Ben Goldin, Founder & CEO of Plumery
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of FinTech Profile. Today we’re featuring digital banking royalty in the form Ben Goldin, the Founder and CEO of digital banking experience platform, Plumery.
Over to you Ben…
Who are you and what’s your background?
I embarked on my journey when I was just 16 years old. My passion for computing, especially programming, drove my first steps and, throughout my career, have remained closely tied to the financial services sector. I vividly recall my introduction to one of the first internet banks in Lithuania, where I grew up, which sparked a desire within me to reshape and refine the digital banking experience. Though the term “digital products” wasn’t common then, it encapsulated precisely what I aimed to innovate across the various roles and companies I worked for.
Today I consider myself a digital banking and fintech veteran with over 20 years experience building category-defining innovative technology for banks and other financial services companies and managing teams within start-ups through to hyper-scale and multi-billion valuations. Before founding Plumery, I was the first Chief Technology and Product Officer of the globally leading cloud banking platform, Mambu, and was also the Chief Architect at Backbase.
What is your job title and what are your general responsibilities? (
I am the founder and CEO of Plumery, the company behind the digital banking experience platform, Digital Success Fabric, with the mission to enable banks of any size globally to implement delightful mobile and web experiences for their customers and provide them with the foundation for success beyond fast-time-to-market.
As a young company CEO, I frequently wear multiple hats, encompassing tasks such as defining the company’s vision, strategy, and direction, leading teams, managing day-to-day operations, driving growth, and working with investors. My goal is to cultivate a culture of innovation and adaptability to effectively navigate the complexities of scaling a young company.
Can you give us an overview of your business?
Our digital banking experience platform, Digital Success Fabric, empowers change agents within financial institutions to roll out unique mobile and web applications. Our flexible, developer-friendly platform provides banking visionaries with the ability to constantly enhance the customer experience, giving forward-thinking financial institutions the crucial ability to stay ahead of the digital curve and meet the evolving needs of tech-savvy customers.
Our uniquely flexible approach enables fast and cost-effective transformation of digital banking channels, unmatched by internal development or vendor solutions with high total cost of ownership. Unlike traditional architectures, we not only provide ready-to-use digital banking journeys, but also equip firms with the tools they need to craft their own journeys and user interfaces, all without impacting core banking systems.
Tell us how you are funded?
Plumery raised $4.5 million in seed funding in April 2023. The investment came from Headline, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Seedcamp , Cocoa Ventures, Didier Valet (Former Deputy CEO of Societe Generale Group), Ricky Knox (Founder of Tandem Bank), Alan Morgan (Chairman at Nivaura), and many other prominent fintech leaders and investors.
What’s the origin story? Why did you start the company? To solve what problems?
Today, many traditional banks struggle to enhance and innovate their user experience due to limitations, both technical and organisational. In contrast, fintech companies, including digital banks, can iterate and improve their web and mobile applications more swiftly than most traditional banks.
To address these challenges and help banks gain a competitive advantage, Plumery provides a platform that serves as an operating system for customer-facing frontends (web, mobile, conversational AI) in banking. Sitting on top of modern or legacy core banking systems, our platform enables banks to build digital front ends up to 80% faster and at a fraction of the cost. Leveraging pre-built digital banking journeys while retaining the flexibility to create new ones, banks can enhance their digital presence efficiently and effectively.
Who are your target customers? What’s your revenue model?
Our target customers are financial institutions of any size, ranging from large multinational banks to smaller regional players. We operate on a subscription-based revenue model, providing our services through tailored subscription plans to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in the banking and/or FinTech sector?
If I could wield a magic wand, my wish would be to ensure universal access to high-quality financial services for everyone, irrespective of their geographical location or socioeconomic status. Currently, millions of people worldwide lack access to basic banking services, with approximately 1.4 billion adults remaining unbanked according to the World Bank. By bridging this gap and providing equal access to banking, we could potentially revolutionise the way billions of people interact with banking platforms, leading to significant socioeconomic advancement on a global scale.
What is your message for the larger players in the Financial Services marketplace?
My message is simple – embrace the digital revolution with boldness and agility. Today’s customers, particularly the new generation, expect banking services to match the seamless experiences offered by other digital apps. It’s imperative for larger players to prioritise innovation in customer experience and engagement. By adopting principles such as experimentation and continuous improvement, they can effectively cater to a broader range of customers and stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape. The key lies in being proactive, adaptive, and committed to delivering exceptional digital banking experiences that meet the diverse needs of today’s consumers.
Where do you get your Financial Services/FinTech industry news from?
I primarily rely on a few reputable sources, such as FF News | Fintech Finance, Finextra or The Fintech Times. These platforms provide comprehensive coverage of industry trends, innovations, and developments, keeping me informed about the latest happenings in the field.
Can you list 3 people you rate from the FinTech and/or Financial Services sector that we should be following on LinkedIn, and why?
- Dharmesh Mistry is a seasoned fintech expert with over 30 years of experience in driving transformational innovation and vision within the financial services industry.
- Efi Pylarinou is a respected fintech advisor, influencer, and speaker.
- As a prominent figure in the fintech space, Ewan MacLeod shares valuable content and commentary on LinkedIn, covering a wide range of topics such as payments, banking technology, and digital transformation.
What FinTech services (and/or apps) do you personally use?
I probably will not surprise you with my list since it’s made up of the usual suspects. My go-to apps include Revolut, Airwallex, bunq, N26, Mercury Bank and eToro for its comprehensive platform for investing. These apps offer convenient features and innovative solutions that align with my financial goals and lifestyle.
What’s the best new FinTech product or service you’ve seen recently?
The bunq’s Finn has caught my attention recently. It’s bold to integrate AI into banking applications, providing users with insightful analysis of their financial data, ultimately empowering better financial decision-making.
Finally, let’s talk predictions. What trends do you think are going to define the next few years in the FinTech sector?
In the dynamic fintech landscape, I firmly believe that customer experience will remain a central focus alongside transformative trends. Embedded Finance, enriching customer experiences by seamlessly integrating financial services into everyday activities, or AI and machine learning, delivering hyper personalised financial experiences, empowering customers with tailored insights and recommendations, are also a few to mention. I see financial institutions increasingly adopting hybrid cloud approaches to leverage the scalability and flexibility of the cloud while meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring data privacy and security.
New Era FinTech Podcast: The Ben Goldin Episode
My colleague Bryan Carroll ☁️ had the honour of interviewing Ben on the New Era FinTech Podcast a little while ago. If you’d like to find out more about Ben and Plumery, it was in Episode #23 – just search ‘New Era Fintech Podcast’ to find it. Or you can listen right here.
Thanks for taking the time to participate Ben.
If you’re in the market for a digital banking experience layer — and to be clear, almost every bank is (or should be!) — then do reach out to Ben and his team at Plumery to discuss possibilities.
