Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast
00:16:22 · Amy Lewin, Tom Matsuda
[00:16:22] S0: And what about Revolut's track record in The US? [00:16:25] S1: So, yes, they... They've applied previously for a US banking license and sort of put that on the back burner. Last I heard back in November, I believe, at Slough, Nick spoke about possibly restarting those plans. But if I'm honest, it's been very quiet on that front. [00:16:42] S0: But I guess also that the IPO, you know, then it's not like they struggle in any way to raise money or make money. [00:16:48] S1: They don't. They they can stay private if they really, really want to. That... As shown with with the funding round that they're currently raising. It's huge 1,000,000,000 funding round. And, yeah, I mean, you... We've seen big companies in The US stay stay private. There isn't really, like, a pressing need for for Revolut, it seems, at this moment, to to IPO. [00:17:07] S0: Which other companies are on your radar, Tom? [00:17:10] S1: Yes. I mean, Revolut definitely takes up a lot of my time, for sure. But, obviously, Monzo, Starling, n twenty six, and Klarna. [00:17:18] S0: And what about... Is there a is there a trend? Is there a story? Is there a phenomenon that you're interested in and looking into at the moment?
00:17:18 · Amy Lewin, Tom Matsuda
[00:17:18] S0: And what about... Is there a is there a trend? Is there a story? Is there a phenomenon that you're interested in and looking into at the moment? [00:17:25] S1: Yes. So I have been looking... I think it was maybe a couple months ago when Klarna announced that they had to reduce reliance on on AI and actually had to hire remote teams to handle the customer service division. That was really, really interesting because, obviously, Klarna's been this huge kind of proponent of AI. And then kind of stepping back from that, I see as a signal that maybe there's a limit or at least a glass ceiling to what AI can do in financial services. And that's a topic I'm exploring at the moment. [00:17:57] S0: So any tips, listeners, send them [00:17:59] S1: Yes. [00:18:00] S0: Please Tom's way. He is Tom Matsuda at Sifted dot e u. And where else can people find you and follow you, John? [00:18:06] S1: You can reach me on LinkedIn. I'm also Tom Matsuda there.
00:18:06 · Tom Matsuda, Amy Lewin
[00:18:06] S1: You can reach me on LinkedIn. I'm also Tom Matsuda there. [00:18:10] S0: And, of course, sign up, subscribe to Tom's fantastic fintechs newsletter, which comes out every week, totally free on a Tuesday. And that is all we have time for now. Please let me know what you thought of this episode. And if you'd like to hear more from Sifted journalists, you can tell me which Sifted journalists you'd like to hear from as well. I am amysifted dot e u. It's really, really helpful to hear from our listeners, so please do get in touch. And as always, please rate and review the podcast to help us find new listeners and spread the love. This podcast was produced by the wonderful Maya Durampal Hornby.