I loved seeing the team flourish in what is a fairly intense environment — Jason’s analogy for CDR being like wifi in the early 2000’s, wrapped into a brilliant anecdote about trying to get his friends interest in internet-through-the-air; Chloe’s fantastic round-table discussion on financial inclusion as it related to the CDR; and the rest of the team for managing to avoid eye contact with aggressive salespeople. Also, how incredibly welcome we’re made to feel as New Zealanders within the Australian fintech community — we have a real sense of place in Australia, which is an amazing feeling. — James, co-founder and CTO
One of the sessions that really stood out for me was a panel on workplace inclusion. It explored how businesses will increasingly need to manage five generations in the workforce. Too often, our culture and language frame “age” as negative, whether too young or too old, but every generation brings something unique to the workplace. With advances in our understanding of health and longevity, we may well see the idea of retirement redefined and the time of participation and contribution expanded. Ideally, we can build workplace cultures that can accommodate an 18-year-old working alongside an 80-year-old. — Olav, Head of Growth
For me, it was hearing so many voices align around consumer value. Open banking has always been about data, but at Intersekt, it’s becoming clear how the next phase is about impact. Many founders are actively using the CDR to create genuinely better outcomes for households and small businesses, which is incredibly important in light of today’s cost-of-living pressures. It inspired and humbled me. — Jason, co-founder and CEO
That’s really hard to answer, because it was such a fantastic time from start to finish! If I had to pick, I think it would be less of a specific focal point and more of the encompassing knowledge that PocketSmith, both as a company and as a product, truly belongs in the Australian ecosystem. We have been welcomed so graciously, and we feel like inextricable threads in its fabric, sharing expertise, successes and good old-fashioned friendships. — Chloe, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
In marketing, we spend so much time talking about personas, segments, and target audiences. It’s useful, but it also flattens people into categories. My highlight was a reminder that we’re not speaking to segments; we’re speaking to humans. Real people. With complexities, scars, quirks, and contradictions. Especially in personal finance, no two lived experiences are the same. Our values shape our decisions, our families shape our habits, and our cultures shape how we feel about spending, saving, or sharing money. If we don’t start with the human being in front of us, we miss the point entirely. — Dora, CMO
The team looking bright-eyed and busy-tailed for the first morning of the conference.
The creeping advance of discussions around AI is becoming really apparent. It appears that the conversation has moved on from the fervour of 2024 and is instead now focusing more on the real-world impacts on both people and companies. — James, co-founder and CTO
It was interesting to gain some insights into the legal dimensions of agentic AI, such as who is ultimately responsible for the actions of an AI agent that can take autonomous actions and provide financial advice, for example. — Olav, Head of Growth
I was intrigued by the variety of use cases around the adoption of AI across fintech and banking. What stood out is how far we’ve progressed since last year’s Intersekt. We’re moving past concerns about hallucinations and instead, sharpening AI’s utility in improving efficiencies through the use of agents. For me, it reaffirmed that the real opportunity lies not in letting AI replace craft, but in using it to elevate it. That’s very much aligned with how we think about AI at PocketSmith: as a co-creator and amplifier of human potential, rather than a substitute. — Jason, co-founder and CEO
To no one’s surprise, AI was a very hot topic on the major stages and in those smaller, more personal discussions. As others have already alluded to, the evolution of AI use in the personal finance space in the past year or so has been rapid. We’re moving beyond thought experiments and “what ifs” right into well-defined specificity, and with a large majority of Australians already using AI for money management, the industry has to, at the very least, meet their expectations. — Chloe, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
At this stage of life (in my 40s, mum to teenage boys), I was drawn to conversations with women in similar places. Many are the household CFOs, balancing kids, ageing parents, and the financial ripple effects of partnerships, separations, or blended families. These realities don’t always fit neatly into industry models or spreadsheets. What struck me is that open banking can be transformative in Australia if it recognises these messy, beautiful complexities of real life. — Dora, CMO
The discussion around agentic AI, as it relates to fintech and legalities, really made an impact. We’re at an interesting crossroad — with AI now edging ever closer to being able to perform the actions of a Registered Financial Advisor, where does this software and the companies that provide it stand legally? How would registration work if it were an AI tool which was making trades on your behalf? — James, co-founder and CTO
A theme that resonated across multiple panel discussions was the different approaches to addressing the cost-of-living crisis. Some argued for automation to solve problems on behalf of the customer, and others for education. Beyond automation is the tantalising promise of agentic AI to act for the consumer and do the work of managing their finances and keeping them financially healthy. For me, helping someone doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything for them. It’s about supporting people’s agency to make beneficial choices and understand those choices. I would argue that to safely put any financial technology on autopilot in our lives, we first have to learn to pilot; the same goes for deploying agentic AI. — Olav, Head of Growth
There were many, but alas — Chatham House Rules! I’ll say that there wasn’t a single conversation at Intersekt that didn’t leave me with food for thought. The most memorable moments were in the hallways and at events, chatting with fellow founders about the realities of scaling our fintechs. Those candid conversations reminded me of how much of a shared journey we have. — Jason, co-founder and CEO
Some shameless self-promotion here, but I really enjoyed the Women in Open Banking roundtable that I had the pleasure of speaking at. The opportunity to bring the consumer perspective to the fore is a huge part of the PocketSmith ethos, especially in the context of open banking and the CDR. The power of open banking is that it can be a foundation for personalised experiences, but only if we keep the human context front and centre. The team thought I did a good job, and now my ego is ten times as big. — Chloe, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
Those same conversations with women my age weren’t just informative — they were grounding. We spoke about resilience, emotional labour, and money’s role in holding families together. They reminded me that behind every dataset is a story someone carries on their shoulders. And those stories are where the truth lies. — Dora, CMO
The best part of our Australian trips are always catching up with good friends and the good eats, of course!
Getting out of the bustle of the conference and being with one another, having conversations and discussions that I don’t usually get to have with people that I work remotely with. — James, co-founder and CTO
It was great to have time out of our normal routines to reflect on our mission and purpose. — Olav, Head of Growth
I loved that it was a collective experience. Each of us came with different perspectives, so we noticed and learned different things throughout the conference, and from the different events we attended. Sharing these insights with one another, along with our observations on Australia as our key market, made the whole trip richer. — Jason, co-founder and CEO
Man, I just love hanging out with my team — they are a cool bunch. We do have a lot of fun, and it was such a good opportunity to have some reflection together on what our mission and values look like for our Australian users. As Kiwis, there is already some intimacy there, but being on the ground and experiencing firsthand the apps they’re using, the adverts they’re seeing, and the prices they’re dealing with really sharpens our focus on how to best serve our Aussie friends. Oh, and did I mention the food? My god, the food… — Chloe, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
2025 has been the year of asking ourselves what AI really means for creativity in marketing. So being in Melbourne with the team was the antidote to all that. It reminded me that marketing isn’t just algorithms or analytics. It’s storytelling. Connection. Sparks of inspiration that can’t always be explained — and maybe even a little whimsy. What I loved most was how often this came alive outside the conference. Between sessions. In laneways. Over meals. The energy of Melbourne was infectious. And experiencing that with the team was wonderful. — Dora, CMO
Hitting my record for the number of times going to the gym in a single week! — James, co-founder and CTO
I loved exploring the Nicolas Building, where we had our team photos done with Bree Dunbar. — Olav, Head of Growth
I loved Chloe’s talk at the Women in Open Banking roundtable. She brought a very human perspective to the importance of financial inclusion, both as a cancer survivor and as a PocketSmither. It was one of those moments where the impact and importance of our mission hit home, and I’m so tremendously proud of her! — Jason, co-founder and CEO
I managed to visit the ACMI twice while I was in Melbourne. The first time was for a little Marketing outing with Dora and Olav, and it was actually a pretty amazing place to take inspiration from for Australian storytelling. The second time, I went back with Jason and James to see the newly-opened Games World video game exhibition, and the three of us had a BLAST. It was entertaining, nostalgia-inducing, and we all got a little bit emotional at the transformative power of video games. — Chloe, Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager
The food! There was the unforgettable Spanish mackerel at Elio’s Place. The succulent dumplings at Hutong! The ridiculously delicious BBQ at Fancy Hanks. The shared meal at Chin Chin! And then there was the izakaya night at Postal Lane with Olav, where we demolished every grilled mushroom (the wholesome, not mystical, kind!) we could find. — Dora, CMO
We do quite like a photobooth.
