Attending external round tables is great - but what about bringing our great people together to debate topics that interest them?

We hire bright people from all over the industry, each person an expert in their own sphere of influence. That means we do incredible things, produce cutting edge work, and when we get together we can solve any problem in front of us (with enough coffee!).

But how else can we benefit from all of these bright minds in one company?

Enter Ignition Breakfasts

As part of our journey, Shieldpay as a community has set up a series of breakfasts where we can develop and learn alongside each other. Each month, we set a topic, invite a diverse group of employees, and discuss a topic of choice. Together, we’re able to learn from different parts of the business, while sharing our own expertise.

Generative AI sounds great for our marketing teams, but how do we handle it from an ethical and technical perspective? A lot of us are excited about cryptocurrency, but do our financial crime teams have any concerns around AML regulations? How do we see a path forward for Web3 disruptions in the tech industry?

We know diversity builds better teams. A diversity of viewpoints leads to creative problem solving. We’re able to take off, exploring the potential of our ideas and where they sit in the industry together.

A forum where sparks can be ignited from different corners of the business

Back in August we discussed generative AI and its place in the industry. Going through the difference between Neural Networks, Natural Language Processing, Generative AI, and Machine Learning in general, we cut through the noise, discussing how we currently use it, and the potential benefits and downsides of its current form. Do we see a world where AI might make some decisions for us? Or is AI, trained by biased human beings, inherently problematic?

From LLM-powered assistants like GitHub Copilot, to where ChatGPT gets its data, to Temnit Gebru and ethics, a group made up of our CEO, one of our Directors, our Product Strategy Team, Engineers, HR, Marketing, and Delivery went over our experiences with generative AI, our current use cases, and what we see in our industry’s future.In September, we had a roundtable with our COO, Product Strategy, Delivery, Engineering and HR discussing cryptocurrency. Is it here to stay? If it is, how do we ensure we can properly serve the users of the future?

We went over AML issues, payments pain points for the customer and the companies serving them, and famous crypto scams. But we also discussed crypto as a way to decentralise the banking industry, to offer freedom to people who may not be able to access traditional banking, and to allow for seamless foreign exchange.

In October, we’ll be looking at Banks of the Future. With all of the changes coming into the payments industry from Web3, how should financial services companies position themselves to grow and evolve? We’ll be talking to a new group of people from across the company to find out more.

When new relationships form, knowledge expands, and both business and employees benefit

The aim of these talks is to ensure participants walk away with new ideas, challenging thoughts, and plans for the future. We learn together, we grow together, and we build a better, stronger company together.

And besides... who doesn't love free coffee and croissants?