In this episode, Paolo Sironi speaks with Dr. Balakrishnan Mahadevan (Balu), author of Designing Change: My Journey Through India’s Digital Payments Transformation. India’s digital payments have grown from under one billion transactions annually around 2010 to over 225 billion by March 2025—a more than 200-fold increase. Through his unique lens as a former banking technology leader, COO of NPCI during its critical scaling years, and World Bank advisor, Balu offers a rare insider’s account of how this transformation actually happened. The conversation explores the book’s core message: that payments innovation is rarely about a single breakthrough. Instead, it emerges through decades of institutional development, regulatory leadership, collaborative ecosystem building, and combinatorial innovation—integrating real-time rails, mobile interfaces, APIs, and interoperable frameworks. Balu discusses the long journey from early electronic systems to real-time networks like UPI, the critical role of institutional design, overcoming early skepticism, and lessons for both developing and developed markets. The discussion highlights broader implications for digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, and the evolving role of banks. This episode provides deep, practitioner-led insights into building scalable, inclusive financial systems.

LINKEDIN

In this episode, author Dimitrios Salampasis joins host Paolo Sironi to introduce the Research Handbook on FinTech, a global scholarly effort to understand finance’s radical transformation. Two decades ago, finance meant traditional banks and centralised institutions. Today, digital payments, AI, blockchain, and central bank digital currencies are rewriting the rules. Dimitrios explains why this handbook arrives at the perfect moment: FinTech has matured from startup hype into core infrastructure, involving regulators, central banks, technology companies, and incumbents alike. It now shapes payments, digital assets, identity, trust, and inclusion worldwide. He reveals his motivation: to bridge the gap between rapid innovation and lagging academic theory by uniting leading scholars across finance, law, economics, and technology into one intellectual map. Editing the book felt like conducting an orchestra—bringing global experts together while keeping pace with fast-moving developments. Dimitrios highlights the surprising global reach of FinTech, the convergence of AI and blockchain, and the growing role of governments. Essential reading for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students seeking to understand—and shape—the future of digital finance.

LINKEDIN

In this episode, author Daniel Trabucchi joins host Paolo Sironi to explore strategies for legacy companies to embrace platform business models amid dominance by tech-native giants. Drawing from his book The Digital Phoenix Effect, he outlines a pragmatic approach for traditional firms to foster innovation through platform thinking, preserving core strengths like customers, suppliers, data, and expertise. Unlike startup-focused literature, this conversation emphasizes internal transformation in established organizations, blending academic rigor with practical insights from Thinkers50-recognized experts. Ideal for leaders seeking sustainable, networked value creation without radical overhauls.

LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-trabucchi-a7891566

https://www.linkedin.com/in/buganza

TWITTER

@DanielTrabucchi

@polimi

In this episode, Paolo Sironi dives into “Beyond Resilience: Patterns of Success in Fintech and Digital Transformation” with author Leda Glyptis. At the heart of the conversation are probing questions: Is success in fintech truly pattern-based? Can the journey of building new banks or digital services, whether from scratch or within established organizations, be predictable enough to replicate? And if patterns exist, are they within our reach to emulate?

Drawing from candid interviews with leading fintech entrepreneurs and innovators, Leda uncovers the raw realities of creating groundbreaking ventures. This isn’t a glorified montage of founder grit set to triumphant anthems, nor a collection of polished vendor success stories that skim the surface. Instead, it’s an honest exploration of the messiness: the lessons learned, the inevitable mistakes, the constant course-corrections, and the profound personal and professional growth required. Leading fintech transformations demands more than sheer resilience: it’s about wielding control amid chaos, maintaining unwavering consistency and integrity, and standing firm, whether solo or with a team.

Join us in this conversation, perfect for entrepreneurs, innovators, and anyone navigating digital change.

LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leda-glyptis-phd-272492

TWITTER

In this episode, Paolo Sironi interviews Aiden McCullen to explore his book UNDISRIPTABLE, a book that brings order to the chaos we are experiencing in personal and corporate lofe to the acceleration of the innovation life cycle. While we cannot see into the future, there are repeatable patterns we can understand learning from homo sapiens to CEOs, from hunters to the jelly fish as a way to master the infinite loop of reinvention. Aiden demystifies the principles of change through a blend of analogies, innovation frameworks and the challenges we face whenever we lead change at a personal or organizational level.

LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-innovation-show/

INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/the_innovation_show/

TWITTER
https://x.com/AidanMcCullen
https://x.com/TheInnoShow

In this episode, Paolo Sironi interviews April Rudin and Nick Rice to explore their new book Wealth Management with a Difference, an essential guide for advisors and firms navigating an era of unprecedented wealth transfer, where millennials, Gen Z, and women are poised to inherit trillions while technology revolutionizes financial services. From understanding demographic trends, like serving tech-savvy younger clients and empowered women, to mastering retirement planning, wealthtech tools, and digital marketing, April and Nick explore how to build deeper connections between wealth managers and clients and how to drive business efficiency. Whether you’re an advisor seeking to elevate client engagement or a firm leader aiming for sustainable growth, this conversation provides actionable frameworks to thrive amid disruption.

LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilrudin/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-rice-028b1948/

INSTAGRAM
@aprilrudin
@brunswickgroup

TWITTER
@TheRudinGroup
@BrunswickGroup

In this episode, Paolo Sironi interviews Ritavan to explore his book Data Impact: How legacy businesses Save, Leverage, Align, Simplify, Optimize, and Grow to WIN.

The SLASOG framework is a methodology designed to empower non-digital native businesses in harnessing their unique strengths for scalable, data-driven growth. Drawing from first-principles and empirically validated strategies, they discuss actionable insights to align teams on value creation, streamline processes, and accelerate innovation. You will gain practical guidance on: avoiding expensive groupthink pitfalls to save costs and enhance decision-making; identifying and capitalizing on core strengths and high-impact opportunities; fostering alignment across people, processes, and goals for unified progress; simplifying operations to reduce complexity costs while boosting leveraged returns: optimizing learning through empirical evidence for measurable impact; and cultivating an abundance mindset to drive demand-focused expansion and overcome scarcity thinking. Paolo’s and Ritavan’s conversation demystifies data-driven transformation and equips leaders with tools for sustainable success.

GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA
https://slasog.substack.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rritavan/
https://mavenmaverick.substack.com/

In this episode, Paolo Sironi interviews Sangeet Paul Choudary, author of Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Restacks the Knowledge Economy. They discuss how AI is set to transform the global economy and company operations by redistributing power among key players. Sangeet’s research delves into four central tensions: workers versus their software tools, tool providers versus the companies that purchase them, consolidating businesses versus the industries they disrupt, and empowered individuals versus established incumbents. Drawing on compelling examples, historical parallels, and innovative perspectives, this conversation uncoves the opportunities and challenges AI presents—and reveals who stands to succeed or struggle in this reshuffled landscape.

GUEST SOCIAL MEDIA

Sangeet Choudary – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeetpaul/