Healthcare banking leader Katie Miller talks about the importance of service in a time of change. When Katie Miller was in high school, she tutored teens in the juvenile detention system who were working toward their GED.

"It was eye-opening to see kids who were not as lucky as me - and in trouble," Miller said. "The students' commitment to improving their lives made a lasting impression on me. I saw the resilience of the human spirit - and the difference one person can make in the life of another."

It's no wonder, Miller said, that her role as division manager of Healthcare, Higher Education and Nonprofits draws on that experience and focuses on service organizations.

"Nonprofit businesses are a special sector to serve," she said. "They have a mission to make our world a better place. That mission really resonates with me."

Where experience and meaning come together

Miller has been working in the healthcare industry and the public sector for more than 20 years.

"If you want to feel like you make a difference, there isn't another industry like it," she said.

Miller said the nonprofit healthcare mandate is to take care of the communities it serves, and she sees the impact every time she visits a client.

"I see it when I go to the public health department and see young mothers with their children, waiting for vaccinations and checkups; when I go to the hospital and see the elderly and lonely getting care from an empathetic nurse or aide; and when I serve a nonprofit and see families receiving help for mental, physical or emotional illnesses," she said.

"When we are sick, we are vulnerable. We need the nonprofit mindset of care to continue to make our cities, our states, and our country a safe, healthy place to live," Miller said. "I'm proud to deliver business solutions that help these organizations stay focused on what really matters."

An industry facing unique challenges

"Most healthcare systems are dealing with staffing challenges right now," Miller said. "They're working with insurance companies to negotiate prices. There are higher costs at every level of the hospital. Everybody is struggling to do more with less."

This is driving innovation in the industry, she said.

"One facility has implemented virtual chat," Miller said. "Hospitalized patients can simply push a button to visit with a nurse virtually. This not only speeds care but helps relieve providers with high patient-to-nurse ratios."

Many institutions are figuring out efficiencies that still keep the patient experience at the forefront, she said.

"That extends to every touchpoint in the hospital," Miller said. "When we're working with clients, reviewing the revenue cycle, we're looking at all the ways we can help make day-to-day interactions more efficient, just like those virtual visits."

MedEpayTM from U.S. Bank is a great example of this, she said.

"It's an integrated payments platform with point-to-point encryption," Miller said. "Say a patient arrives for treatment and parks in a garage, pays a recurring hospital bill on a mobile device while waiting to be seen and presents a card to cover a co-pay. MedEpay can link all of that information together and deliver it to the client in one payment file."

Lockbox services can be improved as well, she said.

"We can take the payment information - all the explanation-of-benefits summaries, all the invoices - and render it as a single, reconciled data file, lowering processing costs and speeding collections," Miller said. "Everything is there. All the paperwork is processed for the health system. It's all automated."

Such solutions are why Miller has been in the industry for 26 years, she said.

"Our experience, our solutions, our deep understanding of our clients - I know we're helping to make a difference for patients and providers," Miller said. "Our clients want to improve the places we live. This shared purpose, this common mission, really gives you a sense that you're making a positive impact in the community."

U.S. Bank has served healthcare organizations for more than 100 years, delivering innovative solutions to help clients of all types and sizes meet their financing, operational and investment goals so they can focus on their core mission. In addition to its support of mid-sized and large healthcare organizations, the bank recently launched a new healthcare program - including a specialized, comprehensive offering that brings banking, payments, and wealth-management capabilities to healthcare practices with up to $25 million in annual revenue.

Zilch, the UK-headquartered multi award-winning ad-subsidised payments network, today proudly unveils Zilch Up - a revolutionary product dedicated to empowering people typically excluded from mainstream credit. This will create access for millions to build their financial profiles safely and responsibly and without paying any interest.

The introduction of Zilch Up provides all the benefits of Zilch’s zero-interest, ad-subsidised borrowing with the ability to improve your credit score, which wasn't possible before Zilch. With 5 million people in the UK deemed credit invisible, Zilch’s new product enables customers with tools to improve their credit scores and increase their credit limit. Starting with credit limits as little as £50, Zilch Up has all of the same powerful features as the Zilch classic product with a few important changes designed to be suitable for its target user.

Zilch Up customers have the option to pause credit and still use Zilch as a debit card via the Pay Now option, and earn rewards. Or with total control they can toggle in-app to Credit and pay a first instalment of 50%, with the remaining 50% payable over six weeks. In addition, customers will soon also be able to receive financial support in the form of credit coaching, and the ability to view their credit score in the Zilch app.

Zilch’s innovative approach gives customers a regulated offering which, in partnership with leading CRAs, means that for the first time, consumers can improve their credit scores by spending on interest free credit via BNPL borrowing and enjoy all of the consumer protections they would expect from a regulated product.

Philip Belamant, CEO and co-founder of Zilch, said: “We need to strengthen the protections for consumers and increase access to interest free and affordable credit - particularly now when the cost of living continues to hurt. For too long millions of people in the UK have had to struggle with limited or no access to credit due to thin and weak files. In a digital finance world, this is causing them the stress and crippling pain of funding unaffordable high interest costs plus the danger of hard to understand late fees, merely to access credit.

“At Zilch, we aren’t waiting. We want to change this status quo by democratising access to interest free and affordable credit, advancing the lives of millions of families and individuals in managing and planning their day-to-day financial health. In testing, our new product, Zilch Up, has already lifted over 25,000 customers into mainstream credit and we intend to help many more.”

Zilch Up not only reflects Zilch's commitment to financial inclusivity but also signifies a bold step towards creating a fairer, more inclusive financial ecosystem that brings all the benefits of ad subsidised zero interest payments to customers who would otherwise miss out.

The results mean thousands more people now have enough detail in their credit records to be deemed to have a valid credit history. A credit score improvement can only occur where a consumer is more up to date with Zilch than they are generally with other lenders, or where there was no history and they have borrowed from lenders not reporting their history (which traditionally would be extremely high-cost marginal lenders).

Zilch’s journey began with a profound recognition of the disparity in affordable credit access, between those in society who need it most, and those who have access to the most affordable financial products. This has inspired the business to embark on a mission to bridge this critical gap. Through strategic partnerships with the UK’s leading credit referencing agencies (CRAs) Zilch has honed the Zilch Up initiative that serves as a testament to its commitment to financial inclusivity.

Zilch is the only UK provider of credit via BNPL whose data appears on consumer credit files and is always included in scores.

Zilch was the first UK-born BNPL provider of credit to be authorised by the FCA, giving its customers extra protections and making sure they can access the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Fintech Surge 2023, the most sought after gathering for the global fintech industry, will take place on 15-18 October at the iconic Dubai Harbour. Co-located with Expand North Star and the hub for global fintech stakeholders, the event will host more than 100 exhibitors from over 25 countries, providing a platform to scale up the deeply interconnected fintech ecosystem.

Having witnessed unprecedented transformation in recent years, the global fintech market is expected to grow to $949 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 17.2% between 2022 and 2030[1]. Driven by emerging digital technologies, changing consumer behaviours, lower regulations for financial services provided by non-banks and increased investments, start-ups are now challenging traditional banks and fintech innovation is accelerating at pace.

The launch of a 100.7 million USD venture capital finance fund by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, is fuelling start-ups on their global expansion, and the Emirate's leading regulatory framework continues to evolve to match the industry's evolution.

Trixe LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre, comments: "Fintech Surge is the epicentre of technological revolution. Gathering some of the industry's brightest and most inventive minds, it is where multifaceted discussions evolve into actionable insights that investors and entrepreneurs can effectively leverage. It's the destination that ignites strategic cross-border partnerships that will transform the fintech industry, and where we move beyond mere catchphrases and turn AI and big data into tangible actions."

Fintech Surge will offer two conference tracks where more than 80 global leaders will discuss the trends propelling the sector. Having witnessed a seismic shift, the fintech industry now faces multiple challenges including security breaches, compliance with varying global government regulations, user retention, lack of mobile and tech expertise, among others. The Digital Banking and Finance Summit will address these head on, providing insights on how fintechs across the globe can capitalise on the market growth and forge a prosperous future.

Prominent speakers from leading organisations, including Swift, Klarna, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley, World Economic Forum, Standard Chartered Nexus and IFC (World Bank), will share their unmatched wisdom to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape. The agenda will cover global strategy and governance, digital trends influencing the future of retail, embedded finance and capitalising on global and regional investment funds, among other essential topics.

Fintech Surge also serves as a dynamic launch pad for global start-ups. As limited access to funding and digital financial literacy remain significant challenges for SMEs, the brand new SME Elevate programme will offer strategic guidance, investment insights, partnership opportunities, and advice to navigate these. Leaders from around the world will discuss trailblazing innovations driving SMEs, highlight fintech's transformative potential for small business financing and uncover how to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape and more.

Nosaibah Alrajhi, Founder and CEO at Forus Invest, comments: "Improving SMEs access to finance and providing innovative solutions to navigate the complexities of the financial world is critical, and we are committed to revolutionising the way individuals and businesses manage their finances. Fintech Surge presents an excellent platform for us to engage with the sharpest minds in the industry and showcase how we are empowering SMEs and connecting investors, through easier access to business finance solutions and investments."

As the industry-defining platform for financial innovations and with more than 1,000 investors expected to attend, Fintech Surge remains a leading platform for the global fintech ecosystem. For the 2023 edition, sponsors include industry-leading organisations Mastercard, Emirates NBD, Geidea Technology LLC, FINTX and Forus Invest, among others. Register interest at https://www.fintechsurge.com/

Tech innovations are transforming organizations across sectors and are especially causing massive paradigm shifts in the financial services industry. In the wake of the situation, the world’s largest archipelago is propelling forward with its digital economy and has already produced multiple fintech unicorns.

While the 90 million unbanked Indonesians are the sure catalysts behind fintech’s growth, more and more companies are now also leveraging the favorable regulatory changes brought in by Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK). The latter has even launched "Master Plan for the Indonesian Financial Services Sector (MPSJKI) 2021-2025" to further favor the developments.

Imbibing the opportunities arising from Indonesia’s current situation and to provide a direct gateway to its flourishing fintech market, the country’s most reputed annual FSI event, World Financial Innovation Series (WFIS) is coming back on 24 – 25 October 2023 at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place along with an Awards & Gala Night to reward and celebrate the best of FSI.

With all major financial institutions looking to upgrade their structure with added digital offerings, Indonesia has now become a utopia for technology vendors. This is where WFIS comes across as the best fit for bridging the gap between financial institutions and technology organizations.

As for the upcoming 5th annual edition, the platform will host more than 700 technology & business heads from the leading Banks, Insurance & Micro-Finance institutions across the country. On the other side to calm the massive number of inquisitive delegates, majority of whom are seen procuring solutions every year, the platform will feature the most cutting-edge fintech solutions showcased by none other than the leading industry players.

Some of the exhibiting companies who have already confirmed their spot at the platform include Newgen, 8x8, iProov, Provenir, OutSystems, Perkasa, FEITIAN Technologies, IntellectAI, OpenText™ AI Cloud, Reward360 and others.

While expressing his views on the current status of the Financial Services Industry, one of the key speakers for the platform, Samuel Mulyono (Chief Data Protection Officer (CDPO) and Head of Cyber & Product Risk Assurance Group, Nobu Bank) stated, “While technology is an important part of digital transformation in Banking and Financial Services, solutions implemented in the past often focused on poorly designed and implemented technology resulting in high costs and limited value. Organizations often struggle to meet compliance demands and threats, and solutions are limited. I believe that today Financial Services are interconnected and related to global risks that may be inside or outside the information system. Cybersecurity and Data Privacy in Financial Services require innovation-based solutions.”

He further added, “I see that this conference is necessary for professionals who are increasingly dealing with many interconnected digital and global innovations.”

With a carefully tailored agenda, the event will also power a conference hall for companies and experts to project their thought leadership in the region and address the most pressing issues faced by the industry.

Another key speaker, Edisono Limin (Executive Director, Country Head of Channels & Digitalisation, UOB) gave a brief comment on the platform, “Attending World Financial Innovation Series is a good opportunity to absorb the latest information and knowledge from experts and help us on our digital transformation journey”.

The curation of topics for the conference has always been an important highlight. Some of the next-gen topics being covered this year include, ‘Future-proofing Indonesia's Digital Banking Strategy’, ‘Empowering FIs with Cloud’, ‘Full-Suite Mobile Banking’, ‘Neo-Banks’, ‘Increasing Adoption of Biometrics’, ‘Transforming Banking with Low-Code No-Code’ and many others.

When asked about how Indonesia has shaped up to become one of the most favorable grounds for WFIS, Organizer & CEO of Tradepass, Sudhir Ranjan Jena expressed, “Indonesia is a live testimony to the platform’s continuous efforts towards fostering collaboration between the biggest financial institutions and the best-in-class technology providers. The active participation of key government officials, most renowned FSI personalities and the leading technology experts to forge a synergetic environment is the reason why World Financial Innovation Series returns every year to the archipelagic state.”