Insights by Ilie Ghiciuc

Ilie Ghiciuc - 13 Feb 2025

Fintech in 2025: Trends That Actually Matter And How to Execute on Them

The fintech industry is shifting fast, but not every so-called trend is worth your attention. AI, embedded finance, and compliance automation aren’t just flashy buzzwords anymore—they’re real technologies driving efficiency, security, and growth. Leading financial institutions are already seeing 40% productivity gains from AI-driven automation, while private markets and nonbank financial players are scaling at record speed.

Fintech Featured
Ilie Ghiciuc - 16 Oct 2024

Why It’s Harder for Tech Startups to Secure $1B Valuations Today

In the early 2000s, achieving “unicorn” status—a $1 billion valuation—was often the result of a strategic blend of growth, innovation, and venture capital. However, the tech landscape has shifted dramatically in the last two decades. By 2020 and 2021, the scene was further transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of a $2 trillion economic stimulus, sparking a surge in venture funding and soaring tech valuations.

Featured Startup
Ilie Ghiciuc - 11 Sep 2024

What’s Holding Back Embedded Finance in SaaS and Retail Platforms?

When businesses offer payments, loans, or insurance directly within their platforms, they're leveraging embedded finance. This trend is reshaping financial services, making it easier for users to access what they need without leaving their favorite apps.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 22 Aug 2024

Banking as a Service vs. Embedded Finance: Key Differences and Benefits

Navigating the landscape of financial technologies can be overwhelming, especially when terms like Banking as a Service (BaaS) and embedded finance are introduced. While both aim to enhance financial services integration, they serve different purposes and offer unique advantages.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 10 Jul 2024

The Core Commercial Models of Open Banking Explained

Over a decade ago, the concept of Open Innovation emerged, advocating for the sharing of ideas among innovators and enhancing the collective pool of knowledge. This approach has evolved into Open Banking, which allows third-party financial service providers access to banking and financial data, driving innovation in banking.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 27 Jun 2024

How Banks Can Leverage Banking As A Service (BaaS) To Stay Competitive

The financial services industry is undergoing a revolution lead by new, digital-centric neobanks and fintechs. Built from the ground up with user-friendliness and flexible functionality as their guiding principles, these new players are rapidly gaining traction. A report by AppRadar shows that neobanks are taking the lead in user growth with 18 million more downloads than legacy banks in 2023.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 22 May 2024

How AI and Machine Learning Transform Mobile Banking Security

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are becoming pivotal in enhancing the security of mobile banking applications. Through our work on the open-source banking front-end, Ivory, we've delved deep into how these technologies not only redefine security paradigms but also ensure a highly personalized banking experience.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 16 May 2024

Behavioral Analytics for Fraud Prevention in Banking Apps

Behavioral analytics is becoming an indispensable tool in the arsenal of fintech, especially in the realm of mobile banking applications. Our journey with implementing this sophisticated technology in different fintech projects and our open-source front-end, Ivory, has given us firsthand insight into its critical role in enhancing security and user trust.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 13 May 2024

Biometric Authentication Technologies For Personalized Banking

In the rapidly evolving fintech sector, biometric authentication technologies are becoming a cornerstone of security and user experience in mobile banking apps. At Thinslices, our expertise in integrating these technologies into projects like Mobilize Pay and Penta, alongside our open-source initiative, Ivory, has shown us the profound impact of biometrics on the finance industry.

Fintech
Ilie Ghiciuc - 25 Nov 2023

Device Binding in Mobile Banking Apps: Enhancing Security & User Trust

Device binding is a critical security measure in the world of fintech, particularly for mobile banking applications. As a fintech product development company we are only too aware of this. We experienced firsthand with the importance and implementation of device binding in projects like Mobilize Pay, Penta and our open-source mobile banking front-end, Ivory.

Fintech