10/06/2026
Three days at Money20/20 Europe, and the energy was absolute fire.
But when you strip away the noise of the expo floor, here is the raw commercial reality of where fintech, banking, and AI are actually heading.
Wearing my growth, brand, and data hats, three things became undeniably clear:
1. The 80/20 value gap
Everyone has the same 80% out-of-the-box platform adoption. But institutions can't hire fast enough to build for themselves. True differentiation and real margin lives in the 20% custom, proprietary layer that no off-the-shelf tool can provide.
2. Agentic AI requires judgment
We are past "is this real?" and straight into "how do we deploy it responsibly?" As someone building multi-agent systems, I’ll say it plainly: the blocker isn't capability anymore. It’s governance, data quality, and the ability to look a regulator in the eye. Human judgment is the ultimate differentiator.
3. Intent > Interface
UI is quietly dying. The slickest interface won't win. The winners will be the ones who turn fragmented data into a true 360-view of the customer and earn the right to act on it. AI, payments, and banking are all converging on one single currency: Trust.
My takeaway for any growth leader or founder:
Stop selling the 80% everyone else already has. Architect the 20% nobody else can build.
Grateful for the incredible conversations in Amsterdam. Time to execute on the follow-ups.
