Fintech PR

F&M BANK: DRIVING DIGITAL WHILE STAYING PERSONAL

Published

1 year ago

July 3, 2023

News Provided by FinTech Magazine

F&M Bank’s Chief Experience Officer, Charles Driest, talks about striking the right balance between digital innovation and a personal customer approach

LONDON, July 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Charles Driest is the newly-appointed Chief Experience Officer at Farmers & Merchants (F&M) Bank. A graduate of George Mason University in Virginia, and later St. John’s University in New York, he began his banking career shortly after returning to Virginia from New York in 2007.

Before this, Driest’s early career saw him employed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (MGA), and, later, at the American think-tank, Brookings Institution. It was here he was struck with inspiration to retrain in finance by a former manager, Roberta Cohen.

Driest says: “She said if I didn’t go back to school she would fire me. This was probably my biggest inspiration. It amazes me that her voice is always in the back of my head, and when she told me that, it was about two decades ago.”

F&M Banks’s new Chief Experience Officer hasn’t exactly been short of inspiration, either: “I’ve been really lucky because I’ve had a lot of influencers in my career, with bosses and managers who have pushed me to take on new risks that perhaps I didn’t feel I was ready for, but gave me a great opportunity to learn.”

Beginning his banking career after reeducating in New York and returning to Virginia, Driest was again inspired to follow a digital path in his career. “One of the first CEOs I worked for taught me a valuable lesson; it’s how I got into the digital side of the banking business.

“At the time we didn’t have a good grasp of our digital spending at the organisation. My CEO asked me to break down the numbers to explain to executive management where the money was going. So I sifted through 12 months of invoices and began asking operational questions: where’s our money going? How do we better manage this?

“This is when I found out the business had these operational holes, while we didn’t have the right insights into the capabilities available to us that we were using. So my CEO said: ‘You found the problems, go fix them’. This is what got me into digital banking, furthering my career by putting me into a situation I wouldn’t necessarily have been comfortable in initially.”

This valuable experience in digital banking saw Driest become F&M Bank’s Director of Digital Banking sometime after, a role he had for “14 to 15 months” before being promoted to F&M Bank’s Chief Experience Officer.

Despite his brief time in the role so far, Driest says: “Taking on three new reports has been a lot of fun. I really enjoy the personnel management aspect of things. I like watching the development of people. From my perspective, I really like to see the process of a team getting onto one page, because it has a powerful multiplying effect. The pace of work speeds up when everybody is in sync.”

Achieving synchronisation for the now is key to driving growth in the future, according to Driest, who has deep excitement for the future of banking as the proliferation of fintechs continues, believing community banking will endure despite the growth of technology.

He concludes: “I’ve seen some of the biggest developments in banking over the years, and I feel even with all the fintechs out there, I think ultimately, community banking will survive. If there’s one thing banks are very good with, it’s about integrating technology that is focused on the customer.

“For anyone that talks about the speed of fintech growth, fundamentally, it still relies on people, and people don’t change habits that quickly. The arc of change and the pace of change will always be constrained by people at the end of the day. So, as long as you’re making good decisions and always looking ahead by two to three years at a time – it doesn’t matter what type of bank you are – you’ll probably end up in a good place.”

F&M Bank has been featured in the July issue of FinTech Magazine

In this exclusive interview, Charles Driest, Chief Experience Officer, discussed striking the right balance between digital innovation and a personal customer approach.

“The future is technology and people, that’s what is going to win the day – not one or the other”

BizClik’s FinTech portfolio connects banking, financial services, payments, technology & consulting brands and their most senior executives with the latest FinTech trends, industry insight, and influential FinTech, InsurTech & Crypto projects as the world embraces CX, Business Transformation and Digital Ecosystems. FinTech Magazine and its entire portfolio is now an established and trusted voice on all things FinTech, engaging with a highly targeted audience of 113,000 global executives. We provide key industry players with the perfect platform to showcase their brands, develop content syndication plans, webinars, white papers, demand generation as well as a global set of events (In-Person & Virtual).

BizClik is a UK-based media company with a global portfolio of leading industry, business and lifestyle digital communities.

BizClik’s portfolio includes Technology & AI, Finance & Insurance, Manufacturing & Supply Chain, Energy & Mining, Construction, Healthcare, Mobile & Data Centres and EV. For further information, please visit https://www.bizclikmedia.com/

You can read the report in the latest issue of FinTech Magazine by clicking HERE

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/fm-bank-driving-digital-while-staying-personal-301868270.html

Fintech PR

Tabono Capital Announces Strategic Partnership with Invesco to Deliver Enhanced Investment Solutions for UHNW Clients

Published

35 minutes ago

November 26, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Tabono Capital today has announced a strategic partnership with Invesco that enhances investment solutions for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Tabono Capital, a multi-family office based in Singapore, collaborates with Invesco, a global investment management leader with over US$1.7 trillion in assets under management. This partnership merges Invesco’s institutional-grade investment expertise, cutting-edge portfolio solutions, and comprehensive research capabilities with Tabono Capital’s strong relationships with ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.

This collaboration enables Tabono Capital’s clients to benefit from the extensive resources and scale of Invesco’s capabilities. For Invesco, the partnership provides enhanced access to sophisticated investors in key growth markets.

Key elements of the partnership include:

Implementation and construction of model portfolios and asset allocation frameworks
Access to institutional-grade investment research and comprehensive market insights for UHNW clients
Knowledge sharing and collaboration on market intelligence and investor insights

Nirish Unni, CEO & Co-Founder of Tabono Capital, emphasized the significance of the partnership: “This partnership represents a significant milestone in our growth strategy. By leveraging Invesco’s world-class investment research and asset allocation capabilities, we can provide our clients with institutional-grade investment solutions while maintaining the personalized service they expect from a boutique multi-family office.”

Santosh Rao, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Tabono Capital, added: “Our clients increasingly seek institutional-quality investment solutions with global reach. This collaboration with Invesco allows us to deliver exactly that, while maintaining our personalised approach to client service. Together, we will create portfolios designed to capture opportunities in key global markets while effectively managing risk.”

Christopher Hamilton, Asia Pacific Head of Client Solutions for Invesco, stated: “We’re proud to partner with Tabono Capital to bring our industry-leading offerings and capabilities to Asia’s expanding family office and UHNW segment. This is a compelling platform for investors to access comprehensive strategies that can help them meet their financial goals.”

About Tabono Capital

Tabono Capital is a multi-family office headquartered in Singapore, licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to provide Fund Management services. Co-founded by industry veterans and former private wealth managers Nirish Unni and Santosh Rao, the firm caters to ultra-high-net-worth families across the Asia Pacific and MENA regions, offering comprehensive wealth management and family office solutions. For more information, visit https://tabonocapital.com

Contact: [email protected]

About Invesco

Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. With offices in more than 20 countries, our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. For more information, visit www.invesco.com/corporate.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2566576/Tabono_Capital_Logo.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tabono-capital-announces-strategic-partnership-with-invesco-to-deliver-enhanced-investment-solutions-for-uhnw-clients-302315388.html

Fintech PR

Protecht launches advanced controls management solution

Published

8 hours ago

November 25, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

SYDNEY, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Protecht Group, a global leader in enterprise risk management solutions, has released its innovative controls management solution. This cutting-edge tool empowers organizations to design, implement, and maintain a robust controls framework, streamlining compliance and enhancing operational efficiency.

Protecht’s controls management solution addresses the challenges faced by risk and compliance leaders in managing controls across complex regulatory environments. By integrating controls management into the organization’s broader ERM framework, the solution provides a centralized approach to mitigate risks, achieve compliance, and enable organizations to focus on strategic growth.

As organizations face increasing regulatory pressures, the need for a unified, efficient approach to controls management has never been greater. Many businesses struggle with fragmented processes, duplicated efforts across frameworks, and limited visibility into controls effectiveness. Protecht’s controls management solution simplifies these complexities by providing a single source of truth for controls assurance activities.

Key features of Protecht’s controls management solution

Centralized controls library: Offers a single repository for all control data, tailored to align with organizational needs and regulatory frameworks.
Simplified control testing: Streamlines the testing process with pre-built templates, automated scheduling, and real-time tracking of progress and results.
Framework library: Enables seamless mapping between controls and multiple regulatory standards to eliminate redundancies and simplify compliance efforts.
Advanced reporting and dashboards: Provides real-time insights into control effectiveness and areas requiring improvement, ensuring confidence in decision-making and risk management strategies.

“Protecht’s Controls Management solution simplifies the way organizations handle compliance and risk assurance,” says Damien Stevens, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Protecht. “By integrating controls into the broader enterprise risk framework, we provide our customers with the tools they need to mitigate risks, optimize efficiency, and align their control environments with their strategic objectives.”

Supporting resources

To help organizations maximize the benefits of the new solution, Protecht offers a range of resources, including:

Live webinars showcasing the solution’s capabilities for risk and IT professionals alike
Product tours showing how the solution lets you solve specific controls-related problems
A comprehensive eBook on building effective controls frameworks
Opportunities to book a demo and see the solution in action

Find out more and download a brochure at www.protechtgroup.com/solutions/controls-management

About Protecht Group

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with offices in London and Los Angeles, Protecht Group provides innovative risk management solutions, including the Protecht ERM platform. Trusted by organizations across government, financial services, education, and other industries, Protecht empowers businesses to manage risk holistically, transitioning from spreadsheets and manual processes to efficient, integrated systems.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2566213/Protecht_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/protecht-launches-advanced-controls-management-solution-302315104.html

Fintech PR

Robert Rahman Joins Dinosaur Group Holdings to Head its New Global Corporate Credit Securities Market Unit in the US, Europe & Asia

Published

9 hours ago

November 25, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

robert-rahman-joins-dinosaur-group-holdings-to-head-its-new-global-corporate-credit-securities-market-unit-in-the-us,-europe-&-asia

NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dinosaur Financial Group LLC. (DFG), a New York based Investment Firm and Dinosaur Merchant Bank Ltd. (DMBL), a London based Institutional Brokerage announced the joining of Robert Rahman as the Global Head of the newly created Global Corporate Credit Securities (GCCS) unit.

Dinosaur Group’s new GCCS initiative seeks to provide clients with an alternative to the bulge bracket that will not compete with clients and seeks to offer those clients, a partner that can deliver reliable and trustworthy execution capabilities in a difficult liquidity backdrop. Robert’s new unit will complement the firm’s existing global footprint in Fixed Income.

Robert will oversee the sales, trading, and research business globally for Corporate Investment Grade, High Yield, Distressed, Stressed, Special Situations, Levered Loans, Re-Org Equities, Trade Claims, Private Credit and Converts within the GCCS unit.

Before Dinosaur, he was the Head of High Yield, Distressed and Loans within the capital markets division of Oppenheimer and Co (OPY) where he worked for the last 16 years. He has also been a senior member of Morgan Stanley’s High Yield sales team and has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of Institutional Credit. Robert started his career as a Credit Analyst within Salmon Brothers revered “Corporate Bond Research” team and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s “Leveraged Finance Research” team.

Announcing his appointment, Glenn Grossman, CEO, Dinosaur Group said, “Robert’s deep client and issuer relationships along with his previous success in leading and building global credit teams will help the group to provide institutional clients with an additional liquidity platform for one stop credit trading across the world. We are very excited to see the new business grow under his leadership.”

Elliot Grossman, Managing Director added, “With Robert’s leadership, the group seeks to help institutional investors by providing capital to help facilitate trades versus being another riskless agency credit shop.”

Speaking about joining the Dinosaur group and his plans for the new business, Robert said, “I was attracted to the group given its established track record of providing client solutions in Fixed Income, globally for the past 25 years. My focus will be to provide institutional investors with an enhanced global liquidity platform for the US, European and Asian markets. I look forward to building this business at DFG.”

He also stated, “Sourcing trading block paper is nuanced and requires deep and long-standing client relationships from the trader, analyst, PM and CIO level. The new team will look to gain Fixed Income clients’ trust, add value and provide liquidity while so many competitors retrench.”

About Dinosaur Group Holdings

Dinosaur Group Holdings (DGH) is the holding company for Dinosaur Financial Group LLC. (DFG), an investment firm registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC, Dinosaur Merchant Bank Ltd. (regulated by the FCA) and New York-based SEC-registered investment firm DCM Advisors, LLC.

Deploying a team of approximately 150 professionals, the overall organization provides global execution services, financing and advisory expertise/insights for equities, fixed income, commodities and derivatives, investment management as well as a suite of investment banking services providing financial solutions and capital markets execution to the middle market client base, both domestically and globally. Clients and counterparties spanning six continents are primarily institutions, family offices, asset managers, hedge funds, and corporations. Dinosaur Group takes pride in the business’ stable management, strong compliance, solid operations, and diverse talent.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2566918/Robert_Rahman.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2566971/Dinosaur_Logo.jpg