentic card payment transaction in the Nordics. 🏥 The Ultimate Book Launch: Pål’s new book on progressive modernization, Rip Out the Core, drops in July. Join the launch event on August 13th at Maria 01 - a former hospital, which is beautifully ironic for an event about performing surgery on legacy core systems! (Check the links below for the registration link to snag a free copy!) 🏆 **Season Highlights:**The trio looks back at their absolute favorite moments, giving flowers to Aleksi Grym for his masterclass on the Digital Euro vs. Stablecoins (you know how much Ville and Pål love those) and exploring the Vipps MobilePay interoperability journey with Baard Slaattelid. 🌍 Tech Sovereignty: A deep dive into why European institutions have to obsess over AI and payments independence before the "excrement hits the fan". 💻 Ransomware Ramblings: We wrap things up with a genuinely terrible IT joke from Janne, which naturally leads to a completely unhinged tangent about Pål’s home server being held hostage by Bitcoin hackers. Have a fantastic, relaxing summer, and we’ll see you right back here for Season 14! (Like, subscribing, and leaving a 5-star review is basically implied at this point). Links mentioned in the episode:Sign up for “Rip out the core” book launch: https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/Rip_Out_the_Core_Book_Launch_0627 Read Mobey Forum’s latest report “Payment is not just a Payment”: https://mobeyforum.org/payment-value-chain-mobey.html Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #12

  Legacy, Drones and Banking with Erik Åkesson

  Jun 18, 202649 minS13

  We finally did it. We recorded an episode about legacy and somehow ended up discussing drones, artillery, aviation safety culture, and why bankers apparently don’t need pockets in their suits. In this episode of Fintech Daydreaming, we’re joined by Erik Åkesson to unpack one of the most overused and misunderstood words in banking: legacy. Is it the root of all evil? Or is it actually the thing keeping the whole system standing? Erik brings a refreshingly broad perspective (and about 20 years of banking experience) to the table, drawing parallels from: Military strategy (yes, really) Aviation and safety culture And the everyday reality of running a bank with systems older than some of its employees We explore: Why “legacy” isn’t just bad code, but the situation you’re in because of your history How banks might be underinvesting in understanding their current state (while overinvesting in PowerPoint futures) Whether AI is actually solving legacy problems… or just becoming the latest shiny object And why improving your existing systems by 3% might matter more than launching the next flashy use case Naturally, things got slightly heated towards the end as we debated what matters more: 👉 defining the target state 👉 or truly understanding where you are today (No clear winner. Just strong opinions. As usual.) Also: We recorded this before summer You’re listening to it now And we still don’t know how that keeps happening 🎧 If you’ve ever worked in banking, fintech or tried to modernize anything without breaking everything this one’s for you. 💬 Let us know: is legacy your biggest constraint or your biggest advantage Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #11

  Live from the Nordic Fintech Summit | Nordic Fintech Highlights May 2026

  Jun 4, 202641 minS13

  We are out of the studio, trying our best to look respectable, and recording live in front of a real, breathing audience at the Nordic Fintech Summit right here in Helsinki! If you hear cheering, it’s probably for the free coffee, but we’ll pretend it’s for us. In this special live-stage episode, Pål and Ville manage not to trip over the stage wires while unpacking a massive lineup of regional heavyweights, policy debates, and our usual tech realism. Here is what went down on the main stage: **The Stablecoin Side-Eye: We kick off the show by breaking down the latest news on Qivalis and their recent expansion. If you’ve listened to more than two minutes of this podcast, you already know we aren't exactly waving pom-poms for stablecoins. Naturally, the segment ends with a painfully bad stablecoin joke—because if we have to suffer through the punchline, so do you. **Helsinki: Gateway to the Eurozone: Next, we host a brilliant fireside chat with Tuomas Toivonen (CEO of Holvi) and longtime friend of the pod Monika Liikamaa (Founder & Chair of Liikamaa Invest, and former CEO of Enfuce). Together, we dive deep into why Helsinki is uniquely positioned as the ultimate Nordic gateway to the Eurozone. We even managed to stay on track without getting distracted by the front-row audience. **The Core Modernization Conundrum: Lastly, we sit down with Fabian Klar (Regional Sales Manager at ERI) to tackle the technological future of banking. We look past the standard marketing buzzwords to discuss what the next decade actually means from a data architecture and core modernization perspective. (Spoiler: It involves a lot of hard work and fewer magic bullets than consultants claim). A massive thank you to everyone who showed up early, sat through our ramblings, and clapped at the right times! If you weren't there in person, you can still show us some love: hit subscribe, ring the notification bell, and leave us a glowing 5-star review. If you have notes on our stage presence, please keep them to yourself or find us at the afterparty to complain in person! Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #10

  The Thinner the Table, the Smarter the Bank with Riikka Laine-Tolonen from S-Pankki

  May 21, 202647 minS13

  In this episode of Fintech Daydreaming, Ville and Pål are joined by Riikka Laine-Tolonen, CEO of S-Pankki: a bank that started from grocery shopping and somehow ended up managing billions. Riikka walks us through the origin story of S-Pankki - born from a retail cooperative, supercharged by the famous S-bonus, and launched just in time for the 2008 financial crisis (great timing, obviously). Fast forward 18 years, and it’s now one of Finland’s fastest-growing banks with 3.4 million customers. We get into: .- Why building a bank on top of a loyalty program actually works .- The reality of being a “challenger” bank… with full regulatory baggage .- The Handelsbanken Finland acquisition and what it unlocked .- And how S-Pankki is quietly moving into wealth management and private banking Which raises the obvious question: can a “bonus bank” really win over high-net-worth clients? That leads us into: .- Whether S-Pankki is Finland’s closest thing to a super app .- Why combining banking, retail, and daily life might actually work here (and nowhere else) .- And what happens when your future bank might be talking to your AI instead of you Along the way, we also learn: .- That your importance as a banking customer can be measured by the thickness of the oak table in front of you .- That private banking might be less about fancy offices and more about smart digital advice .- And that worrying about “long answers” is… not a problem on this podcast If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a loyalty program meets banking ambition, this is the episode for you. Listen now - and don’t forget to check your bonus balance. Episode hosted by Pål Krogdahl & Ville Sointu Episode produced and edited by Fintech Daydreaming - Email us on Hello@FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming home page - https://www.FintechDaydreaming.com - Fintech Daydreaming on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintech-daydreaming - Pål Krogdahl - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krogdahl/ - Ville Sointu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ville-sointu-54682b/

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.