Daniela Sozzi argues blockchain is a strategic tool for finance, not a technical fix. Boards need a practical framework to evaluate it against their products, clients, and operating model. Implementing blockchain on broken processes just makes them worse and costs more.
Chapters
Over to Daniela. Thanks so much. Thank you, Ali. Hello everyone. Today I'd like to talk to you about business strategy in the financial services space. Topics like cryptography, consensus algorithm are very important components that constitute blockchain infrastructure, but we're not here to have just a technical discussion. My background, as Ali said, is in finance and financial services, and I am passionate about how technological solutions enable more efficient financial processes and allow to expand financial services capabilities. I'm not passionate in the technology per se. To me, blockchain is an enabler, um, for a richer and more efficient offering in the fintech space. So I'd like to frame the conversation that we're having today as a strategic conversation. I want to present to you a strategic framework. That is because there is a lot of noise about blockchain and every day there is a new headline, a new buzzword. But our goal is to give you a clear, practical framework to see through that noise. In my work as a strategy advisor, I share with boards and with management teams what I believe is the best way to go about the decisions when it comes to technology integrations and the fundamental choices that need to be made. What is important is the perspective from a business point of view. And yes, it is good to have a good understanding of what those technologies are and what the technical foundations mean. But I think it's even more important to understand the business context in which those decisions are to be taken. The current products, the client base, the use cases, and the operational models. It is important to have a vision about the future and the blockchain integration needs to be evaluated as the bridge between the current state and the future vision. We're going to focus on how you can identify real opportunities for enhancement via blockchain integration, ask the tough questions, and ultimately make smarter investment choices for your teams. And for your businesses. And I'll try to anchor our entire discussion on one critical idea, which is that this technology is a powerful tool, no doubt about it, but it is not a magic wand. It cannot fix a flawed or inefficient process. As we will see, blockchain doesn't fix a broken operating model. If anything, it makes the flaws more expensive and more permanent. My point throughout this presentation is that integrating blockchain is a way, but not the only way, to strengthen operating models. and create value. So having said that,
