“Make sure you know what's on their roadmap so thatyou know what you need to prep for and what you need to build,” commented fintechstrategist Jas Shah when asked about the ideal stablecoin strategy for brokers duringthe FMLS:25. Shah—a consultant, writer, and frequent voice inthe digital finance space— spoke with Jonathan Fine, Content Strategist at theUltimate Group, offering a sharp view of an industry at a crossroads:technologically agile, but structurally uneven.He brought strong insights and depth to a conversation thatspanned artificial intelligence, stablecoins, and the ongoing transformation ofdigital banking. Shah has spent nearly two decades building products infinancial services, beginning his career as an engineer before focusingprimarily on product leadership.Over this time, he has worked at tier 1 financialinstitutions, helped launch challenger banks and PFM apps, scaled an SME lenderas Chief Product Officer, and continues to advise and provide hands-onexpertise to organizations developing innovative products. He is also a columnist at Fintech Under the Hood, an online publication with over 6,000 subscribers. Building Digital Banking in MENAMuch of Shah’s current work, he revealed, revolvesaround digital transformation projects in the Middle East, particularly thechallenge of modernizing user experience and payments infrastructure as banksrace to engage younger generations.Many banks there are striving to attract youngercustomers, which requires transitioning from traditional internet banking tofully developed mobile banking experiences — a shift that’s already commonplaceelsewhere but still in progress across the region.“Speak to retail clients, introduce your clients. Imean, even get them into a room, take them out for dinner, chat to them andsay, look, what are your challenges? What do you know about stable coin? Whatare you interested in doing? What are you thinking about for next year?”“Okay, we've got this offering ready to go. Let's talkabout how we can embed it. So, it's really getting the customer feedback andspeaking to the customers directly.”Stablecoins and the RegulationsThe conversation then turned to stablecoins—a topicthat dominated whispers across the Summit—and how brokers should approach thisevolving space. Shah’s advice was pragmatic: start from first principles.“You need to know what your customers are doing,” hesaid. “Even get them in a room, take them out for dinner, and ask: What do youknow about stablecoins? What are your challenges? What are you thinking aboutfor next year? Then you can build something meaningful around that.”Yet optimism was tempered by realism. Regulation,particularly around KYC, AML, and fund segregation, remains murky. “It’s stilla challenge,” he acknowledged. “But I think the more adoption that happens, themore regulation will fit around what use cases are across industry. Yeah, wewill wait for clarity. Wait-and-see.”The Convergence of Banking, Investing and FintechPerhaps the most forward-looking part of thediscussion explored the convergence between neobanks and retail investing—atheme Fine noted as central to the Summit’s evolution. Shah pointed to Revolut as emblematic of this shift,citing its growth, regulatory licenses, and product strategy.You may also like: “Prop Isn’t Finished, but If You’re Coming into Prop Now, You Are,” FMLS:25 Takeaways“Nick approaches product like a finance person with atech lens,” said Shah. “I think Revolut maybe will become a bigger part of thisconference. But I think they're talking about launching their own real estateinvesting platform for institutional investors plus retail investors.”He suggested that leading digital banks—from Monzo toStarling—will eventually internalize their trading and investment tech stacks,transforming from platform customers into “investment-as-a-service” providers. “Andonce they've built the tech, they can license the tech and come here as a, youknow, investment as a service platform like many of the people here.”Writing Fintech, From Insight to ArtIn a lighter turn, Fine lauded Shah’s long-formwriting, particularly his widely read Fintech Under the Hood essays. Askedabout his process, Shah described something closer to an artisan’s craft than ajournalist’s workflow.“It meanders,” he admitted with a laugh. “I start withwhat people should know—what’s happening that isn’t being talked about. Then Ilayer structure: intro, background, timeline, closeout. And then I add themeat.”Shah’s reflections encapsulated a wider narrativerunning through the Summit halls: fintech is no longer a sideshow to retailinvesting. It is becoming its infrastructure. As regulation catches up andneobanks mature, a new generation of digital finance builders is quietlyturning from disruption to construction.This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.