AntKast

EP. 20 Montreux Jazz Festival: Live Music in a Digital Era

February 20, 2023 06:11 - 33 minutes - 31 MB

What is the future of the music festivals in the digital age? What’s the DNA of 57 years old world famous Montreux Jazz Festival? What makes live music enjoyable? Our guest for this episode is Nicolas Bonard, CEO of Montreux Media Ventures, a media, production and content creation company and subsidiary of the Montreux Jazz Festival. 00:04 Intro 03:26 What makes live music enjoyable now that we have online streaming? 04:43 Since when has Montreux Jazz Festival been embracing music genr...

EP. 19 Deep Dive: How Technology Brings the Asian Region Closer Together

January 04, 2023 01:43 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MB

In AntKast’s first episode in 2023, we present to you a fintech conversation between Jennifer Tan and Andy Mok as we draw our focus to Asia. In this episode, Jennifer and Andy reveal why some of the most important fintech developments in the world are unveiled in Asia. Listen in as they discuss misconceptions surrounding Asian countries, how these countries evolved beyond stereotypes, and what future developmental opportunities they may have. Our guest, Jennifer Tan, is the Executive Vic...

Special Episode: Alipay+ and E-Wallet Friends I

November 14, 2022 10:32 - 16 minutes - 22 MB

The world is expecting a resurgence in international tourism. Alipay+ is suite of cross-border digital payment and marketing solutions. It is working together with digital wallet companies around the world to create a better payment experience for international travelers and local merchants alike. A popular destination in Asia, South Korea has connected many of its offline merchants with multiple e-wallet partners in the Asia-Pacific region via Alipay+, including Alipay HK from Hong Kong, G...

EP. 18 QR Code: Past, Present and Future

November 02, 2022 07:13 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MB

In this episode, we explore the history of QR code (Quick Response Code), the reason behind its rising popularity as a medium that connects the physical and digital worlds, as well as future developments for this technology. Our guest for this episode, Richard Turrin, a former FinTech executive at IBM, now a best-selling author, will talk about how he witnessed firsthand the transformational power of QR code in China in the 2010s. Leading the conversation will be our guest host, Theodora La...

EP. 17 ESG and Digital Economy in a Post-COVID World

August 30, 2022 02:50 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MB

Join us in this episode of AntKast with FinTech expert and best-selling author Chris Skinner. Chris has been commenting on the financial markets through his blog since as early as 2007 with a focus on the revolutionizing capabilities of digital technology in finance. Chris will be discussing how "going digital" can enable green and socially responsible initiatives. Throughout this conversation, we will be breaking down what it means to be digital, the validity of ESG, and the relationship b...

EP. 16 FinTech Mid-Year Review: Davos 2022; FinTech Trends, Limitations; DeFi and Blockchain; and More

August 30, 2022 02:48 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MB

Tune in for a 2022 mid-year review with Dr. Efi Pylarinou on the recent developments in fintech. Efi is an independent fintech and blockchain thought leader, author, and global influencer. We discuss the latest innovations in finance around the globe, covering topics on the SWIFT system, regional financial innovations, financial inclusion, blockchain, and decentralized finance. Efi has been named one of the top influencers in the finance sector, and is the No.1 woman influencer by Refinitiv...

EP.15 Platform Strategies: Advantages and Challenges in a Digital World

July 14, 2022 06:58 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome tech strategy expert Jeffrey Towson to share his insights on what makes a platform strategy successful. We'll discuss what makes platforms different from traditional business models, why they can be more effective, and what challenges they might face. Jeffrey will also be sharing his thoughts on Ant Group’s cross-border payment network, Alipay+, and why it can be valuable to the Asian region. Jeffrey Towson is a consultant, investor, podcaster, and spe...

EP 14: New Sports Business Model in the Digital Age: A Conversation with Deloitte UK Partner Paul Lee

June 13, 2022 07:31 - 38 minutes - 36 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome TMT industry expert Paul Lee to discuss some of the latest innovations in the sports industry. Paul Lee is a Partner and the Global Head of Research for the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Industry at Deloitte UK. Topics include the digitalization of the sports industry and its business model, with a deep dive on the phenomenon of sports NFTs and blockchain technology, and what they mean for sports leagues, teams, players, and sports fa...

EP.14 New Sports Business Model in the Digital Age: A Conversation with Deloitte UK Partner Paul Lee

June 13, 2022 07:31 - 38 minutes - 36 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome TMT industry expert Paul Lee to discuss some of the latest innovations in the sports industry. Paul Lee is a Partner and the Global Head of Research for the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Industry at Deloitte UK. Topics include the digitalization of the sports industry and its business model, with a deep dive on the phenomenon of sports NFTs and blockchain technology, and what they mean for sports leagues, teams, players, and sports fa...

EP.13 Going Global by Thinking Local: An In-depth Conversation with Ant Group's Jia Hang

May 19, 2022 09:42 - 31 minutes - 29.4 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome a top leadership member from Ant Group, Jia Hang(Panda) to share with us his experience of leading Ant’s global strategy and the latest projects of Alipay+. Jia Hang is currently Ant Group’s Regional General Manager for South East Asia. Prior to this role he has led Ant’s international projects in building key strategic partnerships across multiple regions. Before joining Ant, Hang worked at China Union Pay and Union Pay International, helping to build ...

EP 13: Going Global by Thinking Local: An In-depth Conversation with Ant Group's Jia Hang

May 19, 2022 09:42 - 31 minutes - 29.4 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome a top leadership member from Ant Group, Jia Hang(Panda) to share with us his experience of leading Ant’s global strategy and the latest projects of Alipay+. Jia Hang is currently Ant Group’s Regional General Manager for South East Asia. Prior to this role he has led Ant’s international projects in building key strategic partnerships across multiple regions. Before joining Ant, Hang worked at China Union Pay and Union Pay International, helping to build ...

Michael Rosen Special Episode (II): Passion for Books, Childhood, and the Process of Writing

May 09, 2022 06:43 - 46 minutes - 43.2 MB

We continue our conversation with Michael Rosen. In this episode Michael will be sharing his journey as a writer of children's literature, and discussing his writing process for poetry and stories. Tune in to hear about several instances where children inspired Michael's work and how his own childhood in post-war London shaped him to be the writer he is today. Michael has written over 140 books and won over 30 awards. He was named UK’s Children Laureate from 2007 to 2009. He is also a profe...

World Book Day Special Episode: A Talk with Michael Rosen on Life, Writing, and Many Kinds of Love

April 22, 2022 07:50 - 45 minutes - 42.2 MB

In this World Book Day special episode of AntKast, we are joined by the renowned children’s author, poet, and performer, Michael Rosen, to discuss his inspiration in creating captivating works and past life experiences. One particular experience is his recent recovery from COVID, documented in his latest book, Many Different Kinds of Love. Michael has written over 140 books and won over 30 awards. He was named UK’s Children Laureate from 2007 to 2009. He is also a professor of Children’s L...

EP.12 Why Finance is Going Green: A Conversation with Xavier Gomez

March 28, 2022 06:24 - 30 minutes - 28.6 MB

In this Episode of AntKast, we are joined by Fintech and Investment expert, Xavier Gomez, to discuss the topic of green finance. Founder and COO of Paris-based Data and Analytics consultancy INVYO, Xavier is an active speaker and thought leader in the technology and entrepreneurial world. Many may have heard of green finance, but why is green finance more important now than ever? What are the latest tools for green finance? Let’s dive deep with Xavier on the current prospect and challenges...

EP.11 Demystifying Esports: A Conversation with LPL Host Wendy Shi

March 14, 2022 05:57 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MB

Esports is estimated to reach a $1.8 billion market size in 2022 according to market research, with APAC being the largest market region. In this year’s Asian games in Hangzhou, China, esports will make its debut with a total of 8 medal events. In this episode, we dive deep into the world of esports with League of Legends (LoL) host, Wendy Shi, to discover what it is like to work in this young and rising industry with intriguing behind-the-scene stories. Wendy is a multilingual esports ho...

EP.10 Technology, Winter Sports, and Sporting for Beginners

February 22, 2022 07:30 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MB

As we see athletes break new records in this year's Beijing Winter Olympics, technology has been at the centre of enabling athletic performance to improve. In this episode, we have three Finnish Sports Technology experts from CEMIS (Centre for Measurement and Information Systems) to share their innovations in winter sports training and their insights on creating a modern winter sports ecosystem. Our guests in this episode are: Marko Jäntti, the Director of CEMIS; Anni Hakkarainen, Project M...

EP.09 Scrutinizing different kinds of investments with Vanguard

February 14, 2022 13:20 - 30 minutes - 28.6 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we are joined by two distinguished financial experts from Vanguard Group, Maria Bruno and Joel Dickson. Maria is the head of US Wealth Planning Research at Vanguard, and Joel is Vanguard’s Global Head of Advice Methodology. Continuing from our previous discussion with Maria and Joel, in this episode we dive deeper into the different kinds of investments where they share insights on asset allocation and diversifying your portfolio. We will also cover younger gene...

EP.09 Gen Z and the New Trends in Investing: A Conversation with Vanguard

February 14, 2022 13:20 - 30 minutes - 28.6 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we are joined by two distinguished financial experts from Vanguard Group, Maria Bruno and Joel Dickson. Maria is the head of US Wealth Planning Research at Vanguard, and Joel is Vanguard’s Global Head of Advice Methodology. Continuing from our previous discussion with Maria and Joel, in this episode we dive deeper into the different kinds of investments where they share insights on asset allocation and diversifying your portfolio. We will also cover younger gener...

EP.08 Investing 101: Why, when, and how to get started

January 31, 2022 05:52 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we welcome two distinguished financial experts from Vanguard Group, Maria Bruno and Joel Dickson. Maria is the head of US Wealth Planning Research at Vanguard, and Joel is Vanguard’s Global head of advice methodology. Our topic for this episode is investment advice for new investors. Maria and Joel will breakdown for us what is investing vs. saving, the strategy around compounding, and why should you invest at an early stage of life. Sections in this episode:...

EP.07 SME Story: From a Star Wars Fan to a Comic Entrepreneur

January 17, 2022 07:50 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

In this episode of AntKast, we want to share the story of a small business owner. Our guest today is Matt Balcerak, he is from Oklahoma USA and now the owner of Chengdu’s renowned comic book store Comic Book Ren. Growing up as Star Wars and Fantastic Four fan, he will be sharing his story of why he wanted to open a comic book store and how to build a business around your passion. Today's Podcast's breakdown: 00:30 - Introduction 03:00 - Love for comics and building a business 08:44 - T...

EP.06 2022 Fintech Trends, Working From Home, and Tips to Start the New Year!

January 03, 2022 04:15 - 25 minutes - 58.2 MB

Happy new year! In today’s episode, our guest hosts, the founder of Unconventional Ventures, Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer will talk about 2022 Fintech trends, some suggestions for working from home and other tips to start a new year. If you would like to repost this episode or partner with AntKast, please reach us through: [email protected]

EP.05 Holiday Shopping, 'Live Commerce,' and the Hidden Trends in Retail

December 20, 2021 04:06 - 29 minutes - 27 MB

Our guest for this episode is retail expert Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of an advisory retail technology service, Coresight Research. November and December holidays are the most important times of the year for the retail industry. Over the last five years in the US, according to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales accounted for nearly 20% of yearly revenue for retailers. Despite the pandemic, the 2021 holiday season's overall holiday sales are still predicted to grow from 8....

EP.04 Algorithms, Sci-Fi, and the Future of Humanity

December 06, 2021 03:23 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

In this episode, we discuss algorithms with Science fiction authors Ken Liu and Qiufan(Stan) Chen. Ken is the author of epic fantasy series Dandelion Dynasty. He has won the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award as well as top genre awards in Japan, Spain, and France among other countries. Qiufan is a well known Chinese science fiction writer, the author of Waste Tide, which was translated to English by Ken Liu, and his latest work AI 2041 is co-authored with AI expert Kai-fu Lee. Lets...

EP.03 Is there an NFT "Bubble"?

November 22, 2021 04:05 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MB

What are NFTs and what is behind all the hype about it? In this episode, we’ve invited renowned futurist, Brett King, who is an Amazon Best-Selling author and a global speaker, to share his thoughts on NFT and its future. Also joining us is Char Zhang, chief designer at ATTA, a blockchain-based content creation studio in China; Char has helped developed NFT digital assets in multiple categories including music, designer toys, digital art, e-sports, and charity. We will be covering not only t...

EP.02 How Joe Wong celebrates Singles' Day

November 11, 2021 03:18 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

Hi I’m Joe Wong, a standup comedian and TV talk show host. Today, November 11, is a special day. And that’s why I’m here as your special guest host. If you would like to repost this episode or partner with AntKast, please reach us through: [email protected]

EP.01 The tech that drives the world’s largest e-shopping festival

November 08, 2021 06:55 - 14 minutes - 20.5 MB

In this episode, we take you on a sneak peek behind the scenes of the 11.11 Global Online Shopping Festival and the digital payment technology that drives it. Since its 2009 launch, 11.11 has grown into the world’s largest online shopping event, with more than 200,000 brands participating globally last year, while total value of orders settled via Alipay reached more than $74 billion. Where did 11.11 come from? And how did it grow to be a global phenomenon that deals with billions of trans...

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