Interviews, webinars and podcasts CONVERSATIONS 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2020 INSIGHT SERIES: OBIC ON LENDING December 22, 2020In the fourth episode of Open Banking Initiative Canada's (OBIC) Insight Series, Senator Deacon and host Michelle Beyo (CEO of Finavator INC.) speak with Keren Moynihan and Simon Cureton, CEOs of Boss Insights and Funding Options respectively. Their discussion explores the importance of open banking in supporting fintech growth, and the need for and role of lending, especially in terms of seed stage lending and life cycles for fintech growth in Canada and in the UK. Further discussions consider how COVID-19 has accelerated digitization and how Canada can improve to better incentivize Canadian growth. INSIGHT SERIES: OPEN BANKING INITIATIVE ON PERSONAL FINANCE December 15, 2020In the third episode of OBIC's Open Banking Insight Series, Senator Deacon speaks with host Michelle Beyo (CEO of Finavator INC.), and expert panelists Oleg Mukhanov (COO and CFO at SteadyPay) and Ramy Nassar (Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder of Olive Group Ltd). This session focuses on personal finance, especially for early-stage Canadian fintech companies, and how open banking can provide secure, efficient onboarding for early-stage businesses, and grant consumers access to unique personal finance tools. PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: MICHAEL KATCHEN, CEO OF WEALTHSIMPLE December 9, 2020Prioritizing Innovation's latest iteration brings us a discussion between Senator Colin Deacon and Michael Katchen, CEO of Wealthsimple. Hear the two speak about strategic priorities in investing, the power and value Wealthsimple brings to consumers, regulatory barriers, and what an open banking framework could look like in the Canadian context. Click here to watch the full interview! PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: ANDREW CHAU, CEO & CO-FOUNDER OF NEO FINANCIAL December 2, 2020In this latest iteration of Prioritizing Innovation, Senator Deacon speaks with Neo Financial Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Chau. In this full interview, hear them discuss the value Neo Financial can bring to small businesses and consumers, financial innovation, and the role government can play in supporting the financial sector in lieu of the Minister of Finance's restarting of open banking consultations in Canada. Click here to watch! DATA PORTABILITY AND CONSUMER DIRECTED FINANCE: SENATOR COLIN DEACON FOR FLINKS DATA WEBINAR November 27, 2020See the clip below to hear Senator Deacon speak to the importance of data portability/mobility in the context of Canada's newly reopened consultations on consumer directed finance (or 'open banking') and the new Digital Charter Implementation Act, Bill C-11, with Flinks Data. SENATOR COLIN DEACON OPENS DAY 3 OF THE KIDS BRAIN HEALTH NETWORK CONFERENCE November 13, 2020Bringing forth his experiences as former Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Kids Brain Health Network, Senator Colin Deacon opens Day 3 of their 2020 Conference with a message of his vision for a prosperous future for Canadians in a post COVID-19 world. Hear him discuss the incredible work of KBHN and the role and importance of knowledge mobilization in capitulating scientific research in the private and public sector. LEAGUE DATA – OPEN BANKING SESSION November 10, 2020Senator Deacon joined the panel on Open Banking which was organized by League Data. The moderator of the session was Carrie Forbes (CEO, League Data), and the other panelists were Chad Griffin (CIO, League Data) and Michael Leonard (CEO, Atlantic Central). PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: PHIL BARRAR, FOUNDER & CEO OF MOKA November 3, 2020In this latest installment of Prioritizing Innovation, Senator Colin Deacon chats with Moka Founder and CEO, Phil Barrar. Moka is a Canadian based and global reaching fintech aiming to make saving, investing, and meeting your financial goals easier. In the full interview on Senator Deacon's YouTube channel, the two discuss financial literacy and independence, how Moka is helping Canadians take control of their finances, and regulatory barriers in Canada and across the globe. Click here to learn more. DALHOUSIE BUSINESS REVIEW: SENATOR DEACON DISCUSSES FINTECHS AND THE FUTURE October 27, 2020Senator Colin Deacon recently spoke to the students of Dalhousie University’s fintech course in the Rowe School of Business —the only university fintech course in all of Atlantic Canada. Click here to read the article by Ameir Yahia to catch the full discussion. PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: KEREN MOYNIHAN, CEO OF BOSS INSIGHTS October 22, 2020This week, Prioritizing Innovation features discussions between Keren Moynihan, CEO of Boss Insights and Senator Colin Deacon concerning the growth and vision of Boss Insights, regulatory barriers in the Canadian financial sector, and the importance of data accessibility and consumer directed finance. Boss Insights is a Canadian fintech focused on scaling technology and digitizes lending to grow relationships between banks and their business clients. Click here to watch the full interview! PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: MICHELE ROMANOW, DRAGON'S DEN DRAGON, CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF CLEARBANC October 9, 2020Serial entrepreneur, Co-Founder and President of Clearbanc, and everyone's favourite Dragon, Michele Romanow, chats with Senator Colin Deacon about fin-tech, Clearbanc, and the regulatory barriers standing in the way of fintech growth in Canada.Click here to watch the full interview on Senator Deacon's YouTube channel. PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: HARINDER TAKHAR, CEO OF PAYTM LABS October 7, 2020In this latest segment of Prioritizing Innovation, Senator Colin Deacon and Paytm Labs CEO Harinder Takhar discuss digital payments, credit card fraud, and a shared vision for the future of the Canadian financial sector. Paytm Labs is a Toronto based, Indian-owned, fintech offering payment technology services in Japan. Click here to watch the full interview on Senator Deacon's YouTube channel. 2020 WOMEN IN PAYMENTS SYMPOSIUM IN CANADA: OPEN BANKING AROUND THE WORLD September 24, 2020In this session moderated by Jolene Young (Partner, Advisory, KPMG Canada), hear panelists Helen Child (Co-Founder, Open Banking Excellence), Christian Clapton (Open Banking Initiative Canada), Lisa Shields (CEO, FISPAN), Debbie Gamble (Chief Officer, Innovation Labs and New Ventures, Interac), and Senator Colin Deacon discuss Open Banking in Canada and around the world at the 2020 Women in Payments Symposium. FLINKS PODCAST: ENSURING THAT CONSUMER-DIRECTED FINANCE WORKS FOR CONSUMERS September 17, 2020 Catch the latest episode of Flinks Podcast to hear Senator Deacon and Flinks’ Chief of Staff Dominique Samson dive into what a consumer-centric approach to open banking looks like, the importance of data sharing in the financial sector, and the different approaches to open banking being implemented across the globe. PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: SENATOR DEACON SITS DOWN WITH MAHIMA PODDAR, SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT AT EQUITABLE BANK September 9, 2020In the latest in his interview series, Senator Colin Deacon sits down to chat with Mahima Poddar, Senior Vice-President Digital Banking and Strategy at Equitable Bank. Hear them discuss digital banking and identity, value creation for consumers, and the realities of the current regulatory environment in Canada. Click here to watch the full interview. HIGHLIGHT: FFCON20 PANEL DISCUSSION WITH SENATOR COLIN DEACON August 8, 2020Senator Deacon discusses digital identity and how it will help to support consumer directed finance, digital commerce, online engagement and social identification, as well as the need for early use cases that will catalyze broad adoption as part of FFCON20. FFCON20: HOW BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT NEED TO ADAPT TO CONSUMER OWNERSHIP OF DATA WITH SENATOR COLIN DEACON AND SPEAKERS August 6, 2020Senator Colin Deacon, Ben Kessler (CEO of KABN Systems North America Inc.), Milan PAtel (Product Manager at IBM Security) and Radhika Iyengar-Emens (Founding Partner at StarChain Ventures) discuss how businesses and government need to adapt to consumer ownership of data at the 6th Fintech & Financing Conference FFCON20. Follow the attached link to watch the full panel. PRIORITIZING INNOVATION: SENATOR COLIN DEACON AND RTGS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JIM COWLES July 28, 2020Senator Colin Deacon chats with Jim Cowles, former CEO of the 23,000 employee division of Citibank. Central to the discussion was the tremendous global opportunity before our banks once they start embracing open banking (consumer directed finance). Follow the link to watch the full interview. ROTMAN FINHUB: EXPERTS DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES OF LENDING TO SMES IN THE PANDEMIC: THE ROLE OF CANADIAN ALT LENDERS July 22, 2020Senator Deacon joins the expert panel of academics and practitioners participating in a webinar organized by Rotman FinHub to discuss why alternative lenders, like fintechs, have been excluded from assisting to facilitate the government sponsored pandemic response programs. FDATA NORTH AMERICA WEBINAR: SENATOR DEACON DISCUSSES WITH STEVE BOMS AND MICHAEL BINETTI July 17, 2020Senator Deacon discusses Financial Data and Technology Association (FDATA) of North America's recently released paper on competition issues surrounding customer-directed finance and the financial data access competitive landscape in Canada, with FDATA North America Executive Director Steve Boms and Michael Binetti, partner at Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP. Click the attached link to find the recorded webinar and read FDATA North America's most recent paper. INTERVIEWS WITH NICK OGDEN, FOUNDER OF WORLDPAY, CLEARBANK, RTGS GLOBAL, AND PRIMARY FOUNDER OF E-COMMERCE July 13, 2020 Senator Deacon sits down with Nick Ogden to discuss Britain's use of fintechs in their COVID-19 response and the ways in which the Canadian industry can catch up; establishing the first new clearing bank in the UK in 250 years; the importance of RTGS Global, advice for Canada going forward, and the consequences of inaction in this sector. Follow the link below and check out both interviews in this first installation of Senator Deacon's ongoing series, Prioritizing Innovation, on his YouTube account. CIO STRATEGY COUNCIL: INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR COLIN DEACON July 9, 2020 Catch Senator Deacon's interview with the CIO Strategy Council's DigITal Magazine concerning digital identities, digital trust, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified the need for a national Digital Identity framework in Canada. FIRESIDE KEYNOTE AT FFCON20: SENATOR COLIN DEACON AND FINTECH GROWTH SYNDICATE FOUNDER SUE BRITTON July 9, 2020Senator Deacon shared a Fireside Keynote with Sue Britton, Founder of FinTech Growth Syndicate as part of the 6th annual FFCON. FFCON is an eight-week long, immersive Fintech and Financing Conference at the center of Canada's fintech ecosystem.Hear Senator Deacon discuss why the Senate's Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee unanimously supported open banking a year ago, the limited progress to date & the opportunities that will be created when Canada finally acts. SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP #2: FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES DURING COVID-19 June 16, 2020In this second workshop, Senators and staff heard from leaders in the equity and investment sectors: Janet Bannister, Managing Partner at Real Ventures, Andrew Graham, Co-Founder and CEO at Borrowell, and Som Seif, President and CEO of Purpose Investments. Find out how they have been able to support businesses during the crisis, and their roles in jump starting small businesses in the recovery on Senator Deacon's YouTube channel. SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP: FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES DURING COVID-19 June 9, 2020Small Business Workshop organized by Senators Colin Deacon, Lucie Moncion and Howard Wetston concerning financial services for small businesses during COVID-19. Featuring presentations from Michael Ferencich, Senior Vice President at RBC, Henry Han Regional Director, Government Relations at CCUA (Canadian Credit Union Association) and Sylvain Dupuis Vice-President Principal Investments at Desjardins Capital. THE GLOBE AND MAIL: THREE NOVA SCOTIA SENATORS CALL FOR JOINT INQUIRY INTO MASS SHOOTING June 9, 2020Nova Scotia Senators Mary Coyle, Stan Kutcher, and Colin Deacon call for a joint federal-provincial inquiry into the mass shooting in Portapique that claimed the lives of 22 people. GLOBAL NEWS: CORONAVIRUS- SURVEY SUGGESTS MAJORITY OF CANADIANS WOULD USE CONTACT TRACING APP TO CURB SPREAD May 29, 2020Nova Scotia senator Colin Deacon and his colleagues want to see a tracing app developed to fight the pandemic and allow the Canadian economy to grow again. CTV MORNING LIVE: CONTACT TRACING APPS TO FIGHT COVID-19 May 21, 2020 See Senator Colin Deacon's interview with CTV Morning Live Ottawa on the use of contact tracing apps to fight COVID-19, dated May 21st, 2020. SENATORS FIND STRONG SUPPORT FOR USING MOBILE PHONE DATA TO FIGHT PANDEMIC May 7, 2020Senators Deacon, Moodie, and Dasko conducted a study asking Canadians if they would support contract tracing measures used by officials to combat COVID-19. LINKEDIN ROUNDTABLE REPLAY - POLICY RESPONSE TO HELP CANADIAN ENTREPRENEURS ACCESS ANGEL CAPITAL April 3, 2020Roundtable on Canadian Angel Activity hosted on LinkedIn by Claudio Rojas, CEO of NACO (National Angel Capital Organization) with Senator Colin Deacon and Professor Thomas Hellmann from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.
