Latest opinions that Katherine Chan has shared on Finextra

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Katherine Chan

CEO

Juice

Member since

05 Nov 2024

Location

London

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Katherine's opinions

What Founders Should Expect from Lenders in 2025

Some lenders are quietly becoming obsolete. In 2025, founders no longer tolerate 6-week approval timelines, rigid credit models, or hidden fees buried in legalese. The pace of business has changed, and the lenders who don’t keep up risk being left behind. This shift isn’t just anecdotal, it’s playing out in the numbers. UK SME lending volumes have...

04 April 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech innovation and startups

From Survival to Scale – How Fintech is Transforming SME Growth Post-Crisis

For SMEs, access to capital has never been a simple issue, but given the current economic climate, the state is even worse. Lenders are still risk-averse, macro economics are uncertain and inflation is raising operating costs. While many companies struggled to survive the post-pandemic era, now the question comes: how do they scale? Having worked...

28 March 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech innovation and startups

The Real Cost of Financial Exclusion: Why It’s a Business Problem, Not Just a Social Issue

Financial exclusion is not just a social issue, it's an economic waste. SMEs are the backbone of the global economies, yet too many of them find it hard to access capital, not for lack of potential, but because mainstream financial systems are not structured to serve them. Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations, wrote: "It is not from the bene...

07 March 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech

Why non-dilutive funding is the future for SMEs?

Early 2025 in the British economic landscape is a complex one for SMEs. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has adjusted its forecast of UK GDP growth to 1.7% this year, highlighting cautious optimism in light of ongoing global uncertainties. While financial inclusion has been a core fintech mission, many SMEs, most ...

28 February 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech

Financial Inclusion in 2025: Will Fintech Finally Close the Gaps?

Financial inclusion has been a fintech buzzword for years, yet 2025 appears to be the one year where we finally see real momentum… or maybe not. As governments, banks, and fintechs try out various methods of plugging financial gaps, the question is: are we really heading in the right direction? Throughout the UK, policymakers have made financia...

21 February 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech

Fintech Predictions for 2025: What’s Next?

2025 is a defining moment for fintech. Indeed, the sector is innovating wildly, driven by embedded finance, alternative lending models, and AI; it's also being reshaped by new regulations and shifts in funding. The last year has been a real test of the resilience of financial services as investments start to tighten, economic uncertainty increases...

14 February 2025 /startups /predictions Fintech

AI in Fintech: Revolutionising Credit Risk Models

Having spent over 2 decades in banking and financial services, I have seen how financial models evolve, but never at the speed seen today. AI is reshaping credit risk assessment, offering a more effective approach to evaluating businesses that operate outside conventional frameworks. SMEs, particularly digital-first companies, have long faced barr...

07 February 2025 /ai /startups Artificial Intelligence and Financial Services

From Ignored to Empowered: Fintech’s Answer to SME Challenges

After spending over 15 years in banking, I witnessed the ongoing challenges SMEs face when seeking funding. Traditional high street banks often fail to meet the needs of these businesses, especially digital-first and B2C companies, leaving them unable to secure the capital needed to scale. This persistent gap in funding, which amounts to £22b in t...

28 January 2025 /startups /inclusion Fintech

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