Defining the Scope: Segments Included (and Excluded) in Manning & Company’s FinTech Practice

At Manning & Company, our FinTech practice focuses on delivering top talent to leading companies disrupting and enabling financial services. But “FinTech” encompasses a vast landscape of subsectors – so how do we define our coverage area?

We take a focused approach, targeting FinTech companies whose solutions directly enable banking, payments, lending, investments and insurance. However, we made deliberate choices to exclude certain adjacent segments from our core practice.

Here are the key segments we excluded, and why:

Crypto – We believe crypto/blockchain represents an emerging domain warranting its own dedicated expertise. The market landscape, user base, regulatory issues and talent dynamics differ greatly from traditional FinTech.

Insurance Tech – InsurTech has grown into its own robust ecosystem overlapping with FinTech. We felt it was better served by specialist teams rather than grouping it under our broad FinTech coverage.

Healthcare FinTech – We view healthcare as a distinct industry with highly specialized needs around technology, compliance, workflows and more. Thus, we exclude medical/healthcare payments and lending solutions from our FinTech practice.

CFO Stack – This includes financial planning, accounting and analytics tools. We excluded it because our perspective has evolved. We now see “CFO stack” as table stakes capabilities that forward-thinking CFOs are building within their own finance organizations, often leveraging FinTech solutions.

In essence, we filter out segments that warrant their own dedicated practices or operate too peripherally to core financial services. This allows us to focus our FinTech practice on domains directly transforming banking, payments, lending, investments and insurance:

Mobile banking and engagement solutions

Payments technologies and infrastructure

Alternative lending platforms and tools

Investment management and trading systems

Risk, compliance and cybersecurity solutions

Embedded fintech providers enabling financial institutions

Data, analytics and decisioning capabilities

Back-end processing automation and modernization

However, while we excluded “CFO stack” as its own standalone category, we very much include such capabilities within our FinTech focus – because enterprises across banking, insurance and more require that talent.

We believe the most innovative financial services institutions are essentially building their own fintech by embedding such solutions internally. Hiring talent to do this well is a priority, and an area where we can provide immense value.

In summary, Manning & Company deliberately defined our FinTech practice to focus on our core competencies. We specialize in the talent transforming banking and financial services companies. Crypto, InsurTech and health require their own lenses, while CFO stack has evolved from a standalone “vertical” into table stakes capability.

This considered perspective allows us to deliver maximum impact for clients hiring critical FinTech talent. As the market evolves, so too will our areas of focus.

Going Beyond Traditional Sourcing

leveraging our unparalleled network built over two decades of building some of the biggest companies and most impactful startups of our time. We don't maintain a generic bench of contractors – we source and evaluate professionals specifically for each client's initiatives. This ensures you get the best possible resource, not just the best available.

Some examples of our network reach:

  • Early employees and executives from companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, and more

  • Technical leaders from top engineering teams in Silicon Valley and beyond

  • Former heads of marketing, product, HR, finance from Fortune 500s

  • C-suite executives with track records of scaling startups

  • Specialists and subject matter experts in emerging technologies

  • Venture capitalists, founders and startup talent ahead of the curve

By tapping into our extensive connections, we can identify standout professionals that may not respond to a typical job ad. Our network is unparalleled in scale yet highly targeted to our clients' needs.

Rather than digging through piles of unvetted resumes, we leverage relationships and experience to engage premium, qualified talent aligned to each assignment. This degree of curation and customization sets us apart in strategic external workforce sourcing.

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Fintech Stacks: The Craft Beer of Enterprise Software

The explosion of financial technology companies in recent years mirrors the rise of craft breweries over the past decade. At first glance, the financial stack looks like a dynamic landscape filled with innovative startups. But under the surface, the technology infrastructure is still controlled by traditional enterprise vendors - the Budweisers of fintech.

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Banking-as-a-Service Heats Up As Fintechs Seek Embedded Finance

In the dynamic world of fintech, the rise of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and the growing prominence of embedded finance have taken center stage. BaaS empowers companies to seamlessly integrate a spectrum of financial services, from payments and card issuing to compliance and more, through provider APIs. This shift is gaining traction, particularly with private equity investors sitting on ample dry powder amidst rising interest rates.

As we delve deeper into this transformative landscape, we can't help but spotlight some key players in the BaaS arena. Let's take a closer look at these frontrunners, as they pave the way for a more accessible, diversified, and user-friendly financial ecosystem.

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The Future of Open Banking and Payment APIs

The financial technology (fintech) landscape is rapidly evolving thanks to open banking initiatives and the rise of payment APIs. These innovations are enabling a new generation of services that leverage bank data and infrastructure in seamless ways.

Leading players in this space include Plaid, Truelayer, Yapily, and others. These companies provide APIs for connecting bank accounts, initiating payments, accessing financial data, and more. For example, Plaid offers a range of APIs that allow developers to securely link bank accounts and access account data like transactions and balances.

The open banking and payment API ecosystem is making it easier for developers to build the next generation of financial applications. By leveraging these modern platforms, fintechs can tap into bank infrastructure to provide seamless services around payments, data access, identity verification, and more.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the emerging fintech landscape and how open banking and payment APIs are shaping the future of financial services!

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Unlocking Generative AI

Unlocking Generative AI's Potential Requires Human Creativity

Leveraging emergent technologies like DALL-E, GPT-3, and Stable Diffusion requires combining AI capabilities with human strengths.

While AI can rapidly synthesize novel content, realizing the full value necessitates strategic direction, creative guidance, editorial curation, and subject matter expertise from cross-functional teams.

Key roles in an effective AI workflow include prompt engineers, data scientists, creative leads, editors, and UX designers, in addition to C-suite strategists.

With the right human-AI synthesis, companies can augment capabilities across market analysis, presentations, software development, customer engagement, and business operations.

This post outlines an organizational strategy and critical roles to unlock generative AI's immense growth potential through collaboration between humans and machines.

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6 Types of Employees

n the world of business, success hinges on more than just products and services; it's about the people who bring your vision to life. At Manning + Co, we've learned from our extensive experience that the secret to creating a thriving, innovative, and cohesive culture lies in building winning and profitable teams. It's not just about finding the right individuals but finding the right mix – a unique alchemy that transforms a group of employees into a dynamic force.

In this blog post, we'll delve into the fascinating world of the six types of employees and how understanding their distinct qualities can be your key to achieving the perfect culture. But our commitment doesn't stop at insights – it extends to action. Manning + Co is devoted to connecting you with the exceptional talent that can shape and enhance your workplace culture. Our experience has shown us that building the right teams is the most effective way to craft a culture that thrives, attracts top talent, and maximizes potential.

Whether you're a job seeker seeking your ideal role or an organization looking to elevate your team, don't miss the opportunity to be part of our winning, profitable teams. The path to your success begins with us.

Unlock the potential of your culture – reach out to Manning + Co today.

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Technical Roles Set to 10X

In the rapidly changing landscape of technology, the year 2023 marks the beginning of an era that promises unprecedented growth and innovation. As we look forward to 2024, the demand for certain technical roles is set to skyrocket. At Manning + Co, we understand the significance of staying ahead of these trends, whether you're a tech enthusiast aiming to advance your career or an organization seeking the brightest minds to shape your future.

Let's dive into the top technical roles that are poised for exponential growth in the coming year. From the groundbreaking advances in Applied AI and Industrializing Machine Learning to the creative potential of Generative AI and the transformative force of Web3, the opportunities are boundless.

The future is beckoning, and with Manning + Co's expertise in sourcing top talent, we can help you seize these opportunities. Whether you're searching for your dream job or aiming to find the perfect candidate for your organization's success, our Sourcing Service is your gateway to a prosperous future. Don't wait to be part of the tech revolution – reach out to us today to take your first step towards success.

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Global Capital Markets Review

Navigating the Global Capital Markets - Key Insights for Executives

With tighter access to capital, creative financing is crucial. Strategic partnerships with customers and investors can unlock new sources of growth funding.

Getting clear on true customer acquisition costs, using data from the past 6 months, is essential to validate sound unit economics. Profitability matters more than ever.

Once economic conditions improve, today's high cost of borrowing can be refinanced away. For now, cash is king so remain laser focused on optimizing liquidity.

Transparency and frequent communications with investors builds trust during turbulent times.

This post provides actionable advice for executives on raising, deploying and preserving capital in today's complex markets. Learn 5 priorities for maintaining a competitive strategic financing strategy.

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