Episode 115: T-Shaped Experts in Fintech: Buzzword or Backbone?

In Episode 115 of the Fintech Garden podcast by DashDevs, host Igor Tomych welcomes Jeremy Takle, CEO of VEMI and co-founder of Pennyworth, for a powerful conversation on what it truly means to build teams with T-shaped experts.

As a chief executive and senior advisor, Jeremy works with companies that are building, scaling, and digitally transforming financial services. He has a proven track record of delivering transformational growth, sustainable performance improvement, and interdisciplinary team leadership. His focus spans:

• Designing personalized customer propositions
• Developing adaptive competitive strategies
• Deploying new technologies to manage risk and performance
• Leading teams through startup, scale-up, M&A, and transformation

The discussion goes beyond surface-level definitions to unpack how fintech teams, especially in the age of AI, benefit from individuals who combine deep technical skills with broad cross-functional understanding. Jeremy draws on his experience launching regulated digital banks in the UK and abroad—including ethical Sharia-compliant platforms—and scaling AI-native infrastructure across multiple markets.

What Is a T-Shaped Expert, and Why Does Fintech Need Them?

A T-shaped expert is someone with deep expertise in one domain (the vertical stroke of the T), paired with broad knowledge across multiple disciplines (the horizontal stroke). In fintech, this model allows for:

• Faster collaboration
• Better product intuition
• Tighter integration between tech, business, and compliance

Jeremy shares how building teams with this mindset is no longer optional—it’s essential:

• Modern digital banking demands talent who understands tech, regulation, customer psychology, and AI integration
• AI-native platforms require engineers and product leads to operate as prompt engineers, system reviewers, and strategists, all in one
• The next wave of fintech products won’t be built by specialists in silos but by generalists with depth

Key Topics Covered

• What defines a T-shaped expert in today’s fintech environment
• How digital banking teams evolve from traditional models to AI-native organizations
• Real-world lessons from building VEMI and Pennyworth—from licensing to scaling
• How AI is reshaping what technical expertise looks like across fintech teams
• Why startups should prioritize breadth, adaptability, and domain awareness when hiring

Why This Matters

In fintech, things move fast—and so should your team. You can’t afford silos or narrow expertise. The best teams today are made up of people who know their craft deeply but also understand how their work connects with product, business, and compliance.

T-shaped experts are the kind of people who help you build smarter, faster, and more responsibly.

If you’re:

• Launching a digital bank
• Building embedded finance features
• Scaling an AI product

…this episode helps you understand what kind of people you really need—and how to hire or become one.

🎧 Listen to Episode 115 now and learn why T-shaped experts may be the backbone of modern fintech!