The Intuition Finance Digest

Customer vulnerability is no longer viewed as a niche issue affecting a small group of consumers. Economic pressure, aging populations, digital banking, scams, financial hardship, illness, bereavement, disability, job loss, domestic abuse, low financial resilience, and limited digital access can all place customers at greater risk of financial harm. In this episode of The Intuition Finance Digest, we explore why banks are under increasing regulatory pressure to identify customers who may need additional support, respond appropriately, and monitor whether they are receiving fair outcomes. The discussion looks at customer vulnerability as a changing set of circumstances rather than a fixed category. A customer may become vulnerable after an unexpected life event, while someone experiencing vulnerability today may no longer need the same support in the future. We also look at what this means in practice for banks, including identification, sensitive data handling, flexible support, accessible processes, product design, digital banking, automated decision-making, and outcomes-based monitoring. In this episode, we cover: Why customer vulnerability has become a major issue for banks How vulnerability can arise and change over time What regulators expect from banks and financial institutions Why customers may not always disclose vulnerable circumstances How banks can provide support without unnecessary labeling Why products, technology, and processes need to be tested for customer impact Why fair outcomes matter more than simply having procedures in place Resources: Learn more about Intuition Know-How, our financial learning platform: https://www.intuition.com/know-how/ Find out more about Intuition Publishing here: https://www.intuition.com/ Follow Intuition Publishing on LinkedIn for the latest finance learning insights: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuition-publishing-ltd./ Listen to The Intuition Finance Digest on Spotify and other major podcast platforms. #FinancialServices #ConsumerDuty #ConductRisk #BankingCompliance #FinancialRegulation

Europe is moving from experimentation to implementation in digital finance. In this episode of The Intuition Finance Digest, we explore Pontes, the Eurosystem’s new mechanism for settling tokenized asset transactions using central bank money. Pontes connects DLT-based financial-market platforms with the Eurosystem’s existing TARGET settlement infrastructure, helping tokenized securities settle in risk-free euro central bank money. The episode also looks at the separate retail digital euro project, including the digital euro pilot and the ECB’s aim to be technically ready for a potential first issuance in 2029, subject to the necessary EU legislation. Together, Pontes and the digital euro point to a wider strategic issue: how Europe can maintain the role of central bank money as financial markets, payments, and settlement systems become increasingly digital and tokenized. The discussion also considers Europe’s reliance on non-European payment providers and the growing role of US dollar-denominated stablecoins, both of which have made monetary sovereignty a more prominent concern. In this episode, we cover: What Pontes is and how it supports tokenized markets Why tokenized assets need reliable settlement in central bank money How Pontes differs from the retail digital euro What the digital euro pilot is designed to test Why stablecoins and payment infrastructure matter for monetary sovereignty How Europe is positioning itself in digital finance Resources: Learn more about Intuition Know-How: https://www.intuition.com/know-how/ Find out more about Intuition Publishing: https://www.intuition.com/ Follow Intuition Publishing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuition-publishing-ltd./ #CentralBankMoney #FinancialMarkets #Stablecoins #Payments #CapitalMarkets #DigitalFinance 

Early-career finance professionals need more than formal training. They need support in understanding how that training applies to the work they are asked to do. In this episode of The Intuition Finance Digest, we explore how managers can support graduate development in banking and finance. The discussion looks at how assignments, review conversations, feedback, and cross-team exposure can help new entrants build practical understanding, confidence, and responsibility. Managers play an important role in helping graduates understand why a task matters, what the output will be used for, and how their work connects to the wider business. This is especially important in short rotations and early team placements, where graduates need meaningful work and clear feedback. The episode also looks at the role of human skills, including communication, teamwork, listening, and psychological safety, in early-career development. In this episode, we cover: Why manager support matters in early finance careers How graduates learn to apply financial knowledge in real work How managers can turn assignments into learning opportunities Why feedback should be practical and actionable How psychological safety helps graduates ask questions and raise concerns Why early responsibility should be supported by clear guidance and review Resources: Explore Intuition’s early careers solutions: https://www.intuition.com/early-careers/ Learn more about Intuition Know-How: https://www.intuition.com/know-how/ Find out more about Intuition Publishing: https://www.intuition.com/ Follow Intuition Publishing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuition-publishing-ltd./

AI is increasingly being used by cybercriminals across reconnaissance, phishing, code generation, credential theft, identity fraud, and social engineering. But the key concern is not that AI has created entirely new forms of cybercrime. So far, much of the activity still involves familiar attacks and familiar weaknesses, including weak passwords, exposed systems, unpatched software, and social engineering. In this episode of The Intuition Finance Digest, we explore how AI is changing the economics of cybercrime. Tasks that once required time and specialist expertise can now be automated, accelerated, or scaled using AI systems. This lowers the barrier to entry for attackers and increases the number of targets that can be attacked at the same time. We also look at how cybersecurity teams are responding, using AI-powered tools to identify vulnerabilities, monitor networks, detect suspicious activity, and respond to incidents more quickly. The bigger question is what comes next. If today’s AI acts mainly as an accelerator, future systems could become more autonomous in identifying vulnerabilities, adapting tactics, and conducting attacks.  In this episode, we cover How AI is changing the cost and speed of cybercrime Why familiar attacks are becoming more scalable How AI is being used in phishing, credential theft, and fraud Why cybersecurity fundamentals still matter How defenders are using AI to improve detection and response Why AI-directed cyberattacks could become a future risk Resources: Learn more about Intuition Know-How: https://www.intuition.com/know-how/ Find out more about Intuition Publishing: https://www.intuition.com/ Follow Intuition Publishing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuition-publishing-ltd./ #AICybercrime #Cybersecurity #CyberRisk  

Cyber risk in banking is no longer only an IT security issue.Banks increasingly need to plan for what happens when technology is disrupted: whether customers can still access critical services, how quickly those services can be restored, and where dependencies on third-party providers could create additional vulnerabilities.In this episode of The Intuition Finance Digest, we explore why cybersecurity is increasingly being viewed through the lens of operational resilience.In this episode, we cover:- Why resilience focuses on services rather than systems- How banks prepare for serious cyber incidents- Detection, escalation, crisis decisions, and communications- How banks establish recovery priorities- Why third-party technology dependencies matter- How shared providers can create concentration and systemic risk Key resources:1. Learn more about Intuition Know-How, our financial learning platform: https://www.intuition.com/know-how/2. Find out more about Intuition Publishing here: https://www.intuition.com/3. Follow Intuition Publishing on LinkedIn for the latest finance learning insights: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuition-publishing-ltd./