FinTech Focus TV – Powered by Harrington Starr

AI is transforming software engineering at speed, but what does that really mean for financial services?
In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Krzysztof Grajek, Principal Software Engineer at SoftwareMill, shares how AI is reshaping the software development lifecycle, from code generation to the growing challenge of trust, traceability, and governance.
As AI takes on more of the development process, the role of engineers is evolving, and so are the skills firms need to hire for. This conversation explores what that shift looks like in practice, and how organisations can adopt AI safely while continuing to build high-performance engineering teams.
FinTech Focus TV is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Tech Recruitment. For more episodes or FinTech recruitment advice, please visit our website: www.harringtonstarr.com

In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, co-host Oli Knight speaks with Federico Fontana, Chief Technology Officer at XAI Asset Management, about the reality of building and scaling a systematic trading firm.
Recorded at Future Alpha New York 2026, Federico shares how technology, strategy, and efficiency come together when launching a quant fund from day one. From avoiding overengineering to making smarter infrastructure decisions, this episode explores what it really takes to create a scalable trading business.
FinTech Focus TV is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Tech Recruitment. For more episodes or FinTech recruitment advice, please visit our website: www.harringtonstarr.com

In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby is joined by Christian Schwarz, Managing Director at valantic FSA, to explore what’s really driving transformation across the global payments landscape.
From regulation-led innovation and the reality behind instant payments, to the growing impact of stablecoins and digital assets, this conversation breaks down why legacy banking infrastructure is being pushed to its limits, and what comes next.
Christian shares a clear perspective on the challenges banks face in modernising payments, the rise of fintech competition, and why the shift to real-time, always-on systems is no longer optional. The episode also looks ahead to how digital currencies, new payment rails, and evolving customer expectations will reshape financial services over the next few years.
FinTech Focus TV is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Tech Recruitment. For more episodes or FinTech recruitment advice, please visit our website: www.harringtonstarr.com

In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby Babb sits down with Jon Freedman, Director at Quant Fin, to unpack one of the biggest questions facing financial technology today: are firms approaching AI in the right way?
Drawing on over two decades of experience across hedge funds and capital markets, Jon shares a candid view of how AI is actually being adopted across the buy side, and where many firms are getting it wrong. From the rise of fractional technology leadership to the growing pressure from CEOs to “have an AI strategy,” this conversation explores the real challenges behind the hype.
Listen now to understand how the smartest firms are thinking about AI, productivity, and the future of FinTech.
FinTech Focus TV is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Tech Recruitment. For more episodes or FinTech recruitment advice, please visit our website: www.harringtonstarr.com

In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, recorded live at the FIX EMEA Trading Conference 2026, Laetitia Visconti from Aquis Exchange shares a clear, practical view on the challenges shaping European markets today.
From fragmented liquidity and market visibility to the balance between regulation and innovation, this conversation explores why understanding the full picture of market structure is critical to unlocking growth.
FinTech Focus TV is powered by Harrington Starr, global leaders in Financial Tech Recruitment. For more episodes or FinTech recruitment advice, please visit our website: www.harringtonstarr.com