I had a minor epiphany moment at the Women in Open Banking workshop and summit hosted by Mastercard Open Finance and Baker McKenzie. While open banking conversations often centre on regulation, infrastructure, and technology, one thing that struck me throughout the event was how human the discussion really was. Some of the most meaningful conversations weren’t about APIs or policy frameworks at all, but about lived experience — how people navigate financial systems, where trust is built or lost, and who gets included in shaping what comes next. Some of the most powerful conversations about the future of finance come from women sharing lived experience, not just industry expertise.
It made me think about Maureen Murdock’s idea of the heroine’s journey: that women often move through the world, and particularly through money, work, and systems, differently. Not better or worse. Just differently. That perspective felt especially relevant in a room where women were openly sharing experiences around financial confidence, access, career progression, and economic participation. The conversation broadened beyond “financial innovation” into something more grounded: how do we build systems that genuinely support people’s lives?
One of the strongest themes I took away was that open banking is ultimately not just about data portability or interoperability. At its best, it’s about creating more agency, dignity, understanding, and access for everyday people. I left feeling optimistic — not only about where the industry is heading, but about the calibre and generosity of the people helping shape it.
Dora Yip, Chief Marketing Officer
My biggest takeaway from our fantastic Sydney trip was that community is not just the lovely bit that happens around the work. It’s part of the work.
As a New Zealand-based company building for Australians (and beyond), showing up in person matters. It takes time, planning, and an awful lot of airport stamina, but being on the ground gives the work a different texture. You hear the passing conversations about petrol, lunch, bills, and other plans. You’re reminded that personal finance is right there in people’s ordinary days, not just some strategic concept that a bunch of well-dressed people in a room deliberate.
That started with our own PocketSmith crew of Dora, Jason, James and me. We packed a lot into a few days, and it only worked because there is trust there. Everyone knew when to lead, when to listen, and when to let each other blob out in their hotel rooms before everyone got overstimulated.
It carried through to the people already in PocketSmith’s orbit, too. I was struck by how generously we were met by our Australian partners, collaborators, and the wider fintech community. We aren’t new to Australia, but we’re also not on the ground there every day. So when people make space for us, share what they are seeing and invite us into the right rooms, it means a lot. It makes Australia feel less like “a market” and more like a community we are lucky to contribute to.
From the Women in Open Banking Summit to the Fintech Data Horizons Summit, it’s a community of open and practical people making financial data useful for everyday Australians. There is a real generosity in the Australian fintech scene, and I don’t think that is separate from the work — I think it’s why the work is good.
Chloe Adams, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
Chloe and Dora posing for a quick pic before getting started at the Women in Open Banking workshop.
Discussions around AI have moved on significantly from the “oh cool, a haiku” years, and through the months of “how do we integrate AI for the benefit of our users”. Now we’re firmly in “how do we trust the outputs of these tools” and “how do we keep secure in a changing world”.
A fintech conference puts a lot of people together who’re building financial products that are optimising the way that they provide advice or insight to clients, by utilising the scale and efficiency that AI is able to offer. With this comes a massive challenge — trying to provide value to users in a way which is safe and secure. Whether that’s secure from a data privacy perspective, or in terms of the newer frontier models like Claude Mythos, which is finding cracks in software and services that no human has before.
Things continue to change at an extremely rapid rate, and it’s good to see that the conversations being had in the fintech community are focused on the right questions, to help secure better outcomes for everyone that we serve.
James Wigglesworth, CTO and co-founder
We’re thirty minutes into the Wealthtech meetup we’re hosting in central Sydney, when I realise I need to peel myself away from another engaging conversation to thank everyone for coming.
I borrow a fork, tap my glass, and the music stops.
“Australia is not only our fastest-growing market, it’s also by far our favourite one,” I begin.
Without missing a beat, Jennifer Harrison fires back from across the room: “Oh, you say that to all the markets.”
The room erupts into laughter.
I smile, because the truth is though, we really do love Australia.
PocketSmith has always had Australian customers. Long before open banking, Australians were organically finding us: Household CFOs looking for clarity, better tools, and a more thoughtful relationship with money.
When the Consumer Data Right launched in 2020, it gave us a reason to jump in with both feet and invest more deeply in the market and the future it was trying to build.
Over the past six years, we’ve had a front-row seat to the evolution of Australia’s open banking ecosystem: the wins, the growing pains, the policy debates, and the steady refinement of technology that genuinely has the potential to improve people’s lives.
Organisations like FinTech Australia have also played an important role in fostering the sense of collaboration that exists within the industry — creating spaces for conversation, advocacy and genuine connection between fintechs, policymakers and partners.
What’s struck us most along the way is the community surrounding it.
There’s a strong sense that many fintechs here are mission-driven; not simply competing for market share, but collectively pushing for better consumer outcomes. Founders, policymakers, advocates, creators and partners alike have been remarkably generous with their time, insights and support.
People are approachable. Collaborative. Enthused. There’s a genuine willingness to help one another move the industry forward together.
Looking around the room that evening — at old friends, new ones, and the privilege of helping create further connections between them — we felt incredibly grateful.
As a New Zealand company, there’s something deeply humbling about being welcomed so openly into this ecosystem. We don’t take that for granted.
We want to continue showing up, contributing where we can, and helping build a financial system that becomes more useful, more human, and more empowering for everyday Australians over time.
Thank you, Australia, for welcoming us into your fold.
Jason Leong, CEO and co-founder
James and Jason holding court at the Wealthtech meetup that PocketSmith hosted.
