Cross-Border Collaboration: Unlocking the UK–Canada Open Finance Opportunity Our President, Michelle Beyo, sat down with Shweta Chauhan, Senior Trade and Investment Officer at the UK Department for Business and Trade, ahead of last week’s Open Banking Expo and our OFNC AI & Open Finance event. In this thoughtful conversation, they explored: 🔹 The UK’s leadership in Open Finance 🔹 How cross-border collaboration can drive innovation 🔹 Opportunities for UK–Canada fintech partnerships 🔹 The power of trade to shape inclusive financial ecosystems 🙏 A sincere thank-you to Shweta and the UK Department for Business and Trade team for their continued support and leadership in championing the global benefits of Open Finance.

Excited to share Open Finance Network Canada 🇨🇦 OFNC will be hosting our first in person event tomorrow at Mastercard office to discuss the importance of Open Finance to SME’s from 12-1:30. Session is moderated by Michelle Beyo OFNC’s Board Member & CEO FINAVATOR INC Cindy Zhang OFNC’s Advisor & Financial Laywer Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) Panelist Stephen Hogg Head Open Banking Mastercard Dianne Cupples CEO Portfolio+

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator INC Michelle Beyo hosted the tenth episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. In this episode, they had the privilege of sitting down with Joseph Lau, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Sagard Holdings and Portage Ventures, and Alan Osborne, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at PaySafe Group to discuss how an Open Banking framework will help to drive strong cybersecurity for the whole ecosystem through APIs. The panel explored the importance of cybersecurity for all companies and how an Open Banking framework will help to drive strong cybersecurity for the whole ecosystem through APIs. The panel analyzed different examples of cybersecurity, and shared how Fintechs have built modern cybersecurity infrastructures that are comparable, and sometimes even superior, to the banks. Thank you to the many Open Banking Initiative Canada fintech working group members for helping to bring this series together: Hanna Zaidi, Paul Chan, Roy Kao (高兆强), Suzanne Ennis, and many others. Learn more at obicanada.ca

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator INC Michelle Beyo hosted the ninth episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. In this episode, they had the privilege of sitting down with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) and the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) of the UK to discuss the benefits of Open Banking for Canadian and UK consumers. They were joined by Judith Robertson, Commissioner for the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), and Faith Reynolds, the Independent Consumer Representative for the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE). The panel explored the benefits of Open Banking for Canadian and UK consumers and discussed how Open Banking can provide consumers with greater access to new and innovative products and services to help them meet their financial needs and goals. Thank you to the many Open Banking Initiative Canada fintech working group members for helping to bring this series together: Hanna Zaidi, Paul Chan, Roy Kao (高兆强), Suzanne Ennis and many others. Learn more at obicanada.ca

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator INC Michelle Beyo hosted the eighth episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. In this episode, they had the privilege of sitting down with Payments Canada and the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) of the UK to discuss the benefits for SMEs and government. They were joined by Anne Butler, the Chief External Relations & Legal Officer at Payments Canada, and Simon Lyons the Head of Ecosystem Engagement at OBIE. The panel explored the advantages of an Open Banking framework for Governments and SMEs and examined how an Open Banking framework will benefit taxes and B2B payments. Thank you to the many Open Banking Initiative Canada fintech working group members for helping to bring this series together: Hanna Zaidi, Paul Chan, Roy Kao (高兆强), Suzanne Ennis and many others. Learn more at obicanada.ca

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator INC Michelle Beyo hosted the seventh episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. In this episode, they had the privilege of sitting down with the Competition Bureau of Canada and the Competition and Markets Authority of the UK to discuss the benefits of open banking for consumers and businesses. They were joined by Leila Wright, Associate Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Bureau of Canada and Dr. Bill Roberts, Head of Open Banking at the UK Competition and Markets Authority. Dr. Roberts has been a part of Open Banking in the UK since the very beginning. The panel explored the relationship and benefits that open banking can have for consumers and businesses. They also discussed open banking as a catalyst for competition in Canada and the UK. Thank you to the many Open Banking Initiative Canada fintech working group members for helping to bring this series together: Hanna Zaidi, Paul Chan, Roy Kao (高兆强), Suzanne Ennis and many others. Learn more at obicanada.ca

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator INC Michelle Beyo hosted the sixth episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. They were joined by Kashmera Self, AVP, Strategy & Emerging Solutions Delivery at Interac Corp and David Birch, Leader of 15Mb Ltd. and commentator on Digital Financial Services. The panel explored the benefits of open banking and discussed the importance of consent and Digital ID as part of open banking for FI’s, fintechs and consumers. Additional conversation and insights from this session included: - More than 60% of Canadians care more today about keeping their identity safe online than they did before  - Digital ID should be established for not only individuals but also companies  - Sliding too quickly into a cashless society can potentially marginalize different groups and open banking can help drive new solutions Thank you to the many Open Banking Initiative Canada fintech working group members for helping to bring this series together: Hanna Zaidi, Paul Chan, Roy Kao (高兆强), Suzanne Ennis and many others. To learn more, visit obicanada.ca

The Honourable Senator Colin Deacon and OBIC Board Member and CEO of Finavator Michelle Beyo host our fifth episode of OBIC’s Open Banking Insights Series. They were joined by Mahima Podder, SVP Head of Retail Banking at EQ Bank and Hetal Popat, Director for Open Banking Services at HSBC. . The panel explored the benefits of open banking for public companies in both Canada and the UK. They also discussed how open banking can provide a framework to facilitate meaningful partnerships. Other insights from this session include: - open banking is the next step when it comes to the digitization of financial products and services - consumer’s trust in open banking is growing in the UK - in Canada, it’s important that Open Banking includes write access, Digital ID, and payment modernization to provide value About OBIC Open Banking Insight Series Focuses on sharing the benefits of open banking across many sectors highlighting panellists from Canada and the UK to discuss current challenges and potential opportunities. #openbanking #fintech #fintechpartnerships #finavator #womeninfintech Learn more at obicanada.ca