Surviving 150 Press Releases Daily, A Behind The Scenes Look at Fintech News Network
The Fintech News Network have been on the forefront of delivering the latest stories and insights since 2014, our Founder and CEO Christian recently sat down for an interview with Telum Media, one of the leading PR & journalist platform in the region.
Below is an excerpt of the conversation:
What was the inspiration behind the establishment of Fintech News Network
I’m not sure if many are aware of this, but I began my journey into publishing way back in 2012 with blogging about financial products in Switzerland. The website was all about investment products and personal finance, so I saw the writing on the wall about Fintech’s eventual explosion pretty early on.
Out of that award-winning blog we started 2014 with Fintech News pages in Switzerland and Singapore. Nowadays we run six different Fintech News portals (Singapore, Hong Kong Malaysia, Middle East, Baltic and Switzerland) with over 100 satellites (social media channels, newsletter, meetup, etc).
You were working in investment banking before starting the portals. Was the transition difficult?
No, as a Public Distribution Manager for a financial product provider (Derivatives, ETFs), I was always in touch with (online) publications. At that time I was also responsible for our online and offline magazine and I was writing regularly for Swiss newspapers. Later on, I consulted with my own company financial product providers how to use social media and how to do online monitoring. I believed since 2010 into the fintech trend, and we initiated then also the first fintech conference in Switzerland. Then it was time to start with our Fintech NewsNetwork as nobody was covering that niche at that time.
What is the editorial direction for Fintech News this year?
We’re always committed to bringing all our markets timely, and informative fintech news — no matter if you’re a seasoned fintecher, or just testing the waters. That was the idea behind our annual Fintech State of Play reports and maps too, and something we will continue doing.
This year though, we are looking at delivering more pieces highlighting our favourite fintechs in different markets, and also writing more informed observations of the fintech landscape in different countries after writing about them for so many years.
Does a junior writer need to know the basics of banking if he or she wants to start writing about Fintech?
A basic banking know-how is helpful. But much more are knowledge and passion about startups, the rapidly evolving technology scene and a passion for research. Fintech is an exciting space, and we require equally excitable writers for the job.
What do you think would be the trend for Fintech in the coming years?
I believe we will eventually see users starting using all these fintech tool and project. Sometimes I feel like everybody is speaking about it, but nobody is really using all these tools. Or have you recently paid your taxi in cash or via an app?
Do you think Fintech is disruption the financial services market for legacy financial institutions?
Fintech (actually more the TechFins as Wechat, Alibaba, etc) has disrupted quite a few sectors that used to be strongholds of traditional financial institutions, but as many experts more seasoned than I will tell you, the future of financial technology lies not in disruption, but in collaboration.
Financial services is a very regulated sector, and banks often already have the resources needed to navigate these regulations and scale rapidly. But I certainly feel that some fields need to be disrupted much more, for example Forex exchange, money transfer, credit card fees, pensions funds etc are areas were the fees (or the margins with banks) are still way too high.
How should PRs pitch stories to you?
We get more than 150 press releases and pitches every day! You may be surprised that I need to spell this out, but sending an email with an engaging email subject and eye-catching preview paragraph will do wonders for your chances of getting published on Fintech News. Bonus points if you’re able to provide a good graphic. Consider what the email will look like from the recipient’s side, and design it accordingly because visual presentation does matter. (Alternatively we do also offer packages for paid press releases here)
Can you share what does a day in Christian’s life look like?
When I’m not on one of my many business trips or in meetings with clients, I mostly start my day by scanning through the news and reading what catches my eye. Then, I check my (too full) emails, and spend the rest of the day working with clients or my operations team.
If you can have a super power, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to actually switch my brain off for a few hours and give myself a real break. If I can negotiate another super power, it would be to help clean the world from plastic, and magically get people to think more about the environment.
This interview first appeared on Telum Media, Originally publish atfintechnews.sg
